This is the uncomfortable gratitude practice you need - being thankful for your failures, setbacks, and the hard things that shaped you.

Here's what we're exploring about reframing failure:

• Why looking back at setbacks is difficult but necessary: avoiding them means missing powerful lessons
• The self-forgiveness journey: facing every moment of self-betrayal through daily meditation (gut-wrenching but fruitful)
• Reframing the question: instead of "why did this happen to me?" ask "what did this teach me? who did I become?"
• Growth Inventory exercise: identify three past failures and find at least one skill/insight gained from each
• Healing holds deeper lessons: sometimes what you learn from the recovery process matters more than the experience itself

From doing self-forgiveness meditation daily during depression recovery to recognizing there are reasons you're where you are (many out of your control), this episode challenges you to expand your gratitude practice beyond the good stuff.

Nobody loves looking at failures. We'd rather focus on successes and achievements. But when we avoid examining setbacks, we miss out on lessons about resilience, redirection, and what we truly value.

Be thankful for the challenges that made you stronger, the losses that taught you what matters, the failures that redirected you toward your purpose. Appreciate how far you've come.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that gratitude can include the hard things that shaped who you are.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! What's one failure you're actually grateful for? DM me on Instagram @YourCoachMari - I want to hear about your growth!

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This is why being single in your 30s isn't the problem everyone makes it out to be - and why it might actually be the best thing for you right now.

Here's what we're exploring about being single in your 30s:

• Why acceptance doesn't mean settling: you can embrace where you are without loving it forever
• The confidence factor: you're finally secure enough to show up fully yourself in every area of life
• Knowing what you want: you're not exploring anymore - you know what works and what doesn't (weeding out bad matches is growth)
• Better communication skills: you can articulate what you want, assess emotions, and relay them effectively
• Intentional vs serious dating: you can want a relationship and still have fun without treating dating like a grave problem to fix

From seeing everyone struggle to find someone to understanding that failed dates aren't failures when you know yourself well enough to recognize bad matches, this episode reframes what it means to be single in your 30s.

A lot of us have healed from people pleasing. We communicate like badasses. We're confident and secure. Dating in your 30s means you're not wasting time on situations that won't work. That's not picky - that's powerful.

The intention is to get to know somebody, have fun, and see who fits. If they don't fit, move on to the next person. Stop making it so serious.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that being single in your 30s allows you to date with intention and exit romantic situations gracefully.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! Are you single in your 30s? DM me your experiences on Instagram @YourCoachMari - girl, you got this!

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This is why reading romance novels isn't just fun - it's actually healing work, especially when you're traumatized and scared to date again.

Here's what we're exploring about romance novels and healing:

• What romance actually is: central love story with satisfying ending - not porn despite misogynistic claims
• Why the writing is phenomenal: making readers feel emotions deeply takes serious skill
• How romance raises standards: seeing what's possible in relationships makes you want better for yourself
• The safe space factor: experiencing love, dating, sex in controlled environments when real dating feels terrifying
• Teaching your body safety: feeling emotions through predictable tropes trains your nervous system that these feelings are safe

From discovering paranormal romance and romantasy to understanding that predictability isn't boring when you're healing from trauma, this episode defends the genre that helps us feel safe exploring romance again.

A lot of us have been burned in love. Dating feels daunting as fuck. But we still want connection, and romance novels provide safety to explore those feelings. You're feeling emotions, giggling, falling in love - and learning these feelings are safe. That's healing.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that raised standards are exactly what romance novels should give you.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! What's your favorite romance trope? Drop your fated mates recs in my DMs on Instagram @YourCoachMari!

Get the Book: 📖 "Audiophile" by Emerie Hart - Get the book here

🎧 Related Episode: Romance and Healing - This is the book lover's guide to understanding why solo healing has limits and connection is essential for deeper growth.

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This is the deeply personal story of why my dog Mochi isn't just a pet - he's the reason I'm still here. The moment when getting an emotional support animal at the height of my depression became the best decision I've ever made in my entire life.

