In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are introducing you to a badass Latina who is killing it in the mental health space. If you follow me, you probably follow Jackie, too. Whether it’s through her hilarious memes or her helpful mental health facts, Jackie is succeeding at destigmatizing mental health in the Latine community. 

Jackie Garcia is a bilingual Spanish-speaking Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over seven years of experience working with children, teens, adults, and families.  Jackie grew up in Tijuana, Baja California until she was 12 years old. Her parents migrated to the U.S. to pursue a better life for her and her siblings. As many know, middle school years can be challenging. As a teen, Jackie struggled to adjust to a new culture, language, friends, and trends. However, these transformative years significantly impacted her life and led her to become a therapist.

Jackie encountered her first therapist during this phase of her life, experiencing therapy from the other side of the couch. Her therapist helped her navigate life transitions, adjustments, and hardships at the time. This experience solidified her belief in the broad array of benefits therapy offers, regardless of one’s circumstances, conditions, or concerns. Jackie’s extensive clinical experience spans mental health outpatient programs, non-profit organizations, field-based community mental health, and private practice. 

In this week’s episode, Jackie and Erika talk about the stigma around mental health in the Latine community. We as a community have very specific traumas that we are very commonly finding ourselves addressing in therapy – including cycle-breaking, difficult relationships with our parents, and seeking mental health support. During their conversation, Jackie addresses all these topics and more so that you and your loved ones do not have to suffer in silence. Listen to the full episode to hear all about it!

Connect with Jackie:
Instagram: @therapylux

Website: https://therapylux.org/ 

Website:
www.theerikacruz.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

How to work with Erika:
Join the waitlist for Courage Driven Latina here.

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Episode Transcript:

Erika: Hello, friends. Welcome back to Ch*ngona Revolution podcast. Can you believe we are pretty much halfway through the year? That is insane, right? I feel like time has just flown by. We are still officially in May, and May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we couldn’t let this month go by without bringing on an expert podcast.

all around mental health. As you know, mental health is very important to me. It’s very important on this podcast. It is very important for our community, even though we have made a lot of progress over the last few years with the rise of social media, as well as creators like today’s guest who have made mental health just a little bit more accessible to people.

However, we still have a lot of work to do, right? We still have a lot of work to do in our community when it comes to the stigma around mental health, when it comes to asking for help, admitting that you need help. And the guests that I have on today is Such an incredible creator. She’s been creating content all around mental health.

She is a bilingual therapist and social worker. I’ve been following her since 2020. She’s amazing at creating content. It’s super relevant, especially to our community, especially if you identify as First gen or second gen. She talks a lot about that experience when it comes to mental health in her content.

And this guest is none other than Jackie Garcia. Jackie is again, not only a social worker and a therapist, but she’s an incredible creator that has landed so many different brand deals, so many opportunities. And even though I’ve never met her in person, I feel like I know her. And in this conversation, we talk about that.

How she got into becoming a therapist. We talk about how, um, she sees her father as a cycle breaker. We get into a conversation about cycle breaking. We talk about relationships. We talk about content. We talk about how she started a merch line, how she started creating clothing as well as the role that running has played in her life.

I mean, we talk about dating. We talk about it all. It is a really good episode. This is not one that you want to miss. I want to wish you all a happy May and happy half of the year. I want you to know that it is not too late to make this year your year. And if you are going through a difficult time, I mean, you’ll hear in the podcast that Jackie and I talk about how I’ve been going through a difficult time.

Even if you are going through a difficult time, I encourage you to find the beauty in that. Like what is this difficult time teaching you? What are you learning about yourself? What, um, you know, I think it’s J Cole, right? His song. It’s, uh, I think it’s love yours. Where he says there’s beauty in the struggle and there really is beauty in the struggle and this is something that Jackie and I get into in the episode.

 So let’s get into it.

Jackie, welcome to Ch*ngona Revolution. I’m so excited to have you on the show. I know we’ve been trying to get you on. For a year and here we are again. Actually, I didn’t even think about this, but it’s May, which is mental health awareness month. So how ideal and how perfect, but welcome to the show.

Jackie: Thank you, Erica. I’m so excited to finally be here. I know we did reschedule exactly a year ago and I feel like we’re exactly where we need to be in 

Erika: this moment. I couldn’t agree with that more. So much has happened in the last year that this interview is probably going to be so much deeper than if it would have happened a year ago.

So everything really does work out the way that it should. And for people who don’t know you, can you tell us who you are and what you do? 

Jackie: I am Jackie Garcia, a licensed clinical social worker. Also a therapist. I feel like sometimes people when they hear social workers, they kind of don’t really know the depth of sort of being a social worker.

But I am a therapist in private practice. So I feel like that has really opened so many new opportunities for me, the ability to work with the clients that I want to work with. And yeah, I’m a daughter of immigrants. I come from a blended family. And there are so many hats that I get to wear every single day.

And at the end of the day, like I’m also a human. So I go through situations that challenge me. I go through my own healing and as a first gen Latina and a therapist. I feel like I’ve learned so much being in this space, not only about like my own personal struggles, but also like how I’ve been able to attract other Latinas and how we share so many similar patterns and, and we share similar things that we struggle as a collective.

