Notes From Your 20s

Menna

My 20s have been so much fuller than I could have ever imagined. In the best and at times the worst ways. Most of the time, I feel so overwhelmed trying to figure it all out, and at the same time, in the back of my mind, I know that I'm so unbelievably grateful that I have the agency and the free will to try and fail and get up and try again. So grateful that I have the choice to even try in the first place. Because what that gives you is evidence. Evidence that you're capable of trying and failing and getting up as many times as it takes to get to a place where you're actually satisfied with every. single. aspect. of your life. Your 20s is the time you get to begin designing your life for the first time. Your 20s is also the time you are most vulnerable to building a life that isn't yours. Growing up, we were always taught how to act, speak and even think, and now, for the first time, we have so much more freedom, all at once. And for the first time in history, we have access to means that no generation before us ever has. All of that combined can get overwhelming and really exhausting. And a lot of time, it is overwhelming and exhausting. But I'm also convinced that this is our opportunity to unlock parts of ourselves and our lives that we didn't know could even exist. Pursuing that life and that version of yourself takes courage. A lot of it, but I have a feeling that every single one of us has that courage within them. So this is a real time record of everything it takes to pursue that life. A record of the pressure, the confusion, the courage, the rejection it takes to pursue what you actually want when it feels like everyone and their mom knows exactly what they're doing. (Spoiler alert: they don't. And neither do I.) This is not an advice column. This is not a self help podcast. This is not a masterclass. Because I am just trying to figure it out myself. This is just us figuring it out together in real time and at the very least, not doing it alone. Welcome to Notes from Your 20s. It's good to have you with me.

Episodes

  1. 8 Jul

    The Blank Page & Undeniable Decision Fatigue

    This week is less structured and more stream-of-consciousness than usual. I talk through decision fatigue, why having infinite options can feel like a privilege and a burden at the same time, and why nobody really taught us how to regulate our emotions or build community as adults. Never advice. Just where my head's at this week.

    The Blank Page & Undeniable Decision Fatigue

  2. 3 Jun

    Moving Out of the Big City

    I came to London for a specific reason. That reason didn't happen. The people I met here were incredible, and I am so grateful for the endless opportunities to do and become so many different things here. But the original goal isn’t in my hands anymore, and I have to accept that I simply can’t accomplish one of my biggest life goals anymore, at least not in the original way I planned or in the timeframe I was expecting and sitting with everything that comes with that is interesting, to say the least. "Work hard enough and you'll get there" turns out to not always be how it goes. It’s I've come to learn a lot more nuanced. The plan I built around this city is dead, at least for now, and it feels like regression. It feels like I'm walking backwards. This episode is about leaving London,and the job I stayed at for far too long, the relationships I'm grieving, the version of the life I thought I'd have here that I have to let go of. It's about moving back in with family and the friction, the loss of independence, the reminder that time is moving for everyone, not just me. It's about slowing down for the first time in a very long time and having to face things I've been too busy to feel. And underneath all of it, there's real excitement. A new country. A new slate. Ninety days from now, everything could look different, and I don't think I've fully processed how scary but also how exciting that is at the same time. London isn't going anywhere. I can come back. But right now, the thing I need to do is go and figure out who I am somewhere else.

    Moving Out of the Big City

  3. 13 May

    Your 20s Are Weirdly Lonely

    Lately I've been noticing the number of us in our 20s quietly overwhelmed, confused, emotionally exhausted, and still showing up to work, replying to messages, trying to make plans whilst getting over the last situationship and trying to invest whilst paying off debt and sitting in endless meetings, posting on instagram, paying bills, keeping it together. (Or just constantly pretending to) Good news is at least it's not just me and it's definitely not just you. This episode is an introduction to this space and the kinds of conversations we'll be having here. I don't have everything figured out and I'm not going to pretend I do, but there's value in trying to talk about the things most people avoid saying out loud. The pressure to become someone and set your life up. The loneliness coupled with the ambition and the identity crisis and keeping up with the pace of relationships (or lack thereof) and the fear of wasting your life. Wanting more while also feeling guilty for wanting more. And oh god, the decision fatigue. so. many. damn decisions. I want this to be our space to think through those things honestly, clearly, and without pretending we're already on the other side of them. If you've ever felt stuck between who you are and who you think you're supposed to be, welcome. This is for you.

    Your 20s Are Weirdly Lonely
  • 3 Episodes

About

My 20s have been so much fuller than I could have ever imagined. In the best and at times the worst ways. Most of the time, I feel so overwhelmed trying to figure it all out, and at the same time, in the back of my mind, I know that I'm so unbelievably grateful that I have the agency and the free will to try and fail and get up and try again. So grateful that I have the choice to even try in the first place. Because what that gives you is evidence. Evidence that you're capable of trying and failing and getting up as many times as it takes to get to a place where you're actually satisfied with every. single. aspect. of your life. Your 20s is the time you get to begin designing your life for the first time. Your 20s is also the time you are most vulnerable to building a life that isn't yours. Growing up, we were always taught how to act, speak and even think, and now, for the first time, we have so much more freedom, all at once. And for the first time in history, we have access to means that no generation before us ever has. All of that combined can get overwhelming and really exhausting. And a lot of time, it is overwhelming and exhausting. But I'm also convinced that this is our opportunity to unlock parts of ourselves and our lives that we didn't know could even exist. Pursuing that life and that version of yourself takes courage. A lot of it, but I have a feeling that every single one of us has that courage within them. So this is a real time record of everything it takes to pursue that life. A record of the pressure, the confusion, the courage, the rejection it takes to pursue what you actually want when it feels like everyone and their mom knows exactly what they're doing. (Spoiler alert: they don't. And neither do I.) This is not an advice column. This is not a self help podcast. This is not a masterclass. Because I am just trying to figure it out myself. This is just us figuring it out together in real time and at the very least, not doing it alone. Welcome to Notes from Your 20s. It's good to have you with me.

Information

  • Creator
    Menna
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Menna Similawy
  • Show Website
    Notes From Your 20s