Here's what we're exploring about emotional support animals and mental health:

1. What ESAs actually are: animals that provide therapeutic benefit through presence (not service animals), requiring documentation from a licensed mental health professional
2. The University of Toledo study: statistically significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and loneliness in participants paired with shelter animals
3. How they help beyond companionship: consistent comfort, intuitive response during crisis, physical touch combating touch-deprivation, and reducing isolation
4. The Mochi effect: from horrible days with mood in the trash to perfect moments when he curls up next to me - his presence makes everything okay again
5. The reality: ESAs are expensive (Mochi's spinal stroke cost thousands) and require serious responsibility and proper care

From literally getting Mochi at the deepest point of my depression to understanding that pets somehow sense when you need them (backed by research), this episode breaks down why ESAs are more than just cute animals - they're legitimate therapeutic support.

Because here's what matters: in a world where isolation and loneliness are epidemic, having an ESA can genuinely save your mental health. I wouldn't be where I am today without Mochi, and that's just facts.

I can be having the absolute worst day - everything feeling wrong - and Mochi will just curl up next to me. And suddenly? Life feels okay again. That's not just my story. That's documented science.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that if you're considering an ESA, make sure you can provide proper care - but if you can, it might just change your life.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! Does your pet help your mental health? DM me your ESA stories on Instagram @YourCoachMari - I'd love to hear about your companions!

If you want to dig deeper into the science behind what I'm sharing, check out:

• Emotional Support Animals: The Basics
• Study Finds First Scientific Evidence
• The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems

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What if pausing for 30 seconds to notice sunlight through tree leaves could improve your mental health?

I've always found beauty in small things—a perfect coffee, golden hour light, watching my dog Mochi exist in his adorable glory. Turns out, these moments of appreciation are powerful acts of gratitude that reshape our brains.

Here's what we're exploring about gratitude and daily happiness:

• The neuroscience: Gratitude activates the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex - the parts of your brain associated with empathy and pro-social behavior (serotonin is the key player)
• Rewriting negativity bias: We all have it (I'm right there with you), but gratitude practice can help shift our mindset to see more positive things - though it takes consistent practice
• Health benefits beyond mental wellness: Reduces depression, lessens anxiety, relieves stress, improves sleep, and even supports heart health
• Six stupid-simple practices: Morning gratitude ritual, gratitude journal, gratitude jar, expressing appreciation to others, evening reflection, or just pausing to appreciate beautiful moments
• Avoiding toxic positivity: Having gratitude doesn't mean ignoring real struggles - you can acknowledge life is hard AND find moments of beauty (both are true)

From realizing that being "too busy" often means we're not pausing to appreciate what we've created in our lives, to understanding that you can find beauty everywhere if you're paying attention (even in rinky-dink neighborhoods with gorgeous graffiti art), this episode breaks down why gratitude is a muscle that gets stronger with practice.

Because here's what matters: gratitude doesn't require a perfect routine or complicated system. It just requires creating space to pause and appreciate the world around you.

Pick ONE habit this week and commit to it daily - whether it's listing three things you're grateful for in the morning, keeping a gratitude jar, or simply pausing when you notice something beautiful.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that you don't need a perfect routine, you just need to create space to pause and appreciate.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! What's one beautiful thing you noticed today that made you pause? DM me on Instagram @YourCoachMari and share your moment of gratitude!

If you want to dig deeper into the science behind what I'm sharing, check out:

• Gratitude and Neuroscience
• Health benefits of gratitude

💬 LET'S CONNECT:

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This is the science-backed case for why creativity isn't just a hobby - it's essential for building confidence and self-esteem. Have you ever felt better about yourself after creating something? There's actually research explaining why that happens.