Yeah. So thank you for having me, Erika. I’m so excited to have this conversation with you. 

Erika: Me too, and thank you for sharing or clarifying that social work is so much more expansive than we think, because I remember, I think I started therapy in 2020, at the end of 2020, or maybe the beginning of 2021, and I kept coming across Um, like I was looking at a directory and I kept coming across social workers and I was like, wait, but I need a therapist.

And I was so confused and I didn’t realize that social workers are also therapists or can also be therapists. So thank you for sharing that. I’m curious as to what sparked your interest in becoming a social worker and therapist. What was there like an aha moment in your own life? Life and journey. Um, and if you can share that with us, 

Jackie: I feel like I’m very passionate about this question in particular, because I truly feel like all of my life experiences from birth till now has really shaped what I’ve been able to create and in my work as a, as a clinician, right?

But I really feel like the, the aha moment was. Probably started when I came to the U. S. I grew up in Tijuana, Baja, California. I was born in the U. S., but my mom came here just to give birth and then took me back to Tijuana. And my first 12 years of my life, it was in Tijuana, Baja, California. So I feel like half of my life I’ve adapted to the cultura of being Mexican and everything that came with that.

And all the. adversities that we faced in Tijuana that really shaped who I was becoming. So when we came to the U. S. it was just a mess, a mess. We almost like left very abruptly from where I lived in Tijuana and we came to this small town in the Inland Empire, if you’re from the IE, Moreno Valley, California, and it was an upcoming new town.

And it was just such an interesting shift for me that internally I was struggling and my dad. As I’ve seen, he’s the cycle breaker in my family who paved the way for me as well. And even though we’ve been breaking generational cycles like machismo and marianismo that is still very embedded in our family, I want to say that my dad was the one that initiated therapy.

So when I was 14, and he saw how not only myself, was struggling, but also my siblings. And he had to do something as the breadwinner of the family. He took that initiative of seeking help. And I feel like that was truly the start of me being really curious about my own struggles, my feelings, and how beautiful it was to step in that therapeutic room and be with someone else to hold space for you and truly understand, be validated.

And acknowledge that my experience was very valid and I think someone that wasn’t from my family saying that just hit differently because it was like, Oh, okay, you’re not my family. So you’re not just saying things because you love me. You’re saying because you truly see the human in me and you want to help me.

So yeah, I feel like a lot of experiences. have led me to become a therapist and be in a helping profession. Like all the people that I’ve met, just, it’s been like this butterfly effect almost. 

Erika: Yeah, I was going to say how beautiful it is now that you get to be that quote unquote stranger. I mean, not really a stranger, right?

Because I, you probably know more about your clients than, or patients. I’m not sure what you call them. Um, but you probably know more about them than maybe even some of their closest family members. Yet you come in as a stranger who can validate their experiences. And you’re right. It’s very different when it comes from Therapist or professional versus, uh, your friends or, or family.

And thank you for sharing that. So I find border towns so fascinating there. There’s just, and I’ve never been from one, but, um, I did date somebody who was also from Tijuana and I remember just hearing a little bit about his upbringing and just, the more I learned about border towns, it’s like, you’re, you’re, you’re.

It’s literally just this invisible wall that’s been created that differentiates the quality of life, like the quality of water, right? And it’s, they’re right next to each other and it’s just so different and you’re so close, but yet so far. And obviously you were fortunate to have been born in the U S to have the opportunity to come back, but I can imagine that the people you grew up with did not have that opportunity.

And can you share a little bit about what it’s like to grow up? In a border town like Tijuana. 

Jackie: Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this question before. Thank you for asking this because it is, it is such an interesting dynamic because we’re so close, Vivian Otay. So that’s literally like from the house that I lived, you could see the U S.

So it was yet so close in proximity, but sometimes so difficult for people to reach, right? So I feel like my parents had a visas and back then, I mean, the visa was the process of getting a visa was very differently than what it is now. So my parents had access to coming to the US and we went to Costco.

We did all the shopping. We would have one day, sometimes every two weeks that we did. We went to, we went to Ross. We went to 99 cent stores. We went to Costco, like, and get things in bulk, come back. And so I feel like I had a very split upbringing where at school, there was one class that you, you could have as an elective where they enseñaban ingles.

So I did have that as an access, uh, for the resources that we had at the time. However, my dad. During those 12 years of my life, I feel like, I mean, my parents just grew up so fast, right? Like they really did. They became parents when they were still children. And, um, I feel like those 12 years of my life, my dad was jumping from one job to another job, to another job, like really trying to find his grip.

And maybe that’s something that he may still be facing, right? Like finding a grip of life when, when it’s so hard to break cycles. But yeah, like going back to your question. It was such an interesting dynamic because I had both cultures, uh, even though I was living in in Mexico, it was still very like, oh, vamos al otro lado.

Literally that, lado. It wasn’t like, let’s go to the U. S. It’s like, comprar las cosas porque podemos agarrar descuentos allá and then we can come back and live our life here. So yeah, it was really interesting. But I know that this. can be different for a lot of people, a lot of folks, because maybe they don’t have the privilege that I had of being able to come to the U.

S. 

