Dear Babygurl: Notes on Life, Leadership, and Liberation

This week, I'm reflecting on the bittersweet beauty of endings and the uncertainty of new beginnings. From my youngest son's elementary school graduation, to relationships that have reached their natural conclusion, to the ways life continually asks us to let go and begin again. This episode is an invitation to honor the chapters that are complete and trust what comes next.If this episode resonated with you, please follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone you love. Your support helps this little labor of love continue to grow.

On growth, consistency, courage, and becomingThis month marks several anniversaries for me:the first birthday of Dear Babygurl!!!!the anniversary of my private practicegraduating from my counseling psychology programMost meaningful things begin as seeds. Quiet things. Tender things.Things that don’t yet look impressive on the outside. This episode is for anyone:building something slowlylearning to trust their voiceresisting hustle culturetending to a dream without immediate proofor wondering whether their quiet consistency mattersBabygurl…sometimes the life you’re building is growing roots long before you can see the bloom.If this episode resonated with you, please consider:rating the podcastleaving a reviewsharing an episodeor posting it to your storiesYour support genuinely helps this podcast grow 🌱💛

Mother’s Day can hold so many things at once.Joy.Grief.Tenderness.Estrangement.Longing.Love.In this deeply personal episode, I explore the idea that mothering is bigger than biology. It’s an energy. A presence. A way of nurturing, loving, protecting, comforting, and holding one another through life.I share reflections on:my relationship with my mothergrowing up between generations and culturesqueerness and coming out in a traditional Mexican householdthe complexity of unconditional lovewomen who mother without having childrenand the ways love stretches and reshapes itself across generationsI also speak from my work as a therapist conducting consultations with individuals and couples using sperm or egg donors, where I often remind clients that family is not defined by DNA alone.A mother is not only the person who gives birth.A mother is also the one who shows up with love.This episode is for:anyone with a complicated relationship to Mother’s Daydaughters learning to hold both grief and gratitudequeer folks navigating family and identitywomen who nurture others without being recognized for itand anyone learning how to mother themselves with more tendernessAnd babygurl… maybe the deepest form of motheringis not just how we love others, but how we learnto finally love ourselves. 💛🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

Why does conflict feel so hard?Why do we replay conversations in our heads, stay quiet when something doesn’t sit right, or say yes when our whole body is saying no?In this episode, we are not talking about how to handle conflict.We are talking about the part most people skip.The why.Because before you can have a courageous conversation, you have to understand what happens inside of you when conflict shows up.In this episode, I share a personal story from my time as Associate Director of Wellness at Power California, an organization born out of a merger that felt like a blended family. Two leadership styles. Two cultures. Oneshared mission. And underneath it all, tension, unspoken dynamics, and the need for a shared language around conflict.That experience led me to develop what I now call Courageous Conversations. A framework I’ve used with organizations, leadership teams, and in high-stakes situations. But this episode is not about the framework.It is about the foundation.This episode invites you to bring compassion to the parts of you that learned to stay quiet to stay safe.Because you are not bad at conflict. You were never taught how to do it.And.You can learn a new way.You can build the capacity to stay present, to speak with clarity, and to move through hard conversations without losing yourself.If you want support working with your nervous system, check out the bonus regulation episodes available in both English and Spanish. These are short, practical tools you can come back to before, during, or after difficult conversations.If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s been navigating hard conversations, or someone who avoids them altogether.And if you haven’t already, follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

