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Marisol Is Me — Hesitant, Haunted, and Holding On
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The journey of radical self-acceptance often begins in the most unexpected ways. For me, it started with a grandmother's stern warning: "You'll get a hump if you keep walking with your head down." What began as fear—fear of adding a hunchback to my already-different appearance with a lazy eye—eventually transformed into something powerful and profound.
Growing up with a visible difference meant learning early what it feels like to be noticed for the "wrong" reasons. The bullies, my real-life version of the three mojonas from The Ordinary Bruja, made sure I knew exactly how I differed from the norm. But somewhere between fear and spite, I discovered an unshakeable pride in walking with my head held high despite their taunts. "You are very prideful for having a crooked eye," one girl hissed at me in school. She was right—though not in the way she intended.
This final episode of "The Why Behind the Bruja" series reveals how Marisol's character arc mirrors my own transformation from a girl seeking invisibility to a woman claiming her power. Like me, Marisol wasn't created to be powerful; she was created to survive. She carries within her every person who's been told they were too weird, too quiet, too brown, too soft, too much, too broken, or not enough. Her journey from survival to power reflects the stubborn strength it takes to keep showing up as yourself in a world that often wants you to disappear.
As we close this series, I invite you to exhale fully and acknowledge this truth: you are not broken, you are powerful, and you deserve to take up space—you always have. Share this episode if it resonates, write a letter to your younger self, or simply allow yourself to be seen today. Your ordinary is sacred, your softness isn't weakness, and your story, just like mine, matters profoundly.
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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By Johanny Ortega
5
11 ratings
Send us a text
The journey of radical self-acceptance often begins in the most unexpected ways. For me, it started with a grandmother's stern warning: "You'll get a hump if you keep walking with your head down." What began as fear—fear of adding a hunchback to my already-different appearance with a lazy eye—eventually transformed into something powerful and profound.
Growing up with a visible difference meant learning early what it feels like to be noticed for the "wrong" reasons. The bullies, my real-life version of the three mojonas from The Ordinary Bruja, made sure I knew exactly how I differed from the norm. But somewhere between fear and spite, I discovered an unshakeable pride in walking with my head held high despite their taunts. "You are very prideful for having a crooked eye," one girl hissed at me in school. She was right—though not in the way she intended.
This final episode of "The Why Behind the Bruja" series reveals how Marisol's character arc mirrors my own transformation from a girl seeking invisibility to a woman claiming her power. Like me, Marisol wasn't created to be powerful; she was created to survive. She carries within her every person who's been told they were too weird, too quiet, too brown, too soft, too much, too broken, or not enough. Her journey from survival to power reflects the stubborn strength it takes to keep showing up as yourself in a world that often wants you to disappear.
As we close this series, I invite you to exhale fully and acknowledge this truth: you are not broken, you are powerful, and you deserve to take up space—you always have. Share this episode if it resonates, write a letter to your younger self, or simply allow yourself to be seen today. Your ordinary is sacred, your softness isn't weakness, and your story, just like mine, matters profoundly.
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.