Erika: Thank you for sharing that. And there’s another, I don’t know where I read this or I don’t know if I read this in a book, but it was also about Tijuana, about just, you know, you get so many people from different parts of Latin America also looking to make their way over. So there’s just a lot of people going through Tijuana.

So I can imagine just the things that you’ve been exposed to as a kid are just a lot more than, than other. Folks like than me growing up in California and this little city where I just so happened to move back to when I started my business. Um, you said one other thing that I found very interesting. I love that you called your dad a cycle breaker because I think sometimes our generation, we see ourselves as the cycle breakers because maybe we are the generation that is, um, becoming adults here in, in the U S or a lot of like for myself, I was born here and raised here.

You were born left and came back, but. But our parents also have been breaking cycles. Like my mom got a divorce at a time when you don’t really get divorces. And she’s the only one of her siblings who bought a divorce. So she’s also a cycle breaker, even though I’m breaking her cycles. Like it’s like each generation does their own fair share of cycle breaking.

So I just wanted to highlight that and celebrate that you, you recognize this in your dad. because sometimes it’s so easy to like blame our parents for what it is that we are going through. So I guess this is turning into a question now. At first I was just going to reflect it back to you. Um, tell me a little bit about as you’re working with, um, with folks and there can be like, once we start to recognize that generational trauma is a thing, how do you help your clients and patients navigate feeling angry at their parents?

And yeah, just like how do you help people through that? 

Jackie: I really want to highlight how this is a unique process for everyone. I, at some point in my life, I was that person where I left my house upset, angry, and I went no contact for almost maybe a year and a half. And so I want to really highlight that this is a unique process.

for everyone. And part of grief is anger. We, when we think about grief, you know, we’re in denial. We are in anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And those five stages are not a linear process. We can be angry one day and then be more accepting the next month and then come back to being angry again.

So there was a lot. During my twenties, I feel like I look back and I went through so many different versions of myself that now looking back, I’m able to understand that as humans, we have to learn how to be vulnerable and accept what stage we’re in, depending on what type of relationship we have with our parents.

Yeah, like it’s part of anger is pointing the finger at someone else. Yeah. Right? Like you did this to me. This wasn’t unfair. I needed this. And I feel like the more that we mature and learn more about ourselves, part of grief is also learning to accept, learning to give grace, but that may take some time.

So I really just honor the people that I serve wherever they’re at in their healing journey, whether they’re mad and upset and they don’t get it. And, and we see how we can grow and move to a different stage and eventually probably get to a space of, yeah, I get it. You’re also growing. You’re also healing.

I see your inner child. Like a lot of the times we can see our parents inner child come out. Yeah. 

Erika: Mm hmm.

I love that response and I love that you mentioned that grief has these different stages, but the stages are not linear. So it’s almost like a cycle that can, or like a rollercoaster, the grief rollercoaster, right? Where you can go from like feeling anger and then maybe acceptance, and then maybe feeling anger again.

And that response was actually really validating for me because I’m very close to one parent whom is my mom because I moved back into her house when I started my business and that was like a whole thing because I’m such a like hyper independent individual and I was living on my own for like over a decade and then I come back and I was, I just, you know, I really had to get over my own ego of being here, but I feel like coming back, was what I needed to hear, heal my inner child and then also assist her in healing her inner child.

And even though we’ve taken different approaches, I’ve gone to therapy and she’s just gotten more deep into her spiritual practices. It’s actually been a really beautiful journey. But my other parent, um, I’ve been no contact for a while. And for a long time, I was really I tried to be in contact and then I accepted and then I got upset again and then I was like sensitive about it.

And I feel like I’m finally at this place where I’m a little bit more at peace with whatever it is that ends up happening. So hearing you say this, I was like, that makes so much sense. Like that makes sense why I went from like one day I’d be angry and one day I’d be like whatever I have to respect his decision and then another day I’d be angry again.

So thank you for saying that about grief being just not linear and not having to just go, it’s not like, okay, check this box is done. Let’s move to the next. That was just very validating for me here. So thank you. 

Jackie: I love that. I would really love to add that this is all very new information for me to, for my own personal life.

Like you would have asked me this in 2020. My response would have been very differently than what it is now. I went through some shit and made me realize like I can’t blame my parents for my own stuff. At some point we have to see the reflection in the mirror and check ourselves. Like at some point we have to like take ownership and accountability of our life.

And that’s part of maturing and adulting, right, to learn that, okay, that’s the past and I want to validate my past, but also like how can I grow from this and how can I allow myself to enter different versions of myself in order to grow, in order to heal, right? So it’s the part of healing, but it is very beautiful, Erica, the fact that you allowed yourself to go back home.

And really be curious about what that space has to offer to you. 

Erika: Yeah. I really don’t think that I would have the business I have, or I don’t think I’d be the person that I am without the move of coming back home. Because it’s like I physically came back home, but I feel like I also spiritually came back home.

Right. Like my inner child, what was that when I was out living, working in the tech industry and just like living on my own and going out every weekend. And then suddenly like the pandemic happened and it’s like, you’re going to go inward at home. So yeah, it was, it was crazy how it just ended up happening.

