Manders Mindset
Are you feeling stuck or stagnant in your life? Do you envision yourself living differently but have no idea how to start? The answer might lie in a shift in your mindset.
Hosted by Amanda Russo, The Breathing Goddess, who is a Breathwork Detox Facilitator, Transformative Mindset Coach, and Divorce Paralegal.
Amanda's journey into mindset and empowerment began by working with children in group homes and daycares. She later transitioned to family law, helping people navigate the challenging emotions of divorce. During this time, Amanda also overcame her own weight and health challenges through strength training, meditation, yoga, reiki, and plant medicine.
Amanda interviews guests from diverse backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, and wellness experts, who share their incredible journeys of conquering fears and limiting beliefs to achieve remarkable success. Hear real people tell how shifting their mindsets—and often their words—has dramatically changed their lives.
Amanda also shares her personal journey, detailing how she transformed obstacles into opportunities by adopting a healthier, holistic lifestyle.
Discover practical strategies and inspiring stories that will empower you to break free from limitations and cultivate a mindset geared towards growth and positivity.
Tune in for a fun, friendly, and empowering experience that will help you become the best version of yourself.
Manders Mindset
From Fashion to Healing: Heceliza’s Journey to Building a Jungle Retreat | 140
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What if the key to alignment lies not in climbing the ladder, but in stepping off it completely?
In this heartfelt episode of Manders Mindset, host Amanda Russo sits down with Heceliza—a first-generation Filipino-American, energy healer, and co-creator of a Costa Rican retreat sanctuary, to explore what it really means to rewrite your story and live in alignment with your soul.
Heceliza shares her powerful evolution from a high-achieving corporate fashion career in New York to a life of purpose-driven entrepreneurship, spiritual practice, and community-based healing. Along the way, she opens up about what it means to break generational cycles, the journey of honoring ancestral roots while forging a new path, and the sacred experience of building a Temazcal with local elders on land charged with energetic power.
This episode is a nourishing listen for modern seekers, soul-led leaders, and anyone curious about what it means to truly follow their inner compass.
🎙️ In this episode, listeners will learn:
🌍 What it means to be a first-generation cycle breaker and why it matters
🏙️ Why Heceliza left her New York dream job to build something more meaningful
🧳 How travel and global immersion opened doors to entrepreneurship and healing
🔥 The spiritual callings that led to co-creating a sacred retreat space in Costa Rica
🌿 What it's like to build and participate in a traditional Temazcal ceremony
🌀 How the land they chose revealed itself as an energy vortex
💫 Why community, nature, and self-trust are essential ingredients in soul-aligned living
🕒 Timeline Summary:
[1:12] – Heceliza shares what lights her up at her core and the call to live life to the fullest
[5:30] – Growing up as a first-generation Filipino-American and being a cycle breaker
[10:48] – Navigating college life and building a lifelong community at UC Irvine
[18:22] – Moving to New York to chase a fashion career and what sparked her awakening
[25:16] – The Bali trip that revealed the digital nomad lifestyle and planted new dreams
[29:50] – Leaving corporate life and stepping into entrepreneurship with her partner's support
[37:05] – The unexpected magic of Costa Rica and the journey to building a retreat space
Listen to Heceliza's Guest Appearance on Breathwork Magic Podcast
To Connect with Amanda:
Schedule a 1:1 Virtual Breathwork Session HERE
📸 Instagram: @thebreathinggoddess
Follow & Support the Podcast:
📱 Instagram: @MandersMindset
👥 Join the Manders Mindset Facebook Community HERE
Welcome to the Manders Mindset Podcast. Here you'll find both monologue and interviews of entrepreneurs, coaches, healers and a variety of other people when your host, Amanda Russo, will discuss her own mindset and perspective and her guest's mindset and perspective on the world around us. Manders and her guests will help explain to you how shifting your mindset will shift your life will help explain to you how shifting your mindset will shift your life.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Amanda's Mindset, where we explore the power of shifting your mindset to shift your life. As always, I'm your host, amanda Russo, and I am so excited to be here with Halicia. Halicia joined me on Breathwork Magic and we delved down how she discovered Breathwork, her experience in Bali and all of that. So be sure to check out that episode, but today we are going to delve down her full journey and discover more about her. Thank you so much for joining me. Thanks for having me on. So who would you say? Halicia is at the core on.
Speaker 3:So who would you say, helicia or oh, at the core, I'm a person who thrives on experiencing life to the fullest, and whether that means seizing every day, you know, to traveling the world and experiencing other places through a different culture and other people's eyes, but it's just to dancing like things that just light me up and make you feel so alive inside.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful, have you always been?
Speaker 3:that way? I think so, and especially the whole like traveling and getting outside of my own bubble was like within me, since I was young and could finally just have the confidence or guts or whatever to do it on my own, you know.
