Ay Mijita ✨ Embrace your raíces. Reclaim your esencia.

The Light Within: Reclaiming Your Authentic Identity

• Dora Alicia Praxedis • Episode 6

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Have you ever sat in your car before work, fighting back tears, wondering whose life you're actually living? That moment of existential questioning—when you realize you've been dimming your light to fit others' expectations—can be both terrifying and transformative.

This episode dives into the heart of authentic self-connection, exploring why we lose touch with our true essence and how to find our way back. As a first-generation Latina navigating multiple worlds, I share my personal journey from corporate burnout to spiritual awakening, and the painful realization that I was living someone else's version of success.

We explore the telltale signs of disconnection: the exhaustion from pretending everything's fine, the chronic people-pleasing, the numbness, and that persistent feeling that something essential is missing from your life. Through guided visualization and practical exercises, you'll begin to reconnect with the light that's always been within you—just buried beneath layers of conditioning, fear, and wounds.

The path back to yourself isn't always smooth, especially when family expectations and cultural pressures tell you to stay small or conform. But as we explore the six powerful steps to authenticity—creating silence to hear your inner voice, questioning inherited beliefs, revisiting childhood joys, expressing your truth, setting boundaries, and practicing self-compassion—you'll discover that reconnection is not just possible but necessary for your wellbeing.

Remember: "Tú eres la luz. You are the light." Your authentic self hasn't disappeared. It's waiting for you to wipe away the dust and recognize the power that's always been yours. Join me on this journey of reclaiming your essence, and let's shine together.

Listen to Episode 5: Your No Is Sacred: How to Set Boundaries Without Guilt


Email: dora@dorapraxedis.com

Follow Dora on Instagram @dpraxedis

Follow Ay Mijita on Instagram @dora_ay.mijita

Check out the website: www.dorapraxedis.com

Dora:

Ay Mijita. Welcome back to another episode of Ay Mijita Embracing your Roots, reclaim your Esencia. Soy Dora Alicia Praxedis, intuitive healer, life coach, mujer, first gen latina, and your hermana and descamino de sanación. Today's episodeio se llama you Are the Light, reconnecting with your Authentic Self. I know life can be overwhelming between familia, trabajo, comunidad, cultura, so many voices telling us como ser, como hablar, que sentir, expectations to live by. Pero hoy I want to remind you tu eres la luz, you are the light. Your authentic self has always been shining beneath all those layers over the years. Así que ponte cómoda, grab your cafecito, la irebelita, if you want, and let's dive in deep. And before we start, quiero que me digas when was the last time you felt truly you Like, cutting all the bullshit and really being in your own skin, goofing off, diciendo disparates, like holding yourself raw with no filter? When was the last time? Think about that.

Dora:

While we journey through today's episode, let's start with why we lose connection to our authentic self. Desde chiquitas aprendemos a complacer a todos Parents, teachers, la cultura, the church, society, you name it. There's a lot of under the sun. We learn to shapeshift, to dim our light so we don't shine too bright to stay safe. Y la neta. Trauma also disconnects us Childhood wounds, heartbreak, loss, racism and, for me, being first gen navigating two worlds all of that nos hace esconder parts of ourselves. Mijita, espero que pienses en esto. Where in your life are you wearing a mask? Where are you dimming your light to fit in?

Dora:

So, for me, when I moved out of my parents' house at 18, with a one and a half year old, I thought I needed to prove to my parents that I could do it on my own and my boyfriend at the time, and I had to pay all the bills and I wasn't making all that much money. I was working at Walmart, getting paid a whopping like seven dollars, and that was minimum wage at the time. Dollars, and that was minimum wage at the time. So, ponle la semana, in a week, I would make like a good 150 to 200 bucks working part-time. My boyfriend at the time, though, had a really good job. He would make a lot of overtime, and so I was playing like this house game.

Dora:

Right when I was playing, wife worked my little part-time job, went to school full-time, commuted downtown to DePaul two hours in, two hours back, and it was quite the challenge, and I had to keep up the charade that everything was fine. This is just the sacrifice, the hustle, the grind, because one day it would pay off dividends. And I thought, okay, well, this is what I'm destined to. Right Is going to school, do my career in accounting, and I'll be fine, I'll be set Well.

