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Have you ever ignored the quiet signs your body was sending until it had to scream to get your attention?

In this raw and reflective episode, I share what getting hit with both COVID and the flu taught me about self-trust, resistance, and listening to the whispers before they become breakdowns. From tracking my symptoms to unlearning the lie that pushing through is strength, I open up about the ways we gaslight our own bodies, and what it looks like to stop.

This is an invitation to tune in, slow down, and honor your needs without apology.

Listen now and reclaim the radical act of listening to yourself.

Preorder my upcoming novel, The Ordinary Bruja, a story about identity, ancestral power, and the journey back to self. Available now at https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

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If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
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Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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What if the key to moving forward was actually going back—to the routines, the rituals, the habits that once grounded you?

In this episode of Have a Cup of Johanny, I share how 43 taught me the power of structure, and why “winging it” wasn’t the freedom I thought it was. From journaling to morning rituals, from tracking my water intake to honoring my body's needs, I relearned the importance of showing up for myself on purpose.

This is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt lost in the chaos and is ready to come home to themselves.

✨ Whether you're rebuilding after burnout or simply craving more alignment, this episode invites you to reflect on what actually works for you.

🎧 Grab your favorite drink and listen in.

📚 And if you're drawn to stories about identity, ancestral magic, and self-discovery, don’t forget to preorder my upcoming novel, The Ordinary Bruja, a haunting, heartfelt journey of a woman reclaiming her power.

Available now at https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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What makes someone "deserving" of citizenship? A perfect GPA? Military service? Paying taxes and never making a mistake?

In this episode, we unpack the myth of the “Good Immigrant,” the notion that only exceptional, obedient, and productive immigrants are worthy of staying. We examine the origins of this narrative, its impact on our communities, and why it ultimately serves the interests of systems that profit from our silence and suffering.

From veterans being deported after service to DACA recipients stuck in limbo, we ask: Why do we tie human dignity to perfection? And who gets to decide what “good” even means?

What You’ll Learn

• How the “good immigrant vs. bad immigrant” binary was created and used to control public perception
• Why being respectful, hardworking, and law-abiding doesn’t protect you from detention or deportation
• How trauma within immigrant communities fuels the “I did it the right way” mindset
• Who benefits when immigrants are forced to perform perfection to be seen as human

Real Stories Mentioned

• U.S. Army veteran from Hawaii pressured to self-deport despite 20+ years of residency and military service (NPR, June 2025)
• DACA recipients with no path to permanent status despite full assimilation and contribution to U.S. life
• Asylum seekers denied for not appearing “traumatized enough,” despite fleeing real danger

Call to Action

• Share this episode with someone who believes being “good” is enough
• Reflect on whether you’ve internalized the good immigrant myth, and who it excludes
• Support organizations that advocate for all immigrants, not just the "model" ones
• (e.g., Immigrant Defense Project, United We Dream, and ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project)

Stay Connected

Instagram & Threads: @haveacupofjohanny

TikTok: @acupofjo_hanny

Explore my books & blog: https://haveacupofjohanny.com/shop/

Join the newsletter: https://haveacupofjohanny.com/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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“Why don’t they just do it the right way?”

That question often arises in conversations about immigration, and this episode breaks it down. Because the truth is: there is no single immigration “line,” just a maze of inconsistent rules, long wait times, and constantly shifting policies that leave millions in limbo.

From family visas that take decades to asylum systems that have been digitally locked behind broken apps, this episode walks you through the hard truth of what “following the process” really looks like and who gets punished when the process gets erased.

What You’ll Learn

• Why the idea of a simple immigration “line” is a myth
• What happened to the CBP One app, and how it was turned into CBP Home
• Why current and former asylum seekers are receiving removal notices despite following the rules
• How the phrase “I did it the right way” can weaponize trauma instead of defending fairness
• Who benefits from a system built on confusion, bureaucracy, and apathy

Resources & Sources Mentioned

• CBP One App Official Update – CBP.gov
• Overview of CBP Home and Migrant Self-Reporting
• American Immigration Council – U.S. Immigration System Backlogs
• Cultish by Amanda Montell – understanding groupthink, language, and the myth of easy answers

Call to Action

• Share this episode with someone who’s repeated the “just get in line” myth
• Ask your local officials how many people in your district are in immigration backlogs
• Support legal aid groups helping migrants misled by app-based parole systems
• Follow, rate, and review Have a Cup of Johanny to help others find these conversations

Connect With Me

Threads & Instagram: @haveacupofjohanny

 TikTok: @haveacupofjohanny

 Join the newsletter: https://haveacupofjohanny.com/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/

 Check out my books: https://haveacupofjohanny.com/shop/

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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Immigration detention is supposed to be civil not punishment.

 But across the U.S., immigrants are being held in jail-like conditions under a patchwork of outdated and inconsistent standards, many without ever being charged with a crime.

In this episode, Joa pulls back the curtain on a system designed to look like bureaucracy but feel like incarceration. We explore how ICE contracts with private prisons and local jails, how per-bed payments create financial incentives to detain more people, and why detainees experience drastically different treatment depending on where they're held.

