My Love Letter to HER — and to YOU: A Mind-Body-Spirit Awakening
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." — Oscar Wilde
Our Shared Story: Why Women Lose Themselves in These Life Seasons
Everyone is trying to figure out this thing called LIFE, hoping for happiness and success.
But the women in their early to middle adult years — women like you and me — are often the ones who need the most TLC. These are the most eventful, transitional years of our lives, and the ones when we neglect ourselves the most… when we are simultaneously juggling everything, coming to us from every direction: our home, motherhood, aging parents, career, relationships, and the last shred of a social life.
Every day, I see and feel the stress women carry — how expectations, mounting responsibilities, and daily pressures weigh on us inside and out, often at the expense of our own health and happiness.
As a Latina and nurse for almost two decades, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply women sacrifice themselves, not just physically through disease and burnout, but also mentally, emotionally, spiritually, transcending into all areas of our lives — affecting finances and work, home and family life, relationships, and overall fulfillment.
They say we create what we once needed. So this is dedicated to every woman yearning for a way back to herself — the one who feels overwhelmed, exhausted, stuck in the noise and multitude of everyday duties, and even confused, unsure of what’s missing. I’ve been that woman…
Wait, who am I kidding?! I still have moments where I have to remind myself of where I came from and what I’m about!
Trust me when I say I know how hard it is to hear yourself beneath the noise… how impossible it can feel to rise into your highest self when it seems like everything around you is unraveling or falling apart.
Yet here I am — a recovering perfectionist and people-pleaser — choosing to press play on my dreams anyway, despite the fears, doubts, and self-criticism that still try to creep in. And I’m doing it with the hope that it gives you permission to press your own button too… to awaken that light inside you that’s been waiting to shine.
Women are nurturing by nature — full of love, compassion, beauty, strength, power, talents, and a quiet perseverance we rarely give ourselves credit for. We pour and pour, caring for everyone around us without hesitation.
We wear a million hats — caretaker, mother, daughter, wife, housekeeper, planner, organizer, manager, executor… Need I say more? The list is endless! And somehow, we do it all without asking for help or expecting anything in return.
And in all that giving, we rarely think of ourselves. When we finally get a moment, we spend it worrying about what still needs to be done or judging ourselves for not doing enough, not being enough.
This is the invisible labor — the precious time, energy, and attention we spend not just doing but thinking about what we need to do — the mental load no one sees, acknowledges, or values enough.
Despite progress, we still live in a patriarchal society. We’re out here trying to build wealth and careers while still having lower earnings overall and being the default homemaker. This isn’t about diminishing the good men who contribute and try to put in their equal share — it’s about naming the reality — women still carry the greater load.
I’m not saying this to bring you down — you’ll soon learn I’m one of the most optimistic women you’ll come to know. But to rise, we have to acknowledge what’s weighing on us. That’s exactly why I feel called to be here: to offer you the hope, guidance, and tools that help you overcome and shine.
We are shaped by cultural traditions, unwritten expectations, unsolicited advice, and the constant stream of media messages dictating how we should look, behave, parent, live, and even love. Add comparison, competition, notifications, aesthetics, filters, and highlight reels — and you get the perfect recipe for burnout that women today are drowning in — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
My Story: How My Own Wellness Awakening Began
In my mid-20s, I felt the full weight of those pressures. I was emotionally drained, quietly unhappy, and dealing with gut issues and anxiety. On paper, I looked perfect — multiple degrees, advanced job titles, top pay, investment properties, luxury cars, a close-knit family.
But inside, I was numb. Years later, I realized I hadn’t fully processed any of it. I hadn’t allowed myself to feel, or even grieve, the life I was living — I hadn’t so much as shed a tear. I had followed a script that wasn’t mine.
Somewhere between the résumé achievements and everyone’s expectations, I slowly lost myself.
I was on autopilot — hustling, grinding, collecting accolades, staying “busy,” all while feeling guilty for not doing more and still feeling wholly unsatisfied. I was wrapped up in the rat race, following all the “shoulds,” the “American Dream,” the “10 steps of life” — the checklist we’re taught leads to happiness and success.