I wanted to ask you about the role that you mentioned how things, happened in your life and it encouraged you to see things in a different way. And I’m curious as to the role that running has played in your own mental health, because obviously we’ve been following each other, I think, since 2020, and I want to get into content after we talk about this, but I’ve seen that you have started running and also did you run a half, 

Jackie: two halves?

Erika: Two apps. Okay. That’s what I thought. Um, and yeah, just like the, the process of training for that and like what running has done for you, if you can just share a little bit more about that. 

Jackie: Yeah. I love this question too, because through running, I, it really has highlighted what I needed to change within me.

My eating habits, my sleeping habits, my community, who is with me, what’s toxic, what’s not toxic, like it really highlighted me checking in and re evaluating what was working and what wasn’t working. And I also want to share. I haven’t really been open about this ’cause I’m trying to figure out like how to talk about this, but I guess this is a good space to talk about it.

I started medication, psychiatric medication, October of 2022, I wanna say, and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made and I was on it for like a year and a half and running really encouraged me to trust myself again. And be able to say, like, I don’t think I need this anymore and let’s taper off and see what my life is now with the systems that I’ve been able to build and me really building confidence in, like, I got this.

And even though, like, I will say it, medication really helped me give me the mental space. to think outside the box because I was stuck. I was literally stuck 2021. Like I, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that in my life. And I was like, Oh my goodness. Like it took me to be that stuck in order for me, like, okay, I have to change something about my life.

If not, it’s going to be a ripple effect. Right. So yeah, running has really like highlighted me. Running, running has really given me the opportunity not only to like build a community, but also just change my habits as we know, even sleeping habits. Like girl, I go to sleep at 9 30 PM. Now my body shuts down at a certain time and my eating habits, like you got to make sure you eat enough in order to have the energy to be able to do long distance running, like nine miles, 10 miles.

So, and also like how beautiful it is when you are. Like, it’s race day and you’re sharing the space with so many other people that you don’t know and like all ages, genders, like, It’s just such a beautiful space that you’re in. And I love that. Like, I love that I run next to strangers and I’m like, yeah, that’s a cute outfit.

Like, oh, you go. I see you. And when you cross that finish line, because it is super challenging. Oh my gosh. Like the thoughts that come up when you’re running. Sometimes I even run without music because I want to hear my thoughts. I want to, I want to hear. What comes up and that’s my, that’s me. That’s me versus me.

Erika: Oh, that’s so beautiful. I just first want to say thank you for just trusting this space to share what you shared about medication. I think sometimes we get so caught up in like all natural, like all organic, just meditate, just journal. And I think it’s so important for the both of us to be sharing that if medication is what you need.

Do that. Do that. Because what matters more than anything is that you are taking care of yourself and what that looks like in different areas of your life is going to be different, right? And how beautiful that you were able to use it for that phase in your life, but even if you had to stay on it, like, that’s what you needed.

I have so many just like clients and friends where like the moment they start medication, everything gets better. And it’s like, why, why do we deprive ourselves of what it is that can help us? Like just because of a stigma that just, you know, it’s, it’s only affecting us and affecting our loved ones, like not just us, but the people around us.

So first, I just want to thank you for sharing that. And I love what you mentioned about the community. With running and how it’s something that you show up as at and you get to be surrounded by other people of all different ages of all different backgrounds. But yet there’s this common goal and almost this common knowledge of I love that you said it’s you with you or like you against you because it’s you and your thoughts, but it’s the same thing for everyone else.

And my brother has started running marathons, um, the first one he did was I think the Long Beach one back in October and I just so happened to be in Long Beach for that. And, um, I’ve just seen how that’s like, he was going through a difficult time and not just changed everything for him. And it was like addicting.

So now he’s like, ran another one. And now I’m like, now I see my nephew and my niece getting into it. And now I’m like, well, I want to run a race with them and it can just become like such a beautiful thing. So I’m assuming you, you either made friends or have you brought friends along with you? Like, what has that experience been like?

Jackie: I joined a gym when I moved back to Riverside. And that was probably another great system that I was able to be a part of. And I still continue to be a part of, uh, it’s called at life first group. I’ll give them a little shout out. And, um, they just bring so much joy because there’s so many, again, like that community aspect, they encouraged me to run Saturday mornings.

I would like when they would share, I only have Saturday morning, we run six miles. I’m like, you ran six miles. What? Like how I’m like, no, my body can’t do that. I was so again in that freeze. I can’t do that I can’t do that and it wasn’t until like I surrendered and and I was like, okay Let’s let’s see what running has to offer me and you know back in the day I played soccer throughout like middle school in high school.

I played soccer So I know what it feels like to be in that fight or flight space because your body goes into fight or flight. That’s something that I’ve been really mindful now that I’m older. When you run, you step into like a fight or flight because your heart rate goes up and your body want, all it wants to do is stop, get out of there.

Erika: Yeah. Yeah. So all this is so fascinating to me because I’m not a runner, but I’ve always been into fitness and my thing lately has been kickboxing and it’s, I get a lot of good ideas for content. I get a lot of ideas just, or epiphanies, just realizations when I’m either out on a hike or when I’m kickboxing.