Dora:

A few years later, that's when my boyfriend lost his job making quite a bit of money. We went to making nothing at all and we were both jobless. At one point I remember looking at each other like who's going to pay the bills? How are we going to do this? And, of course, pride sets in, where I did not want to ask my parents for money, and so we just had to kind of figure it out and I'll definitely be going into that story at a later point in time because, let's just say, it didn't end up so well and we still ended up getting married and spending on a wedding that we didn't have money for and we weren't in the best, let's say, in our relationship. But that's where, for me, just holding it together meant I just have to pretend like everything's fine when everything is really not fine. Disregard all my emotions, override all the things that I'm feeling, like anger, resentment, like why am I doing this? And yeah, it's just why was I living a life that wasn't for me? Let's just say at that point in time, on the opposite end of that, after going through all that turmoil, let's say I was able to finally graduate and get a steady job, and after many years of moving up the corporate rank, that's when I was able to become successful.

Dora:

And not everybody is in agreement with your success. Let's say, because then, in the family especially, you're portrayed as not being humble, that you need to stay true to your culture and remember your roots. And that's where there's a muyong. I was taught to shut up up and just do as I'm said instead of following my heart. And everything needs to be a logical decision. When I grew up, that's when I started realizing that wasn't always what was best for me or my interest of my family and when I say family, I meant my immediate family. My now husband and my kids and that was a big heartbreak too is breaking off the nucleus of the family with my dad, my mom and my sisters. That was something very difficult for me to navigate, and so I wanted to be part of the family right that I grew up with. But then again I was starting to become that mom, the wife, the person, the breadwinner, eventually, after so much trial and error. So again, where in your life are you wearing a mask? Where are you dimming your light to fit in? Déjame compartirte algo personal.

Dora:

In my late 20s I was in corporate Buena posición, good salary, todo bien on paper, right, pero inside I was dying. I sit in my car, llorando, before work, thinking whose life am I living? Just the hustle and the grind, the going into work, punching in, punching out, rushing to pick up my daughter, my son, from daycare, all the motions, going home, making dinner, making sure we're all good, the kids have the homework, and then just the loop-de-loop over and over the routine every single day. And I was showing up for someone else mi familia, my jefes, my partner, mi pareja. But I didn't even know what I wanted anymore. I seriously felt like a robot just trying to survive, numb. One day I whispered a prayer in my car there has to be more to life than this, like the hustle and the grind and the everyday. And that moment cracked me open.

Dora:

Poco a poquito, I started my own healing journey. I started seeing a life coach that was very spiritual. I started listening to spiritual podcasts as well, and that's where I got introduced to astrology and human design by an astrologer and attended her classes, and human design by an astrologer and attended her classes. And then I got into Akashic record reading, which that is definitely a different realm that I didn't see myself many, many years ago doing. And all of this was connecting back to my soul. That's why this work is so close to my corazón, porque sé lo que es sentirse perdida Feeling so lost where you're kind of spinning around like in a.

Dora:

You know those carnival games like the teacup that you just spin, spin, spin that's how I would feel. So quiero preguntarte have you ever felt like you're living someone else's life, like you check all the boxes and you think, oh, I'm on the right path, this is what I should be doing, but something just feels off. If you're brave enough to share, mandame un mensaje. You never know who else might feel less alone hearing your story. It feels so sucky thinking that you're the only one when you're really not. And for me, I struggled a lot with asking for help, and once I started diving into these tools and on this journey for my self-discovery, I realized there's a lot more people out there that feel the sense of being stuck or feeling lost.

Dora:

Okay, how can you tell if you're lost touch with your authentic self? Aquí te comparto some signs. You're always people-pleasing, even when it hurts. You. Te sientes exhausted from pretending that everything's okay, but at the end of the day you feel so spent and you feel so tired, like energetically, no sabes ni que quieres anymore. Like there's so much to choose from, so many options and sometimes we get overwhelmed right With, like scrolling through social or bombarded from, like all this capitalism, right, so many things to buy, latest, greatest gadget, that you're so overwhelmed that sometimes you become numb, or you just are in shock of so many different decisions. You have to make you feel numb, disconnected or simplemente, meh, right.

