Healing Is a Rebellion: A Conversation with a Latina Therapist

“Healing is a rebellion when you were raised to survive and stay quiet.” But before we even got there, Zarina said something that stayed with me from the very beginning:

“The more we talk about it, the more we’re empowered to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health. And that includes motherhood, too. Motherhood is really hard, and it can be rewarding at the same time, but people do not talk about how hard it is.”

When she said that, I felt it in my chest. Because motherhood is beautiful… and heavy. Rewarding and exhausting at the same time. And a lot of us were raised in environments where you don’t say that part out loud. You just keep going. You survive it quietly.

How We Met

Her name is Zarina Moreno. She’s a licensed clinical social worker based in Austin, Texas. And the way we met honestly feels very on-brand for me.

She posted a video about networking as an introverted therapist, and I commented. Because that’s me. I’m not shy. If something resonates, I will say something. I’ll connect. I’ll be like, “Hey, I see what you said, and this is why it hit.”

And somehow that comment turned into a real connection. Like an Instagram bestie situation where you’re like… wait, we really get each other. The kind where every conversation feels easy and layered at the same time.

First-Gen. Eldest Daughter. All the Pressure.

Zarina opened her own private practice, Inner Mente Counseling, and we talked about how building it challenged her in every way. Because she’s first-generation. She’s the eldest daughter. So immediately we were speaking the same language. That pressure that it all has to be you.

Like everyone else has someone guiding them and we don’t. Not because our parents didn’t love us, but because certain systems just weren’t accessible to them. College applications. Mental health language. Business structures. Emotional tools. So we figure it out as we go.

Growing Up Between Cultures

We talked about growing up between cultures, too. One version of you at home. Another version at school.

Translating documents. Being called into rooms to explain things you barely understood yourself. Feeling shame when you didn’t know the answer but had to pretend you did.

Not being allowed to cry. Not being allowed to talk about emotions. Not having language for what you were feeling. And then we become adults asking ourselves:

Why do I feel angry?

Why do I feel guilty?

Why am I burnt out?

Why is vulnerability so hard?

Why do I feel like I’m carrying everyone?

Breaking the Caregiver Expectation

We also talked about the pressure in our culture to expect kids to be caregivers one day, as if that’s their purpose. My kids will say, “I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.” And I always tell them the same thing. I don’t need anything from you. I need you to travel. I need you to be okay. I need you to have your own income. I need you to have choices.

Because many of us grew up feeling like we had to be successful for our parents, not for ourselves. Like we owed our lives to everyone’s sacrifice. And that pressure is heavy to carry if you never unpack it.

Why This Conversation Mattered

That’s why I loved this conversation so much. Because the more we talk about mental health, the more we normalize it. The more we de-stigmatize it. The more language we give ourselves. The more we stop suffering in silence. And that’s where the line came back to me. And that’s really what this podcast is about. A space for conversations we didn’t grow up hearing. For first-gen stories. For eldest daughters. For mothers learning to feel out loud. For cycle breakers doing the work in real time.

Listen to the Episode

If you’re local to Austin, Texas, I’d encourage you to look into Zarina’s work. She’s doing beautiful things in her community. And if you’re not, this conversation still holds space for you, too.

Especially if you’re first-gen, navigating motherhood, or doing the quiet work of breaking cycles… I think you’ll feel seen somewhere in between our words.

🎧 Healing Is a Rebellion: A Conversation with a Latina Therapist

Now streaming on YouTube & Apple Podcasts via Sana Sana Prima.