Breaking Cycles: A First-Gen Latina's Healing Journey
In the debut episode of "Ay Mijita: Embrace Your Raices, Reclaim Your Essencia," host Dora Alicia Praxedis shares her transformative journey as a first-generation Mexicana navigating cultural expectations, generational trauma, and the path to self-discovery and healing.
Born to parents who emigrated from Tamaulipas, Mexico to Chicago, Dora Alicia's early life was shaped by the immigrant experience. Growing up in Chicago's suburbs, she quickly learned to code-switch, blending in with her predominantly white classmates while carrying the weight of responsibility at home. As the oldest of three sisters, she became a caretaker at just five years old – a role that instilled in her a deep sense of responsibility and perfectionism that would follow her into adulthood. Her parents, working multiple jobs to provide for the family, inadvertently cultivated an environment where emotional expression was discouraged, replaced instead with the mantra "echarle ganas" – to always try harder, do better.
This early conditioning manifested powerfully in Dora Alicia's adult life, particularly in her professional world. She describes developing a "Beyoncé syndrome" – a need for perfection in everything she did. Working 16-hour days became her norm, not just because of her strong work ethic but because work became a way to numb emotional pain. Her body eventually rebelled against this unsustainable lifestyle when she suffered a debilitating back injury at age 30 that led to a herniated disc. This physical breakdown forced her to slow down and, for perhaps the first time, truly feel what was happening inside her.
The injury marked the beginning of her conscious healing journey. It coincided with other significant life events, including the loss of her father to heart disease in 2019 and the global pandemic in 2020, which further pushed her inward. During this period of reflection and recovery, Dora Alicia began exploring various healing modalities – from spirituality and the Bible to astrology, human design, and working with shamans. She describes this as reconnecting with practices reminiscent of her grandmother's traditions, like "limpias" (spiritual cleansings) with an egg.
One of her most significant investments was hiring a life coach, which transformed how she showed up as a mother, wife, and sister. She learned to manage her emotions, practice active listening instead of preparing her next response, and work through conflicts with loved ones. This coaching relationship helped her tap into gifts she hadn't realized she possessed – particularly her intuition and connection to the divine.
Throughout the episode, Dora Alicia emphasizes that this podcast exists as a space for other first-generation Latinos to explore their roots, reclaim their truth, and reconnect with their essence. She envisions it as a movement encouraging listeners to become the best versions of themselves. Future episodes will cover boundaries, generational trauma, ancestral healing, relationships, spiritual tools, and personal power, featuring both solo content and guest stories.
The episode concludes with Dora Alicia drawing an oracle card – "Enough for Now and Always" – which speaks to worthiness, having faith that needs will be met, and the importance of asking for and receiving help. This message perfectly encapsulates her journey from self-reliance to community reliance, from being the "chingona" who does it all to someone who can "déjate querer, déjate amar" (allow yourself to be loved and cherished).
