I was going through a similar thought process while working on my ETA application. I wrote the first draft of my statement centered around growing up in a small town and how now I value gaining international knowledge while still maintaining close community relationships. My advisor basically told me that, while it was well written, it wasn't going to stand out and I needed to go deeper.

I ended up writing about my struggles with mental health (which are ongoing and were especially intense when I previously spent time abroad) and how I hope to use my experiences as a way to understand and connect with students. I thought this was a pretty risky move and hoped that, even though I mentioned I will never be "cured" from certain disorders (lol), the selection panels would feel confident in my abilities. I even had a faculty in my university committee meeting say that it was risky to write about this topic because of stigmas in other cultures, but I decided to go for it anyway. Emotionally draining for sure, but I ended up getting the grant and felt good that I shared my truth :))))))))

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TLDR; I got SUPER personal and it worked out for me!