We also trace the language and policies that make it easy to ignore this injustice and who profits from our silence.

What You’ll Learn

• Why ICE detention isn’t supposed to be punitive—but often is
• What the PBNDS and NDS standards are, and why they matter
• How local governments and corporations profit from detaining immigrants
• The role of dehumanizing language in public apathy
• Why this system isn’t broken—it’s working exactly as intended

Resources Mentioned

• ICE Detention Standards Overview (official)
• Appendix: ICE Detention Facilities & Assigned Standards
• DHS Office of Inspector General Report on Oversight Failures
• American Bar Association Detention Guide for Practitioners
• “Cultish” by Amanda Montell – on groupthink, misinformation, and language as power

Call to Action

• Share this episode with someone who thinks immigration detention is just “processing.”
• Ask your local representatives if your county jail has a contract with ICE (search: IGSA).
• Support organizations working to end immigration detention and expose profit motives, like Detention Watch Network, Freedom for Immigrants, and ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project.

Connect With Me

Instagram & Threads: @haveacupofjohanny

TikTok: @acupofjo_hanny

 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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The phrase "anchor baby" slices through political discourse with cruel efficiency. You've heard it—perhaps on news channels, debate stages, or even from the mouths of those who share our heritage. It transforms a newborn child into a tactic, a weapon, a calculated move in some imagined immigration chess game.

But what if everything you've been told about birthright citizenship is fundamentally wrong? While the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil, the idea that undocumented parents gain immediate legal status through their American-born children is pure fiction. The reality? Parents must wait until that child turns 21 before they can even apply for sponsorship—with no guarantee of approval. This podcast tears apart the notion that people endure dangerous journeys, leave everything behind, and build new lives just to implement a strategy with a 21-year waiting period.

Beyond debunking myths, we dive into the psychology behind why some immigrants themselves perpetuate these harmful narratives. When someone says, "I did it the right way, so should everyone else," they're often protecting their own trauma rather than protecting justice. Immigration isn't a standardized test—it's a survival tactic that looks different for every family based on their unique circumstances, resources, and dangers faced. The uncomfortable truth is that scapegoating immigrants distracts us from asking harder questions about who really benefits from our economic system. While we argue about who deserves to be here, wealth continues to flow upward, not laterally to each of us.

Who gets to belong, and who gets to decide? If you've never questioned the language we use around immigration or considered the human cost of these myths, this episode offers both facts and compassion. Listen, share, and ask someone who believes these myths: "Why do you believe that? Who told you that? What if they were wrong?" Subscribe now and join our community of thinkers who refuse to accept easy answers to complex human questions.

Resources Mentioned:

Stats

May 2025 from IPSOS: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/majority-americans-oppose-ending-birthright-citizenship

May 2025 from NPR: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/g-s1-66693/majority-of-americans-oppose-ending-birthright-citizenship-npr-ipsos-poll-finds

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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"They knew what they were doing" - five words that cloak inhumanity in the disguise of justice. Every time I hear this phrase used to dismiss the suffering of immigrants caught in our broken system, something inside me recoils. Not just because it's callous, but because it's incomplete.

Today's episode cuts through the rhetoric to expose one of the most persistent and harmful myths about immigration. Drawing from my personal journey through the labyrinthine process of "legal" immigration as a child separated from my parents, I invite listeners into the chaotic reality of endless paperwork, bureaucratic obstacles, and impossible choices that define our immigration system. This isn't about politics - it's about policies that fail human beings.

I share the harrowing story of Mark Daniel Lyttle, a US citizen with bipolar disorder who was wrongfully deported to Mexico simply because of how he looked. For 125 days, he wandered homeless through Latin America until someone finally helped him return home. His story isn't an anomaly - it's a devastating glimpse into what happens when enforcement trumps humanity, when paperwork matters more than people.

Read more here

The truth? Being undocumented is not a crime - it's a civil violation, like a parking ticket. Over 70% of people in ICE custody have no criminal record whatsoever. Yet our rhetoric criminalizes their very existence, giving permission to stop seeing immigrants as fellow human beings worthy of dignity and basic rights. This dehumanization doesn't just hurt the undocumented - it threatens all of us. Because once a system gets comfortable deciding who deserves rights and who doesn't, that list only expands.

Join me in asking better questions: Why did we build a system where someone's worth depends on a document? Why are we okay with punishing people for seeking safety and opportunity? And what might happen if we remembered that before anyone is documented or undocumented, they are human - just like us?

Want to dig deeper?

Data & Reports:

• “Nearly half of ICE detainees have no criminal record; 71.7% as of June 15, 2025” 
  
  
• “Only ~8% of detainees

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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The smoke is already in your lungs, even if your house isn't on fire yet. This powerful metaphor frames our deep dive into disassociation—that subtle, pervasive mindset that whispers "if it's not happening to me, I don't care." While our brains naturally create psychological distance from suffering as a protective mechanism, this episode challenges us to recognize how this distancing doesn't actually make us safer—it makes us complicit.

