Author: Clara Carrier

A birthday is more than cake and candles—it’s a reminder that life itself is a miracle. To be celebrated is to be seen. To celebrate is to honor not just years lived, but the wisdom, resilience, and love carried within them.

In ancient cultures, birthdays were not only personal milestones but collective celebrations.

• The Egyptians, for example, marked the “birth” of a pharaoh with rituals connecting them to the divine.
• The Greeks placed candles on round cakes to symbolize the glow of the moon and the light of life itself.

Each tradition reminds us: a birthday is a sacred invitation to pause, reflect, and rejoice in the gift of being alive.

So whether you’re turning 25, 50, or 75—let yourself be celebrated. Let joy meet you. Let love surround you. Because your life is not ordinary; it is magical.

🎁 To honor this spirit of celebration, I’m gifting you a 45-minute Power Pause session with me, Coach Clara Lucia. Redeem your moment to pause, breathe, and realign with what matters most.

👉 Book your session HERE during your birthday month and add “CELEBRATE” to the notes section.

Happy Birthday!

Coach Clara Lucia

For years, we’ve been told IQ is the ticket to success. Study harder. Get the credentials. Climb the ladder.

However, in my 10+ years of coaching leaders, I’ve witnessed a different truth: emotional intelligence (EQ) is the true currency of leadership.

IQ may open the door, but it’s EQ that keeps people listening, trusting, and following.

Why EQ Matters More Than Ever

Research confirms it:

• Leaders with high emotional intelligence outperform peers by up to 20% (Harvard Business Review).
• Organizations with coaching cultures report 130% stronger business results (Deloitte).
• In other words, emotional intelligence isn’t a “soft skill.” It’s a bottom-line driver.

The Four Currencies of EQ

Self-Awareness – Knowing what you’re feeling and why.
Example: Before a big presentation, instead of snapping at your team, you pause and realize, “I’m anxious because I want this to go perfectly.” That awareness changes everything.

Self-Management – Regulating your emotions rather than being ruled by them.
Tip: Practice emotional labeling: Pause, breathe, and say, “I feel overwhelmed.” Research indicates that labeling emotions can help calm the nervous system.

Empathy – Recognizing emotions in others.
Example: A team member misses a deadline. Instead of assuming laziness, you ask, “What’s weighing on you?” That simple question builds trust.

Relationship Management – Using awareness and empathy to strengthen connections.
Tip: End one meeting this week with: “What support would help you most right now?” Watch how engagement shifts.

A Tangible Practice to Try This Week

The Power Pause for EQ.

• At your next stressful moment, STOP.
• NAME your emotion (e.g., “I feel frustrated”).
• BREATHE three deep breaths.
• CHOOSE your response, instead of reacting.

This micro-shift—seconds, not minutes—rewires your brain from reactivity to clarity.

Why This Matters

When leaders build emotional intelligence, they don’t just perform better. They create cultures of safety, resilience, and purpose. And that’s what people follow—not titles, not IQ scores, but human connection.

As I often remind my clients: Your most fantastic leadership tool isn’t perfection. Its presence.

Ready to expand your EQ and lead with clarity, calm, and confidence? Let’s talk. Schedule your free discovery call here.

For many of us—especially high-achievers—emotions have been treated like distractions, weaknesses, or inconveniences. We’re taught to “hold it together,” “stay professional,” or “push through.”

But here’s the truth: emotions are not problems to solve. They are messengers with a purpose.

Emotions Are Information

Psychologist Paul Ekman’s research on universal emotions shows that emotions are deeply wired into our biology to help us adapt and survive. For example:

• Fear signals danger and helps us prepare or protect ourselves.
• Anger alerts us to injustice or boundary violations.
• Sadness invites us to slow down and process loss, making space for healing.
• Joy motivates us to repeat life-giving behaviors and connect with others.

Emotions are like your internal dashboard lights. They don’t mean something is “wrong”—they mean something is important. Ignoring them is like ignoring a check-engine light.

The Science of Emotional Purpose

Neuroscience confirms that emotions are critical for decision-making and resilience. Antonio Damasio’s studies on patients with brain damage in the emotion-processing areas found that they struggled to make even simple decisions, despite having intact logic (Damasio, 1994). In other words, without emotions, reason is incomplete.

Research also shows that emotional awareness improves physical and mental health. People who can identify and name their emotions (a practice called emotional granularity) experience lower stress, stronger immune function, and more effective coping skills (Barrett, 2017).

My Journey With Emotions

Growing up in Colombia with an alcoholic father and a mother without a voice, I learned early that expressing emotions wasn’t safe. My strategy became proving, performing, and perfecting instead of feeling. But over time, this emotional suppression cost me my peace and my sense of self.