In leadership, one of the most difficult skills is the ability to hold complexity.To resist the pressure to simplify.To avoid rushing to defend or dismiss.To stay with what is uncomfortable.Lately, I have been sitting with a question: What does it mean to tell the truth about harm when it involves someone we were taught to revere?In many organizations, especially those rooted in social impact, we like to believe that our values protect us from harm.They do not.We carry the same systems we are working to dismantle. Which means accountability is not optional. It is essential.But accountability is often misunderstood.It is not just statements or symbolic gestures.It looks like:• Naming harm clearly• Creating conditions where people can speak safely• Protecting those who come forward• Examining how power operates in real time• Making changes that shift who holds influence and accessIt also requires us to ask harder questions:Would we hold someone accountable while they are still in power?Or only after it is safe to do so?In my work as a therapist and leadership coach, I have seen how unaddressed harm does not disappear.It shows up later.In relationships.In burnout.In anxiety.In disengagement.Leadership is not just about vision. It is about responsibility.This moment invites us to lead differently.To center people over legacy.To share power rather than concentrate it.To tell the truth, even when it is difficult.That is not tearing something down.That is building something more honest in its place.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

What happens when you realize you didn’t receive the love you needed growing up?Not consistently.Not in the ways that mattered.Not at the moments your nervous system needed safety, softness, and attunement.This episode is an invitation to sit with that truth… without shame, without blame, and without rushing to fix it.Because reparenting ourselves is not just a mindset shift.It is grief work.It is nervous system work.It is spiritual work.In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of traveling to Mexico with my mother to say goodbye to my 98-year-old abuelito. What I witnessed between them was tender, loving, and complete. And at the same time, it illuminated a wound I had carried for years.The ache of not receiving that same kind of love from my own father.You will hear me hold something many of us struggle with.How to have compassion for our parents’ limitations while still honoring the pain of what we did not receive.Because both are true.This episode explores:Why you are not responsible for what happened to you, but you are responsible for tending to yourselfThe grief of not receiving the love you needed, even when your parents did the best they couldHow childhood wounds show up in adulthood, in relationships, leadership, and self-talkWhat it actually looks like to reparent yourself in everyday momentsA guided somatic practice to connect with and support your younger selfThis is not about blaming your parents.This is about releasing yourself from waiting.And learning how to become a safe place… for yourself.Because sometimes healing does not begin when we are finally loved the way we needed.It begins when we realize we can become that love for ourselves.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

Recently, my son Santi said something that made my wife and I stop and look at each other in the car.“Thank you for soft parenting us.”I had heard the term gentle parenting. But soft parenting?That was new to me.So I asked him what he meant.What followed was one of the most honest conversations we have had about family, conflict, emotions, and what it means for children to feel safe with the people raising them.In this episode, you will hear Santi talk about:• How our family handles disagreements• What it means to “double down” during conflict• Why kids sometimes feel scared when adults lose patience• What soft parenting actually feels like from a child’s perspective• Why helping a child breathe when they feel anxious can change everythingAt one point, he said something that stopped me cold.“Sometimes I have anxiety, and when you and mom help me breathe, it makes me feel really happy.”As a therapist and leadership coach, that moment landed deeply.Because what children need when they feel overwhelmed is co-regulation. Someone whose nervous system is steady enough to help them return to themselves.And the truth is, the same is often true in leadership.People do not grow when they are scared. They grow when they feel safe enough to learn.This episode is tender, funny, and deeply human. It is a reminder that sometimes the clearest wisdom comes from the youngest voices in the room.Babygurl, this one might melt your heart.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

This International Women’s History Month, I’ve been sitting with a question that feels both personal and collective.How do we stay grounded in our light when the world feels heavy?Between the ongoing violence in Gaza, the unsettling reminders of how power protects itself in the Epstein files, and the growing threats of military escalation across the globe, many of us are carrying a quiet density in our bodies.You may feel it as tension.Fatigue.Grief.Irritability.Numbness.Self-care helps.But what is needed right now is deeper than self-care.In this episode, I share a powerful moment from my son’s pediatrician visit while completing the Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS). His score was zero. A number that represents generational healing, not perfection, but interruption.We explore:• The difference between self-care and healing• Why nervous systems inherit patterns relationally• How tending the soil is different from watering the plant• The role of subconscious rewiring through hypnobirthing and clinical hypnosis• Why leadership without healing becomes performance• And how we interrupt what we inheritedI also share my own healing journey, including therapy, curanderismo, acupuncture, Spinal Network Care, and ongoing professional training in clinical hypnosis.This is not a call to abandon self-care.It is an invitation to go deeper.To tend the soil.To build resilience that can hold intensity.To stay grounded in your light not because the world is calm, but because you have done the work to root yourself.Reflection Questions:• Where are you practicing self-care, and where might deeper healing be calling you?• What patterns are you interrupting in your lineage?• Who are the women who watered you, and what are you choosing to pay forward?Babygurl, healing is personal. And it is historical.When you change the soil, you shift the lineage.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

