A former identity can remain part of your history without remaining your introduction.

A thing that shaped you does not have to be the first thing you say. The old job, the illness, the marriage, the town you left: each is genuinely part of how you got here, and none of them has a permanent claim on the opening sentence. Keeping something in your history is different from keeping it at the front, and the difference is entirely yours to set.

Try introducing yourself once this week without the detail you usually lead with. Notice what you say instead and how it feels. If the old line still fits, keep it, but let that be a choice rather than a habit.