Healing the Inner Girl, Inner Woman, Inner Latina

Breaking Generational Cycles & Choosing Emotional Freedom

Podcast: La Jefa Unfiltered

Hola hola mi jefas, hello my boss ladies.

Welcome back to La Jefa Unfiltered — a space where we speak our truth, heal out loud, and reclaim our power.

Today’s episode is deeply personal. It’s one many of us didn’t grow up having language for.

Today we’re talking about healing the inner girl, the inner woman, and the inner Latina — and what it truly means to break generational cycles.

This episode is for the woman who’s tired of being “strong all the time.”

For the woman who learned survival before softness.

For the woman who was taught to keep going, keep quiet, keep sacrificing — even when it hurt.

If that’s you, this conversation is for you. Take a deep breath. You are safe here.

Let’s start with the inner girl.

The inner girl is the version of you that learned the world through observation.

She learned how love worked by watching.

She learned her role by listening to what was said — and what was never said.

For many of us as Latinas, our inner girl learned things like: Be quiet. Be respectful. Don’t talk back. Don’t cry too much. Be grateful, no matter what. She learned that love sometimes came with conditions.

That emotions were inconvenient.

That strength meant enduring.

And maybe she grew up too fast.

Maybe she became a caretaker, a translator, a protector, an emotional support system — before she even knew who she was.

Healing the inner girl means acknowledging what she didn’t receive.

Not to blame — but to understand.

She didn’t imagine the pain.

She adapted.

And survival is not a flaw — it was a strategy.

But here’s the truth:

What helped you survive back then may be limiting you now.

Let’s talk about generational trauma.

Generational trauma isn’t just about big dramatic events.

It’s passed down in behaviors, beliefs, silence, and expectations.

It shows up as: “That’s just how it is.”, “We don’t talk about that.”, “Family comes first — even if it costs you. “You have to be strong.”

Many of our mothers and grandmothers lived in survival mode.

They did the best they could with what they had — often with no emotional safety, no support, no choice.

But survival mode gets inherited.

It teaches us to:

• Overwork

• Overgive

• Stay hyper-vigilant

• Ignore our needs

• Normalize exhaustion and emotional neglect

Breaking generational cycles doesn’t mean rejecting our culture.

It means evolving it.

It means saying:

“I honor what you endured — and I choose something different.”

That choice is powerful.

And it takes courage.

Now let’s talk about the inner woman.

The inner woman is who you became while surviving.

She’s capable, reliable, strong — and often exhausted.

She learned to keep it together.

She learned to push through.

She learned that rest had to be earned.

She learned that asking for help felt like weakness.

But survival mode isn’t living.

It’s reacting.

It’s bracing for impact.

It’s staying on edge even when nothing is wrong.

Unlearning survival mode looks like:

Reclaiming Your Power: Letting Go of the “Good Girl Conditioning”

Hola, hola mi jefas, hello my lady bosses.

Welcome back to La Jefa Unfiltered.

This is your space for real conversations, real growth, and real empowerment.
Today’s episode is titled “Reclaiming Your Power: Letting Go of the ”Good Girl Conditioning.”

And if that phrase already made you uncomfortable… good. That’s where the work begins.

So many of us—especially women, and especially Latina women—were raised to be: Polite; Quiet; Humble; Grateful; Selfless; Easy to manage. We were praised for being the “good girl.” The one who doesn’t speak up. The one who doesn’t rock the boat. The one who puts everyone else first.
But no one ever warned us that being the “good girl” would cost us our voice, our boundaries, our needs, and sometimes… ourselves.

Today, we’re going to talk about unlearning that conditioning and reclaiming your power—without guilt, without apology, and without shrinking.

Hola, Hola mis1 Jefas… Hello my Boss Ladies

Welcome to the 1st episode of La Jefa Unfiltered, the space where we speak truth, heal out loud, and remind ourselves of who we are—powerful, worthy, and deserving.

Today’s episode is called “The Permission to Put Yourself First.” And before we go any further, I want to say this clearly, slowly, and with intention:

You do not need permission from anyone—but if you’ve been waiting for it, this is it.

Because somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that putting ourselves first makes us selfish… dramatic… difficult… or ungrateful.

Especially as women.

Especially as Latinas.

And today, we’re breaking that belief.

Let’s talk about where this guilt even comes from.

Many of us were raised to believe:

• Family comes first—always
• A good woman sacrifices
• A good mother puts herself last
• A good partner pours endlessly
• A strong woman doesn’t complain

We were praised for being:

• The dependable one
• The fixer
• The caretaker
• The one who never says no

But no one taught us how to rest.

No one taught us how to ask for help.

No one taught us that we matter too.

Instead, we learned to feel guilty for:

• Taking a break
• Saying no
• Choosing ourselves
• Resting without earning it

And over time, that guilt becomes a prison.

Let me say this louder for the people in the back:

✨ Self-care is not selfish—it is necessary. ✨

You cannot pour from an empty cup.

You cannot give your best while running on exhaustion, resentment, and burnout.

Self-care is:

• Protecting your mental health
• Listening to your body
• Setting boundaries
• Saying no without explaining
• Choosing rest without guilt

And self-care isn’t always bubble baths and spa days.

Sometimes self-care is:

• Walking away
• Ending a relationship
• Going to therapy
• Turning your phone off
• Choosing peace over being right

Taking care of yourself does not take away from others—it allows you to show up healthier, calmer, and more present.

As Latinas, we carry generations of expectations.

We are taught to be:

• Selfless
• Loyal to a fault
• Available at all times
• The emotional glue of the family

And while those values come from love, they can also come at a cost.

Because culture should be something that supports us—not something that suffocates us.

Breaking the cycle looks like:

• Choosing yourself even when others don’t understand
• Setting boundaries with family
• Redefining what being a “good woman” means
• Understanding that honoring yourself honors future generations

You are not abandoning your culture—you are evolving it.

Here’s the truth:

Guilt is a learned response—not a life sentence.

When you start prioritizing yourself, guilt will show up.

That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

It means you’re doing something new.

Try this:

• Replace guilt with curiosity
• Ask yourself: Why does choosing myself feel wrong?
• Remind yourself: My needs are valid.

Start small:

• Schedule time for yourself and treat it as non-negotiable
• Say no once this week without over-explaining
• Rest before you’re exhausted

The more you choose yourself, the quieter the guilt becomes.

You are allowed to:

• Change your mind
• Outgrow people
• Choose peace
• Protect your energy
• Put yourself first

You don’t need to be on the verge of burnout to deserve rest.

You don’t need permission to take care of yourself.

You don’t need to explain your boundaries.