Welcome back, Babygurl.I took the winter off.I planned to return mid-January.Instead, I got sick.And what I thought was a delay became medicine.In this deeply personal episode, I reflect on my first real ebb in six years of self-employment. Income dipped. Contracts closed. The nonprofit sector tightened. I was okay, but I felt the constriction.Instead of panicking, I protected my internal knowing from outside noise. I grounded in the numbers. I trusted the cycle.Then my spirit guides stepped in:Stop being ametiche.Let the caldo cook.This season is not wasted.It is preparing you.As we move from the Year of the Snake into the Year of the Fire Horse, and enter a 1 Universal Year of bold new beginnings, I reflect on shedding, closing, and steppingforward rooted rather than rushed.If you are in an in-between, hear this:You are not behind.You might just be cooking.The Snake shed.The roots deepened.The break was the medicine.And the fire is coming.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this.

As the year winds down and the Winter Solstice draws near, our bodies begin to tell the truth before our minds catch up. The days shorten. The air cools. Nature pulls inward. And if we listen closely, we can feel the same pull inside ourselves.In this final episode of the year, babygurl, I offer you a reflection on rest, rhythm, and the quiet wisdom of winter. No New Year’s resolutions. No hustle. No pressure to reinvent yourself by January 1. Just an invitation to align with nature’s timing and with your own nervous system.I share a deeply personal story about the years when I was juggling motherhood, leadership, a budding private practice, and a full-time nonprofit role. I share the moment my body finally said enough. From adrenal fatigue to pandemic survival, from dizziness to burnout, from coffee-addicted hustle to matcha-paced healing, this episode is a homecoming to what our bodies know, but we often ignore.We explore:• why winter asks us to slow down• the difference between rest and escape• the myth of falling behind• how hustle culture disconnects us from our truth• why leaders must learn to pause• how to end the year with softness instead of urgencyYou will also hear reflection prompts for your winter pause.This episode marks the final offering of Dear Babygurl for 2025. I am taking the rest of December to rest, reflect, read, laugh, make tamales, snuggle my family, and let myself be restored.Thank you for sixteen episodes, eight bonus nervous-system minis, and a whole season of truth-telling.🎧 Subscribe and share with loved ones. 💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.Thank you for listening. Rest well. I'll see you soon.

Grief gets loud this time of year.As the holidays approach, many of us feel old memories stirring. The rituals. The foods. The empty chairs. The unresolved tensions. The people who are still here… and the people who are not.In this tender, spacious episode, I walk you through the truth that grief is not something you “get over.” Grief is something you make room for. Something that changes shape. Something that visits when it needs to visit. Because grief is love, and love remembers.You’ll hear personal stories about witnessing my mother’s grief in Mexico after my abuelita’s passing, and the deep ache of losing a beloved organizing mentor. You’ll learn the different types of grief, why the five stages were never meant for mourners, and why grief often resurfaces during holidays, transitions, and moments of stillness.This episode also explores:• Primary, secondary, anticipatory, and disenfranchised grief• Collective grief in our communities and movements• What not to say to someone who is grieving• How to genuinely support someone who is hurting• How grief lives in the body and nervous system• Why grief deepens, rather than diminishes, our leadershipThrough story, somatic wisdom, and a blessing for your heart, this episode reminds you that grief is a relationship, not a timeline. A companion, not a failure. Evidence of your capacity to love.Take what resonates. Leave the rest. Move slowly. Let your heart breathe. And remember: you do not grieve alone.Your ancestors are near.Your beloveds are present.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.♥️ Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.