Dora:

That's when, also, we see anxiety or restlessness out of nowhere. Like you're super anxious to go through social gatherings or at night you can't sleep because you have so many racing thoughts that, for me, is definitely one of the biggest ones that at night I have all these ideas and things and if I don't write it down, like I usually have a notepad next to my nightstand and I write stuff down all the time, or else I lose those ideas. Because, if I know, if I go on my phone and start writing a note to myself, then I get like sidetracked with other things such as oh, let me go check out the news or let me check my email real quick, and then I'm just, you know, just time sucker all over. And the last one is you feel this quiet ache inside, como que algo te falta, like this void that you can't fill. You feel the sense of just emptiness, and you don't do it even with the passion. It doesn't spark you anything anymore. That's when you need to really hone in on what am I feeling? So does any of this sound familiar to you? Take a moment, close your eyes and ask yourself where in my life am I not being fully me? Write it down.

Dora:

The awareness is the first step, because that initial eye opening is either a blessing or a curse, right? Because darn if you do know and darn if you don't know. And awareness is key here, because if you don't know what you don't know, right. But once you start paying attention to the patterns, you can then get ahead of it and plan accordingly, versus letting all this other jazz outside of you really dictate your life, your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions. It's your body telling you, hey, we need to pay attention here. Or your thoughts kind of bringing this up. For some reason I get the vision of this kid like at the supermarket or at the store, like in the toy section, throwing the tantrum you know that I want this toy. Or at the store, like in the toy section, throwing the tantrum you know that I want this toy. And that's kind of what your body, mind and spirit sometimes do is they tug at you until you pay attention, until you sit with it and really dissect what is going on here.

Dora:

So again, where in my life am I not being fully? Me Quiero que escuches esto bien clarito. I want you to hear this really clear, con amor, with love, that tú eres la luz. You are the light, your authentic self nunca se ha ido. She's just been buried under expectations, fear and wounds. But underneath it all, you're still wise, powerful, creative, joyful, loving. Think of a dusty espejo. Your reflection never disappeared. You just need to wipe away the layers of the accumulated dust. Now close your eyes, if you can, for a moment, and repeat after me I am the light, I shine from within and feel that down to your core. Feel that truth in your corazón, embrace it, embody it and bring it to life. Feel how that jolts through your body, that I am the light I shine from within and we all carry deep wounds that be from our childhood, given from ancestors, but you are in the power and control to change that trajectory here and now and going forward.

Dora:

You never know who's watching you. Some people celebrate you. They want to be like you and don't think of them as posers, because they kind of are, but they're not. They just happen to look up to you and there's some people that think that you're their hero. And the more we give ourselves permission to do the things we enjoy, the things that are creative, even though they sound super crazy, the more we give permission to others to do the same and follow in our footsteps, like, for example, doing this podcast.

Dora:

For me was the scariest thing ever because I'm putting myself out there. At first I didn't like the sound of my voice, but then I realized if I don't vocalize my own self and I don't trust myself, my voice and I don't stand up for what I believe in, then who will? It's having that courage to change the things we do have control over and letting go of the things that we don't and surrendering those to divine, to God, to spirit, to universe, to act in our favor, because sometimes we don't even know what's more convenient for us. Again, embody this. I am the light I shine from within.

Dora:

Now vamos a hacer un ejercicio juntos. If you're safe and not driving, I invite you to close your eyes, take a slow, deep breath in and exhale. Visualiza a small glowing light in the center of your chest. Puede ser dorada, blanca, rosa, whatever feels right for you. With every breath, feel the light growing brighter. Now gently ask yourself who am I beneath my roles and responsibilities? And again, take a deep breath in and exhale. If you have thoughts that are coming in, just remove them like clouds and try to remain in this state, present in the here and now, and see what comes up.

Dora:

What did I love to do as a niña? Envision yourself as a little girl. What did you enjoy doing? What did you enjoy playing? Was it running around? Did you enjoy the recess at school? Or did you enjoy eating with your friends? Just observe. Just observe and see what comes up now. What brings me joy today? Where am I hiding my true self? What things am I doing that make me just hide who I truly am, what part of me longs to come out and shine. Now, breathe into that light. That is your little friend, your essence, and you're welcome to stay here as long as you like and when you're welcome to stay here as long as you like and when you're ready, open your eyes, and I invite you to either go back and replay this and pause where you need to, and you can also write down your insights and journal about it. You can also reach out on my Instagram or mandame, mensake it's down in the show notes and I'd love to celebrate your light with you. So thank you for doing this amazing work. I know it's deep and it can go deep real quick, so celebrate this moment that you permitted yourself to dig a little deeper.

