We were lucky to catch up with Luz Agudelo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Luz, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
As someone who grow up on the middle of the Colombian guerrilla warfare, as a kid, it wasn’t a strange thing for me to be playing freely outside with my neighborhood friends, when suddenly the sounds of shots sent us all running into our homes looking for safety. I remember clearly spending sleepless nights hiding under my bed in fear that a lost bullet could hit me. Wondering about life and death and trying to make sense of all the chaos that surrounded me. On many occasions during these moments my heart boiled with feelings of worry, anger and impotency. Despite my young age, a strong sentiment of injustice moved me to start wondering about the cause behind these groups of bullies heavily armed with machine guns, claiming to be fighting for the rights of the poor, when they were only generating more injustice.
Soon, one of my favorite hobbies was going to the town’s library after school every day to read. It became my preferred way of finding meaning and the necessary understanding to navigate the world around me. Perhaps the answers to my questions were in the next book.
These and other life experiences inspired me to study psychology to better understand human behavior. After many years of working with children in different settings, in 2019, I started the journey of transitioning from being a reader to becoming a writer.
My first publication, “Out Loud: June’s Venture” a children’s chapter book, addresses the topic of bullying. Last year, I created two coloring and activity books that promote emotional skills and self-confidence in childhood. Presently, I’m working on a tale to empower children and help them overcome their fear of monsters and being alone in the darkness at night.
I find a deep sense of meaning in creating stories that support children’s development and foster mental wellness for kids and tweens. I believe that my stories contribute to make the world a more enjoyable place just as much for the young readers as for their parents as well. Presently, my desire is to continue writing and provide coaching to children and families in a meaningful way.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About Me: Luz Agudelo was born in Zaragoza, a small town in the mountains of Colombia and currently resides in Miami with her six rescued cats. She strongly believes in the power of stories and brings many years of experience in facilitating and presenting workshops in English and Spanish on positive parenting topics.
Luz is the author of the Children’s book on bullying, “Out Loud: June’s Venture.” She has a bachelor’s in Psychology and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida International University (FIU) and completed the coursework for the Certified Professional Coach Program at the University of Miami’s Division of Continuing and International Education.
About My Work and Services:
Support parents and caregivers to tap into their strengths and inner wisdom through coaching.
Facilitate workshops on parenting skills for adults.
Facilitate workshops for tweens and teens on the topics of social and emotional wellbeing and bullying.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being a writer is when I see the smiles on the faces of my readers. It feels my heart with joy specially the young ones share with me how my stories helped them in some way.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Mi mission is use storytelling to invite my readers to become the creators of their own life’s story.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luzagudelo.com
- Instagram: @luzaautora
- Facebook: Facebook.com/LuzaAutora
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luz-agudelo/
- Twitter: @luzaautora