Free to Be Mindful Podcast | Mindset, Permission and Real Talk for the High-Achieving Woman

Vanessa De Jesus Guzman, LPC, NCC
  • 5.0 (28)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

The Free to Be Mindful Podcast is a weekly mental health podcast for high-achieving women, hosted by licensed therapist, speaker, and Latina mom coach Vanessa De Jesus Guzman, LPC, NCC.    Fifteen honest minutes with someone who actually gets what it's like to build something impressive and still feel like you're disappearing inside it. We get honest about ambition, identity, and the parts of ourselves we've quietly put on hold.   Each episode is unfiltered and grounded in mental health insight, for the woman who's tired of holding it all together and ready to come back to herself.  It ends with a short guided reflection, a chance to give yourself permission for the one thing you've been putting off.  It's like a conversation with a friend... who happens to be a therapist.  New episodes drop every week. 

  1. 2d ago

    Chasing Gold Stars As An Adult | Ep317

    High-achieving women don't need gold stars to keep chasing validation, we just found more sophisticated adult ways to earn it. As a licensed therapist, I see this constantly in the women I coach, and in myself. This episode is about what happens when you try wanting something with absolutely no one watching. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN  ✅ Why the validation you got from childhood gold stars never actually stopped, it just changed shape  ✅ The difference between preparation that comes from real care and preparation that comes from needing to be noticed  ✅ A simple way to find a want you've been quietly editing down for years  ✅ Why reclaiming something just for yourself starts with taking the audience away CHAPTERS  00:00 Chasing Gold Stars 00:41 Podcast Welcome 01:14 Adult Approval Habits 02:32 Compliments As Stickers 03:15 What Do You Want 04:00 Salsa And Self Focus 05:15 Finding The Want Again 06:24 Guided Reflection 07:11 Let It Stay Full 07:31 Coaching Invitation 08:02 Final Sendoff Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  2. Sep 1

    Why Should Women Play Smaller to Prove They Rest | Ep316

    Why should women play smaller just to prove they know how to rest? In this episode, I unpack the real difference between ambition that comes from fear and ambition that comes from something alive, and why wanting more and actually resting can be true at the same time. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why wanting more isn't something women need to apologize for, and why we don't ask men to prove they can rest before we respect their ambition ✅ The real difference between ambition that comes from fear and ambition that comes from something alive, and why it changes how rest fits in ✅ How to hold both wanting more and enjoying what you've built, without needing them to split evenly down the middle CHAPTERS 00:00 Poolside Spark 00:39 Show Welcome 01:03 Season Reset 02:02 Stop Apologizing 02:29 Summer Reality Check 03:20 Redefining Rest 04:55 Ambition Without Fear 05:57 Reflection Prompts 07:42 Coaching Invitation 08:13 Final Sign Off Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  3. Season 8 Trailer

    The Podcast For The Part Of You Nobody Checks On | Trailer

    You've been the strong one for so long it started to feel like your whole personality. Free to Be Mindful Season 8 launches with a new trailer, and this one's for the high-achieving woman nobody's checking on, the one everyone counts on at work, at home, in every group chat. This season we get honest about ambition, identity, and mental load, no filler, no 45-minute episodes, real talk you can actually fit into your day.  Free to Be Mindful was named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast of 2026 by Feedspot. Season 8 starts September 1, 2026. CHAPTERS 00:00 Who This Is For 00:33 Meet Vanessa 00:40 Podcast Milestone 01:01 The Hidden Load 01:36 Weekly Real Talk 01:56 How To Listen 02:06 Subscribe And Closing Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  4. Jul 8

