Meet Anna Del Castillo

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Del Castillo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

From Anna, Co-Founder of Our Own Deep Wells: I draw my resilience my unwavering connection to God, the wisdom of the communities I belong to and the ancestors who came before me, and practices that tether me to my intuition. My work with Our Own Deep Wells has taught me the importance of nurturing emotional and mental strength through practices that connect us to our inner wisdom and the collective power of healing. These experiences remind me that resilience isn’t just about enduring; it’s about leaning into the strength of community, honoring the practices that sustain us, and building towards a more connected and liberated collective.

I’m also profoundly inspired by the activist elders who came before me—those who modeled what it means to persevere with courage and grace. I was born and raised in Mississippi, where the legacies of Fannie Lou Hamer and Medgar Evers instilled in me a tenacity to strive for justice. They, as well as my Peruvian/Bolivian/Southern elders, taught me to always turn to community and to root myself in faith as a source of strength. Their legacy drives me to blend spirituality and action, finding hope in shared struggles and collective healing. My bicultural identity and the stories of my ancestors deepen my connection to this path, reminding me that resilience is both inherited and cultivated.

From Dori, Co-Founder of Our Own Deep Wells: I get my resilience from daily practices that remind me that I am part of something larger than me and my surroundings. Those include connection with wise and loving ancestors; practices of slowing down and being still with other people and in solitude; practices of deep self love and compassion, and then more of that!; grounding in nature and observing the seasons; taking in the written wisdom of poets,mystics, and wise women through the ages — all of these connect me with the Divine Feminine within and beyond me.

I love the way Anna pays homage to activist elders, and would add that intergenerational friendships have always been a source of resilience. As a younger woman, I had wise mentors who helped me know the way. As I enter my elder years, I have no shortage of energy to invest in those who come after me.

People have always drawn from deep wells of wisdom to support all human flourishing; I like to consider myself part of that ongoing stream as I welcome others into it. We will need every ounce of healing from all of our deep wells to support our shared humanity, our planet and our more than human kinfolk in these times.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Dori and I are both soulful innovators, healers, and healing justice practitioners! To learn more about our individual work:
https://www.annadelcastillo.com/
https://doribaker.com/

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Relationships matter more than skills or prestige of experiences, the people you know will carry you to where you need to go!
2. Always have integrity- being true to your values will attract the right people and opportunities as well as protect your mental health
3. Invest in your connection with the Divine to source deep wisdome

People in the early stages of their bold journeys can create advisory boards, actively invite mentors, and surround themselves with circles of loving support — and then call on them in moments of despair! We need not buy into the myth of the individual journey anymore; we can embrace and embody communities that ground our journeys.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Over the past two years, we’ve been developing practices, resources, and retreats aimed at helping communities slow down and focus on their mental and emotional health. These resources are designed to encourage soulful engagement by blending moments of stillness with opportunities for meaningful connection and personal growth.

We are actively seeking partners—soulful leaders, justice-minded advocates, and team-oriented professionals—who are interested in bringing these resources to their communities. Partnering with us would not only help fine-tune these practices to meet diverse needs but also foster collaborations that amplify healing and resilience. Whether through hosting retreats, facilitating workshops, or integrating soulful practices into your team’s routines, there are countless ways to grow together on this journey.

We believe resilience and transformation emerge when individuals and communities lean into these practices collectively, and we’d love to co-create spaces where this can flourish.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ourowndeepwells.com
• Instagram: @ourowndeepwells
• Linkedin: @ourowndeepwells
• Other: https://doribaker.com/
  https://www.annadelcastillo.com/

Image Credits

stephanie gross photography