“Discovering the Real You: Healing, Identity, and God’s Plan”

Transformation begins with self-discovery, peeling back layers of hurt and false identities to reveal who we truly are. Season 8 kicks off by exploring the foundation of the Empower Her program: healing from past wounds, understanding our true identity, and trusting God's purpose.

• Healing requires releasing the hurts we've carried—whether rejection, betrayal, or loss
• Forgiveness isn't about excusing what happened but freeing our hearts
• Many of us become "chameleons," changing ourselves to fit in with different groups
• Finding our true identity starts with understanding we are children of God
• Learning to trust God means surrendering control and believing His plan is bigger
• Our past experiences aren't random but are preparing us for our purpose
• What seems like being a "jack of all trades" is often God weaving together our gifts

Enrollment for the Empower Her 12-week coaching program is opening soon! Class begins September 28th at 5pm Central Standard Time. Schedule your interview now and mention this episode to receive 25% off your enrollment. Spots are limited, so don't wait.

Resources Mentioned:

EmpowerHer Purpose Program

Interested on coaching but still not sure? Grab your free copy of:
EmpowerHer Purpose Guide

MAMI on a Mission LLC: info@mamionamission.com

Grab your Copy of my book MAMI on a Mission - A Guide Towards Healing, Self-Discovery and Walking in Confidence for a signed copy order from the website. 

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Transcript

Introducing Season 8: Self-Discovery

Speaker 1 0:00

Have you ever felt like you're walking around with extra weight on your shoulders , like you're doing all the things but deep down , you're not even sure who you really are anymore ? Maybe you've been carrying old hurts or wearing labels that never really fit . What if today could be the start of peeling all that back ? And that's exactly what we're diving into today on Mommy on a Mission podcast and Amiga . Before we jump in , I want to let you know that enrollment for my Empower Her 12-week coaching program is opening soon . Class begins September 28th at 5 pm , central Standard Time , and this is your chance to walk through this transformation with me , step by step . So schedule your interview now and if you mention this episode , you'll get 25% off your enrollment . Don't wait . Spots are limited .

Speaker 1 0:55

Welcome to the Mommy on a Mission podcast . I'm Mariana , your host and the number one bestselling author of Mommy on a Mission a guide towards healing self-discovery and walking in confidence . As a dedicated life coach , wife , mom yaya and , most importantly , daughter of the king , I am passionate about empowering multifaceted women just like you . In each episode , we dive deep into transformative topics that help you reignite your passion and purpose . My unique approach is designed to help you overcome the fear of external expectations and create the space and time you need for both increased job satisfaction and personal growth . Join me on this journey of self-discovery and empowerment , as we explore practical strategies , inspiring stories and actionable insights . Together , we'll navigate the complexities of life and emerge stronger , more confident and truly aligned with our deepest desires . Welcome to the Mom in a Mission podcast , your go-to resource for living a more purposeful and fulfilling life . So grab your Tazza cafe y vamos a platicar . Hey , mommy , welcome back to Mommy on a Mission podcast . I am so glad you're here with me today . Listen , I want you to grab your cafecito , your notepad and a pen , because you're going to want to take some notes for this one .

Speaker 1 2:24

We're kicking off season eight with a brand new series based on the Empower Her 12-week program . This first part is all about self-discovery and clarity and , honestly , this is where transformation really begins . So let's dive in . Before we can step into who God created us to be , we've got to face the things we've been carrying . Jesus said in Matthew 11 , 28 , come to me all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest . And , mommy , I know what it's like to be weary . I want to be real with you for just a moment .

Speaker 1 3:00

One of the biggest hurts I carried was with my dad . One of the biggest hurts I carried was with my dad . I loved him dearly and I also caught glimpses of his joy , like him dancing when he was laughing with his friends playing softball , family vacations . But , honestly , those moments were rare , they were very far

Healing Through Forgiveness

Speaker 1 3:20

in between , and what stuck with me was where the physical abuse , the harsh words and the constant feeling that I wasn't enough . So I have a twin sister , but I can't speak for her feelings or what she experienced .

Speaker 1 3:38

I can only speak about my personal experience and that is what I constantly battled with was that I felt I was never enough . And why do I say that ? I say that ? Because growing up in the household and of course this is expected from every family right , you know , make good grades , you know , make sure you're doing things right . But it was like , even though I made good grades , it's always like , oh , you can do better than that . It was never , hey , great job . Or hey , look at you , you were able to do it . No , it was always you could do more . And when you hear that a lot , it almost makes you feel like , well dang . None of the efforts I ever did was good enough right , or I would never feel good enough .