Here's what we're exploring about creativity and confidence:

• The science: Children who engaged in creative activities daily had significantly higher self-esteem - and ability level didn't matter (consistency is key)
• Why creativity works: It provides safe emotional processing, judgment-free self-exploration, and that sense of accomplishment we're missing from the endless hamster wheel of life
• Real examples: From my two high school choirs to using poetry as a teenager to process emotions to Ariana Grande using music to heal from trauma
• Five practical tips: Establish regular creative practice, celebrate small wins, join creative communities, use creativity as self-care, try different mediums
• The challenge: Commit to ONE creative thing this week - write, sing, paint, knit, color, dance - and notice how you feel afterward

From realizing that high achievers never celebrate wins because goalposts keep moving, to understanding that art isn't about being "good" (it's about process and completion), this episode breaks down why creativity fosters confidence through agency, voice, and accomplishment.

Because here's what the research shows: having high but realistic self-esteem is essential to good mental health. And creative expression is one of the most effective tools for building it - whether you're naturally talented or not.

Maybe you need to process some experiences or emotions. Maybe you're stuck on that achievement hamster wheel never feeling accomplished. Whatever it is, try turning to art form this week.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that creativity isn't about perfection, it's about expression and the confidence that comes from completing something meaningful.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! What's your creative outlet? DM me on Instagram @YourCoachMari and let's celebrate your creative practice together!

If you want to dig deeper into the science behind what I'm sharing, check out:

• Healthline: Self-Esteem
• Arts engagement and self-esteem in children
• The Power of Creativity in Boosting Mental Health and Self-Esteem

This is the honest preparation guide for what actually happens when you set boundaries with family. With the holiday season approaching, it's time to talk about the outcomes nobody warns you about, including the most painful one: sometimes they just leave.

Here's what to expect when you set family boundaries:

• Best case: They accept the boundary and adjust their behavior (yes, this can actually happen - you know your family best)
• The offense: They take it personally, want to argue, and get defensive no matter how you word it (have an exit strategy ready)
• The manipulation: They shift blame and make it your fault they crossed the line (don't fall for it)
• The abandonment: They exit your life entirely, which nobody expects because "that's what family does - they stick around, right?" (not always)
• The painful truth: Sometimes people were only around because they liked taking advantage of your people-pleasing ways

From decades of history and unspoken "don't rock the boat" cultural norms to realizing that boundaries are meant to deepen relationships (not push people away), this episode prepares you emotionally for what might happen when you finally set that boundary.

Because here's what you need to know: if someone's response to you wanting a healthier, more loving, more respectful relationship is to leave, then maybe that's exactly where they need to go out the door. It's painful, but accepting that reality is part of healing.

You know your family best. You might already have an inkling about who will respond which way. Use that knowledge to prepare yourself emotionally and practice what you'll say.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that setting boundaries doesn't make you the bad guy - it makes you someone who values healthy relationships.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! Are you setting boundaries with family this holiday season? DM me your experiences on Instagram @YourCoachMari

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This is the grounding conversation we all need when survival mode becomes daily life. The moment when ICE notifications pop up two miles from home and you're left asking: is this paranoia or just what we need to survive?

Here's what we're unpacking with Cynthia Magaña, the Chicana Therapist:

• Understanding "shock and awe" as a military tactic designed to create trauma responses - and why our reactions are normal responses to abnormal events
• How collective trauma affects us all, even when we're not directly targeted, and why metabolizing anger productively matters more than performing online
• Finding your role in social change beyond frontline protest (organizers, healers, caregivers, bridge-builders) and asking "who am I keeping safe?"
• Concrete safety planning: emergency contacts, ICE tracking apps, five-minute family check-ins, and creating parameters that actually work
• Navigating family with different ideologies during crisis - from opposing Tíos at holidays to that adult "rite of passage" of standing up to elders

From getting Ring notifications about ICE trucks nearby to recognizing we don't heal in isolation, this conversation provides psychological frameworks and practical tools for surviving state violence while protecting your mental health.

Because here's what Cynthia knows as a therapist: Our bodies respond to keep us safe through fight/flight/freeze/fawn. The key is pausing to metabolize information before reacting, understanding that virtue signaling has real consequences for those without certain privileges, and remembering that showing up for community means decompression gatherings and chosen family too.