Dora:

Let's talk about how to reconnect with your authentic self. Aquí te comparto unos pasos poderosos. Number one silence, the noise. Toma tu tiempo en silencio. Sit in that silence and let go of all the thoughts, meditate on them, see what comes through. You can also walk en la naturaleza. I love to take my doggy out for a walk and get reconnected with Mother Earth.

Dora:

The other thing I love to do sitting in silence is to journal and kind of automatic write on what comes through to me, all the thoughts, all the things maybe that are on my mind, things that I have to do. Give your inner voice that space to speak. Give your inner voice that space to speak. This is what I love to call sacred space, where you really get in touch with your soul. So ask yourself, what is my soul trying to tell me?

Dora:

Number two question your beliefs. So ask yourself is this belief truly mine or did someone else give it to me? This is where you could dig a little more Like is that something your parents taught you or that you learned somewhere when you were young, and it might take you into memory lane as to where this thought or the circumstances originally surfaced. Did someone tell you in the past that you were a certain way? Or maybe you were called dumb when you were little, but that wasn't necessarily true. Or do you remember a teacher que te regañó. Just because you did something Like? I remember I was so scared to speak in public because I said a swear word in front of my class in the second grade and everyone laughed at me and everyone was like ooh, and the one thing I was trying to express was and I said this in front of the classes my mom was pissed off, and pissed I guess I didn't realize was a bad word. So that caused me to shut down and not talk and speak in front of others, and so reflect. Whose voice do I hear in my head when I doubt myself?

Dora:

Number three revisit your joys. Quién te cantaba? As a child, like, what did you love to do? Was it painting, dancing, writing? Bring it back. Make sure your body feels that feeling again. It is so powerful when we embody our emotions and have that fun and that sense of innocence that we thought everything was great, that we were immortal, we loved life and there was nothing that could go wrong. And so it is. Dancing, for one, I love some good music and I can jam out, and I love to put up the stereo and just dance and twirl around and feel that in my body right, move my hips and shake it. So that's one thing I love to do. And so when did I feel most alive as a child? What thing caused you to be that lively? Let's say, maybe you were told not to do it because it didn't seem right at the moment, or you were being course corrected. But bring it back and revisit it and try to re-parent yourself in that way.

Dora:

Number four express yourself. That's where you can speak up and speak your truth, even if your voice shakes, even if you feel a knot in your throat. What you have to say is so powerful and it's you. Honor that, honor what is coming up, what wants to come through you. Someone else might need to hear that message, and it could be loving words or it could be words that hurt, but if you speak it out loud to yourself, you get it out of your system, and so it's not suppressed anymore. So in your journal. If you can finish this sentence in your journal, if I wasn't afraid, I would Now for me, I would speak my mind and I would speak it with no filter. And so that is something I would probably put in my journal and not say to anyone else. And keep it to myself and don't hold back. Put it on there. You can rip it up afterwards if you don't feel comfortable leaving it in your journal, or my favorite is to burn it in a safe spot, because then that means I'm letting that shit go. I'm not holding on to it anymore Now.

Dora:

Number five is set boundaries. So boundaries son actos de amor, and I have an episode on this that you can go back and listen to and I'll link it in the show notes below. But they protect your light, they protect your space and, again, your boundaries are like a sacred house. I like to use that analogy because you can invite people to the fence and come like the neighbor. You can talk over the fence right, or you can invite people to your house for a party, or you can invite them to dinner, and that's where you have a more intimate conversation and they get to know you better. So reflect on where do I need to say no to honor myself?

Dora:

For me, this one kind of hits because I actually just had a dream last night about it is work. I love to work and I am a workaholic and I take after my dad on that and I have a hard time saying no to things at work and stopping work and I have to be very intentional about my time and my energy and my mind and my focus, because sometimes I get lost in my work and I forget to eat and I forget to tend to the family and the things at home, and my husband's really good at reminding me about that, but that's where I have to tend to the family and the things at home, and my husband's really good at reminding me about that. But that's where I have to set my boundaries of this is the time I have to work from, you know, 830 in the morning to 435 o'clock at the latest. I got to be out that door because I have to go to the gym or I have to do this, and I have to purposely schedule things in order to drop everything at work so I can leave. So that's one area where I set my boundaries.