Uh, not so much when I’m dancing, but dancing is another, like, fun thing that also gets my body moving. But now I’m curious, do you think that the running and putting your body in fight or flight, where your brain is telling you that you just want to quit, does that, whenever your brain is telling you that you just want to quit, is that almost expanding your capacity for, like, resiliency?

Is that kind of what’s happening? Is it getting you more comfortable with being in the fight or flight? Is it creating more safety? Or, like, what’s happening? 

Jackie: Well, the fact is that you prove that even when you enter a fight or flight because it truly feels like it’s an anxiety attack, you can really compare it.

Your body goes into the same response as if you were having an anxiety attack. Your heart rate goes up, you’re sweating, you’re flushing, you’re turning red. And a lot of people sometimes don’t know how to regulate that, but the body is just so beautiful and magical that even when you step into a fight or flight.

You learn to create safety within and at some point you go, your body goes into like this state of like, Oh, this is normal. This is normal. And you learn how to control your breathing. So I feel like it’s. So many different things that go on during those spaces and something else that I want to highlight is when we engage in movement and any type of physical exercise, we are activating our brain chemicals such as, um, oxytocin, dopamine levels, right?

So you’re getting your dopamine dose, as you would say. And. You, that’s why you, you say like when you work out, you get all these ideas and epiphanies and aha moments because you’re clearing your brain. You’re feeling grounded again. You’re feeling like yourself. And for example, like this morning I woke up and I’m like, Oh, I don’t want to work out.

I’m like, I don’t want to work out. I don’t want to work out. And I pushed myself. I did a little bit of like dbt, uh, opposite action. What I wanted to do was. Maybe stay in bed, but opposite action is get active. Right. So get active. And that I took myself to my workout class and I left feeling like I’m ready for this podcast.

Like I’m ready to tackle the world. So it’s just even like you showing up and you think about it. A workout is anywhere between 45 to 60 minutes, depending on, you know, your, your goals, but that’s one hour that you’re dedicating to yourself or you’re away from your phone, um, And you’re just, it’s you.

That’s it. Yeah. One hour. 

Erika: Yeah. Beautifully said. Wow. Okay. I mean, I could talk about like fitness and mental health all day, but I want to talk about, well, I first came across you. I want to talk about content. I first came across you because, um, I think we came up on each other’s Instagram feeds or was it Tik Tok?

I’m pretty sure it was Instagram. So I’m curious whenever you got started as a. What was the intention behind social media just to like get private practice clients or was it to educate? Did you know that your page was going to turn into this amazing platform where other first gen, second gen or immigrants can come and destigmatize mental health?

So like, how did that content even begin? And then I’ll ask the follow up questions. 

Jackie: We were going through the pandemic. I think it was a little bit pre pandemic because I made my account November of 2019 and the pandemic was March, 2020. And so I feel like, I know, I didn’t know that it was going to grow and I was going to get this results that I’ve been able to get.

I didn’t know that I, if anything, I was really scared to show face. I was, I’m like, Are my things from the past going to pop up? Like, cause you know, you just never, you’re exposing yourself and you know, human beings are messy. Right. So, um, I was really scared and I’m so glad that I did it scared because I have been able to connect with a community, with other people that share similar things as me, it has brought so much joy to me.

It’s been able to also like. continue spreading awareness on a different level. Yeah. On a more like meso macro level, which is like society and, and being able to tap into other. other opportunities. Um, and I’m glad I did it. I’m so glad that I went through it. There was a lot of times where it took men social media breaks, especially I was going to ask about.

Yeah. Okay. Girl, I took like three breaks and those breaks were six months. I’m like, I’m not ready. I’m not ready to come back. I’m not ready to come back. Because it was like, My own stuff was coming out like my own self doubt and insecurities and Like how do I grow in a space where I’m still being authentic?

Mm hmm, but still reaching people, you know and follow trends and do all these like fun things, but I’m still Keeping my niche So that was an interesting space for me. So I did take breaks in order for me to reevaluate my life. I was also going through my own healing journey. So, you know, when, when you’re not feeling your best, it’s like, how are you going to show up and be authentic as you want to be when you’re still battling depression, anxiety and other, other life situations.

Erika: Yeah, I really do think that the breaks are necessary. And I almost, um, I was actually thinking about this because in my mastermind, a big part of what we do is everybody has a business and then they are Um, using social media or in person events to help market themselves, but it’s all organic marketing.

And I was thinking about, you know, the, the thought of social media breaks and the thought that came to me is, um, if you need a break from, from creating, you should probably also take a break from consuming because that, I feel like that’s where people dig themselves into a hole or it’s like, they’re not creating, but then they’re still consuming and consuming and consuming.

And, and then they just really get stuck. stuck. But like, if you need a break, break, give yourself the actual break. 

Jackie: I was so avoidant. I was every break. It was like a social media cleanse. I was so avoidant. It was almost like terrified to come back to click on the icon, the Instagram Tik TOK icon because I’m like, I’m not ready.

I’m not ready. And sometimes I go through those spaces to like, like creative blocks. And that lets me know that I need to come back to. Recharge, reground, regroup because there’s other lives that are happening. Social media is not my only thing happening. Like there’s still my practice that I need to make sure that my clients are doing okay.