Speaker 2:Can you tell us a little bit about your family childhood upbringing, however deep you want to take that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so and this is. It goes back to me always saying I'm a first-generation cycle breaker. So I am a first-generation born here to Filipino immigrant parents. So my parents are from the Philippines but they met in San Diego, california. That's where I was born and raised, stayed there up until high school, very strict Catholic family because Philippines has a strong Catholicism culture from the Spaniards. So they, you know, came here much like a lot of immigrants in the 70s, 80s for the American dream and to provide their future children like the best opportunities that they couldn't get back home, especially coming from a third world country like the Philippines. So hard work, you know, was enforced, so much of going to school, getting good grades, getting into good college, then getting a secure job that you know to have the opportunities that they didn't get to have growing up. So that was really, really instilled in me from a young age.
Speaker 2:Did you have any siblings?
Speaker 3:I did. So I'm the eldest, so there's a whole thing called the eldest daughter syndrome too. But especially in a Filipino household, if you're the first born female, it's held at a higher degree. I have two younger brothers and I always say that I think even where your ranking is in your siblings is kind of how you portray in your ranking amongst your friends and out there, because I have friends but I'm the young, technically the youngest, because I'm born in November. But even at a young age I made this observation that I'm like, how come I act like I'm the older one? It's because I'm used to having younger siblings, and then the ones, even if they're older than me, they're like, say, the baby of the family, so they're used to be taken care of and all that. So it just kind of like I see that in within people how we kind of portray who we were, you know, in our groups of groups and communities.
Speaker 2:That is an interesting observation. I see what you're saying. So now, how was schooling for you? Did you get the good grades?
Speaker 3:I did, I did. I tried really hard, elementary, high school, getting into a good college Not, you know, the top ranking college which I was like aiming for, but it was very much. I had to put school first to get into college. But once I got into college, I think personally what happens is because they were so strict on me growing up that I just went complete, not like saying go crazy in college, but I moved away from home and didn't necessarily need top grades, I just needed to, you know, experience the full thing of going to a university, dorming, having roommates and all the fun things we do before we really, you know, emerge and have to find jobs and have real responsibilities.
Speaker 2:So how was school for you? Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy college? I did.
Speaker 3:So I went to the University of California, irvine, which was definitely not my first, second or third choice, but I really believe, like anything in life, we end up where we need to be, and that it taught me. It wasn't even about the education, because I really believe it. You know, when you survive in, say, in the corporate environment, it's your experiences and attitude, not like the degree you got and what we're learning in college. I think school taught me how to even be more social and it provided me this huge network of friends, people I know that can reach out to like UCI just had such a community like that and it still exists today. This is 20 years ago. I graduated and you know I had destination wedding and we had a party in Palm Springs for just 200 friends Because we both went to the same university and like just show, like that, that community that we were able to foster. So I had a lot of fun. The amount of lifelong friends I got is priceless.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. So post-college, where would you go? What happened next?
Speaker 3:So I kind of stayed, really for college I wanted to go to NYU. New York was always my dream. Since I was younger I wanted to. I don't know. I felt more growing up in San Diego. It's very, it's a chill. You know we're still coastal city but really really chill. I love San Diego for that. But I think my type of energy wanted to be in a bustling city. But since I didn't go there for college, right after college I wanted to go move and do the whole sex in the city bit.
Speaker 3:But in my 20s I stayed back in California because I wanted to move with a friend, like I wanted to, you know, do a big city adventure with a friend. But at that point years and years would go by and I couldn't get any friends to come out there with me. So it got to the point where, you know, I was living and working in Orange County on my 20s and then into my late 20s, which, if any of your viewers know something about Saturn Return, that happens around our late 20s. I didn't realize it at that time. In my 30s I reflected back but I finally was like I'm so, I'm ready, I'm ready to. New York is still calling me, even if I don't know anybody living out there, even if I'm not moving with a friend, I'm just going to go and do it. So I was there. You know I had been there for two months the day I turned 30. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Good for you, good for you, and so you get it. You got a job, I'm assuming, in New York. I did.
Speaker 3:I was able to kind of get something through, still through contacts. It was at University Network, still, you know, getting contacts. I really wanted to move there to work in corporate fashion and I found myself in one of the luxury brands quickly in advertising and fashion. So really like living out my dreams of something I set out to do. This is what I wanted and planned and it was just kind of unfolding for me at that point.