Dora:

Now, the last one here is number six be kind to yourself. Now I'm taking a deep breath on this one, because healing it's not linear and sometimes we treat ourselves worse than we would treat anyone else in this world, like would you talk to your friend the way you talk to yourself? Like, for example, when I make a mistake in the past and sometimes I go there, but I really catch myself really soon, really quick, when I make a mistake I would tell myself that I'm a you know, pendeja, or I'm a dumbass, or you know kind of put myself down and I would feel really, really, really guilty and I know my coworkers would see me go through that spiral. And so now I catch myself doing those things because I would never say anything like that to anyone not even my kids, my husband or like much less a coworker or someone else Because that feels so crummy. I understand that I would feel guilty and shitty for the mistake, but the best thing to do there is just own it, take responsibility for your actions and try to remediate. And take note on what things do I have to do in order for that not to happen again? And it might happen again, but in a different way, and that's where you just keep learning wrong and that's something I thought all my life was. Being a failure is such a bad thing, but it's actually something that has taught me so many different lessons in my life that has made me the woman I am today.

Dora:

So healing again is not linear and you have to give yourself some grace. You are a chingona and you need to step it up and know that you need to treat yourself better than anyone in this world, because you are invaluable. You are your biggest asset in this world and what you have in your heart and in your mind, just share it with the world. So the mantra here is I give myself permission to grow slowly. Now I want you to choose one of these steps and commit to this week. You can send me an email or DM me on Cuál Vas a Practicar. I'm curious to see which one kind of panned out for you this week. Quiero compartir una question.

Dora:

I get a lot from my clients and people. I know, and this one was something I struggled with many, many years, and it's Dora. I'm afraid to show my true self because my familia might judge me. I love them, pero siento que they won't understand. Nay mijita, I feel you this is so real and showing up as your authentic self can feel very scary, especially in familias where there's a lot of expectativas and me coming from one of them making this story in my head that you know I have to do as my father says, as my father does. You know, that is something that I fought with for the longest time. I would get that nudo en la garganta right, that knot in your throat, every time that I would try to talk to my parents I thought I couldn't be heard or my sisters, even like they were younger. They didn't really understand what I was going through living at home and then, as an adult, like there's decisions I take that people don't understand. They don't see why or where I'm going with this right, my decision, and I have the vision.

Dora:

I know what I want in my life and that's the thing you have to honor is what is your result or the goal that you're trying to shoot for, and people don't necessarily have to understand it. You can go through life making your own decisions, because it's your life. You need to be the one that lives your life to the fullest, embodying and again, taking responsibility for your actions. Right, if you take a wrong turn here or there. And again taking responsibility for your actions right, if you take a wrong turn here or there, it's not necessarily the wrong turn, it's just a detour for now and you'll get back on. You'll get back on the highway or to the GPS. It's like where you put the address in and you, you know, just go a wrong way or something, and you discover something new, and that's where you have to be open to receiving. You were meant to go down that road, you were meant to go through that experience. So it's like you discover things on your own and that's part of this adventure of life, is going through that journey, and those are the things that shape you, and I strongly believe God, divine, universe, spirit shapes you in mysterious ways. But at the end of the day, remember you deserve to be seen and loved for who you really are.

Dora:

So I dare you to think about this question. What's one part of yourself you've been hiding out of fear? And really sit with that? You could send me your story, cariño, and let's close with unas afirmaciones poderosas. So repeat conmigo, or just listen y recibe. Soy la luz. I shine from within. Mi autenticidad es sagrada. My authenticity is sacred. I trust my inner wisdom. Merezco vivir mi verdad. I deserve to live my truth. I am free to be me Now. Breathe it in mijita. You are powerful. Gracias, gracias, gracias por compartir ese espacio conmigo. Thank you for being here today and sharing the space. Remember, you are the light. Nunca lo olvides. If this episode resonó contigo, compártelo con tus amigas o compadres. Leave me a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It truly helps us reach more people that need this message. Or come say hi on Instagram at DeepRaxedis, or visit my website, doraraxediscom. And if you're ready to go deeper into sanación, check out my one-on-one coaching Until next time. Keep shining, hermoso sol. Te mando un abrazo bien fuerte, chao.