The Life Yuri Sinata Refused to Pass Down

At 23 years old, Yuri Sinata arrived in the United States from Indonesia with just $500 in her pocket, barely speaking English and having no real idea what her future would look like. What she did carry with her was years of emotional pain, survival instincts, and a longing for freedom she had never truly experienced before.

“When I came to Los Angeles for the first time, I felt freedom for the first time in my life,” Yuri said.

Growing up in Indonesia, Yuri often felt confined by the environment around her. Her childhood was shaped by instability, emotional hardship, and generational trauma. Her mother, who became a parent at just seventeen, carried her own pain and struggles, and much of that pain spilled into their home. Yuri remembers growing up in an atmosphere where emotions were suppressed and mistakes were met with anger instead of understanding.

“I told myself my whole life that I would never become like my mother,” she said.

After moving to America, Yuri worked as a restaurant server while trying to build a life from scratch. It was there that she met the man who would later become her husband and the father of her son, Kai. At the time, the relationship felt safe - something unfamiliar to someone who had spent most of her life in survival mode. They married but waited years before having children because they wanted financial stability first.

When Yuri became pregnant at 32, she believed she was finally stepping into the life she had worked so hard to create. Instead, motherhood brought buried emotions to the surface.

“After I had Kai, all my emotions started to flood,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

She began struggling with severe postpartum depression, though at first she refused to admit it. Coming from a background where survival always came first, Yuri had once seen depression as something people simply pushed through. But becoming a mother forced her to confront emotions she had avoided for years.

One night, while exhausted and overwhelmed, she found herself reacting in a way that terrified her. As Kai cried uncontrollably, Yuri felt a sudden wave of anger rise inside her - the same kind she had witnessed growing up.

“The minute I felt that urge, I completely broke,” she said. “I realized I needed to do something. I didn’t want to become the person I promised myself I would never be.”

That moment changed everything.

Not long after, Yuri left her marriage when Kai was just a year old. Suddenly, she was navigating single motherhood alone, without family nearby and while working long hours just to stay afloat. She remembers visiting daycare centers and crying at the thought of leaving her son so young, but knowing she had little choice.

“It’s hard being a single parent when you don’t have a support system,” she said. “But you just keep going.”

Still, somewhere in the middle of the exhaustion and heartbreak, Yuri decided she didn’t want survival to define the rest of her life. She started doing the difficult work of unpacking her childhood, learning about trauma, emotional regulation, and healing. Over time, that journey led her to become a therapist herself.

Today, Yuri openly shares her experiences online, using her platform to talk about motherhood, mental health, and generational trauma. Her work is deeply tied to the promises she made to herself as a child.

“I made a promise that I didn’t want any child to feel the way I felt,” she said.

Much of what Yuri speaks about now centers on the idea that healing ourselves is one of the greatest things we can do for our children. She believes many parents unintentionally pass down pain simply because they were never shown another way.

“Heal people heal people,” she said. “The world needs more healed people.”

As Yuri began prioritizing her own emotional wellbeing, she noticed changes not only within herself, but in her relationship with Kai too. The overwhelmed mother who once cried alone in the bathroom after long shifts slowly became calmer, lighter, and more emotionally present.

“The minute I started taking care of myself and my mental health, Kai changed too,” she said. “Happy mommy, happy baby - it’s true.”

Now, Yuri hopes other mothers understand that caring for themselves is not selfish. To her, it is necessary. Whether through therapy, mindfulness, or simply learning how to pause and breathe during difficult moments, she believes healing starts with self-awareness and compassion.

“We cannot give from an empty plate,” she said. “We have to take care of ourselves first so we can give better to our children.”

For years, Yuri believed survival was the only way to live. Now, she’s building something -different — not just for herself, but for her son. A life shaped less by fear, anger, and survival, and more by healing, awareness, and choice.