Speaker 3:How long were you out there in New York? I thought I was going to be a lifer I had, you know, really let go of, was ready to leave California, move to New York, be there forever, find my love, the love for my life, have a family and all the things. But I was only there for five years actually. Wow, I was living my dream life, trying to climb the corporate ladder, and then, you know, it took me to get to New York to meet my partner, but he actually was from California. But it just, you know, just the magic of who I am at that time, where he was and New York still brought us together, even though it wasn't a New York boy. But it all worked out and over the five years, as we were talking about what the future would look. He's an entrepreneur. He's always been like that, so he could go. Let's go to Europe for X amount of you know, two weeks. Come down to. He was helping a company down in Miami. Come down to Miami for a week. And in the US we only have so many paid vacations, right.
Speaker 3:So with that, too, and just seeing having had traveled around the world, I mentioned Bali before in the other podcast, but we took a trip to Bali back in 2014 where I didn't realize, I thought Bali back then we didn't have. All you know, instagram wasn't big, youtube hyping it up, but I thought it was just for people that honeymooned. That's all I think anybody of the US knew about Bali back then, unless you were really in the know back in the 2010s, and that's the time when the term digital nomads was coming on strong and our friend who was living in Bali kind of showed us, yeah, there's a lot of people that aren't just in yoga surf but also working online. Yoga surf but also working online, starting their businesses, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, creatives out there, making euros, american dollars and living this dream in Bali, and all that was just kind of sinking in for a few years with me as I'm still loving my New York life.
Speaker 3:But I think it just one day I woke up, or I was walking, I was sitting in like a conference meeting for a new ad for this luxury brand I was working with. You know, it's like how many followers does this model have? And as I'm sitting there, I think it just dawned on me, or it was something within me saying I'm not helping the world. One fashion handbag at a time. I thought this was my dream. I thought this is, you know, to work in fashion and the brand and all that. And it wasn't anymore. It was kind of like okay, what am I really doing here in life, in the world? What is more meaningful to me? And it just kind of all hit me at once. I don't think I want to be doing this anymore. I think there's even so much more out there for me. So even in terms of where I could live, what I can do for work, or finding a purpose, if you would say, Wow, that's an interesting comment.
Speaker 2:You're not helping the world like one fashion bag at a time. So after this came crashing into, like your mind, then what Do you quit your?
Speaker 3:job. Do you keep going? Yeah, and I think it's. You know, I'm very fortunate that he was my boyfriend at the time, not my husband. My partner was very encouraging about it because he's if that means we can travel more. You know, and he was very supportive has been an entrepreneur, has started and stopped many businesses. He was very realistic about that. Like, your first go out of businesses might not be this. You, you're not going to hit the million dollars. You got to learn crash burn and learn from all of it.
Speaker 3:But I had his full support and so I started listening to just podcasts of ways people were making money online. And then I got into the Amazon space, at first On my own, like I would go to my full-time job during the day and then do research work on this small business. It's kind of they say you have your nine to five and then you come home and you have your five to nine, like what is that other side hustle? So I started doing these online side hustles to see what you know, was this sustainable? Can I, like, really make something out of it? Before I was ready to quit having a salary job, but that happened in a few months because I was ready to get out of there and start living somewhere else. So it happens pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:That's great that you had such a strong support system During times of transition. It's just difficult, even if you were so ready to leave there. Change is just hard, so it's good that you had that extra support. You stayed a couple months and then, after those couple months, what'd you do?
Speaker 3:when I was preparing myself to leave California to New York, it's like your whole mindset needs to shift of. I started getting rid of things I was already looking at, like where can we live? All right, yeah, and New York is not in the plans in the future. Let's be realistic about what countries we want to and what the visas look like, cause I think you just have to have like little plans and motions for everything to kind of get that momentum and so, within making a decision that happened in like less than I think, half a year from me quitting and then us moving. So this, now we're in year 2017. And all of that just happened in one time of you know me leaving my full-time job, walking away from fashion, which was my dream forever Leaving New York to go hop around from country to country. And that year we actually got married as well, so we had a destination wedding in Portugal. So a lot of stuff was happening in that year.
Speaker 2:And then you did this traveling. How long did you guys travel around for about?
Speaker 3:So we were actually, you know a lot but a lot most countries. You can't be there full time, especially if you're just coming on a tourist visa. So we were in and out all the way up until the pandemic basically. So it was Europe, southeast Asia, Mexico, and then even you know, we're doing that months and months at a time and then we come back to California kind of regroup, stay with my in-laws for a few months, because we were doing a lot of business. I had a business partner and he did too, and they were in California. So it's just to come back for a few months kind of realign our energies, staying in the same time zone as everybody, and then head back out again.
Speaker 2:Wow, okay, and you did that up until about the pandemic, and then and around that time, that's when you discovered breathwork, right, wow, so a lot happened for you in those three years a lot.