And there’s projects and there’s so, there’s so many things happening all at once that it’s okay to sometimes take a step back and regroup and do whatever it is that you need to do. Thank you. And your creativeness will come back. Yeah. Those 

Erika: ideas will come to you and your people will still be there.

Right. Because look at your page and I just think it’s so beautiful that you were able to take your. Because there’s only a certain amount of people you can work with, right? But through content, you can, uh, you can impact so many lives. And I mean, there’s people that like Jackie, you’re never going to meet them and you’ve changed their lives.

And how beautiful is that? Right. And I’m sure you get these DMS. All the time from people. So tell us a little bit about like what has creating content and then also honoring those breaks. What has that done for you in your life and your business? And like, I mean, obviously I can see the value behind you.

I know that you’ve been invited to like amazing opportunities. So tell us like a few of the highlights because you felt the fear, but still showed up and created the content and then honored your breaks when you needed them. 

Jackie: Yes. I really want to highlight that. Before starting this journey, I was already a fan of social media, right?

So there is, there has to be some sort of liking of you wanting to be in the, in these spaces and also like show up and take up space and really value that your voice matters, right? And you have something to share. You, you are living your own life and you have a story to share that may impact other people and having that awareness of that.

But I mean, the most recent one has been Tom’s like Tom’s Has been the wear good campaign. Oh my gosh, like that was such an interesting opportunity that came to me And I will say, you know all of the opportunities that have been provided for me It’s been a ripple effect of all the abundance that i’ve been Creating in my life, like being able to share things, um, being able to be authentic, um, being able to fight, you know, the self doubt and the insecurity, right?

Like, because it’s, it shows still. Sometimes. So the most recent one has been Tom’s and that was such a beautiful campaign that I’m a part of and that I do. I mean, that was also very beautiful to share space with other creators and see how, like, this is such a diverse We’re space to be a part of like, not only do you have mental health, but you have fashion, you have food, you have lifestyle and all of these people, you know, like have something to share and build a community of.

And that’s beautiful. Like I will always root for social media. Like it opened so many opportunities for me. And even though sometimes I got to take some breaks, but that’s fine. Right? Like this is a resource you are providing also free. content, free resources, and you’ve been able to expand your community and be able to touch so many different lives.

That’s beautiful, right? Like, it’s just beautiful to be able to have this resource and, and be able to live this life, this type of, this type of life now. 

Erika: I couldn’t agree more. Yeah. It’s like, I don’t know who we would be or what we would be without social media, because it’s. Obviously it’s not everything, but it has completely changed my life as well.

Like I’ve met some of my best friends because of social media and it’s just created this beautiful connection. I mean, literally all of my clients have come from social media. Even like this podcast is considered a piece of content, right? Where like so many people listen to this podcast and something a guest of mine says or something I say can completely change their lives.

So yes, I agree. It’s. So, so beautiful. And now that you’ve created this amazing opportunity, amazing community, sorry, this amazing community of people, it also allowed you to work with them through in different ways, including your clothing line. So tell us like where the idea from the clothing line came about and, um, like if you faced any obstacles or struggles as it was coming out.

Jackie: You know what? Probably dropping merge has been such a gentle process for me. And this idea came about 2021, so fairly when I started medication, when I was in the depth of my healing. That’s when I was like, you know, we gotta embrace our healing journey, even if we feel like we’re going through the thick of it.

So I created a space, when I was suffering and the beauty that came about. I mean, now we are showing up as a collective, right? Like the merge is really to amplify your healing, to amplify your voice as a Hispanic Latina, because it’s really guided for our community. And it’s a piece of, you know, highlighting a token of your healing.

I’m wearing it right now. And they’re so comfy girl. Uh, the first, the first thought was I love being cozy. I love wearing oversized. When I go to my own therapy, I wear my sweaters oversized. I just want to feel cozy. I just want to feel hugged and that’s important for me. So every person that has.

supported the merge. I just want to say like, I am so grateful for all of you. And it’s just like beautiful to think that there is, there are pieces of clothing throughout the U. S. of people repping, healing, breaking cycles, like, and the message can be spread to so many people, right? So it’s like, how can we continue building awareness around mental health in a creative way, right?

That maybe When you go to the store, you don’t really see this pieces of clothing, but this is more like, let’s talk about it. Like let’s start a conversation around it. And this could be a conversation starter. 

Erika: I remember the video announcing your merchandise and I just got chills and I was like, this is such a genius idea.

And I love how you described the, like why you chose the pieces you did. Because when I think about Healing, and when I think about just going to therapy, I think about a safe space, and I think that’s literally what you’ve created physically, like you’ve been able to bring it to, um, the physical senses, where you get to, like, put that on, and it’s this reminder of, I, I’m healing, and I also love what you mentioned, you said, That this came about during a time of pain and there can be so much beauty and creativity that comes from struggle that comes from pain and I think all we try to do as humans is avoid it and push it away and My therapist I mentioned to you before we started recording that this year has been very difficult for me and I don’t I like haven’t really put a finger on it yet as I’m sure, you know, in six months, I’ll be able to look back and be like, Oh, you know, these are all the lessons I learned, but it’s really been like a roller coaster ride for me.