Guest: Cynthia Magaña. A queer, Latinx clinical social worker specializing in culturally affirming, trauma-informed care for first-generation professionals and cycle breakers healing intergenerational wounds. She's also a yoga teacher and sound bath practitioner who believes healing happens in community, not isolation. Find her @chicanatherapist on Instagram or visit cynmagana.com. Listen to Cynthia's Healing Playlist in Spotify.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that we don't go through this alone - community care is how we survive.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! How are you staying grounded right now? DM me your stories on Instagram @YourCoachMari

🎧 Related Episode: How All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks Predicts Today's Social Issues - Bell Hooks predicted our current loneliness epidemic, reminding us that healing happens in community, not isolation.

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We might just have the same taste in books. Check out my Book List.

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This is the vulnerable exploration of why others can see your gifts before you can. The moment when you realize you've been your own worst enemy, ignoring clear signs of your capabilities while others saw them all along.

Here's what we're unpacking about believing in your potential:

• Why others recognize your potential while you're stuck in self-doubt (and how imposter syndrome hits first-gen individuals hardest)
• Root causes of not seeing your potential: lack of skill, experience, knowledge, or confidence
• How lacking confidence becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that keeps you proving yourself wrong
• Getting to the root of your specific problem instead of generic "build confidence" advice
• Finding community over hunting for the perfect mentor + delineating your next two concrete steps

From the poetry professor who said "don't stop writing" to 15 years of ignoring that wisdom, this episode explores why we prove ourselves wrong when we could be proving ourselves right.

Because here's the painful truth: when you don't believe in your potential, you don't take the actions needed to reach it, creating the exact outcome you feared. But when you identify the real barriers - whether it's knowledge, experience, or confidence - you can actually address them.

Your imposter syndrome is lying to you. You are incredibly intelligent, skilled, and competent. The only way to get experience is to start doing the thing, even when you don't feel ready.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that someone else already sees what you're capable of - now it's time for you to see it too.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! Have you ever had someone see potential in you that you couldn't see? DM me your stories on Instagram @YourCoachMari

💬 LET'S CONNECT:

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→ The Transformation Program

→ The Evolution Program

This is the poetry celebration that validates our dual identity and mental health struggles. The moment when you find books that perfectly capture being "bad Mexican, bad American" and realize you're not alone in navigating multiple cultural spaces.

Here's what we're highlighting for Latine Heritage Month:

"Bad Mexican, Bad American" by Jose Hernandez Diaz

• Slice-of-life poetry exploring dual cultural identity through vignettes
• Perfect for anyone with "one foot in one culture, one foot in another"
• Addresses the "pocho" experience and language struggles
• Set in Los Angeles, captures Mexican-American experience authentically
• Shows how you're Mexican in America, American in Mexico - never fully fitting either space

"Living in Phases" by Leisly Ann Roman

• Dominican-American poet writing entire collection on mental health journey
• Crucial representation for Latine community where mental health is stigmatized
• Shows mental health as "fluctuating, moving, bending thing" - not linear progression
• Begins and ends with poems for her parents, connecting healing to family roots
• Incorporates Spanglish and cultural identity throughout mental health narrative

Both poets create work that reflects our experiences as children of immigrants, validating feelings of cultural displacement while celebrating the beauty of our dual identities. These collections provide representation we desperately need.

Get the Books: 📖 "Bad Mexican, Bad American" by Jose Hernandez Diaz 📖 "Living in Phases" by Leisly Ann Roman

🎧 Related Episode: The Power and Beauty of Spanglish - Because here's what these poets understand: being Chicana feels like "the one identity that really feels whole" when everything else leaves you straddling two worlds. Poetry helps us process these complex cultural experiences and find home in our authentic selves.

Subscribe. Share. Remember that our voices and experiences deserve to be celebrated in literature.

Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨

Join the conversation! What Latino poets are on your reading list? DM me your recommendations on Instagram @YourCoachMari

💬 LET'S CONNECT:

My Insta

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Growing with Sol Podcast

Buy Me a Cafecito

Send in questions: [email protected]

We might just have the same taste in books. Check out my Book List.

(Bookshop affiliate)

🌱 LET’S GROW TOGETHER

→ Schedule your discovery call

→ 1:1 Life Coaching Coaching