Speaker 3:I mean that same year also, that same year when I left new york quick corporate moved was the same year really, I think my spiritual like jump ascension, what you would call it, happened to. That got me more interested in learning other modalities because, if we want to get technical about it, so the planet Jupiter which is now entering I believe it's cancer now, but Jupiter circulates each astrological sign every 12 years and I'm a Scorpio, double Scorpio, sun and rising, so it was entering my sign that year and I had other friends being like, oh, it's coming to your sign, what are you going to do? So I wanted to learn any of the practices, modalities and tools that would help me technically, like manifest, because Jupiter is like the you know, expansion, luck, magnetism planet. So I was just traveling the world, especially when we were Bali, just wanting to learn tools and practices to help me really call in my most aligned life. And that's really when it started to that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Okay, so post all this. What's the pandemic look like for you?
Speaker 3:So we landed February 2020 thinking we were going to like drop off a few bags and souvenirs and then head back out in a month. That was really what happened, but we stayed. We actually did purchase a home to renovate and have as our foundation just kind of a base right in California, and it all worked out because we basically got renovated the entire home to be more sustainable, eco-friendly and, because of the pandemic, when you're here, it's feeling like you were at a retreat, like a very spiritually reliant retreat, in case we ever had to shelter in place again. Really, a lot of intention came into building this home. It worked out that we were here because we couldn't do that from abroad. There was just too many personal touches. But then we had thoughts of leaving and going to places that would take any Americans and instead we would just take longer trips in and out, so that one of the places was Costa Rica. So during the pandemic is when I felt called to go to Costa Rica, they were taking Americans. Everything was outdoors for restaurants.
Speaker 2:And is this the first time you ever went to Costa Rica? Sorry, I didn't interrupt, but is that the first time you went to Costa Rica? It was Go ahead.
Speaker 3:I just was curious yeah, and now I'm going into Costa Rica. But that was in the pandemic, because we were feeling so cabin fever, especially for people who always travel and get a leave. We're like stuck in one place. So while we were taking that time to explore ourselves like everybody else, right, buckle down my business. I really took it online, which is great too, because at that time I wasn't really practicing energy healing as a. It was just like a side thing that I was offering to friends. But then, when pandemic happened, more and more people were needing it. I was realizing how effective it was online and so really taking that into more of a part-time business practice, as you would say, during pandemic, while that's amazing.
Speaker 2:So who was it you went over to Costa Rica with. You said they were taking people from the US yes, so it was my husband and I.
Speaker 3:we were the reason. We actually, you know, we were looking at what places were safe to go. Where was it okay to be? This was still early 2020, mid 2021, where people were like, oh, you're traveling, kind of thing. But we were pretty, you know, responsible but also knowledgeable of places that felt we felt safe, and it was just us too. And then I was actually looking for a place that hosted private ceremonies for plant medicine. So that's also a reason we were looking in Costa Rica and even you know, when you like get things, you happen to open a certain email that you normally don't see, or on Instagram, it pulls things. I believe we get signs in that way too. So how I ended up finding the shaman that we found was, I think, all kismet of perfect place, perfect timing, where we needed to be, and so we went down there for actually a private ayahuasca ceremony.
Speaker 2:Wow, no private, just you and your husband. I bet that was so magical it was.
Speaker 3:It was and doing it. A lot of people say don't do it with your partner or your friends because it is really an introspective, it's like a personal solo journey. But it was nice because afterward he was like I now see the world through your eyes. He's, my other eye is open, the veil has been lifted. I get, I get now. Yeah, how you see the world.
Speaker 2:That can make a lot of sense. I think it makes sense how sometimes they're like oh be cautious because you could be worried with stuff when stuff starts to happen. You know what I mean while you're going through the process, depending on the person, they could over worry about whoever they're with. But I think it's dependent on the person. But it sounds like it brought you guys so much closer.
Speaker 3:It really did. It really kind of kicked our relationship up a level without us having to interact. You know it's the experience together without interacting together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I facilitated a breathwork session and I had a couple. It was a pretty big session, but I had a couple do it together and I talked about how not everybody's going to understand what you just went through, because I'm sure you get what I mean. If somebody's never done breathwork, you're not going to go home and tell your spouse who's never done breathwork, they're not going to get it. So I say something along the lines of that. But even this one guy was like I understand you more and he said it to his wife and I was like, oh my God, I like I got shows. I was like they are on a deeper level now. You know, like doing the process, like even though you're not like speaking during it, you both went through it.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, so beautiful.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's amazing, amazing. Now, how long were you guys in Costa Rica?
Speaker 3:we were only just there, I think a week, a week and a half, because the plant time running was just a portion of it, but then also just kind of getting to be there and get out of the states so you come back to the states after that.
Speaker 2:And that was 21 still.
