Evolution Into Inner Stillness: Migration, Career, Motherhood, Divorce & Loss with Carolina Gonzalez

Carolina Gonzalez’s journey crosses continents. In this conversation, we examine themes of inner strength, grief, motherhood, and personal growth. Carolina recounts her journey from a nurturing childhood in Venezuela to facing life's challenges in Australia, including the effects of cultural change, the complexities of motherhood, and the experiences of divorce, loss, and job burnout. The discussion emphasises the importance of mindfulness, self-discovery, and the courage to embrace change, ultimately underscoring the resilience of the human spirit in overcoming adversity.

Key Takeaways

• Childhood responsibility can translate into lifelong overachievement until we consciously release it.
• Safety shapes identity. Moving from instability to calm can reveal how chronic vigilance has conditioned our nervous system.
• Quality of life matters more than duration. Her mother’s story invites reflection on autonomy, compassion, and letting loved ones choose their path.
• Forgiveness frees the forgiver. Letting go of resentment — toward others or ourselves — creates space for peace to emerge.
• Mindfulness isn’t escape; it’s engagement. By noticing what depletes and what replenishes, we learn to act from awareness rather than obligation.
• Healing is incremental. Small acts — saying no, resting, journaling, sitting in silence — rebuild the trust we once placed outside ourselves.

About: Carolina Gonzalez is an advanced certified mindfulness coach and creator of The Midlife Reclaim—a 1:1 program helping women in midlife reclaim their voice, energy, and sense of self to live the second chapter of life on their own terms. Based in Sydney, she shares her work through mentoring, workshops, and speaking.

Connect at: Facebook, Instagram and Website

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 3:29 Growing Up in Venezuela - A nurturing childhood, the loss of her father, and early perfectionism.
• 11:24 Migration and Marriage - Leaving Venezuela’s unrest for Australia, adapting to safety and distance.
• 18:09 Cultural Transition: Embracing Life in Australia
• 21:46 Reflections on Returning to Venezuela
• 26:03 Starting to be exposed and open up to other forms of spiritual beliefs
• 28:44 Career Ambitions and Marketing Success
• 32:29 Motherhood: Challenges and Guilt
• 36:18 Marriage breakdown and family dynamics
• 38:48 Coping with Loss: Her Mother's Illness
• 42:21 End-of-Life Decisions - Chemotherapy, translation, regret, and what quality of life truly means.
• 52:56 COVID lockdown, job termination, and unexpected relief.
• 56:05 Turning Inward - Therapy, meditation, and rediscovering self-trust.
• 1:10:25 How to notice what depletes you and refill what sustains you.
• 1:16:39 Journaling practices
• 1:20:40 Respecting others’ choices in illness, and what it means to hold space
• 1:24:39 Closing - where to connect with Carolina