The woman I am becoming: theme of the season

On identity, personal growth, self-expression & staying rooted

There is a strange moment that comes with growing into yourself.

You look around and realise that some of the things you once wanted no longer excite you. Some of the things you once tolerated no longer feel acceptable. Some dreams have changed. Some relationships have shifted. Some parts of you that once felt so certain suddenly feel unfamiliar.

And for a moment, you might wonder:

Who am I now?

We talk so much about finding ourselves.

But perhaps there is another part of a woman's journey that we don't talk about enough:

Becoming means allowing yourself to change.

Not because who you were was wrong.

But because she was never meant to be your final version.

We are constantly becoming.

There are versions of ourselves that carried us through seasons we couldn't have imagined surviving.

The ambitious version.
The people-pleasing version.
The independent version.
The version who needed to prove herself.
The version who said yes to everything.
The version who was simply trying to figure it all out.

We can honour those women without needing to remain them.

Personal growth doesn't always look like becoming more.

Sometimes it looks like becoming more honest.

More discerning.

More comfortable with saying no.

More willing to rest.

More intentional about who gets access to you.

Sometimes it means admitting that the definition of success you had five years ago isn't the one you want today.

That the life you thought you were supposed to build isn't necessarily the life you want to live.

That something you once desperately wanted may no longer belong to the woman you are today.

And that is okay.

But what do we take with us?

Becoming isn't about leaving everything behind.

There are parts of ourselves worth protecting.

Our softness.
Our culture.
Our femininity.
Our sense of humour.
Our faith.
Our ambition.
Our curiosity.
The little rituals that make us feel like ourselves.

The question isn't only:

What am I outgrowing?

It is also:

What am I choosing to carry forward?

Because you can become more ambitious without becoming harder.

More independent without becoming disconnected.

More confident without becoming closed off.

More modern without abandoning your roots.

Stronger without losing your softness.

Perhaps the most beautiful kind of personal growth is not becoming someone entirely new.

It is becoming more deeply yourself.

And perhaps we need more spaces to talk about it.

Not on a screen.

Not through a perfectly curated Instagram post.

But around a table.

Over good food.

In the company of women who are also figuring it out.

Because there is something different that happens when we put our phones down and actually sit across from one another. When conversations move beyond “What do you do?” and into “What is changing for you?”

What are you outgrowing?

What are you rediscovering?

What does success mean to you now?

What parts of yourself are you learning to make space for?

What does femininity mean to you at this stage of your life?

And who are you becoming?

This is the spirit behind Crowns & Connect — London Edition, our first Malka lunch bringing women together in real life.

Ten women. One table. Good Italian food. A little La Dolce Vita. And conversations around The Woman I Am Becoming.

Not a workshop. Not a networking event.

Just a space to slow down, connect, share, laugh, reflect — and perhaps leave knowing a little more about the women sitting around the table.

Because sometimes, we don't need another answer.

We just need to be reminded that we are not the only ones becoming.

Every woman around that table is carrying a story.

A past version of herself.

A present version she is learning to understand.

And a future version she hasn't fully met yet.

And maybe that's what makes this season so beautiful.

We don't have to have it all figured out.

We simply have to give ourselves permission to evolve — while staying rooted in who we truly are.

Here's to the woman you were.
The woman you are.
And the woman you are becoming.

With love,
Malka London