Speaker 3:That was 2021. However, a little backtrack when I was there, we did meet up with a friend who was living there my really good friend and she also was leaving the US, kind of living there trying out places. She has her own online. She works for herself freelance, so she was able to just be mobile. We had always talked about building a retreat, whether it was in the US, in Joshua Tree or somewhere, and she planteda little seed. If you will, of hey, check out these places. Some places are really up and coming. It might be very affordable to consider purchasing land here sometime in the future. I don't know. That was kind of where we left it off as we were just driving around together, so I wanted to mention that before, and then we go back to the States, but that little seed has been planted.
Speaker 2:Now prior to Ho mentioning this, had you had interest in looking to do a retreat, had that been like a long time thing?
Speaker 3:I wanted to. So there's this silent retreat I love to go to in Bali. It's called Bali silent retreat. Shout out to them. But afterward I'm like I want to bring. I always, when I experience things, bali, I was telling you with breathwork, I wanted to bring it back to California. I want to bring it back where I like these experiences I have. I want the people living their modern lives go, go, go in the cities. I want to bring a piece of that and make it accessible to others. So I always had this thought of building a retreat in the desert, because I'm again based in Southern California, so I'm close to going out to Palm Springs, joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is such a special place and land for that, so that kind of was in my mind like looking for land then. That was before real estate was really going up.
Speaker 2:So she plants the seed, then you guys come back to the States. Now, were you thinking about this actively or this was just something she planted and then you came back to the States?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was just something she had said and I was like, oh okay, you know, people toss ideas out to you all the time and at this point I mean also, you know, my husband serial entrepreneurs and I'm always welcoming ideas and business opportunities. I love it. But also you're like okay, I went to Costa Rica once. I don't really have an attachment to it. You know, I've been going to Bali for years. I rather have bought land there.
Speaker 2:But so there wasn't a big pull for me to look into it further at that point.
Speaker 3:So then you come back to the States and what do you start doing when you're back here? We're just all we could do was work. I think that was. No one could go anywhere. It was still 2021, right, so we were just solo, kind of what.
Speaker 3:Anytime we're back in the States too, for us our mindset is just to maybe that is the American mentality of sit and grind, but for us it's kind of the work hard now so that when we can leave again, we're not working, you know, seven, eight, nine hours a day. It is very like work a little few hours and play harder in whatever country we're in. So we're just trying to, you know, continue on with our businesses and kind of create that foundation so that when we're, when we're able to leave again, our businesses are at a point where we can. What do you call it? It's not like that. It's on what is this word now? The spinning, that where we don't have to. You know it's coasting, not coasting, but kind of just at a good point where, even if we're working opposite time zones, it's still can't. It's a well-oiled machine, basically.
Speaker 2:You know it's interesting that you mentioned like the American mentality. Like I've only been to Bali once and I haven't done like a bunch of like international travel, but even that one time, those two weeks, like I noticed it so much easier even for myself, even day one, to slow much more down than I do in the United States. And that's even me, someone who hasn't done a bunch of, I'm not like a regular Bali traveler, you know what I mean, but I noticed it, like I noticed the effect on the mentality. I noticed like I'm an early morning type of person, even if I'm not like grinding, I just wake up early. People do not wake up early, though, and I'm hungry and I'm like can't get anything to eat till 9am and I'm like, okay, they have a very slow paced lifestyle, you know.
Speaker 3:It is, but they're like one of the happiest people.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, but it's interesting that you mentioned that. You know, I think it's all of the US. I don't think it's just you guys. You know what I mean, because that you are more hustling here. I think it's all of the US. I don't think it's just you guys. You know what I mean, because that you are more hustling here.
Speaker 3:I think it's like a product of the country. No, I now have, you know over the years, many international friends here. Let me give you an example. One time we were with a friend and I forget what he's like, eastern European, and one of the things we asked is what's one word people in your country would associate with Americans? I mean, this was like more than eight years ago and this is the word he gave us over time.
Speaker 2:So okay, you come back to the States around 2021. Now, when do you go back to Costa Rica?
Speaker 3:So 2022 rolls around and I think maybe that's then our friend, my friend again has been there for a year and then she's I really think there's something here. I'm like, okay, you know, I'm listening a little bit more. We got another friend involved who always talked about doing retreats as well. It became a little bit more serious and she had been, you know, my one friend that was living down there had been going to different beach towns around Costa Rica in a place that can be the next. You know, there are certain areas that are really popular now Santa Teresa, nosara and then she found a beach town that was like a third of the price I'm giving a ballpark.
