Tell us about the journey to this current version of you. What got you here? What obstacles have you faced?

And just like that, I was almost 40 years old and this was not the way I had planned it. Heck, that’s what I get for never planning anything at all. I didn’t even know what I wanted in my life, but I knew it wasn’t this. How in the world could I not have my life figured by now? Whatever I was doing was definitely not working for me.

Here I was, a single mom, with a mediocre job, barely paying the bills, and another failed dysfunctional relationship down the drain. I was sick, sick to my stomach with absolutely no direction in life. No clues to where my next move should be. I was completely lost and broken. But from the outside no one knew it, no one could see it. There were no obvious signs. Kind of like a broken rib, not one soul from the outside world could see how much I was suffering. Who was I? What did I come here to do? There was a secret trick missing from the equation and that was how in the world could someone else love me when I didn’t even love myself.

I was physically sick, I couldn’t leave my bed unless it was to puke or look at the clock in despair, hoping it was just a nightmare and I was going to wake up. I was numbed out for the previous umpteen years by distractions from toxic relationships, food and drug addictions, and unhealthy lifestyle patterns, anything to distract me from filling up my own cup. I knew, I just knew, that little voice inside my head continuously whispered, “You were meant for so much more.”

I knew there had to be a better way because what I was doing was not working for me any longer. I also knew that hard work lied ahead. Without realizing it at the time, my intuition whispered again, “In order to get to where I wanted to be, I was going to have to do the heavy lifting.” I was about to face all my shadows and deep dark scary stuff that I have stuffed away into a little container for too long.

Little did I know all these feelings were the catalyst to my spiritual awakening. But what the fuck was a spiritual awakening anyway? At the time it had a negative connotation to me until I decided to take the leap and learn more about my own consciousness. I was forced by the suffering to experiencing the dark night of the soul. That little voice inside my head whispered, “Waking up is going to be painful but the reward is going to priceless.”

So right then, in my darkest of moments, I decided to get to work. I was clueless about what “work” I needed to do, but I had to start somewhere. So I spend the next few days, crying my eyes out, not eating from the world-famous “Breakup Diet,”, it was a break up from the ‘old me’ moving into the revised version of the ‘new me’ that was about to emerge. I started that moment with the “detox movement.” I was going to do everything in my power to have my Day 1. The change was starting now. I picked myself off the floor and decided to heal myself from the inside out. What that was going to look like from this point forward, I didn’t care, I just knew that I no longer wanted to feel this way again. And I was about to embark on a journey that I’ve never looked back upon. No regrets!

What have you learned about yourself throughout this journey?

I have learned that I am responsible for myself and my actions. I can not blame anyone else for what happens in my life. It’s all about perception and choosing joy and love over fear and sadness. It’s okay to feel emotions about any particular subject, but it’s not okay to stay stuck in it. Yes, life isn’t always pretty and perfect, but I will always find the one sliver of joy throughout the rollercoaster of life.

What does spirituality mean to you?

Spirituality means stepping into your purpose. I struggled for so long not knowing my purpose and wondering why I was here. I always said there’s got to be more to life than just this. I was experiencing struggle after struggle and the reason being is because I had to live my story in order to teach it with compassion and empathy for others. Our purpose is the entire reason we are here having a human experience to learn life lessons and be of service to others. Unity consciousness we are strong, divided we fall.

How do you implement mindfulness and/or spirituality into your daily life?

I have many spiritual practices that I follow on the daily. I’m huge on self-care and self-love. Wear your crowns, Queens, and start with taking care of yourself with mind, body, and soul. Ask yourself “what can I do to nurture myself today?” Getting outside and tuning into nature and quieting the mind. Fill up your own cup first. How to recharge internal batteries so you can fulfill others live to your highest potential. I love to remind myself that I am responsible for my own energy and every moment is a new hour to choose wisely. I take an hour out of my day to give myself love as in exercising, walks, bath time, riding bikes, making food which I’m highly passionate about.

What were some of the misconceptions you had about a spiritual practice before you began healing?

What you don’t know, you don’t know. Just because you haven’t had a certain experience doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. I always had an open mind but I was completely unaware that I was in control of my own inner magic. I grew up with logically minded parents with “normal” jobs. You went to college, got a degree, got married, and had 2.5 children. That average life seemed so dull to be. I craved adventure, I craved exploration but that led to rebellion on my end because my parents always told me I couldn’t do something. They were her limiting beliefs projected at me, it was not my truth.

How has living mindfully and spiritually changed you?

I wouldn’t be living a life of gratitude and love to the extent that I am. I have called in my soulmate who was my very first kiss in 6th grade and we have had such a magical reunion because of the spiritual practices that I have incorporated in my everyday life from meditation, radical self-love, the law of attraction, shadow work, manifestation tools, tips, and life hacks and the list goes on… I have learned how to use love in everything that I do, even the things and experiences that still trigger me, I respond with LOVE, the highest frequency vibration that exists. I have grown exponentially with the lessons life has given me. No bad experiences, only good ones, and good stories. I am a completely different person than I was 20 years ago, searching for my purpose. I have stepped fully into my purpose by being the activator of guiding others into their awakening process and seeing what a light they can be to help serve others. It’s a ripple effect!