    How to Stay Emotionally Connected When Life Gets Busy | Ep315

    Summer is here and so is the quiet disconnection that comes with it. Longer days, busier schedules, kids home, and somehow you and your partner are co-managing the season instead of actually connecting. In this episode, licensed therapist Vanessa De Jesus Guzman sits down with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Sheila Arias to talk about how couples rebuild emotional closeness through small, intentional moments, not grand gestures, not perfect timing, just presence. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Why emotional disconnection is common in long-term relationshipsHow judgment and comparison quietly erode intimacyThe role of curiosity and compassion in strengthening emotional bondsWhy small, consistent moments matter more than grand gesturesHow structure and intentionality support connection and intimacyThe importance of physical affection beyond sexual intimacy TUNE IN TO LEARN How to rebuild emotional connection without blaming yourself or your partnerSimple communication tools couples can practice right awayWhy emotional intimacy fades and how to restore it intentionallyHow scheduling connection can still feel meaningful and authenticWays to reconnect that fit real life, not unrealistic relationship ideals CONNECT WITH SHEILA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilaariaslmftTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheilaariaslmftWebsite: https://www.compasiontherapy.com TAKEAWAY MESSAGE Rebuilding emotional connection isn’t about fixing your relationship or judging where you are. It’s about choosing one small, intentional shift that brings curiosity, warmth, and presence back into your connection. Over time, those moments add up and help relationships feel alive again. As always, thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, consider sharing it with a partner or someone who may need this reminder. And remember - in a world where you are free to be anything, you are always free to be mindful Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  5. Jun 29

    Slowing Down is Indeed a Leadership Skill | Ep314

    Every summer, something shifts. The schedule loosens, the pace changes just enough to notice... and our brains completely miss the memo. If you've ever found yourself mentally planning the next quarter while your kids are finally at camp, this one is for you. In this season seven finale, we're talking about what intentionally slowing down actually looks like for high-achieving women, why rest feels like falling behind, and three questions to help us move through July with intention instead of accidentally sprinting through it. What You'll Learn: ✅ Why slowing down feels like falling behind, and what that discomfort is actually trying to tell us ✅ The difference between anxious planning and intentional visioning, and how to stop letting fear disguise itself as productivity ✅ Three questions to help us move through July with purpose instead of guilt ✅ How to name one intentional rest day before the month is over, and why staying in the discomfort of it matters more than getting it perfect ✅ A guided reflection to reconnect with what we actually want the fall to feel like, before we turn it into a project plan CHAPTERS 00:00 Why Rest Feels Hard 01:01 Summer Pace Shift 02:54 High Achiever Wiring 03:34 Three July Questions 03:52 Slow Pace Keep Purpose 04:19 Connect More Intentionally 04:53 Dream Without Executing 05:35 Pick One Rest Day 06:27 Season Finale Gratitude 08:02 Guided Reflection Meditation 10:21 Share And Work Together 11:00 Mindful Sendoff Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  6. Jun 22

    What Do You Actually Want | Ep313

    My daughter turned two this month. I watched her eat her birthday cake with zero regard for the mess, completely absorbed in the moment, not thinking about what was next. Just entirely, joyfully present. And somewhere between the frosting and the candles, I thought about how we all used to know how to do that, and somewhere along the way, every quiet moment became a to-do list.  This episode is one of the most personal things I've ever shared on the podcast. It's about a miracle pregnancy I didn't see coming, the season of life that shaped it, and the deeper question underneath all of it: when did we stop asking ourselves what we actually want?  What You'll Learn ✅ Why the fourth trimester puts your wants in a drawer — and why so many of us forget to take them back out ✅ How borrowed wants from social media and comparison quietly replace our real ones ✅ Why adjusting your wants to fit your current season is strategy, not failure ✅ The I Want Practice: a simple quarterly exercise to reconnect with what's actually yours ✅ What watching a two-year-old can teach a high-achieving mom about permission   Chapters 00:00 Birthday Cake Presence 00:43 Podcast Welcome Setup 01:21 IVF Panic Turning Point 03:23 Letting Go And New Life 04:46 When Wants Change 05:32 Motherhood Survival Mode 07:27 Borrowed Wants Pressure 09:12 Seasons And Realistic Goals 11:19 Village Support Constraints 13:08 Quarterly I Want Practice 16:17 Toddlers Teach Desire 18:44 Homework And Closing  Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  7. May 25