Speaker 3:You know, these are not exact things and she's I really I see it, she's kind of sharing it, and we, I don't know, there's something within myself, when anybody tells me about a business idea, that I get very activated and lit up and I'm like, okay, I'm really really intrigued, especially now we were, you know, two years into the pandemic and I'm like more and more people are going to want to experience and have experiences. Once we get out of this. They're going to want to experience and have experiences. Once we get out of this. They're going to want to be outdoors. They're going to want to. When I'm talking about that is because when she was posing the whole property thing is because we always talked about, like I said before, building retreats, so that, keeping that as a business model in mind and there are more and more people wanting to lead retreats, more and more people wanting to go on retreats, there were more and more people wanting to lead retreats, more and more people wanting to go on retreats we had to come out in nature, where the jungle meets the ocean, and it was such a beautiful time there. I felt very safe as a traveler in Costa Rica too, so that was really important for me to acknowledge. So then we're like OK, if you really find something that's really worthwhile, let's start talking. So those were the starts. We started talking about it.
Speaker 3:So then, 2023, april, we fly down and we sign papers. So a year later, we found a plot of land, but everything, I think, once that seed was planted right and then, once your mind just and even me talking about New York and everything falling into place, I wasn't using the word manifestation, I wasn't in deep in, like the techniques of, you know, other people talking about manifestation work. This is just kind of it. The energy, and when you put your thoughts out, thoughts there, the energies start. Whether you put like that much of intention into it or not, energy starts circulating. And when it's aligned, when you are clear, when the universe wants it to happen whether it's God, creator, universe things will start naturally flowing into place and we could not deny the people the opportunities and everything that was just easily easily coming into place and unfolding before us to make all of that happen now what?
Speaker 2:this place that you ended up signing? Was it the same place she first initially mentioned?
Speaker 3:no, and so we talk about this all the time. So the current land. So I just got back from costa rica last night, so I'm back here in california. But when we say this all the time because you know this, this trip was especially special, we can get into that. But we say how the land we ended up with was calling us because there were other lands before that, we were too late in signing, somebody took right under us All these things, and even where we are now is one plot in a bigger plot, and we were supposed to have one on one side and something happened.
Speaker 3:It didn't work out and they're like well, you can have this one, and we were very hesitant because it cost more. You know, especially like you're buying something out of the country, this is all in in cash. You know, it's a big investment in cash and there's no credit line or anything. But it all worked out, because where we ended up and we only recently, so this was in 2023, now we're in 2025, we had somebody come and she, this abuela came and was doing her kind of using all her instruments to find energetic portals and we found out our land is on an energy vortex and there are ley lines running through. So you know kind of like how Sedona's on vortexes, bali's on vortexes, like shop Mount Shasta. So is our piece of land and it completely made sense to us and why all the other areas didn't work out Like we were pulled there.
Speaker 2:That is so fascinating. So now you've hosted the first retreat.
Speaker 3:So we are in phase one. The ideal is to have because, also doing this post-pandemic, we're like, okay, everybody needs to be in individual kibanyas instead of a lot of retreats are in one big house that has six bedrooms or whatnot. So the ideal is to have 10 individual kibanyas, a big yoga shala, maloka pool. We're in phase one right now. So we have two kibanyas built and a common rancho area where we were hosting weekly classes with facilitators and teachers from the area, which has been pretty special. So we can do curated retreats for, say, like you and three girlfriends want to come down, or two couples want to come down. We have highly curated, personalized retreats, so many connections to the community that lives there now and we're finding more and more we're like learning of people that are, you know, healers, facilitators, teachers in the area. We're close to a lot of even the plant medicine retreats. So a plate coming to a place to integrate.
Speaker 3:But the reason I was there this last trip is we built Temezcal. So I don't know if you're familiar. I've had done that maybe in a lot mexico. So it's a mesoamerican, like a mayan aztec traditional sweat lodge. So we were working with an abuela and her husband who's the king of the fire to build that. So we had multiple days of planting ceremonies in community, of planting the intentions in the ground. It was like beautiful ceremonies Opened up the first Temezgah. So it's a sweat lodge, but it's a medicine on its own, incorporating the elements, mother Earth. When you're inside, imagine a dome and you're sitting on the ground with people and we're using hot stones to create the steam and the heat. Inside Within it you're singing, chanting, you have the facilities guiding it to you. So that in itself is medicine as well. Sometimes you don't even need the plant medicine, you don't even need any of the other things. This is medicine in its own self.
Speaker 2:How long did it take you to build that?
Speaker 3:We did it over just two days. We had many helpers come and right now we did a temporary one just to kind of see and make sure that this is what the community is calling anybody traveling down there wanting in like tourist groups, wanting to experience these ceremonies, just to kind of see how it goes before we build a permanent structure. But it was two long days of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, like labor of love.
Speaker 2:But you guys must have had a lot of help.
Speaker 3:The community that is there to and for them. It's like it's a service. It is a service for them to do this and bring this medicine to other people. So they happily came. I mean, we had some strong, powerful men and women come in bringing their shovels or picks and everything.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. How long were you in Costa Rica this time?
Speaker 3:I was there for two weeks. Normally I'm there anywhere from two to four weeks at a time, usually twice a year.