Hey babygurl, it’s that time of year again… the holiday season, or what I like to call The Should Season.You know the one.“I should visit my family.”“I should keep the peace.”“I should smile and stay quiet, even when someone crosses a line.”In this episode, we unpack what it means to stop shoulding on yourself and start choosing peace, not performance. Because real leadership begins with how we lead ourselves, especially when we’re around the people who raised us or the systems that shaped us.You’ll learn how to pack your inner carry-on for theholidays. The emotional tools and reminders that help you stay grounded, clear, and compassionate, no matter who’s sitting across the table.We’ll talk about boundaries that don’t make you cold, but make you clear. About choosing your breath over reactivity.And about practicing peace, not performing it.Whether you’re heading into a family dinner that tests your patience, or a team meeting that tests your values, this episode will help you travel light and lead with presence, not perfection.Reflection Questions:Where in your life do you feel the pull to perform instead of simply be present?What “shoulds” can you release this season to protect your peace?What belongs in your inner carry-on... the tools and truths that help you stay grounded?Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon. 🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.

💫 Altars, Visitations, and the Love That Doesn’t Die is anepisode about lineage, legacy, and love that transcends time—because healing, too, continues beyond this life.As Día de los Muertos approaches—traditionally celebrated on November 1st and 2nd—I’ve been reflecting on how love continues to show up long after our loved ones have passed.In this special episode of Dear Babygurl, I explore the ways my family and I stay connected to our ancestors, and how those connections continue to guide us in our daily lives.I share stories that remind us the veil betweenworlds is thinner than we think:✨ My son Mateo’s visits on the schoolyard with a kind “older lady” who turned out to be his great-grandmother, Nana.✨ My youngest, Santi, sleeping in his queer great-uncle’s faded baby-blue farmworker shirt—carrying forward a lineage of justice and love.✨ My feisty tía Marta, who appears during a psychic reading—first as Frida Kahlo, then as a graceful dancer, whole and free in the beyond.✨ The hummingbirds that visit me after my Abuelito Ipolito’s passing, and the angel numbers that follow—reminders that I’m guided, held, and never alone.These visitations—through dreams, songs, andwings—remind me that our ancestors are never far. They live through our stories, our courage, and the way we love.So as we approach this season of remembrance, I invite you to reflect:> Who walks with you?> Whose laughter or strength still lives in your bones?> And what offerings—stories, songs, or flowers—might you place on your altar this week?Because the truth is, we never really lose them. We just learn new ways to stay in conversation.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.

In leadership — and in life — we’re taught to rely on logic. To analyze. To plan. To make the “right” move.But there’s another kind of intelligence that doesn’t come from your résumé or your head. It comes from the neck down.This week I talk about intuition. How to recognize it, practice listening to it, and distinguish it from fear or impostor syndrome.The inspiration came after my presentation for the Chicana Latina Foundation’s Semillas Leadership Program, a powerful community of comadres who are growing, leading, and lifting as they climb.In this episode, I share:🌿 How the universe sent me three signs and some tequila that led me to my graduate program🌿 The difference between gut knowing, fear, and intuition — and how to tell them apart🌿 What happens when we override our inner knowing out of fear (hello, Sunday scaries)🌿 Simple ways to reconnect with your body’s wisdom through nervous system regulationBecause your intuition isn’t a mystery — it’s a skill.Learning to trust yourself might just be the most important leadership work you’ll ever do.And if you’re a Chicana or Latina student, I can’t recommend the Chicana Latina Foundation enough.Applications for their 2026 Scholarship Program open this January: chicanalatina.org🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.

