SELF-DISCOVERY JOURNEY: FROM BEING LOST TO DISCOVERING MY CALLING.

For the past 12+ years, I worked in Marketing in Corporate America. My main focus was moving up the corporate ladder. Long hours, no weekends, barely made time for my friends, it was all about what's next? The free time I had, although it always felt hectic and rushed, I would take yoga classes, sign up for mindfulness seminars but it always seemed I'd be going from one activity to another with no chance to breathe or to just think. I was always chasing something. My hectic pace kept me focused for many years doing everything that would keep me busy, always aiming higher. I ran countless of half-marathons, decided on a whim to apply to business school and got my MBA (Go 'Canes!), moved to NYC on my own and got a job at the number one beauty company in the world. I thought I had it all, until one day, in the middle of winter (it always seems to happen when the weather is awful, right?) I realized that feelings of being lost and self-doubt have taken permanent residence in body, my mind. My stomach was a ball of knots which made me physically nauseous.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

The pain was too uncomfortable, I simply could not live my life pretending that everything was amazing because it surely didn't feel like it. That’s when my journey of self-discovery began.

Let me back up a bit... After college, I started working for a large corporation in Miami and felt that I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve in my professional career – a top Executive Marketing Position in a global company based in New York City that would one day lead me to an overseas assignment.

For the past decade, my goals have fueled and motivated me

I kept those goals close and worked toward them. I decided to go to grad school and earned an MBA from The University of Miami. Shortly afterwards, I moved to NYC to work for a global corporation and found the perfect, tiny apartment close to the subway and within walking distance of a great diner that serves all-day pancakes. I was happy.

My job challenged me which I loved, NYC was exciting and I had great friends around me. Then one day I noticed a shift and those same professional goals started to feel more like a burden that I had imposed upon myself. I no longer felt the same drive and I started questioning my motivation and whether this was the life I had imagined.

I had no idea what was next. This is all I’ve ever known. I felt lost.

But I knew that I could no longer ignore the wise signals

that my body was sending me. I had to be brave.

That's when the panic set in, I thought, “if climbing the corporate ladder no longer fuels me, what am I suppose to do now?” I had no idea what was next. This is all I’ve ever known. I felt lost.

I have always a been a very spiritual person who devours personal growth books, attends motivational talks, participates in transformational seminars and incorporates a healthy dose of meditation and exercise into my life.

So I turned to one of my favorite motivational speakers, Gabby Bernstein, and through her I found my amazing first coach, I never worked with a coach before, but I knew I needed some clarity in my life. And some clarity I got.

I began my journey with a feeling in the pit of my stomach that kept telling me it was time for a change. When that feeling became unbearable, I could no longer ignore the wise signals that my body was sending me. That is when I started to be brave and to dig deep and figure out why I was unsettled and what would be the next step in my career.

So the work with my coach began…week after week, month after month. Uncovering every single rock, turning it around to start understanding what all my feelings meant. My coach made a space for me to feel comfortable to be myself, to discover what I loved to do, and most importantly to become the person I knew I would become.

I finally found clarity and a sense of purpose

I didn't have all the answers yet, but the work my coach and I did together transformed my life. I was fascinated with my own transformation and the results so I started researching what coaching was all about. I felt a sudden burst of energy.

A few weeks later, I enrolled in a coaching program to get certified. I decided to go to iPec, a top, industry-recognized coaching school. I chose iPec because it's a respected and accredited school, but more importantly because they spoke my language.

Let me explain a bit…ever since I was a young girl, I always talked about how things felt, the energy behind it all and I remember most people looking at me and saying "It's not all about how you feel and energy!" And because I didn't know how else to explain the “energy” I felt with people or while doing certain activities or even how to describe it, I mostly kept my thoughts to myself. I have always believed in the energy that surrounds us and I understood the importance of energy. When I learned iPec's approach and coaching process is based on Energy and it is backed with years of research, with clear and concise explanations of how energy impacts our lives, I enrolled immediately. They spoke my language!

For the first time in my life, I finally felt surrounded by people whom I could relate to and people whose purpose was to empower others to create long-lasting solutions in their lives.

And then it hit me…I finally figured out my purpose, my calling!

I felt energized to my core. I was buzzing.

When I started Coaching school, I was working full-time at my Corporate job so I was able to practice a lot of the things that I was learning and started to feel a positive shift within me and a shift with my co-workers as well. On my way home from one of the 3-day intensive modules, I felt energized to my core. I was buzzing.

It was truly a defining moment in my life – I am going to be an Empowerment Coach. I want to help people figure out what they do love to do and help them do it! If I did it, I know what it feels it, then I want to help others do the same thing. It was so freeing that I had to share and be of service to others!

I decided to go for it. I resigned from a 6-figure salary job and

do one of the most courageous things I've ever done.

Today, almost a year after I started my self-discovering journey, I am excited and joyful and want to share that I decided to GO FOR IT! I've decided to follow my dreams, to follow that inner whisper, to follow my passion. I believe that timing is Divine and the week I graduated from iPec, I resigned from my 6-figure salary at my corporate job to do one of the most courageous things I have done so far, to follow my calling as an Empowerment Coach and establish my own Coaching Practice.

I want to help people figure out what they want to do in life, follow their passion and help them achieve their goals just as my coach did for me. I am humbled by this great responsibility, as I know what an honor it is to be invited into people’s lives and help guide them in an authentic and inspirational way.

I learned a lot working in Corporate America. I’ve had the privilege to work with amazing people and I will always appreciate the journey and the lessons learned. Being a Marketer will always be a part of me, but now a new chapter in my life begins. I am more aligned than ever with myself and with my purpose to empower others to feel confident to take action and lead a fulfilled life. I have never owned a business and yes, there is fear in the unknown - but I have unwavering faith in my calling and I know that the Universe has my back.

"Love rewards the Brave"

I read a quote from the ever-spunky Danielle Laporte that is now posted on my fridge that says "Love rewards the Brave" and I hope it inspires you as much and it has inspired me.

It's time to be brave and step up, it's time to step out of what's comfortable, it's time to take inspired-action, to trust in the Universe and to do the things that bring you joy because…. Where there is Joy, there is Magic.

I am thrilled to share this journey with you - doing what I love, what comes naturally to me, and what makes my heart skip a beat. My intention in sharing my story with you is for you to know that you too have the power to transform yourself and to lead a life that feels joyful and fulfilled to YOU.

I believe in you, let's do this! It's time to share your gifts and your light.

The world is waiting for you.