Speaker 2:So how was that for you?
Speaker 3:This week has been. It was an incredible experience. So how was that for you and learning from her? One was magical. To just feel the sense of community with the friends that we have made there, those that came to help support in building, and just to be there with my other two partners, all of us there at the same time, feeling all that love and then us pouring in the intentions of what we wanted this medicine to provide for those that are going to come in the future. It was just so beautiful. And then, even for myself as an individual, the strength and power I found within myself, unintentionally, like not going in it, thinking I was going to upgrade in that way, but for my own spiritual alignment and soul to have just I feel like I did. I came out, I'm like sitting here in front of you, a different person than I was two weeks ago, a different person than I was on Monday. That is how powerful just this experience the land, the connection with the earth, our ancestors, nature, all of it it was just beautiful.
Speaker 3:And a story of how magical this was is the morning before we called the planting ceremony, before everything started, these neighborhood horses appeared at our gate. Appeared at our gate, just like the horses roam around the area but they belong to somebody, but they kind of just come and graze around the land. They were right at our gate and so we opened the gate and let them in and one of the horses came right to where the rocks are. These volcanic rocks we had gotten for that's the stones that will be heated up during the sweat lodge came straight to those rocks. That was day one of the planting.
Speaker 3:Then, when we closed planting day, the next day was the actual first mezcal ceremony and right when we had the closing circle that horse appeared down in the hill and we all saw it Like at the moment we closed the circle and it's just one horse. Horses are so special, their medicine and all of that. But just to have this I don't know whether it's a omen or just like a good omen or that the horse sensing it, but from the start, to be there at the start and then to be there right at the close, can't deny I'm not making this up but that that was the inner woe wings of the universe, mother earth, the animals, acknowledging the work we're doing.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. I'm like speechless at that. That is wow. So what would you say? You noticed like the biggest transformation in yourself from going there this time it really was my.
Speaker 3:I know my own ability to you know, as, as breathwork facilitators right are, we're not well from my, from my stance is I'm not there to be your healer, to move the energy. You are doing that. I am holding space for you, I am being that rock, that tree you needed and I think that was very without me, intentionally trying to do that during the actual sweat lodge ceremony. Later on I got the feedback from the Bullitt oh, you were such, you know, such a great support to everybody and that time around I wasn't trying to apply that myself.
Speaker 3:Usually I am, I'm always trying to be this for others, right, the caretaker and all of this, but it was just like who I am and that recognition of that is just my existence on this earth. But to even feel stronger in that way of how I'm going to show up as that support, as a rooted, grounded person for everyone Not my purpose, see, I don't want to intentionally put that purpose out, but just knowing that that's the effect I can have whether I'm around people that are that. Have you know a conscious mindset or not, that my energy can affect people from just passing them by to entering a room and that all the practices and tools in my lifestyle and living, you know breathing, walking, you know talking and talk, but I walk the walk, knowing that that just is my existence, I think, really reaffirmed in this last trip, of how I'm appearing to people and who I want to be for others.
Speaker 2:That's so beautiful. So do you see yourself transitioning or shifting, now that you're back from Costa Rica and had this experience?
Speaker 3:creative way because we are. When I say work, it's to consciously create. So I have some Reiki trainings coming up and I was just telling a friend I'm like these next batch of students are going to get like a such a powerful weekend of training Cause I have just so much more within me that that I acknowledge and to hold for others and so other ideas brewing to have types of breathwork groups I want to do for types of people. So a lot of ideas are just like brewing that I can't wait to birth into the world. And when I'm here in the States I'm like kind of putting my head down in creation, which is fun. I love it. More confidence in showing up in the world and being seen and taking up space that was one of my intentions I was pouring into when we were burying the intentions into the world was may everybody have that strength and courage to be seen for who their most aligned self, but also know that they can take up space and they deserve it. They deserve to.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love that. I'm telling myself. I think that's perfect. Everybody deserves to take up their space in the world, like with whatever, that is, whatever in whatever way, shape or form they see fit.
Speaker 3:I love that, and I mean, and I add in the when it is in their highest for the highest good and for those all around with them Taking up space with that action of love?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, definitely. But I think even some people have that intimidatedness of taking up the space. Are they worthy of it? You know like, but I love the way you said that.
Speaker 3:Like we deserve to. Yeah, and last month I just led a workshop with my partner from Costa, one of my partners from Costa Rica. We have another thing we're working on, but it is to help people really align with their energy and co create for themselves. But that theme of the workshop was you know how you're too much? Is someone's yes, please, because it's not even people who are timid, right? Other people are like, no, you're being too much, but too much for who. You take up your space and if you are too much from somebody else, you're just triggering them on why they can't take up their space. I would never ask somebody to dim their light.