How to recognize the season you’re in and honor it fullyJust like nature, our lives move in cycles—of blooming,fullness, letting go, and rest. In this episode, I explore how to recognize when a season of your life is shifting, and what it means to honor transitions, even when they bring unexpected grief, melancholy, or that “in-between” discomfort.From high school graduation to raising toddlers whilestudying for licensure, from leadership promotions to the bittersweet quiet of an empty nest—seasons show up in our lives and leadership, whether we’re ready or not.We’ll also talk about:🌿 Leadership transitions—from staff to manager to director—and why promotions often just mean the title is catching upto work you’ve already been doing.🌿 Retirement as reinvention—a more dignified way to think about life after work.🌿 The “in-between” seasons that feel like possibility and pause all at once.✨ Reflection & Journaling Prompts Included.🪴 And an invitation: share with me what season you’re in right now—because your story matters here. 🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.

Mini-práctica en español para soltar el congelamiento y despertar tu energía vital.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momento para enraizarte con la tierra y levantar tu columna.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

Mini-práctica en español para activar ambos lados del cerebro con golpecitos alternados.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momento para sentirte presente y en calma.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

Grounding de los sentidos, técnica 5-4-3-2-1: Mini-práctica en español para regresar al aquí yal ahora usando tus cinco sentidos.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momentopara bajar la ansiedad y sentirte enraizada.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

Escaneo Corporal
Mini-práctica en español para recorrer tu cuerpo con atención plena.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momento para suavizar tensión y volver al presente.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

Mini-práctica en español para calmar tu sistema nervioso con el ritmo 4-6-8.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momento para descansar y bajar la velocidad.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

Mini-práctica en español para respirar profundo desde el abdomen.
Un ejercicio breve que puedes usar en cualquier momento para soltar tensión y regresar a tu centro.🎧 Suscríbete y comparte con quien lo necesite. 💬 Sígueme en Instagram @_colibricoaching y cuéntame qué te parece. Gracias por escuchar. Nos vemos pronto.

This episode was born from a tender request. My friend Mariana — a former coaching client and listener of this podcast — asked if I could record the breathing practices in Spanish, so she could share them with her mamá, her tías, and her primas. Immediately, I felt a deep yes.I grew up with Spanish as my first language: the sound of Chespirito in the background, the melodrama of novelas, and the Sundays filled with Siempre en Domingo — that iconic Televisa variety show that became a ritual in so many Latino households. Spanish was the language I spoke at recess, even when I was first introduced to English. Later, at UCLA, I minored in Spanish Literature, drawn to the words that hold magic and depth — words like desahogar, which means more than “to vent,” it means to let the storm inside you breathe.And right now, in this country, the timing is especially tender. The U.S. Supreme Court has recently opened the door to racial profiling — legalizing harassment of our comunidad. Oppression lives in our bodies, in our nervous systems. But so does resistance. And so does healing.That’s why I created these mini-practices, all in Spanish. You’ll find three pathways:Respiración — breathing practices to calm and ground.Conexión y Presencia — practices to return to awareness and the present moment.Grounding Bilateral — movement to release freeze and reconnect.Babygurl, these practices are medicine. For you, for your familia, for our comunidad. May they remind you that your breath and your body are sacred, and that in tender times, healing in our own language is its own act of resistance.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.

Babygurl, we’re back with Part Two of The Babygurl Interview — a birthday-month celebration with two episodes in one week.In Part One, my niece Lianna — the original Babygurl — reflected on family, love, and liberation.Now, in Part Two, she turns the mic on me. And let me tell you: I didn’t get the questions in advance.So what you’ll hear is raw, unfiltered, and full of surprises.We talk about:My role in the family as a disruptor (or as someone once lovingly said, a “shit disturber”).Archetypes, Human Design, and why I’ll always be a Virgo at heart.The real origin story of this podcast — a red mic, a graduation, and a shower epiphany.Tender moments about anxiety, healing, and breaking cycles across generations.Laughter about Frida Kahlo, witchy Tías, summoning spells, spicy food 🌶, and even Boss Baby.This conversation isn’t just an interview — it’s a glimpse into legacy and destiny. Into how we inherit patterns, and how we also get to disrupt them. How being witnessed by someone you love can heal something generations deep.This is The Babygurl Interview, Part Two: Disruption & Destiny.A continuation of love, laughter, legacy, and liberation — this time, through my own voice.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.