And I remember my therapist, I think a couple of months ago said, I just want to point out that. There’s a lot of pain here and your pain is beautiful. And when she said that, it just like a little light switch went up on my head and I was like, it like, like it turned on and I thought, yeah, it can be beautiful.

Like, why am I running from this so much? And it has allowed me to now be a little bit more open with like, I like last night I talked to my boyfriend and I was like, you know, I just, or not last night, two nights ago I was like, Hey, I just need you to know that I’m like really struggling this week and I might just need a little bit more like support or a little bit more, what did I say?

Um, validation. I might need a little bit more validation this week. And then, um, I slept like nine hours and then last night I slept eight hours and I was like, Hey, I’m good. I think I just literally needed sleep, but I think it was twofold. I think it was one, not running from it. And also expressing to the people around me, like, Hey, I’m going to need a little bit more help and then honoring my rest, which is also something that we were talking about before, before we started recording.

So I just want to thank you for highlighting that sometimes like there can be so much beauty that comes out of these dark moments and we want to run from them, but like that is where we grow. 

Jackie: Yeah. I love that you brought this up and I hope that the listeners feel seen and in a way kind of, we normalize.

having the ebbs and flows of life because it’s probably not going to stop, right? Like this is what we’re going through now, but we enter different stages in life, you know, like I’m in my thirties now and that’s been a whole like different eye opener and learning my body and learning what it needs during this moment that may look different next month and the next month next month, right?

So I love, I love that you are able to sit with vulnerability and also be able to tell your needs those to your loved ones because that’s important. I feel like now a practice that I’m very aware of is how to be honest, not only with myself, but with other people. So when people ask me, how are you?

I’m like, depending who is asking, I’m like, am I going to give you the, the filtered one or the unfiltered one? Right. That really matters. Like being able to have your support group. Yeah, that you’re able to be like raw, like, Hey, this is how I’m feeling and this is what I need. Thank you so much. I love you.

Talk to you tomorrow. 

Erika: Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Thank you for bringing that up. So as I know that before we started recording, I had asked if we could talk a little bit about just like relationships and I feel like this is a good segment into that. So I’m also in my thirties. A lot of my clients are also in their thirties and um, lately I’ve been coaching a lot more on this.

idea of what if I end up alone? 

 So a lot of my clients have been either doing their courage project on dating. So like maybe getting out to date, but then there’s also been this, you know, I don’t want to say scarcity mindset, but this mindset of like, yes, I’m a vital that in.

Right. So do you ever provide like therapy around these topics and like, what’s your take on this? Cause I feel like we are just in such a unique, not unique, but we’re the dating scene has changed and it’s like social media and the apps and there’s just so much that has changed for like what we need as humans.

So what, what would you say to somebody who’s listening to the podcast and is maybe feeling like, damn, I am. Struggling to find my partner or I’m struggling to like put myself out there like one or the other 

Jackie: That’s a really really good question. I just really want to validate that dating has truly changed Oh my gosh, the the fact that dating can be so accessible like you can be on an app today and have a date tonight That’s how fast it has changed, right?

I want to also highlight That relationships can mirror back to us, the beautiful parts and the not so beautiful parts of us. And I will, this is something that I tell my clients, go out and meet people, go out and make connections, go out and network, 

 get to know them like human beings. Ask the questions and like emerge in those spaces and ask away and yeah, like if anything for me personally, I’ve struggled a lot in relationships throughout my twenties. I kept attracting a very similar type of man and it wasn’t until I was ready to stop and reevaluate and really say like, why do I keep running in front of the same?

human being, type of human being. And it was me, like truly, it wasn’t them, it was me. I needed to change what I was attracted to and where those wounds were coming from. And it was coming from the father wound and the mother wound. And, um, but just give yourself so much grace during this time, you know, like, Yeah, we’re in our 30s, right?

Things are looking a little bit differently during this era and also just embracing life I mean, no matter what stage you’re in whether you are getting married, you’re a fiancé, you are dating, you are in a relationship, in a committed relationship, open relationship, whatever it is that you’re going through, this is all we have.

This is the moment that we have and that’s the power of like practicing being in the here and now to just really focus on this is what my life looks like today. And I’m going to lean into that. I’m going to lean into the pain. I’m going to lean into the beautifulness of what it comes with that. Right.

And just validate your own feelings that dating has changed. And for all the single people out there, you know, I will always say this, we cannot heal alone. We heal together. So whether we’d receive love from a romantic space or a platonic friendship space, Right. Like to be open to receive the love from others and to be able to receive that like with an open heart.

Erika: Beautifully said. And I think you’re right where it’s so easy to, well, not easy, right? But we can feel super confident when we’re on our own. And then the moment we get into a relationship, it’s like all of our shadows are just exposed. And I, I mean, I’m seeing this with myself. I’m, I typically am such a confident person and my, I’ve been very triggered lately and I’ve been trying to look at these triggers as an invitation to get to know myself better.

And like, I get to decide how I respond to these triggers. Do I like, believe them? Do I keep spiraling? Or do I want to get curious about them? And I’ve been just trying to lead with curiosity. But yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s I mean, sometimes we just want to run from the triggers again, which is like what we were just talking about earlier, but beautiful things come from being able to work through the triggers and the shadows.