Speaker 2:Preach. I got nothing else to say on that. Yep, 100% agree with that. I completely agree. Have you heard of a man named Jay Shetty? Yes, yes.
Speaker 3:I follow his. I love his wife.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I mean, I follow his. I love his wife Really. Okay, I'm a big fan of him. Big fan of him. In his podcast, on purpose, he ends it with two segments and I've stolen the two segments and I end my podcast with those two segments. You might know them if you know his podcast well, but first segment is the many sides to us. There's five questions and they need to be answered in one word each. Okay, what is one word someone who was meeting you for the first time would use to describe you as Grounded? What is one word that someone who knows you extremely well would choose to describe you as Funny? What is one word you'd use to describe yourself?
Speaker 3:Cool In service Cool.
Speaker 2:In service Strict Ease. Second segment is the final five, and these can be answered in up to a sentence. What?
Speaker 3:is the best advice you've heard or received. Oh, mel Robbins, let them. Why is that the best? Once I got wind of that and I was actually listening to her book on the plane, as somebody was like kept hitting my chair and I said I finally said something and I'm not one to, but we're just like very talkative, but once you can, just you know you're just anything, just let them. Once you can, you're like, let them just anything, just let them. Once you can, you're like, let them, let them be this, let them be that. You do you. You can only control how you are feeling. And once I like, even if I'm irritated at my husband or a friend, I'm like, no, just let them. There's so much liberation in that it's almost like a release. Once you have that in your mind.
Speaker 2:What is the worst advice you've heard or received?
Speaker 3:Oh, my mom, you have to eat meat.
Speaker 2:Why is that the worst advice?
Speaker 3:Because it will make you dumb. I mean, that was it making dying people eat meat? But this is like her. You know telling my younger self this did you ever watch my big fat greek wedding the movie? Oh, and it's. It's like all the greek people. And she marries, you know, an american guy and like what do you mean? You don't eat. It was like blasphemy to them. It's kind of like that. That's so funny.
Speaker 2:What is something that you used to value that you no longer value?
Speaker 3:You know, holding, holding my word to everything, and I say that in a. You know it used to be like if I said, yes, I'll come to the party, yes, I want to do this. I would even though sometimes you could say that and then a few days later really not feel it. But you make yourself, do, do things right. Right, because you, you want to hold your word. But there's some power in recognizing like, all right, I'm not feeling like meeting up with you today and I used to not say that and push myself through. But I think on the other side too, if they really value you, that they'll be understanding.
Speaker 2:If you could describe what you would want your legacy to be, as if someone was reading it, what would you want it to say?
Speaker 3:Hesaliza was somebody who helped to teach other people the unconditional love within themselves, other people the unconditional love within themselves, and by finding that we all, one person at time, we're helping to raise the frequency of the earth I love that.
Speaker 2:if you could create one law in the world that everyone had to follow, what would it be? And and I want to know why- oh, we're going to.
Speaker 3:All actions must come from love. I think that would solve everything.
Speaker 2:So why is that the law?
Speaker 3:Because that I mean, if you could, we could just make that law, which you know, that's a little bit harder, but if we could just make that law, that is what we're trying to achieve here on Earth. That is the great human experience. Can we get to that point? Because if all our actions came from love, there would be no hurt people hurting people, which goes down to the wars, the diseases, the earth burning, you know other things.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for speaking with me.
Speaker 3:I really appreciate it, my gosh. Thank you for having me on, Amanda Of course and where can listeners connect with you? They. You know, Instagram is the main social media platform. I'm on Hesaliza underscore energy healing, but I have my website. It's easy Hesalizacom and the retreat space where we're on Instagram.
Speaker 2:So it's on all of a sudden. This you can probably put in the show notes, but it's Sura S-U-R-A Playa Negra. I will link that in the show notes for them to click and connect with you, and I do just like to give it back to the guests. Do you have any final words of wisdom? You want to leave the listeners with loads of wisdom.
Speaker 3:You want to leave the listeners with yeah, if you have, whatever day, this is happening, you're listening to it, and you have that day or that weekend to go out into Mother Nature, even if you live in a city, if you can get to a park, put your bare feet on some grass, touch a tree, put the sun on your face. I think we just need to come back to if we can come back to connecting with Mother Earth and nature, even if it's step outside your door, sun on your face for a moment, reconnect, come back to that. That's kind of all we need. Not all we need, but it'll spark something within.
Speaker 2:It'll definitely change and shift the mindset. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you, and thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Mando's Mindset. In case no one told you today, I'm proud of you, I'm rooting for you and you got this, as always. If you enjoyed the show, I would really appreciate it if you would leave me a five star rating, leave a review and share it with anyone you think would benefit from this. And don't forget you are only one mindset. Shift away from shifting your life. Thanks guys, Until next time.