Babygurl, today’s episode is something special — not just because for the first time I hand the mic to my niece, Lianna, but because this kicks off a birthday-month celebration: a two-episode drop in one week.In Part One, Lianna — the original Babygurl in our family, and the reason this podcast carries its name — shares her truths with tenderness, laughter, and wisdom.She takes me back to memories of grandma’s house, the itchy baptism dress, and even Angry Birds on my old phone.She names the unspoken rules we’ve inherited in our family and the ways we’ve started breaking them. She reflects on repair, on what women of color deserve in relationships, and on how our bond has modeled compassion, honesty, andlove.At one point, she describes me as a tree with roots deep enough to survive a hurricane and still bear fruit and shade. 🌳 That one nearly undid me.And of course, there’s laughter — about Yakult drinks, loquats, who’s more dramatic, and her disco playlist called I'd Fucking Boogie as fuck.This is Part One of The Babygurl Interview: Legacy & Liberation.Part Two is next — when Lianna flips the script and interviews me, no questions in advance, just unfiltered truth.A birthday-month special about identity, legacy, liberation, and the sacred joy of being witnessed across generations.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.

What do raw chicken, tacos, and sangria have to do with boundaries and self-care?Everything.In this episode, I share three food-and-drink stories that turned into coaching metaphors I use all the time:🍗 Don’t eat the raw chicken — when you ignore your intuition just to keep someone else comfortable.🌮 Don’t give away all your tacos — when you automatically sacrifice your needs to feed others first.🍷 Don’t dilute your sangria — when you refuse help, overextend yourself, and end up pouring from empty.From cultural conditioning to motherhood myths, from driving on fumes in my first car (shout out to Cholita) to a powerful lesson I learned from my Curanderismo teacher—this episode is about fuel. Yours.Because babygurl… your plate, your time, your energy?They are yours to protect.And the people who truly love you will want you well-fed—and well-fueled—body, mind, and soul.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who needs this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.

Why setting boundaries feels hard—and why it’s worth itWhat happens after you discover your “hammer”—that old survival strategy that once protected you, but now needs an upgrade?This episode is about what comes next: boundaries.We’ll explore why setting them feels so hard (hint: unspoken contracts), what boundaries really are (they’re not walls), and how to start setting them—without betraying yourself or your relationships.I’ll walk you through:The 5 types of boundaries everyone should knowHow to identify and rewrite unspoken contractsReal-life stories—from family dynamics to workplace gender rolesA 4-step guide to setting boundaries that honor your needsA tiny morning practice to help you start protecting your peacePlus, I share a deeply personal story about what happened when I told my ultra-Catholic mom I wasn’t baptizing my child—and the boundary I had to set when the guilt trip wouldn’t stop.This one’s for every high-functioning people-pleaser, every “good daughter,” and every woman learning to choose herself.📲 Connect with me on IG: @_colibricoaching🎧 Subscribe to Dear Babygurl: Notes on Life, Leadership & Liberation, wherever you get your podcasts.

