The journey of healing can look different for everyone but one thing is certain, it’s not linear. It takes a lot of work and self-awareness to go through it, which Christine Gutierrez knows all too well.

Gutierrez is a licensed psychotherapist, life coach, and author of the book I Am Diosa, in which she invites women to join her in healing wounds from past trauma and reconnecting with themselves. Through her personal experience and healing journey, she has been able to empower other women to become the best (or goddess, as Gutierrez says) version of themselves.

Here’s how you can learn her goddess method and live your life to the fullest.

How did you start your journey with personal growth and healing?
Christine Gutierrez: I think we all started our journey the moment we were born, learning to be human is a spiritual experience. We’ve all faced obstacles and those are the moments where we grow and upgrade. I think my biggest one was in college, at least the first where I was conscious of it. Having a bad relationship and getting to go to therapy really helped to undo some patterns that have been going on since my childhood and replicating them in that relationship. I needed to love myself, and it was and still is a life-long journey to love myself.

What inspired you to start helping other women on their acceptance and healing journey?
From the earliest days that I can remember, I was a sensitive child and wanted to help people. I saw homeless people and I wanted to talk to them and help them. I was kind of like a baby therapist and my heart always bled for those who were marginalized and suffering, so it was always in me to be a helper, to be someone to care about what’s going on in people’s hearts. I started studying therapy and doing women’s circles knowing there’s a need in the Latino market. I became what I needed. That’s how I started this Diosa community, really geared towards the Latinx/POC community and women who resonate with this spiritual work and community.

For you, what does it mean to be a “Diosa” and how do you apply it to yourself every day?
To me, Diosa is the embodiment of the feminine and it just means to allow ourselves to be with all that is feminine, the ups and downs, the rises and falls. There are no good or bad emotions, there’s no perfect, there’s rawness, there’s realness, there’s the full range of emotions as a woman, and the Diosa is the embodiment of all that. We’re like the moon in all her phases — it means embracing that fullness or lack thereof, the spectrum. I apply that concept every day by giving myself permission to be fully human.

What are some of the most common obstacles women face when it comes to becoming the best version of themselves? What can they do to overcome those challenges?
I think some of the blocks are just lifestyle. As women, we go through so many things, so much pressure from what we should be or shouldn’t be because of patriarchy. Also, the pressure we have in our society to not rest and not allow ourselves to have moments is challenging. Previous generations didn’t really have conscious parenting, and that’s where it starts, with our family and undoing those patterns. Those voices that we learn in our childhood and in our lives tell us that we’re not good enough.

What advice would you give to anyone that is trying to heal their inner child? Do you think healing the inner child changes the relationships you have in your adult life?
I like to tell people that I really believe in finding a therapist that is rooted in your spiritual practices and is culturally sensitive. It’s important to find what works best for yourself to start the process of untangling your wounds and looking at your inner child. Looking at the places where we’re still hurt today and working on that is the first step. When it comes to healing the inner child and the impact that has on future relationships, absolutely! The more we heal the inner child, the more we become the safe space for our inner child and reparent and nurture ourselves, and the better our lives become. We feel we can be our healthy selves instead of being wounded inner children, so it definitely impacts us for the better.

What does a day in your life look like?
A day in a life, now, is a full-time mom. We wake up, we give kisses and love to the babies, we say we’re going to have a beautiful day, we change diapers, we hug, we say affirmations in the mirror, and then we go and play. We make some breakfast, I have coffee or tea, usually some with some organic, yummy, non-dairy creamer, then most days we have help, so I answer e-mails, post on Instagram, check our programs, respond to some work stuff, Then we have naptime and I breastfeed, we go to play to the backyard, come back and eat again, more play with the baby. I’ll take a shower and I do a ceremony by myself followed by my night-time routine. It’s very family-based and I lead work in that way, family first.

Images by Fernando Samalot