Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carmen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carmen, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
Being in the healthcare industry, burnout is very common. We’re constantly expected to give—emotionally, mentally, and physically—often at the expense of our own well-being. I really recognized my burnout during the pandemic, when we were working through all of it—day in and day out, with no real pause to process what was happening. I was physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and spiritually disconnected. That was my wake-up call.
To overcome it, I had to be intentional about creating balance. I began setting firmer boundaries, saying no when I needed to, and prioritizing practices that nourished me—like yoga nidra, journaling, and time in nature. I also leaned into community and conversations with others who truly understood the weight we were carrying. Burnout taught me that I can’t pour from an empty cup, and now I make it a point to refill mine regularly—with rest, connection, creativity, and self-compassion.
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?
I’m a nurse, student, and holistic practitioner deeply committed to changing the way we approach healthcare—by honoring the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. After over a decade working in critical care and surgery, I began to feel the disconnect in a system that often treats symptoms instead of people. That experience, along with my own personal healing journey, led me to explore integrative and ancestral healing practices, including herbalism, somatic work, and culturally rooted wellness traditions.
Today, I’m focused on building a model of care that bridges modern medicine with ancestral wisdom and holistic practices. Through my brand, Cultivated Consciousness, I create space for individuals to reconnect with themselves through intentional reflection, creative expression, and community-based healing. I also provide education and advocacy around culturally respectful and accessible wellness, with a focus on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
What excites me most is witnessing transformation—when someone begins to move from surviving to thriving. Supporting others in reconnecting to their power, their lineage, and their purpose is sacred work, and I’m honored to be part of that process.
One of my latest projects is A Journey Within, a guided journal I created to support personal reflection and healing. As its author, my hope is that it becomes a tool for slowing down, tuning in, and nurturing the parts of ourselves that often get overlooked in the rush of daily life. I’m also currently pursuing my doctorate as a family nurse practitioner with the long-term vision of opening a nonprofit clinic that offers holistic, equitable care rooted in compassion, integrity, and community.
This work is more than a profession—it’s my way of weaving purpose, passion, and healing into everything I do.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience carried me through the hardest seasons—especially working in healthcare during the pandemic while juggling family and school. It taught me how to keep going, even when everything felt heavy. For those early in their journey, resilience is built by allowing yourself to fall and get back up with compassion. Rest is part of resilience. Don’t be afraid to pause and regroup.
Intuition has guided me through moments when logic alone didn’t have the answers. Learning to trust my inner knowing has helped me make aligned decisions, especially when stepping into less traditional or more heart-centered paths. To develop this, spend time in stillness. Journal, meditate, be in nature—create space to hear yourself think and feel.
Cultural awareness and the ongoing process of reconnecting with my roots have shaped how I show up in the world and in my work. It’s helped me honor not only my own lineage but also how I engage with others and with sacred practices. My advice here is to stay curious and humble. Listen more than you speak, and understand that unlearning and re-learning are part of the process.
These three things have shaped me not just professionally, but as a human—and they continue to evolve as I do.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
One book that has played a deeply important role in my development is Woman Who Glows in the Dark by Dr. Elena Avila. As a nurse and a woman reconnecting with my ancestral roots, this book felt like both a mirror and a doorway. It gave language to the feelings I had long carried about the limitations of Western medicine and affirmed the sacredness of curanderismo and ancestral ways of healing.
One of the most impactful nuggets of wisdom from the book is that true healing doesn’t come from simply treating the physical body—it comes from addressing the emotional, spiritual, and energetic layers as well. That concept resonated so deeply with me and helped me validate the importance of intuition, energy work, and cultural rituals in the healing process.
Another powerful takeaway was the reminder that we carry the strength, wisdom, and medicine of our ancestors within us. We don’t have to look outside ourselves for power—it’s already in our blood and bones. That truth has shaped how I show up in my work and has given me the courage to weave ancestral knowledge into my nursing practice and future vision of healthcare.
This book is more than a story—it’s a reclamation. It reminded me that healing is not only clinical—it’s spiritual, personal, and cultural.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sovereign_alchemista_?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chingonasychisme?si=SvWqHa5KFxT_oh9s
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
