We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jasmine Montoya a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jasmine, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I believe my resilience stems from my lineage. I am first-generation Colombian American and with that alone comes a different way of life here in America. The resilience both my grandparents and parents needed to have to uproot their families and move to a different country without speaking the language or understanding the culture was tremendous. As a first-gen child my life was different from my peers and although we were living in America behind closed doors our culture was still very present. I was raised with a Colombian Spiritual Shaman being a part of our lives and understanding that there is more to this world than what our eyes can see. In my teenage years I faced some trauma that completely altered my way of being and it wasn’t until years later when I decided to integrate more of my spirituality side I understood as a child did I begin the long journey of healing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My work is an embodiment of all the healing I have done through the years. I decided to approach my traumas from a more holistic spiritual way as before that I did years of talk therapy and was even prescribed drugs to cope and all they did was numb what needed to be healed. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for all things but eventually I reached a point where something needed to change and so I sought out different modalities such as energy healing, cupping, sound healing, somatic practices, and working with a shaman to help my body do a reset. I went back to a more ancient way of healing. Ones that my ancestors practiced, ones that were already a part of me.
Now my healing practice focuses on these main modalities that I not only grew up with, but I integrated with for my own healing journey.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey have been bravery, persistence, and being a spiritual being. If I can offer any advice to folks starting out on their journey is master the self and you do that by having a meditative daily practice. Check in with yourself, know yourself and what and how you need to move through life, listen to your intuition, and believe in a higher power. A higher power can mean so many different things. Never give up on yourself! I believe if you follow your heart’s calling and move the way love moves vs fear you will be unstoppable.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I find myself feeling overwhelmed, I grant myself space to disconnect and just be. The act of resting and allowing my body to do what it feels called to is just as important if not more than doing what is on my to-do list. My favorite ways of disconnecting are going out into nature for a hike to ground, surfing to get into an intuitive meditative flow, and dancing to feel free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coachingbyjasmine.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamjasminemontoya?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminemontoya
Image Credits
Siri Berting Photography Liana Grigoryan
