It is often said that everything happens for a reason, and that sometimes things have a meaning we cannot immediately grasp. The journey I have undertaken over the past two years has proven to be a path that goes far beyond the professional realm. It has been a collection of shared experiences during various training sessions, with seasoned companions from whom I have received care, understanding, and through whom I have reconnected with my essence.

My participation in ETT1 was almost pure coincidence. I found myself in a very complex professional moment. After fifteen years of experience in European trade unionism, the worst aspects of politics had sidelined me from leadership. In politics, losing a congress is like spending years building a solid and well-designed structure, only to see it cast into the shadows of indifference by a vote. That is exactly what had happened to me. As a result, I was relegated to communicative tasks in a regional department. My self-esteem was in tatters, sadness consumed my days, and I felt lost, thinking I had sacrificed my best years in the trade union movement.