    Building Without a Blueprint | Ep312

    Seven years ago, a mom broke down in front of her during a home visit, and that one moment cracked open everything. Not a business plan. Not a five-year roadmap. Just a clear, quiet knowing that moms needed support too, and that she was going to be the one to build it. What came next was seven years of showing up without a blueprint, figuring it out season by season, and learning that intention carries you further than any plan ever could. What You'll Learn: ✅ Why knowing your why holds everything together when the how is still completely unclear ✅ What fifteen years of marriage and seven years of business have quietly taught her about what it actually means to nurture something ✅ How allowance, not pushing harder, is what's made the most room for real growth ✅ What it costs to want to do everything at once, and what her kids keep pulling her back to ✅ A guided reflection to help you name what you're nurturing right now and what it would mean to bring intention, allowance, and compassion to it Chapters 00:00 Maycember Kickoff 01:41 15 Years Married 02:25 Seven Years Mindful 02:35 Origin Story 2018 04:17 From Hustle to Shift 05:46 No Blueprint Needed 06:34 Intention as North Star 07:48 Allowance and Evolution 08:41 Collective and New Baby 10:15 Compassion and Presence 11:31 Trusting Whats Next 12:34 Gratitude and Thanks 13:57 Invitation to Work Together 14:28 Reflection and Closing Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

  8. May 11

    Why Rest Cannot Wait for a Special Occasion | Ep311

    The first thing Vanessa felt when she finally gave herself a break wasn't relief. It was guilt. And that moment, that voice that said we don't do that, we just handle it, is exactly what this episode is about. If Mother's Day left you with something unnamed underneath the flowers and the plans, you're not alone in that. We ask one day to carry everything we've been quietly waiting to feel, and then Monday arrives exactly the same as every other Monday. What You'll Learn:  ✅ Why one Mother's Day cannot hold what we've been carrying for the other 364 days, and what to do with that  ✅ How inherited guilt keeps us from choosing support that's actually available to us  ✅ Three practical ways to protect your mental breaks, use your resources, and treat your own time as non-negotiable  ✅ Why rest doesn't have to be earned, saved for a special occasion, or explained to anyone Chapters: 00:00 When You Finally Stop 00:47 Welcome and Mother’s Day Check-In 01:18 Breathing Room From Pausing 01:58 Why Moms Never Rest 02:54 Tiny Moments That Restore You 03:33 Generational Messages About Selflessness 04:44 Choosing Support Without Guilt 06:47 Mother’s Day Can’t Carry It All 08:16 Three Practical Ways to Reclaim Time 09:54 You Don’t Need Permission to Rest 10:33 Coaching Invitation and Next Steps 11:00 Guided Reflection and One Small Step 12:02 Share, Review, and Closing Send us Fan Mail Support the show GRAB AN OFFER 🎁 Free Resource: 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills 💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com 💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com/ 💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com/ ABOUT ME I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. I believe the people who give everything to everyone else deserve to stop surviving and start living intentionally. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL 🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/ 📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/ 🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking DISCLAIMER Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

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The Free to Be Mindful Podcast is a weekly mental health podcast for high-achieving women, hosted by licensed therapist, speaker, and Latina mom coach Vanessa De Jesus Guzman, LPC, NCC.    Fifteen honest minutes with someone who actually gets what it's like to build something impressive and still feel like you're disappearing inside it. We get honest about ambition, identity, and the parts of ourselves we've quietly put on hold.   Each episode is unfiltered and grounded in mental health insight, for the woman who's tired of holding it all together and ready to come back to herself.  It ends with a short guided reflection, a chance to give yourself permission for the one thing you've been putting off.  It's like a conversation with a friend... who happens to be a therapist.  New episodes drop every week. 

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