We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Azul Leguizamón. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Azul below.
Azul, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Usually, when someone speaks about impostor syndrome, it’s related to a specific role in life: feeling like an impostor for not believing you are a professional in a specific job, or not talented enough. In my case, however, I grew up feeling like an impostor because I was raised in a very dysfunctional family, where violence, psychological abuse, and neglect were everyday occurrences. From a very early age, I was told I wasn’t supposed to be born at all and had no value except for what I could provide by devoting myself to pleasing someone else’s needs and wants.
I left home as soon as was legally possible, at 18 years old, in my country, Argentina. Despite leaving, I deeply believed I had no right to be alive. No matter how hard I worked or my success at my job, I still felt deep inside that I had no value and that people would leave me or fire me once they realized this.
I always felt anxious, scared, and profoundly lonely. I engaged in toxic friendships and toxic romantic relationships. I started therapy, exploring various approaches such as Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and holistic therapies like Reiki and Bach Flowers Remedies. I even became a certified professional in many of these holistic therapies. While everything helped me become a functional person and have a better life, I still felt broken inside, yet somehow good enough to continue… surviving.
By that time, I was married to a very loving man, in a healthy relationship, and had become a mother. Ambar was born, and her love shined through my life. However, deep down, I still felt unworthy. I used to think, “Poor daughter of mine, in this lottery of life, she got a broken mother. I wonder if her life would be fuller with a mom who has healthy self-esteem.”
Then, on my ongoing journey of searching for answers to my inner world, I stumbled upon the Three Principles. It described how our minds work and how we create the experiences we have in life. This understanding was mind-blowing. It helped me see that while life brings challenges and pain, I can feel all my emotions and return to a state of calm and untouched. I was never broken; I just had the habit of innocently creating more suffering.
I had an insight that changed my life (although at that moment, it didn’t feel like it was so huge). I saw that the way we act is connected to our mental state at the moment. The way my parents treated me had nothing to do with me. I was an innocent child; I was enough; I was lovable. And what was even more healing for myself: They were innocent too. What I mean by that is that the abuse, the violence, and the lack of healthy love were all created out of their state of mind in that moment. Deep down, they were innocent souls taking action on every thought they had. They had no clue about not being their thinking; they didn’t know any better, and they were also suffering. This doesn’t mean I am condoning their actions. Not at all, but I can release them and release me from judgment and stop reliving the same pain. I was able to finally just be and enjoy life.
I trained in this inside out understanding and, with the constant support of my mentor, Mavis Karn, I was able to rediscover myself. I found my unbroken self-esteem, my mental health, my value, and everything I bring to the world. This transformation manifested in practical ways. It became easier to be Ambar’s mom, my relationship with my husband became richer and deeper, I changed careers to become a professional coach in this understanding, helping others. I even fulfilled one of my dreams by moving to the sea and started training others, expanding this understanding of well-being internationally.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have recently launched a year-long training program with the amazing Bonnie Jarvis to help a selected group of individuals delve deeper into this understanding and train as facilitators. It’s called “The Heart of Service” and is currently full. We will be launching it again in September 2025.
I am blessed to work with English-speaking and Spanish-speaking clients. I am committed to expanding this understanding into the Spanish-speaking worldwide community. For this reason, I have been translating several books by authors who write about this topic and have also launched a year-long training program specifically for Spanish-speaking participants.
In my career, everything has been guided by my inner wisdom. I wholeheartedly believe that when your intention is to be in service to others with loving kindness that includes yourself, everything starts falling into place, and whatever you’d like to create begins to flourish. If any of this resonates with you, feel free to reach out. I’m always open to meeting new people who are eager to see things from a completely different perspective.
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?
Openness: Only when I was truly open to hearing something new was I able to see the infinite possibilities that were always there but were invisible to me because I wasn’t really open. Sometimes we say we are open, or we would like to believe we are, but we can feel the tightness inside of us that speaks the truth. Being open doesn’t mean knowing what will happen if I’m open; it just means accepting the possibility that there might be something out there that I haven’t seen yet, something that can shed light on my situation and help me see something I’ve never seen before about my life or myself.
Willingness to let go of the past: Sometimes our life story innocently becomes our identity. We get attached to it, we believe we are our past, and we drag the past into our present to make decisions or choose paths. Until we are truly ready to let go, exhausted by the heaviness of that identity and genuinely willing to release it, to stop trapping the past in our arms so it doesn’t leave us in the unknown of who we are. But I promise you, if you let it go, it will leave on its own, and if you allow yourself to be in that moment of not knowing who you are, your true identity will reveal itself to you gently and kindly. You will be able to walk your life with new feet, with a fresh and light gaze, with great creativity.
Forgiveness: Forgiveness is not something we can force ourselves to do. When we think we have forgiven, it’s often just a thought. True forgiveness blossoms in our souls when we least expect it. Someone may have done the most terrible thing imaginable, but when we begin to understand how holding onto resentment creates more suffering for us, we become more open to understanding the reasons behind that person’s actions. This doesn’t mean tolerating or condoning their behavior. One day, you simply wake up and realize there is no resentment, only compassion for that person. On that day, you set yourself free.
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?
“It’s That Simple: A User’s Manual for Human Beings” by Mavis Karn, “The Relationship Handbook: A Simple Guide to Satisfying Relationships” by George Pransky, “The Inside-Out Revolution: The Only Thing You Need to Know to Change Your Life Forever” by Michael Neill, and all books by Sydney Banks are essential reads for understanding the Three Principles. I know many people who have had life-changing insights just by reading them. The best part is that every time you read them, you discover something new, something you hadn’t noticed before.
Contact Info:
- Website: coachingjourneywithazul.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azul.leguizamon.coach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azul.leguizamon
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfZYz1k4AuDEP_-i-HNdRA