Speaker 1 4:30

So when he passed away suddenly in an accident , when I was just 10 , I didn't know how to handle that grief . I stuffed it down for years , and perhaps it would even come out as anger , as frustration , as rebelliousness . It would just come out in different ways . However , I never put it together as if that were grief , and I don't think anybody else did too . I think for so many people it was , oh , that was just teenage behavior , not knowing that deep down inside there was something really going on . And even though I wanted to forgive him , it felt impossible . Now , don't get me wrong , because I love my daddy . My daddy was to me the best you know , because that's who I knew , that's what I grew up knowing , and over years , though , I could really see how the effect of some things that stood out in my life would affect me . Later , that changed everything .

Speaker 1 5:41

I realized that forgiveness wasn't about excusing what happened . It was about freeing my heart . And here's the thing , and this is the one that I think I struggled with the most , because when we think of forgiveness , we think of someone saying I'm sorry or I apologize , and you're able to respond back to that . Or perhaps it's you saying I'm sorry or I apologize , and you're able to respond back to that . Or perhaps it's you saying you know what ? I know that life wasn't easy . I know that things were tough . Maybe you were going through some things and I forgive you for the actions , and then you're waiting for that . I'm so sorry , but how do you do that when someone you love has passed away ?

Speaker 1 6:25

When someone you love has passed away and so that was one of the assignments that I have my clients do is write a forgiveness letter , because I think it's very important to understand that we need to release those feelings , that we need to have an outlet to be able to get it out of us , and I mean I think about the hurts or disappointments you've carried maybe rejection , betrayal or loss and isn't it wild how those past experiences shape how we see ourselves , our relationships , even our faith ? But what if your pain isn't a life sentence ? What if it's actually a doorway to freedom ? Even reflecting on just one hurt you've carried can be so powerful . Imagine waking up , feeling lighter , like the weight that's been pressing on you for years is finally lifting , and that's what healing begins to do . So let me ask you what's one hurt ? You're ready to start releasing even just a little Girl ? Let me be honest with you .

Speaker 1 7:38

My journey didn't go in some perfect order . I didn't even know where to begin . I was just constantly trying to figure out who I really was . You know that phrase I need to find myself . I used to hear it and think what does that even mean ?

Finding True Identity

Speaker 1 8:01

That search really started in junior high , like , I think , for most people right . That awkward stage where everyone's trying to fit in with a group and I never knew where I belonged . And after my dad passed , it only got more confusing . See , we had grown up with birthdays , holidays , family traditions . Then my mom shifted from Catholic to Jehovah's Witnesses and or witness and suddenly what I knew was no more . So I became like a chameleon . I blended in wherever I was different hairstyles , different clothes just trying to fit in . And if we're going to really be real , this was around the 80s , when I was a teenager . So you know that Aquanet hairspray was all up in this hair . I had that flip hairstyle , the wings and everything . Girl , I'm in truly 80s style , you know , just really trying to . I mean , if you can go back to the 80s pictures , you know the ones that kind of like resurfaced on Facebook . Okay , that was me . I had that type of hairstyle , the , the eyeliner , I mean all of it , right .

Speaker 1 9:12

There were moments that I didn't know if I was . You know the term chola , you know a pachuca . I didn't know if I wanted to . You know , be the white girl , and no offense to any of you , so I don't want y'all to come at me , you know because I'm . But it was just like I didn't know what I wanted to be , like I wasn't Mexican enough for the Mexicans . I was always asked if I was mixed . And then , now that I have my DNA test because I did ancestry right it turns out that , yes , I'm a blend of a lot of little things here and there , you know . So it makes sense , right . But that's the thing .

Speaker 1 9:50

Deep down , I felt like I didn't belong anywhere , and that carried into adulthood until February 14 , 2000 , the day I gave my life to Jesus . Yes , on Valentine's Day out of all days , and that's when my real identity journey began . John 1.12 says but to all who believed him and accepted him , he gave the right to become children of God . That's when I stopped being a chameleon y'all and started walking as his daughter . So there I ask if every false label was peeled away , who would you discover underneath ? But here's the thing Finding my identity also meant I had to learn

Trusting God's Plan

Speaker 1 10:41

to trust God .