When All You Have Is a Hammer - A coaching deep-dive into survival skills, self-trust, and shadow work.🛠️ Some tools got you through.They earned you praise. 🙌🏼They made you resilient.But babygurl… they might also be burning you out. 🥵✨In this episode, I break down one of my oldest coaching metaphors: the hammer. You know that go-to survival skill you reach for without thinking. Maybe it’s overdelivering. Maybe it’s people-pleasing. Maybe it’s doing everything yourself because trusting others feels… risky.I share how I discovered my hammer—figuring things out on my own—and how that tool, while powerful, sometimes isolates me more than it protects me. (My wife will confirm this. I’m working on it, ok?!)We’ll talk about the light and shadow sides of your hammer, why we’re not trying to get rid of it, and how to start building a fuller emotional toolkit—one that includes rest, receiving, softness, and trust.You’ll also hear three powerful examples that might sound a little…familiar.This is an invitation to honor what got you here—and gently ask: Is it still what you need now?Because you don’t need to be in crisis to be worthy of care.You don’t have to swing a hammer at everything.You’ve got new tools now.Let’s go build something softer. And stronger.🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone whoneeds this.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching and let me know what lands for you.

✨ “Think you’re falling behind? Or are you just positioning for your next breakthrough?” In this episode of Dear Babygurl, we talk about the moments in life that look like setbacks but are actually setting you up for your next big leap. I share the story of leaving a four-year university for community college—a choice that looked like I was “walking backward like a crab” (as my dad once told me) but became one of the best decisions of my life.We explore:🦀 Why your detours aren’t failures, they’re redirections🏹 How intuition, research, and aligned action work together🌊 The courage it takes to trust your own timing, even when it’s not linearAnd we unpack what it means to let go of shame when your journey doesn’t look like everyone else’s, embracing the serendipitous moments and the slow, sacred pace your soul needs.Whether you’re questioning your next move, sitting in a pause, or feeling “behind,” this episode is a reminder that sometimes you need to walk backward like a crab to leap forward like an arrow.✨ Listen, share with someone who needs this, and let me know what lands for you.🎧 Follow @_colibricoaching on IG for more notes on life, leadership, and liberation.

⚠️ TW: This episode includes discussion of deportation, environmental racism, and genocide. Please listen with care.What do you do when your body won’t let you look away?In this episode, I speak from the ache in my belly and the weight in my chest—brought on by recent ICE raids in California and the ongoing devastation in Gaza. I follow the signals in my body to trace a personal and politicaljourney: from being a fourth grader during Reagan’s IRCA immigration reform, to watching Prop 187 pass in California, to becoming a 14-year-old organizer after an explosion rocked my immigrant hometown of Wilmington, CA.This is a story about how bodies carry fear… and truth. About how colonization, white supremacy, and state violence are connected, whether in East L.A. or Rafah. And how silence is a luxury some of us simply don’t have.I offer historical context, personal memory, and ways to takeaction—because your heartbreak deserves somewhere to go.✨ This episode includes reflections on:IRCA, Prop 187, and the roots of anti-immigrant policyHow I became politicized at age 14 after a Texaco refinery explosionMixed-status families and the trauma of proving you belongThe genocide in Gaza and its connection to global systems of oppressionThe importance of solidarity, voting, and embodied resistance🎗️If you're looking for ways to support immigrant rights and Palestinian-led efforts, here are a couple of organizations to consider: Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) https://www.chirla.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comCentral American Resource Center (CARECEN L.A.) https://www.carecen-la.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comPalestine Children’s Relief Fund https://www.pcrf.net/Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) https://friendsofpmrs.org/📰 If you're ready for alternative news outlets, these are two of my favorites:Democracy Now! https://www.democracynow.org/Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/🎧 Subscribe and share with anyone who’s navigating rage, resistance, and tenderness all at once.💬 Connect with me on IG @_colibricoaching 🌺 Let’s keep breathing—and keep building.

Bilateral Stimulation for Nervous System CareFeeling overwhelmed, scattered, or totally shut down? This short, guided practice offers a gentle way to regulate your nervous system using bilateral stimulation—a method that rhythmically engages both sides of the body torestore balance.In just a few minutes, you'll learn simple tools like the Butterfly Hug, slow eye movements, and even grounding stomps that you can use anywhere, whether you're anxious, frozen, or just holding too much.These micro-episodes are here when you need a reset—perfect for busy mornings, anxious nights, or anytime your body is asking for care.💛 Come back to this as often as you need.🌀 And if it helps, share it with someone who could use a little nervous system love too.With you always,Carmen📲 Connect with me on IG: @_colibricoaching🎧 Subscribe to Dear Babygurl: Notes on Life, Leadership &Liberation wherever you listen.

