We recently connected with Catalina Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.

Catalina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

Life is full of defining moments. It ‘s crazy to think that one moment can have an impact on the rest of your life. Life is full of pain, loss, hurt, loneliness, confusion, and so many other things that are meant to break you down, but today I would kike to define my truth, because I believe you also have one: I am here, to tell the truth, my truth, because, as John 8:32 says: ” Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” not knowing the truth can have serious outcomes. In our recovery community, we always said: ” We are sick as our secrets.” Today, I will share my secrets with all of you because my family secret almost killed me, but sadly, it killed family members and almost killed my Dad. But I am here to say that this generational curse and trauma ends with me by the grace of God. I am a child of God , who has overcome past sexual abuse, abandonment, codependency, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders. Today I want to tell you that sexual abuse can happen to anyone , it does not discriminate social status, race, religion, anything. Those of us who were sexually abused in childhood are six times more likely to develop PTSD. On top of that, we are anywhere from 2 to 7 more likely to be re-victimized as adults. Throughout recovery, I began to fight against eating disorders. I became anorexic and bulimic and tried to control my food intake,

calories, and exercise. That was the only thing I was able to “control.” When we try to control things, we think anxiety will ease. I believe that is our subconscious mind; for some of us who were sexually abused in childhood, it can lead to other things; mine was exercise, suicide attempts, self-harm. For some of you, it could be drug addiction, alcohol, addiction to prescription drugs. For me, it also was PTSD, the nightmares, the flashbacks. I believe our mental health system needs attention because when people don’t talk about trauma, people develop many misdiagnosed issues, which is when addiction appears. After all, as a culture, we don’t want to talk about the underlying trauma on top of the mental health challenges that often lead to us having stigmas against it. This only encourages us to stay silent in our suffering.
God does not want us to live in the darkness; He does not want us to hide our suffering and our secrets because He already knows everything; He wants us to bring things to light so we can heal and restore. Job 12:22 says: ” He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light“ It is not easy to trust when you have been abused. It is not easy to break the silence when you have lived your life, ashamed of something that wasn’t your fault. I became a Yoga Instructor throughout the years of recovery, and I called my classes ” Jesus & Yoga.” Learning how to breathe and appreciate body movement helped me with my eating disorders and my anxiety. I play Christian music, and I pray to Jesus when I practice. I also began my License in Chemical Dependency back in 2010 but stopped because I became a full-time mom and took care of my mental and emotional state. Last year I went to college to see how many classes I had left and ended up discovering that I only had six classes left to finish my Human Services Degree and License in Chemical Dependency. Today I am just two classes away, including my intern, and I am looking forward to getting my clinical psychology bachelor’s and minor in criminal justice.

Today I also understood that God’s timing is perfect and that His kingdom is built in our hearts first.
For those of you who have been abused, I know how it feels. I know it feels like you are carrying a big bag full of stones, a bag that you take everywhere, you take it to your school, your marriage, grocery store, everywhere, but I also know you can take it to the cross. I also know that you can bring to light what you have been hiding because of fear, shame, guilt, I know it was not your fault, and I was hoping you could remind yourself of that today. You know, maybe you have been going to therapy for years, I still do it, and I might need it my entire life. There is nothing wrong with that, perhaps you are still keeping the secret, and you suffer alone, but when you break the silence and allow Jesus to heal and restore your life, that is the ultimate healing. Jesus suffered too, they abused his body, but they could not control his body. His resurrection is all the proof that I need to know that He can make all things new; my heart, everything can resurrect when I trust Jesus. Jesus is healing me, and Jesus will heal you too. I know trauma will not have the final word, addiction will not have the last word, sickness will not have the last word, codependency will not have the last word, adultery will not have the last word, and Jesus will. Romans 8:18 says: ” For I consider that the suffering of this present time is not worth comparing with the glory that is revealed to us”

The devil came to steal, kill and destroy but thankfully, I know that Jesus gives life and to the fullest. Tonight I pray that He will break all the chains of addiction, abuse, adultery, sex addiction, trauma. He will not hold you captive and in bondage anymore. The curses will stop here, and they will not travel to your children or your children’s children. I pray for direction as you put the armor of God, which will
protect you as you stand and fight all the evil. Genesis 12:3 says: ” I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” Please, stop putting limits on what Jesus can heal. His heart aches over your pain; He can heal your wounds. He began to bring healing to my heart and my family, and He still is—such a beautiful savior.
I am grateful for all the people I received support from during the most challenging times of my life. Today I am no longer a slave to my past nor my generational trauma. I am a child of God. I am her beloved. I am a daughter of a King. God uses my story and testimony to let you know that all things are possible with Him. Today I live my life to Jesus, who redeemed my life from the pit, set my feet upon a rock, and put a new song of praise in my mouth.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Jesus & Yoga Instructor Profumo di Casa Owner
Substance abuse Counselor intern

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Throughout the years that I have been in recovery from my past I have found that when I have God in my life, when I surround my self with people that loves me but mostly when I believe that all the things we go throughout in life happens for a reason I have found peace in the midst of the storm.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I lost my job as a yoga instructor during the pandemic, that is when I decided to go back to school and finish my degree as a substance abuse Counselor.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thinkercatabell

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