Speaker 1 10:42

And let me tell you , that was not easy . I struggled with always needing to be in control . Why ? Because for so long I was doing everything on my own . I was the fixer , the enabler , the safety net , and I came face to face with that in my second marriage . It felt like I wasn't just fighting with him , I was fighting with something so much bigger , like past , present and future all colliding at once . I thought abuse was normal .

Speaker 1 11:17

I believe the lies . You're not good enough , you can't do anything . I even turned a blind eye to adultery when my ex-husband was out there . Well , when he was , you know , I committed adultery with him , and then there was fornication going on . He was sleeping around with other women and it was just like I was turning a blind eye . Why ? Because I believe that I wasn't good enough . I was convinced a blind eye . Why ? Because I believe that I wasn't good enough . I was convinced those lies were true . But as I began to open the word , god started breaking those chains , and so I'll take you to Matthew 17 , 20 .

Speaker 1 11:53

It says that faith , as small as a mustard seed , can move mountains . And , girl , all I had was that mustard seed . And do y'all know how small a mustard seed is ? And if you don't , I challenge you to go to your local grocery store . Go to the section where they sell mustard seeds , and you're going to see how small it's a little bitty , little bitty , like . You can like squeeze it with your fingers and it'll poof like , turn into a little powder . But that's how small a mustard seed is and that's how small faith is needed by God . Just that small .

Speaker 1 12:34

So I had to learn that I can't control everything , but I can make choices , choices to live for Christ , not for anyone else , not even my kids . I had to face the generational curses that were creeping into their lives and say no more . And it was in that surrender , learning to put my full faith and trust in him , that God began to shift my entire life . So where in your life have you been leaning on yourself instead of trusting God ? And that trust I made is what led me straight into my purpose . I remember the last time my husband beat me , I was lying there looking up and I saw the scared look on my young son's face and in that moment I knew I couldn't stay . I couldn't let my son believe that this was normal or my daughter believe that this was what a woman was supposed to live through . That moment gave me the courage to leave . I walked into church and enrolled in Celebrate Recovery and that became my first real experience with support groups . I realized I wasn't alone and I had friends , strong women in Christ who also surrounded me at work , who gave me that strength , that energy , that motivation to keep going , to move forward . I learned tools and it opened the door to me going back to college and , for the first time , finishing something I had started .

Speaker 1 14:11

Life didn't magically get easy after that I would be lying to you if I did , but it didn't . It got hard and it got even harder . Why ? Because the enemy knows that you're about to make a huge shift , a shift where God is about to lead you and he doesn't like that . So what happens ? The more ? The deeper you get into your faith , the deeper you get into God's word , the stronger the struggles will start to become and honestly you would think , god , didn't you already go through some struggles with that ex-husband and stuff ? Yes , but these were differently , because these were forces that were trying to stop me from doing what God was calling me to do .

Speaker 1 15:00

I struggled financially . I had to come clean with my family about the truth I had hidden for so long and still , every time I thought things were settling , something new would pop off . I used to think it would never , ever get better . But , girl , I was so wrong . But

Discovering Your Purpose

Speaker 1 15:30

, girl , I was so wrong . So here we are now , 20 , 21 years later , and I see it . I see it . God was equipping me , he was preparing me , he was transitioning me , he was lining me up for my calling . I used to think I was a jack of all trades and a master of none . How many of you have heard that before ? You're the person that knows a little bit of everything , but you can't just hone in on just one thing , so you just do everything . But now I see it differently , because what God was doing was that God was shaping me , my degree , my skills , my passions . They weren't random . He was weaving together my natural gifts and the spiritual gifts he placed in me .

Speaker 1 16:07

I'm not an author because I'm the best writer . I'm an author because I'm willing to share my story . I'm not a podcaster because I'm perfect at it . I'm a podcaster because I'm willing to use my voice . I'm not a life coach because I have life all figured out . I'm a life coach because my life has prepared me to say yes to the assignment God has given me .

Speaker 1 16:33

See Jeremiah 29, . 11 says and this is one of my favorite verses , this one and Philippians 4 , 13 . These were my life verses , for I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord . Plans to prosper you and not harm you . Plans to give you hope and a future . And that is what I was looking for .

Speaker 1 16:52

I didn't want to live a life of struggle , a life of hurt , a life of harm . I knew that God wanted more for me . I just didn't know what that was . I knew that he was planning something out , but I just couldn't see it back then . But I held on to hope . I held on to hope because I knew that my future was going to be different , but I just did not know what that was going to look like just yet . And now I see it . I see it .

