She once watched her peers move effortlessly from one milestone to the next, while she struggled quietly with depression, regret, and the weight of leaving university behind. It felt like she was falling behind in a race she never chose to run.
With time, she came to a powerful realisation: happiness does not follow a single path.
She made a brave decision. She left her admin job, took up waitressing, and used her very first earnings to fund a solo trip abroad. That single choice became the turning point of her life.
What began as one journey grew into many. Ummi travelled across more than sixty countries and four continents, discovering not just new places, but new versions of herself along the way. The world that once felt intimidating slowly became a teacher.
When she first started travelling in 2010, many questioned her choices. Some called her reckless. Others dismissed her as a “loser.” But being alone on the road taught her courage, resilience, and the quiet beauty of human kindness moments shared with strangers who felt like friends, even if only for a day.
Today, Ummi shares her journey through her blog, YouTube, and social media, hoping her story reaches those who feel lost or left behind. Through her words and experiences, she reminds others that life does not have to look a certain way to be meaningful.
In choosing her own road, Ummi Nadrah discovered the most important truth of all: she could write her own story, and she is enough, exactly as she is.