Discovering Joy, LLC

10/24/2025

We grew up in homes where doing nothing meant you were doing something wrong.
If you were awake, you were either cleaning, helping, or preparing for the next thing.
So now, as adults, rest feels… weird.

Our bodies finally slow down, but our minds whisper,
“Shouldn’t you be doing something?”

But here’s the truth:
You’re not lazy.
You’re unlearning survival.
You’re teaching your body that stillness doesn’t mean danger — it means safety. 🕊️
Rest isn’t rebellion. It’s reclamation.

💛 Save this for the next time guilt shows up when you’re trying to rest.

10/20/2025

“Sayang Energy” runs deep in us.
We’re taught to save, to preserve, to hold on —even when something’s already expired emotionally.

But healing asks us to compost, not hoard.
To turn old pain into wisdom, instead of letting it take up space.

It’s okay to let things go — even the ones that once felt sacred.

You’re not being wasteful.

You’re making room for new life to grow. 🌱

🏷️

10/13/2025

💬When relationships shift or end, I’ve noticed how easy it is to fall into the P’s of trauma thinking:

Personal — “It must be my fault.”
Pervasive — “Maybe I’m just not good at relationships.”
Permanent — “It’ll always be this way.”

💭These thoughts come from a part of us trying to make sense of loss — trying to stay safe from being hurt again.

💭But healing brings in new P’s:

Predictability — rebuilding a sense of safety.
Power — remembering you still have choice.
Protection — honoring the parts that helped you survive.
Presence — noticing the moment you’re in, not the one you lost.
Perspective — realizing change doesn’t always mean rejection.

❤️‍🩹Healing doesn’t mean the pain disappears — it means you can hold it with compassion instead of shame. 🩵

10/07/2025

🇵🇭 Filipino American History Month Reminder

For the past year, I’ve been educating therapists on how to better serve the Filipino population here in Las Vegas.

Filipinos make up the largest Asian ethnic group in Las Vegas—more than half of the Asian American population.

But to truly serve the community, we have to understand their story.Filipinos and Filipino Americans are shaped by our history, our values, and our deep sense of collective identity.

From being displayed as “savages” at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair to organizing the Delano Grape Strike that helped transform labor rights in America, our people have known both deep discrimination and incredible resilience.

We’ve long lived in-between — “forever foreigners” in America, yet sometimes “not Filipino enough” at home.

That’s why understanding Filipino history is so essential in mental health work. It helps providers become culturally sensitive and helps Filipinos themselves make sense of their identity, belonging, and mental well-being.

Before colonization, the Indigenous Tao lived in harmony with nature, rooted in equality, abundance, and community.
Those values still live within us — adaptable, flexible, and resourceful.

This month, let’s celebrate our history, honor our resilience, and continue the work of helping Filipinos embrace all parts of who they are — both Filipino and American.

✨ Representation and understanding matter.

09/09/2025

I’m excited to be a speaker at the Silver State CE Summit on Nov 7–8, 2025! 🎉

This virtual conference offers 6 sessions, up to 12 CEUs (including up to 6 Cultural Competency CEUs). Most talks are recorded and available for replay, so you can earn both live and asynchronous credit—attend what you can live and complete the rest by 12/31/25.

Join me and a lineup of incredible presenters for two days of learning and connection. Register here https://nevada.ceus.xyz/?ac=9vlMhiy9

09/04/2025

So many of us grew up believing things about ourselves that weren’t true.
That we had to stay small so others wouldn’t be upset.
That love had to be earned.
That our bodies were wrong.
That anger and grief weren’t allowed.
That our voices didn’t matter.
That being ourselves wasn’t safe.
That change was something to fear.
Healing is the work of going back and gently showing our younger selves:
✨ You were always worthy.
✨ Your body was never wrong.
✨ Your voice matters.
✨ Your power is yours to keep.
✨ Change doesn’t mean danger—it can mean growth.
💬 If your younger self could sit with you now, what would surprise them most about the person you’ve become?

08/12/2025

You have until August 16th to enter to win two tickets to roots reclaimed! Head over to Instagram for contest details.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNEotxdSwZy/?img_index=1

08/10/2025

Roots Reclaimed Tickets still on sale! We are giving away two tickets to the retreat! Head over to our IG accounts and for contest details!!!

08/04/2025

19 days until Roots Reclaimed! Get your tickets here!

This gathering is an opportunity to listen inward, honor your story, and reclaim the parts of you that have been waiting to be remembered.

07/14/2025

Here’s the truth:
All those moments of real growth in your life?
They weren’t engineered.

As someone who works with complex trauma, I see it all the time—adults who grew up feeling helpless now trying to control everything to feel safe.

They try to plan healing.
Manage disappointment before it happens.
Analyze instead of feel.

And while I’m so grateful mental health awareness is growing, the truth is:
You can’t think your way out of feeling.
You can’t outsmart grief, numbness, or fear without also blocking joy, peace, and connection.

When you try to script every outcome so you never get hurt…
You end up missing the very people, opportunities, and experiences that were meant for this version of you.

💡 Growth comes from leaning in—not avoiding.
💡 Anxiety isn’t random—it’s often your body telling you something’s off.
💡 Anger? A flashing light that your boundaries matter.

If we don’t slow down and feel, we miss what our emotions are trying to teach us.
And we miss the chance to give ourselves exactly what we need.

So today, ask yourself:
✨ What emotion have I been avoiding?
✨ What might it be trying to tell me?

You don’t have to engineer your healing.
You just have to trust the path, feel the feelings, and follow the signals.

07/11/2025

Grief is hard.
But it’s not just about losing something—it’s also about remembering who you are.

When we’re deep in it, a few things can really help:

🌱 Reconnecting with your values—they’re like anchors when everything feels uncertain.
🌱 Being around supportive people who really see you.
🌱 Expressing yourself through creativity—art, movement, nature… they all speak when words fall short.
🌱 Slowing down. Seriously. There’s no rush when you’re healing.

These are also ways we reclaim our roots.
When we reconnect with our story, our culture, and the strength of where we come from, we’re reminded—we’re not starting from scratch.
We come from a line of resilience.

This is what Roots Reclaimed is all about.

✨ A healing circle where your story is held
✨ Art to process what’s hard to say
✨ Connection with your pelvic floor to ground you in your body
✨ Sound healing to slow it all down
✨ And community—because we heal better when we’re not doing it alone

If this speaks to you, come join me and on:

🗓️ August 23rd | 1–4pm
📍 Mt. Charleston Library

We’d love to have you there. Come get rooted with us. 🌿

07/09/2025

🧠 A question I hear often in therapy:

“What do I do so I won’t get activated… or make others angry… or make things weird?”

Here’s what I tell my clients:

✨ Increase your tolerance to be activated.
Being activated isn’t a failure—it’s feedback. It’s your body and mind giving you information about what still needs care and understanding.

✨ Get comfortable with others having big emotions.
It’s not your job to manage or soothe other people’s feelings. It’s your job to soothe yourself when emotions arise—in you or them.

✨ It’s only weird if you make it weird.
Owning your truth with calm confidence often creates space for others to do the same.

Discomfort doesn’t mean something is wrong.
Sometimes it means you’re finally doing what’s right for you.