Three days before she died, my mother asked, "Is there forgiveness?" As if a lifetime of sacrifice and devotion still wasn't enough. That moment sparked something in me that led on a journey to create The Heroine Within.

​

My mother's name was Heroina - Heroine in Spanish. The eldest of 13 siblings, she never made it past third grade because she had to take on responsibilities way beyond her years. And yet, she was brave enough to elope with my father when her family rejected him for being dark-skinned and poor. She was the kind of woman who taught us that no matter how little we had, there was always enough to share with others in need.

​

Mother-daughter relationships are complex and ours was no different. We had difficult years - times when I was consumed with anger and pain. But her love never faltered. She couldn't offer much financially, so she showed up in other ways: cooking my favorite meals, walking in the cold to visit me at work, caring for my daughter whenever I had to work late. And then, three days before she passed, she asked if there was forgiveness - as if teaching me what unconditional love looked like, wasn't enough.

​

That was my heroine. The woman who taught me to believe in myself and what I could achieve. I created The Heroine Within in her honor, because I understand something she taught me, even though she was not taught to see it in herself: we are powerful, resourceful, and more than enough. Right now. Just as we are.

​

Through this experience, I hope you'll reconnect with The Heroine Within and experience this for yourself.

 

I'm so glad you're here.

Love & Light,
Vida