What if being daring didn’t mean bungee jumping or quitting your job with no backup plan but instead, looked like quietly choosing yourself over everything that once defined you?
In our conversation with social worker Megan Torres, we explore what it really means to leave behind the life you were told to want, and how choosing something different, something uncertain can be the most honest thing you ever do.
Leaving Isn’t Always Running Away
When Megan packed up and moved to Mexico, it wasn’t on a whim. It was an act of reclamation. Of listening to the voice inside that whispered, "You’re allowed to want more peace than this." After working in systems that weren’t made for her to thrive and after years of shouldering expectations, burnout, and silence, she chose something else.
“I had to ask myself, is staying in this environment helping me grow, or just keeping me stuck?” she shared. That question might hit hard for a lot of us.
Because let’s be real: comfort can look a lot like complacency. Just because something is familiar doesn’t mean it’s safe. Just because you can survive somewhere doesn’t mean you were meant to stay.
Daring Isn’t Loud. It’s Rooted.
Megan’s story reminds us that daring doesn’t have to be dramatic. It’s not about recklessness. It’s about intention. It’s the quiet courage of looking at your life and saying, “This isn’t it. Not anymore.”
Too often, we confuse safety with stagnancy. We stay in jobs, cities, relationships, and routines that drain us because at least we know how to navigate them. We call it stability. But what if it’s actually a slow erosion of who we really are?
"There was a part of me that knew I couldn’t keep sacrificing my mental and emotional health to make other people comfortable," Megan said. So she stopped.
When You Outgrow the Story You Were Given
There’s grief in leaving. There’s guilt. But there’s also incredible power in rewriting your story. Megan talked about the process of confronting the expectations she grew up with. The ones about what success should look like, what stability should feel like, what a "good life" should include.
But what if the story you were given is too small for the person you're becoming?
Moving away from a city, a career path, a community can be an act of deep self-trust. It’s scary. It’s uncertain. But it creates space. And in that space, something softer can bloom: clarity, peace, even joy.
Not Everyone Will Understand and That’s Okay
Part of being daring is accepting that not everyone will get it. You might feel the need to over-explain, to justify, to shrink your dreams down so they don’t make anyone else uncomfortable. But you don’t need to prove your peace to anyone.
That’s the difference between performance and alignment. Daring doesn’t mean burning bridges or abandoning your values. It means stepping into alignment with your truth, even if it disrupts someone else’s expectations.
So Ask Yourself:
-
Where have I been choosing comfort over growth?
-
What does safety actually feel like in my body (not just in theory)?
-
Who am I becoming, and what might that version of me need?
This isn’t about glamorizing escape. It’s about honoring evolution. And trusting that even if your path doesn’t look like anyone else’s, it’s still valid. Still beautiful. Still yours.
Because sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is move toward the unknown.
And sometimes, the most radical form of self-care is leaving the life that no longer fits.
You don’t have to justify your freedom.
You just have to choose it.
About Megan Torres
Megan Torres, LISW (she/her) is a Social Worker and Radical Mental Health Coach living in Mexico on a mission to empower chronically overwhelmed individuals to prioritize their mental well-being while also creating positive social change. Her words and advocacy efforts have been featured in NPR, Forbes, and more. Keep up with her for long form sociopolitical insights, stray thoughts on living outside the U.S and general mental health education and guidance that won't gaslight you.
Follow @trustmeimasocialworker on Instagram and Substack for more. And don't forget to check out Megan's e-book "Survival Pending Revolution".