Hey Babygurl - this bonus episode is part of a nervous system care series. Are you feeling overwhelmed or untethered too?These short guided practices invite you to reconnect with your body through the power of your breath.We’ll slow down together and use diaphragmatic breathing, Box Breathing, and 4-6-8 breathing to regulate yournervous system, anchor you in the present, and remind you that you are safe.🫶 One breath at a time, babygurl.🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen topodcasts. 💌 Want to connect, share your story, orask a question? Find me on IG ⁠@_colibricoaching⁠ Hasta pronto.

✨ Hey Babygurl 🌈 Happy PRIDE Month!⍰ In this episode, I share the story of a single question that cracked something open in me—and ultimately set me free.😭 It starts wityh ugly crying in therapy and leads to a quiet rebellion: reclaiming my life from other people’s expectations. 💔 We talk about the ache of seeking approval, the truth about choosing yourself (spoiler: it hurts too), and how to begin when living your truth feels scary and messy.❤️‍🩹 You’ll hear:A personal story about coming out, family rejection, and healingThe moment my therapist handed me the keys to my own lifeReflections on identity, performance, and cultural expectations5 tangible ways to start choosing yourself—softly, boldly, and on your terms🪻 This one’s for every good daughter, every rule-follower, every queer heart doing the hard work of becoming. Especially during Pride Month.🐝 Let it sting if it needs to. And then… let it free you.🌺 I love hearing what lands, connect with me on IG: @_colibricoaching

EPISODE 1: The Story Behind Dear BabygurlWelcome to the very first episode of Dear Babygurl: Notes on Life, Leadership & Liberation.This is the origin story—the why behind the mic.This episode is for my niece, Lianna, who just became the second woman in our family to graduate from a four-year university. It’s for my younger self, who had to navigate so much with so little roadmap. And it’s for you—the brilliant, big-hearted, queer, BIPOC, first-gen soul learning to live and lead on your own terms.In this episode, I share:🌺 What it means to carry a legacy and rewrite it at the same time🛠️ How 16+ years of coaching and therapy work have shaped the stories and tools I’ll share with you🔥 And why it’s time we told our stories in our own voices—with tenderness, truth, and a little bit of side-eyeThis isn’t just a podcast. It’s a love letter. A balm. A place to rest and rise.Every episode is rooted in lived experience, ancestral wisdom, and the hundreds of coaching and therapy conversations I’ve held with women of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, first-gen changemakers, and visionaries like you.Whether you're breaking cycles, setting boundaries, recovering from burnout, or dreaming a new life into being—I'm so glad you’re here.✨ Let’s stay connected. Find me on IG @_colibricoaching for reflections, behind-the-scenes updates, and gentle reminders that you are not alone.

Welcome to Dear Babygurl—a podcast rooted in life, leadership, and liberation.In this trailer, I’m introducing the heart behind the show: a love letter to my niece, my Babygurl. This podcast is also dedicated to my younger self and to every brilliant, big-hearted, queer, BIPOC, first gen soul learning to live and lead on their own terms.You’ll get a feel for what’s coming: bi-weekly episodes filled with truth-telling, tenderness, and tools to help you shed the “shoulds,” center your joy, and lead with intention.If you’ve ever felt like you’re figuring it out as you go—this podcast is for you.Come through for stories, metaphors, and the kind of real talk that feels like sitting on your comadre’s couch, wrapped in a warm rebozo, remembering who the hell you are.🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 💌 Want to connect, share your story, or ask a question? Find me on IG @_colibricoaching Hasta pronto.