And somewhere along the way, I lost my sense of direction. I didn’t know who I was or what I truly wanted — and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I ever really had. I forgot what made me feel alive. I questioned if I ever had known that at all… what brought me true joy, excitement, energy.
Sound familiar?
My turning point came unexpectedly during the last semester of my Master’s degree — the moment my mind-body-spirit breakdown slowly turned into my breakthrough. I had been juggling two to three nursing jobs at any given time, major renovations in the multifamily home I had purchased, a toxic relationship I felt trapped in, and serving as the primary caretaker for my mother, who was struggling with mental illness.
Up until then, I had been working out since my teens out of boredom and curiosity, but never with intention or consistency — just a few random visits a week to get out of the house, distract myself, and enjoy a little eye candy.
One day, in the middle of that chaos, I decided to give myself a one-hour break at the gym every single day — a breather, a boundary, a small act of rebellion against the stress swallowing me whole.
Working out became the one thing I did purely for me — something no one could take away. It was the hour I could step out of the madness, put on my headphones, and quiet the noise, both literally and figuratively. During that season of life, intentionally moving my body lit something inside me I hadn’t felt in years.
That single decision grew into the holistic wellness lifestyle I still hold today — one rooted in freedom, self-care, confidence, alignment, adventure, and healing.
Exercise became my saving grace — my sanctuary, my structure, my anchor. It carried me through some of the hardest chapters of my past and present. Focusing on my body, health, and fitness gave me a sense of balance I didn’t realize my spirit was starving for. It helped me reconnect with myself and heal the parts of me I had neglected for years. It gave me something steady to hold on to, a natural uplift, a sense of control, and the courage to reclaim my power and put my needs first. It made me feel wholeheartedly badass — inside and out.
My unleashing, this fitness habit, was born out of desperation and dissatisfaction, a refusal to keep living the way I was. Your path into health and wellness may look completely different, and that is more than okay, it’s even expected.
This isn’t a quick-fix promise or a “do what I do and life magically changes” scheme. Wellness is not one-size-fits-all. It shifts with your life season, your desires, your needs, your capacity, and your readiness. What works for one woman won’t work for another — there is no single “right” answer.
And I’m still on this journey with you, because Soul Care isn’t a destination — it’s a lifelong practice. The work we do on ourselves never really ends, it can’t.
Our wellness journey is forever — we grow, we expand, we learn… together.
Why We Are HERe: Your Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness Path Back to Yourself
Taking time for yourself may feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or even triggering — and that’s exactly why I’m here: to guide you back to yourself through a journey of Soul Care, one I had to take myself.
There is so much in life we can’t control, but you can choose to care for yourself — intentionally, consistently, lovingly. The time and energy you pour into your own wellbeing will never go to waste. Your future self will thank you. Your loved ones will feel the difference. And your inner child — the one you abandoned for survival — will finally feel seen.
Because the truth is: we cannot pour endlessly into others without pouring into ourselves first. That’s not love — that’s self-destruction.
And this mind-body-spirit wellness journey? It isn’t about adding another task to your already crowded To-Do List. Caring for yourself shouldn’t feel heavy or grueling, despite all the mixed messages we receive. It’s not about “hustle,” “grind,” or “no pain, no gain.” It’s about redefining wellness entirely — as something you get to do, something that feels nourishing, joyful, freeing, uplifting.
Your path to holistic wellness begins by honoring your body as it is today, while nurturing the woman you’re becoming. It starts with noticing your needs, exploring new habits and ideas, taking small risks, and offering your spirit grace. And with time, that inner critic we all carry in our mind will soften as you peel back the layers you’ve been holding onto.
This journey you embark on is a choice — choosing to mindfully, intentionally, consistently show up for what calls to you. To tune into what feels true at your core. To honor what your body, mind, and spirit are asking for.
As you move through this process, you’ll lighten your load and expand your joy. You’ll feel supported through knowledge and community care, so you can use your time and energy on what truly matters to you. Whatever you choose for yourself, my deepest hope is that you feed inward and pour into your own cup — moving closer to what feels aligned, and releasing everything that no longer serves you.
You will surprise yourself.
You will meet parts of you you didn’t know existed.
You will feel alive again — in your body, in your mind, and in your spirit.
Because life is so darn hard already — but staying the same is even harder. Staying the same is the greatest risk of all!
So when you’re in your 80s or 90s, when you’re looking back on your life, will you feel joy and gratitude… or full of regret and the “shoulda, woulda, couldas?”
Will you be proud of who you became?
That choice and your real quality of life begins today.
A Reminder to Self — And to the Inner Child Within You
Despite everything you’ve carried, survived, and silently pushed through, the fact that you are still standing is proof of your resilience, your strength, your power, your worth — what you rarely give yourself credit for. It shows in the way you love, the way you give, the way you show up for everyone else even when you’re running on empty.
So pause for a moment and honor your inner child, the little girl you once were — the one who was full of hope, dreams, laughter, curiosity, and simplicity before life blindsided her with expectations, pressure, guilt, and noise. The one who learned to shrink, to over-function, to internalize messages that were never hers to carry.
She’s still there.
She’s still waiting to be heard, held, and believed.
Do it for HER.
Believe in HER.
Believe that YOU are worthy, deserving, capable, and safe to trust yourself again.
Speak to yourself with the same love you speak to your children, to your loved ones, to anyone you fiercely protect, encourage, and support.
Because that hopeful, naive, beautifully human girl inside you never disappeared — she’s been longing for you to come home to her.
Community Care at Fit-Her YOU: Rising Together Through Women’s Soul Care
Women are truly unstoppable when we rise together.
There is so much strength in numbers, and when women rally to show up for themselves bravely — and support one another without judgment — we become an unshakeable force.
Community care is self-care. Self-love. Collective healing.
Building meaningful connections and leaning on each other in unity and solidarity is one of the greatest ways we nourish ourselves. You are not alone in the struggles we all face, and you were never meant to carry them by yourself.
When we choose to reach deeper into ourselves and rise together, we break generational patterns.
We move mountains.
We lift entire lineages.
What we do — and who we become — creates a ripple effect on our children, our families, and the generations that follow.
It all begins with you.
Every small act of tending to yourself — every cup filled, every boundary honored, every moment reclaimed — builds momentum that transforms a lifetime.
It’s time to reclaim your joy.
To live, love, laugh, learn, dream, and move BIG.
To put yourself first without guilt.
To live boldly, authentically, joyfully, wholeheartedly.
To embody the multifaceted, breathtaking woman you already are.
It’s time to bring more fun into your days without taking life so seriously.
To choose yourself, finally.
To be the woman you were put on this wild Earth to be — layered, powerful, complex, vibrant — both individually and collectively.
You owe it to the little girl inside you who has been begging for love, attention, and care from the one person who can give her the most: YOU.
You owe it to her — your inner child — to come home to yourself.
You are loved.
You are worthy.
You are precious.
You are one of a kind.
Thank you for being here, for choosing yourself, for choosing this space.
My hope is that what you find here helps you rise, heal, grow, and shine. That your time with me brings you freedom — freedom to reach your fullest potential, to make life work for you, to live as the truest version of yourself.
May you grab life by the horns and shed the identities that no longer serve you.
May you conquer your fears with courage.
May you step into your power and shine brighter than ever.
Let’s be relentless in our pursuit of SOUL CARE — honoring what calls to you in mind, body, and spirit.
Fitting in what nourishes you holistically — in health, happiness, success, and true life fulfillment.
Together, we will nurture the FITTER HER rising from deep within you — the woman you’ve always been, the woman you’re becoming, the woman you’re finally choosing to honor.
The woman who’s been waiting for you all along.
It’s time to be the HERo of your own story.
Signing off with so much Love + Care,
Barbi 🤍
P.S. If these words moved you, please share them with others you feel need to read and hear them. Your support keeps this community alive, empowered, and thriving.
P.P.S. And yes — this letter took me almost a year to write! Recovering perfectionist, reporting for duty.