Through my own journey—and now through coaching—I’ve discovered that emotions are not barriers to leadership. They are bridges to deeper connection, clarity, and authenticity. When we welcome them instead of resisting them, we reclaim parts of ourselves we’ve abandoned.

Reflection for You

This week, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

• What emotion have I been avoiding or numbing?
• What message might this emotion be carrying for me?
• If I listened instead of resisting, what shift could I make in my life, relationships, or leadership?

Closing

Emotions serve a purpose: they bring us back to our humanity. They remind us what matters, warn us when something’s off, and connect us more deeply to others.

Instead of pushing them away, try welcoming them as wise messengers. Because when you lead with both clarity and emotional honesty, you don’t just become stronger—you become whole.

In my coaching and workshops, I help leaders and teams move from emotional suppression to emotional intelligence so that they can lead with authenticity, resilience, and impact. If you’re ready to explore this journey, let’s connect. Book a time here.

I celebrate my 50th birthday this year. Half a century of life—what a milestone.

As I reflect on this season, I don’t feel called to prove, perform, or plan my way into the next decade. Instead, I feel called to pause. To savor. To be fully here, in this breath, in this body, in this moment.

This is the gift of a Power Pause—the practice of slowing down long enough to return to the present. It’s not about stepping away from ambition or growth; it’s about grounding yourself in the “here and now,” so your next steps flow from clarity, not pressure.

Why Presence Matters

Spiritual teacher Ram Dass captured this so well:

“Be here now.”

His teachings revealed that presence is not only a spiritual practice, but also a doorway into greater freedom and compassion. Decades later, neuroscience affirms his insight: when we anchor ourselves in the present moment, we reduce stress, regulate our emotions more effectively, and strengthen our resilience (Dass, 1971/2010).

Yet for many of us—especially high-achievers—the present moment feels elusive. We are conditioned to chase the next promotion, solve the next problem, or plan for the next season. In the process, we lose the joy of now.

But here’s the truth: the only place we can experience life is right here. The past has already gone. The future isn’t guaranteed. This breath, this heartbeat, this moment—that’s where love, clarity, and meaning live.

My Milestone Reflection

As a Latina leader who once believed love and belonging had to be earned through perfection and performance, I know how easy it is to miss life while chasing it. I’ve worked hard, crossed oceans, and proven myself in boardrooms. But turning 50 reminds me that the best moments of my life were the ones I actually slowed down to feel—the laughter with my son, the quiet prayers whispered in hard seasons, the courage to choose alignment over approval.

That’s why I created the Power Pause Activation Guide—a simple, science-backed tool to help you practice presence in your own life. It’s not about adding another task to your list. It’s about giving yourself permission to breathe, notice, and realign—so you don’t miss the beauty that’s already here.

A Practice for You

This week, as I prepare to celebrate, I invite you to try one activation from the guide:

1. Pause your pace. Take three slow, intentional breaths.
2. Anchor your awareness. Notice one detail around you that you’ve been overlooking—a color, a sound, a texture.
3. Offer gratitude. Whisper a quiet thank you—for this breath, this moment, this life.

It may feel simple, but these micro-moments shift everything. They return you to yourself. They remind you that joy, peace, and clarity aren’t waiting in some future milestone—they are already here.

Closing

My birthday wish this year is not just for me—it’s for us. May we pause more often. May we choose presence over performance. May we rediscover the beauty of being alive, right here, right now.

Because when we live in the present, we don’t just prepare for the future—we transform it. To go deeper, download your free guide here. Once you do, let’s have a conversation about how coaching might help you further. Book a time here.

When leaders lose touch with purpose, organizations begin to drift. Performance may continue for a while, but over time, people burn out, engagement plummets, and cultures become transactional instead of transformational. The cost is staggering: turnover, disengagement, and wasted potential.

But when leaders lead with purpose, everything shifts—from individual energy to organizational culture, and ultimately, to the bottom line.

What Is Purposeful Leadership?

Purposeful leadership isn’t about charisma or control. It is about clarity. It’s when leaders align their actions, values, and vision with a deeper “why.” They make decisions not only for short-term gains but also for long-term meaning and impact.

Research shows that purposeful leadership is contagious: when leaders embody clarity and meaning, they foster trust, inspire resilience, and create alignment across teams (Strecher, 2016). Employees feel more connected, more motivated, and more willing to contribute their best selves.