Speaker 1 17:26

I am so glad that I said yes to his call . I am so glad that God used me these last 20 , 21 years to reshape me , to mold me into what I already was and whose I already was . I am his daughter , just like you are his daughter , and he wants more for you . He wants to reshape your life . He wants to remold you into that beautiful creation , the one that people have been , you know , hitting with that chisel and just kind of like cracking things open right , breaking you , trying to break you and remolding you to where you looked , all patched up , right . But God says let me take you , let me take this clay , let me add some water and let me remold it into something beautiful . Can you imagine that for yourself ? So here's what I want you to reflect on this week . I want you to ask yourself what's one hurt I need to start releasing and I want you to write that down . And then I want you to go to where have I been blending in instead of living in my true identity ? Have you been living life like a chameleon , like I was ? Have you been living a life and hiding who you truly were , just to kind of fit in with other people , or so that other people could see you a different way . And let me just tell you this too it happens in Christianity a lot .

Speaker 1 19:03

I remember a specific place that I used to work with and it was a faith-based organization and I knew because by this point I already knew that naturally I am a very happy person . I like to joke around , I love to dance , I sing off key , but that's okay , you know , I like to take pictures , like because I grew up with that . My grandparents and my family , we always had cameras , video cameras , everything . So we're not shy when it comes to cameras , you know . But I remember that I was trying to be a perfect Christian , if that makes sense . I wanted to be like I did no wrong .

Speaker 1 19:50

But you know what ? I wasn't being true to myself . Why ? Because I'm not perfect . No one is perfect . We can try to aim for perfection , but in this lifetime we'll never achieve it . But we can make choices , better choices . We can make choices that align with God . Are we going to do it perfectly ? Absolutely not , but we're trying right , and every day is a new challenge . That's why it says that we can't , you know , worry about tomorrow because today's got its own worries right . So even then even in Christianity , sometimes we try to appear as if we're perfect Christians and sometimes , because of that , we'll have the tendency to either be judged by others or we judge others ourselves . And then I want you to ask and do I trust God enough to believe his plan is bigger than what I've been settling for ?

Speaker 1 20:58

This conversation is just a glimpse of part one of Empower Her . And , mommy , if your heart is stirring , that's not by accident . I want to remind you that enrollment for Empower Her 12-week coaching is opening soon and class begins September 28th . We start at 5 pm , central Standard Time

Empower Her Program Details

Speaker 1 21:21

. So if this is something that you want to dive deeper into and you want to push yourself further and you want God to really speak into your heart , then schedule your interview today . The link is going to be in the show notes . And , don't forget , if you mention this episode , you'll get 25% off your enrollment . So I want to say thank you so much for hanging out with me today . Share this episode with another amiga you know , sister , whoever who needs encouragement and check the link in the show notes for all the details . And if you want to catch a glimpse of what we do , check out Facebook and Instagram .

Speaker 1 22:07

I have pictures of the ladies that are currently in the course . Right now , I do it in person for a nonprofit organization called Adria Women's Health Center , and I also do it Friday evenings online via Zoom . I've got two wonderful ladies who's going through that , so I've got a total of eight women actually six , seven , eight , yes , eight women who are taking this course right now , and before that I had three other wonderful ladies who were part of the case study , who went through this entire program , and let me tell you their testimonies are nothing that I had ever expected . They truly , truly believed in this and that's why we're now offering it to the public . So , please , in this , and that's why we're now offering it to the public . So please share this , be a part of the empower her 12 week coaching program . And until next time , remember you are loved , you are chosen and you are on a mission .

Speaker 2 23:12

Thank you for tuning in to the Mommy on a Mission podcast . If you found today's episode inspiring , don't forget to subscribe , leave a review and share it with your own media . And , before you go , if you're looking to guide people through healing , self-discovery and walking in confidence , be sure to grab a copy of my book Mommy on a Mission A Guide to achieving self-discovery and walking in confidence , available now on Amazon . Stay connected with me on social media . Follow us on Instagram at Mommy on a Mission Podcast and on Facebook at Mommy on a Mission . If you're considering working with a coach but aren't sure if you're ready , send me a DM and I will send you a free gift to help you get started on your journey until next saturday . Keep shining and remember the power is within you . Adios amigas .