Through personal storytelling and psychological insights, we explore how this mindset manifests particularly strongly around immigration issues. When we say things like "they knew what they were doing" or "we came here the right way," we're performing a type of patriotism rooted more in trauma than truth. Drawing from my own experience of being separated from my parents for years due to immigration bureaucracy, I share what it feels like to be on the receiving end of society's disassociation—the child who becomes no one's problem, caught in paperwork limbo for nearly a decade.

This episode isn't about guilt—it's about connection. Like California wildfires that spread from house to house, ignoring others' suffering doesn't keep us safe when systems of harm eventually reach our own doorstep. We examine how protests function to bridge artificial gaps between us, disrupting the illusion of separation and reminding us of our shared humanity. When we catch ourselves thinking "that's not my business," I invite you to pause and question what fears drive that response. It's time to exercise our empathy muscle rather than letting it atrophy, to close the psychological gap before it becomes a moral one. Because ultimately, silence isn't safety, and distance isn't immunity—they're just comfortable illusions that keep us from building the world we all deserve.

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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The words we speak reveal the fears we carry. When fellow Latinos say "I did it the legal way" or "they're not like us," what's really happening beneath these statements? This raw, unflinching exploration of internalized anti-immigrant attitudes within Latino communities pulls back the curtain on our community's most uncomfortable truth: sometimes we become the very border patrol we claim to resist.

Drawing from my personal immigration journey that spanned nearly a decade, I share how the process separated my family for years while my grandmother raised me in my parents' absence. This wasn't by choice but by circumstance – a reality many immigrants face regardless of their documentation status. The immigration system isn't simply about filling out forms; it's years of paperwork, changing policies, financial strain, and emotional tolls spread across entire families.

Most revealing is the myth that perfect assimilation will shield us from discrimination. No matter how flawlessly we speak English or how "American" we become, those who view us as "other" will always see us that way. This proximity to whiteness offers no real protection – it's a constant exhausting audition that requires cutting off essential parts of ourselves. When we echo border logic and enforcement rhetoric, we become complicit in our own oppression through what I call "pick-me patriotism."

If your family came here "the legal way," I challenge you to use that privilege to advocate rather than distance yourself from others. Question who taught you that following rules would protect you, and what they feared. Remember that what harms one immigrant ultimately harms us all – we are interconnected beyond artificial boundaries.

This conversation might make you uncomfortable, but that discomfort signals growth. Pass this episode to your tía, your primo, your coworkers, and let's dismantle the walls built not just around us, but within us. Together, we can remember who we truly are.

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.

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Words have the power to reshape how we see each other. They can strip away humanity or restore it, depending on how we wield them. This raw, urgent episode dives deep into how language becomes the first battleground where human dignity is won or lost.

When certain words keep appearing—invasion, flood, illegals, infestation—they aren't random choices. They're calculated terms designed to frame people as problems rather than humans with stories. I break down how these war words and pest control terms create psychological distance that makes further violence possible. Before raids tear families apart, before policies separate children from parents, the groundwork is laid through language that strips away empathy.

What's most heartbreaking is hearing this dehumanizing language from within our own communities. Phrases like "I did it the right way" or "that's not our problem" aren't neutral statements—they're active attempts to deflect responsibility and disassociate from our shared humanity. But as I explain through both personal reflection and cultural analysis, deflection isn't protection, disassociation isn't neutrality, and silence is never innocence.

This episode calls you to action: pay attention to the language in the news, in your group chats, at your family gatherings. When someone says "illegal," correct them. When harmful jokes normalize dehumanization, interrupt them. The virus of dehumanizing language doesn't discriminate about who it eventually harms—we're all connected, and our words matter. Join me in this necessary conversation, and stick around for next week when we dive deeper into how this rhetoric takes root within our communities.

This is the book I reference in this episode:

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism―Understanding the Social Science of Cult Influence

*By the way, I’ve linked the book Cultish in the show notes using my affiliate link—so if you decide to grab a copy through that link, I’ll get a small kickback at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win: you get an incredible read, and you help support the show just a little. Gracias in advance!

Support the show

If today’s episode hit you in the chest the way it hit me, don’t just walk away—walk toward something that reflects you.

Subscribe to the podcast, hit that YouTube channel for the behind-the-scenes, and if you’re ready to read a story about what it really means to come home to yourself—
👉🏽 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

It’s about a Dominican-American bruja who’s been running from herself her whole life until ancestral magic, generational wounds, and a haunted-ass hill force her to face the truth.

If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” or like you don’t fit anywhere, you’re exactly who this story was written for.

🎙️ Subscribe.
📺 Follow on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SRDePbyy8M85Wbf25VUCg
📚 Preorder The Ordinary Bruja. https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/the-ordinary-bruja-book-one-of-las-cerradoras-series-j-e-ortega/

Because becoming who you are is the bravest kind of magic.