Why the Life You Planned May Not Be the One You're Meant to Live | Julia Libertad Villaseñor Bell

What happens when the life you carefully built — the city, the career, the plan — gets taken away?And what if every redirection, every closed door, every forced departure turned out to be exactly what you needed?In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Julia Villaseñor. Julia has spent years working at the intersection of art, culture and communication, including at Kurimanzutto, one of Latin America's most influential contemporary art galleries.Julia's story moves across Mexico, Paris, India and back — not by design, but through a series of unexpected turns. A visa rejected after nine years in France. A move to India she never planned. A decision to return home that allowed her to spend her father's final years by his side. A family restaurant closing after seven years.And through all of it, a growing willingness to trust paths she never planned to take.This is a conversation about loss, reinvention, identity, and what it means to build a life around trust rather than certainty. And about why art — at its best — is one of the most human things we do.🎙️ In this episode, we explore:What it actually feels like when a carefully built life plan collapses — and what you do nextHow living between cultures — Mexico, Paris and India — shaped who she becameWhat India taught her about letting go of control and trusting the unexpectedWhy the most painful redirections often open the most important doorsWhat it means to make art accessible without making it shallowThe difference between curating and communicating — and why she's done bothHow to trust a process you can't see or predictHow to embrace a future you never planned for 🔗 Check out Julia's work:Instagram: @julibertadKurimanzutto: https://www.kurimanzutto.com/⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 Trailer00:30 Episode Starts01:17 Meet Julia Villaseñor06:02 Living Between Two Completely Different Worlds10:16 When a Chapter of Your Life Comes to an End12:14 Searching for Home Across Three Continents17:06 The Country That Changed Me Forever18:14 Why You Sometimes Need to Let Go of Control20:13 The Opportunity of a Lifetime22:55 The Turning Points That Changed Everything24:23 The Visa Rejection That Changed My Life26:36 Why I Chose to Leave India27:37 The Decision I'll Never Regret29:13 Losing My Father and Returning to My Roots30:17 When Life Keeps Closing Doors31:14 Learning to Trust the Process32:40 Do Things Really Happen for a Reason?38:14 Why Art Shouldn't Be Exclusive46:42 What Makes Us Human?48:53 How to Embrace a Future You Never Planned For 📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a podcast for people building meaningful things in difficult times. Honest conversations with leaders, founders, investors, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.🔗 Follow & connect:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswingInstagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswingTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing