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

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