We were lucky to catch up with Zarina Moreno recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zarina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I decided to take a risk to quit my full time job without a backup plan at the beginning of this year.

I had left my previous job for this new one because it had seemed like such a good opportunity at the moment: a better pay, close to home, and it aligned with my professional goals. I didn’t go looking for this opportunity either, it was offered to me, so I thought the Universe was speaking and saying, “hey! I’ve got bigger plans for you!”. So I went with it. It represented what so many of us, especially first-generation Latinx individuals, had consistently fought for. A chance at a better life with more stability and professional success. A chance to do and be more. So I never saw coming what happened next.

Shortly after I started working at the new job, I experienced the worst burnout I have had as a therapist and my mental health was not doing so good as a result. I have never been one to take risks, especially big ones like this, but I knew that I had to prioritize my mental health and do what was right for me. Oftentimes, I tell clients to prioritize themselves and do what they need to do to take care of themselves–but man, it’s so hard! Not only did I have to let go of that financial security, but I also had to work on shedding my own guilt and shame of feeling like I had failed. Despite all of that, I still decided to quit this job.

With some planning, LOTS of support from my loved ones, and personal therapy, I was able to quit my job at the beginning of the year. I didn’t know what I was going to do but I knew that I needed to start my own healing process out of that burnout.

I had always played with the idea of opening my own private practice but didn’t really have a timeline for when it would happen. But I think the universe once again spoke clearly and said, “hey, this is your chance again!”.

Fast forward 4 months, I launched my own private practice. I found my own voice, started creating mental health content in English and Spanish for Latinx and BIPOC folx to increase access to mental health care, and have begun healing myself along the way through the powerful connections I’ve had with fellow therapists I’ve connected via social media.

I’ve now realized that I am currently working on achieving what I initially was seeking when I was working for someone else. An opportunity to be a part of something bigger, representing my people and my culture proudly, and always doing so in my own terms.

Taking this risk was probably one of the biggest and scariest ones in my life, but so far, I think it has been worth it.

Zarina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hola! I’m Zarina Moreno — a bilingual licensed clinical social worker, trauma therapist, and founder of Inner Mente Counseling, a virtual private practice based here in Texas. I work mostly with first-generation Latines and women of color who are navigating things like anxiety, generational trauma, burnout, and the pressure to always “have it all together.” In our work, I blend somatic practices, mindfulness, and a relational-cultural lens to help people reconnect with themselves — not just mentally, but emotionally and physically too. Oftentimes, we tend to focus on what our minds are telling us, but rarely do we slow down to notice what our bodies are feeling too. A lot of what I do is about helping clients find the parts of themselves that were never really broken… just a little harder to find.

This work is really personal to me. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley — a place rich in culture and family values, but where mental health support was hard to come by. I was the first in my family to go to therapy, to go to college, and to start questioning the stigma around mental health in our community. I know what it’s like to feel like you have to do it all on your own — to push through, to minimize what you’re feeling just to survive, to believe rest and slowness must be earned only after burnout. During the pandemic, I worked four jobs at one point — and that felt normal to me. That grind mindset was so normalized. After going through my own healing journey in therapy, I have been able shift my own mindset and beliefs surrounding hustle culture. Now, I focus on creating a space where people can slow down, feel seen, and learn that it’s okay to live differently. Softer. More intentionally.

At Inner Mente, I offer individual therapy and clinical supervision for LMSWs on their way to full licensure in English, Spanish, and Spanglish. I also teach and speak on topics like trauma, burnout, imposter syndrome, and mental health in entrepreneurship, especially for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks. And I co-host Latinas Talkin’ Therapy, a podcast where we get real about breaking mental health stigma in our comunidad and increase accesibility. We’ve even started doing more speaking engagements, which has been such a cool extension of that work.

What makes Inner Mente different isn’t just what I offer — it’s the intention behind it. I wanted the name itself to feel like this was a space made for those who needed healing in their own language and culture. When you’re looking for a therapist, things like identity and language really do matter. It’s powerful to sit with someone who just gets it — where you don’t have to explain the cultural stuff or translate your pain. There’s something unspoken but deeply understood in those moments. That’s the kind of therapy I believe in: one that honors who you are from the start. I’m also really passionate about weaving in ancestral healing practices and decolonizing mental health and I strive to empower clients through those practices as well.

One of the things I’m most proud of is how my practice has grown organically through social media, word-of-mouth, community trust, and collaboration with other therapists. I’ve been able to connect with incredible Latina therapists across Texas and the U.S. something that, even a year ago, felt out of reach. They’ve become a source of wisdom and support, and I’ve found my therapist comadres through it. I love sharing virtual and IRL cafecito with them — those connections are everything. I truly believe there is power in community and have gotten this far because I’ve been able to rely on this community I have been building.

I’ve become so empowered through this journey of opening my own practice. It’s not just about having another job, it’s about creating an intentional space that I feel proud of, that represents who I am and what I stand for, and empowers others do feel like they can do the same.

At the heart of it, Inner Mente is about liberation — mental, emotional, cultural. Healing doesn’t always look like “fixing” yourself. Sometimes, healing is about remembering who you were before the world told you who you had to be, in whatever language that may be.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Honestly, yes. I knew I wanted to be a therapist since middle school. I was always the one my friends would come to for advice, and was a good listener to them so it felt like it was a very easy choice to make. I also was an emo kid (still am!) and felt very deeply, so it was easy for me to be empathic as well. I think the hardest part of it was figuring out HOW to become one. As a first-gen and coming from a low-income and under resourced area, I had to work really to figure that out.

Access to mental health has historically been really challenging, especially for marginalized communities (whether you are Latine, BIPOC, or LGBTQ+). With the current state of affairs, it’s important more than ever to show up for us and use the privileges we hold to speak up for those who can’t.

So yes, I would definitely choose being a therapist and a social worker again, despite the challenges that come with it. I am glad that I can at least bridge some of those gaps by providing services in English and Spanish and create spaces where those people can feel welcomed and safe.

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

I think a lot of us first-gen individuals who also hold marginalized identities are embodiments of resilience. We navigate systems alone. We’re often the firsts to do something. A lot of times, things feel really hard but we don’t let that deter us from getting to our end goals. We’re hard workers, overachievers, perfectionists. We want to make our parents proud. Our ancestors are the perfect role models of hard work, and they sacrificed so much so that we could have better opportunities and we often feel obligated to take advantage of that.

I truly believe that I’m where I am today, a rising and successful Latina business owner with so many possibilities, because of the resilience I’ve practiced throughout my life. I moved to Austin when I was 17 for college and chose to stay. Every job I took helped me learn, grow, and push through. I experienced burnout, and those moments gave me the opportunity to finally choose myself, and to choose more for myself. And I could not have done any of this if I hadn’t also relied on my community and support system.

The culmination of working multiple jobs at once during the pandemic taught me something important: that kind of hustle wasn’t sustainable. I realized that chasing more money or “success” didn’t always lead to happiness and sometimes, the cost to your well-being just isn’t worth it. So resilience, to me, isn’t just about pushing through. It’s also about making hard choices to slow down, to say no, and to refocus on what truly matters. That kind of resilience, the softer kind, is what allowed me to work on building a life and a business that is rooted in intention, alignment, and community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.innermentecounseling.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innermentecounseling/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarinamoreno/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innermentecounseling

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6tDKyLtRwq8hkkfieSmoFD?si=e913d7144d624b49