Jackie: Relationships are, relationships are interesting, truly. Like having a relationship with anyone is really interesting. And one of the things that I like to share when we’re struggling, when other people are like going through struggles, right, is To not only give yourself grace, but in a way where like you remind yourself you’re living life for the first time Your mom is living life for the first time.

Your dad is living life for the first time, right? And so we’re all trying to figure life out We’re different eras different stages. We’re all doing our best Even though our best may look differently and I remind myself when I You When I struggle in relationships, like, okay, this person is living life for the first time and I am too and that emotions are like waves, right?

Like we can feel very strongly in that moment and we feel anger, but we also see how we peak and then they pass. 

Erika: Yeah, 

Jackie: they really pass. You’re like laughing an hour later and dancing an hour later and you’re like, I can’t over it. Oh, 

Erika: I love it. This has been such a good conversation. I mean, we’ve talked about like your journey to becoming a therapist.

We talked about border towns. We talked about cycle breakers, uh, relationships, content running. Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you would like to share with the audience? I feel like we have such, Similar communities, right? Like I bet you most people follow both of us, but is there, so knowing that that’s kind of the demographic, is there anything else that you’d like to share with us?

Jackie: Don’t suffer in silence. Like that is the best. I want to like, just drop that, like don’t suffer in silence is a big one. For example, like you shared earlier, Erica, how you, you were going through it this week and we still showed up, right? Like we were still here sharing this beautiful space. We’re giving back to the community, we’re showing up and taking up space, right?

And so suffering is part of life and getting comfortable with the fact that like life doesn’t go always our way, but in community, you know, there’s something about just being able to share space with other people that give a sense of like, Oh, like I’m a human, like, Oh, this is normal. Oh, like I’m not crazy.

You know? So don’t suffer in silence, reach out to your loved ones. Share space with people, show up, take up space. Like, I feel like that’s the, that’s what I would love to share. 

Erika: I couldn’t agree more with that. I have a few group chats with friends who are also in this, in a similar space, who also create content, who are also entrepreneurs.

And sometimes, It’s like, I know what to go to my mom for, and I know what to go to my friends for. So, I agree with you so much. Don’t suffer in silence. And just like, it’s okay to have different groups of people that you can, that you can go to, right? including your therapist, including friends, including family members, all of that.

So where can people, um, buy your merch? 

Jackie: They can head over to my Instagram page at Therapy Lux and link in my bio. And you will have all the resources there where you can go to my website, go to my merch and other things that I’ve shared, like blogs and things like that, that I, um, or even partnerships with people.

I feel like. That’s the best way to find me, at Therapy Luxe, across the country. social platforms. Thank you for having me, Erika. This was so beautiful. I just really want to highlight. This was a great conversation. Yeah. So fluffy. Like we didn’t even have like a plan. It was like, let’s just show up. I mean, I’m pretty sure you had a plan, but.

Erika: You know, I throw people off for a loop with this podcast because they’re like, are you going to send me questions? And I’m like, I can send you questions, but I might not ask them. Cause I just find that. This is why I don’t accept pitches for the podcast because I have to, I’m so, I try to make it a conversation and based on what you’ve responded, I mean, like for example, the border town question, I didn’t think I was going to ask that or, um, running.

I knew I was going to ask about that because I’ve been watching your journey, but it’s important for me to interview people who I’ve been admiring because the questions really do come from my curiosity, not from like, Somebody else doing the research and giving me questions and I like it to flow and I like it to be a real conversation with a real human, which is why they’re not the most perfect podcast, which is why sometimes I’m like stuttering and trying to figure out, formulate a question as I’m speaking, but I feel like that’s what people appreciate.

So I just appreciate you for being down for just like, all right, we’re just going to go into it. I was just like, we’re going to talk about mental health and content. And that’s all I gave you. So thank you for being willing to like come on this journey and trusting me. 

Jackie: My brain works really well with structure, but there’s also a very unique way where you just allow your humanness to show and be you, right?

Like just show up, be you. And that’s the beauty that everyone can share. Everyone has a unique spark to them and a unique, Uh, magic to them that they can share to the world. And I just really want to say that too. Yes. 

Erika: Gracias a ti. I appreciate you so much. If you are not following Jackie, make sure that you follow her.

We will put all of the links down below. Jackie, it has been an honor. Thank you so, so much. And I hope I get to give you un abrazo in person soon, because I feel like I know you, but we’ve never actually met in real life. 

Jackie: Yes. Come, you know, if you sign up for any half marathons. I’ll meet you there. 

Erika: You know what?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I want to start looking at all the ones in Southern California because I’m sure my brother is going to be writing them already. And yes, I would love that. And then we can hold each other accountable for our training and then we can run it together. 

Jackie: You will do great and you will have so much to share about your experiences because it truly changed my life and I’m here for it.

Like I’m still going to continue running. It’s just part of me, part of my life now. It is what it is. 

Erika: I 

Jackie: love it. 

Erika: I love 

Jackie: it. 

Erika: Amazing, Jackie. Have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you on social media. 

Jackie: Yes. Muchas gracias, Erica. Cuídate mucho. Un fuerte abrazo. Take care. Bye. Ciao. Bye.