The Research on Purpose and Culture

The evidence is compelling:

• Organizations with a strong sense of purpose outperform competitors. Deloitte found that purpose-driven companies grow three times faster than their peers and have higher employee satisfaction and loyalty (Deloitte, 2019).
• Purpose fuels engagement. A McKinsey study revealed that employees who connect their daily work to their organization’s purpose are five times more likely to be engaged and resilient during change (McKinsey, 2021).
• Purpose improves retention and reduces burnout. Gallup reports that employees who strongly agree their work has purpose are 64% less likely to experience burnout and far less likely to leave their jobs (Gallup, 2020).
• Purpose impacts profitability. Harvard Business Review reported that companies where employees said they find meaning in their work showed 21% greater profitability and 17% higher productivity (HBR, 2015).

The pattern is clear: purpose isn’t just good for people—it’s good for business.

Purpose as Culture Realignment

Culture is often described as “the way we do things around here.” When organizations operate without purpose, “the way we do things” defaults to pressure, performance, and survival. When purpose is present, culture becomes rooted in trust, alignment, and contribution.

Purpose realigns culture in three ways:

1. Clarity over confusion. Purpose provides a compass for decision-making, reducing reactivity and building strategic focus.
2. Engagement over exhaustion. When people know why their work matters, they bring more energy and creativity to the table.
3. Connection over compliance. Purpose transforms teams from silos into communities bound by meaning.

My Experience: From Pressure to Purpose

As a Latina leader, I spent years proving myself in systems that rewarded overwork. I saw firsthand how cultures shaped by pressure breed burnout. That’s why I founded Breaking Through Coaching & Consulting: to help leaders and teams pause, realign with purpose, and lead with clarity.

I’ve worked with executives, nonprofits, and corporate teams to move beyond surface-level performance metrics and into cultures of trust and humanity. And I’ve seen it happen: when leaders step into purposeful leadership, teams stop operating in survival mode and start creating impact together.

One client told me,

“Our team speaks with one voice now.”

That’s what purpose does—it transforms fragmented effort into a unified vision.

Reflection for Leaders

Ask yourself:

• Does my leadership communicate pressure, or does it embody purpose?
• Do my team members know why their work matters beyond deadlines and deliverables?
• How could reconnecting with purpose reshape not only my leadership, but the culture I create around me?

Closing

Leading purposefully isn’t soft—it’s strategic. It boosts performance, improves retention, and transforms culture. Purposeful leadership is the bridge between human well-being and organizational success.

This is why I do what I do: to awaken leaders and teams to the power of purpose, to realign cultures, and to create organizations where people thrive—and performance follows.

If your team or organization is ready to shift from pressure to purpose, let’s talk. Through coaching and workshops, I help leaders reclaim their clarity and reignite cultures of meaning, trust, and measurable impact.

I often tell my clients: purpose is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline. When we drift from it, burnout, disconnection, and exhaustion quickly follow. When we reconnect with it, everything shifts—our health, our leadership, our relationships, even the length of our lives.

The data is clear:

• Purpose improves physical health. Research shows that adults with a strong sense of purpose have a 15% lower risk of death over a decade than those who feel aimless (Alimujiang et al., 2019). Purpose has also been linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, stronger immune function, and even healthier DNA repair (Boyle et al., 2009).

• Purpose boosts mental health. People who live with purpose report lower depression, greater happiness, and stronger resilience (Hill & Turiano, 2014). Purpose helps reduce burnout and provides energy for what truly matters.

• Purpose strengthens careers and communities. At work, employees who identify with a deeper sense of meaning are five times more engaged and report higher motivation, focus, and collaboration (McKinsey, 2021). Living purposefully leads us to use time, energy, and resources more productively—aligning our actions with what truly matters.

Why Purpose Matters Now

As I shared in my recent workshop, 98% of people die without fulfilling their dreams or finding their purpose (Wealth Research Group, 2023). That number should wake us up. Living purposefully isn’t just about personal satisfaction—it’s about survival, impact, and legacy.

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, reminded us:

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how’” (Frankl, 1946/2006).

In times of crisis or pressure, it’s not strength alone that carries us—it’s purpose.

Your Next Step

Take a quiet moment today and ask yourself:

• What do I yearn for—not just goals, but deep yearnings of the heart?
• Where in my life am I living mindlessly instead of mindfully?
• What would shift if I aligned my daily actions with my deeper why?

Closing

Living purposefully transforms not just our days but our decades. It makes us healthier, more resilient, and more fulfilled. And it multiplies our impact—because when you lead with purpose, you light the way for others.

That’s why my coaching and workshops focus on reconnecting leaders and teams with their deeper why. Because when individuals live with purpose, organizations thrive with humanity, clarity, and courage.

If you’re ready to explore how living with purpose can transform your life and your team, let’s connect for a discovery call or workshop session. Together, we can realign with what truly matters.

When I sit with high-achieving professionals, I often hear the same quiet admission: “I’ve lost my why.”

They’re still performing, still achieving, still carrying teams and families—but the fire feels dimmed, and the meaning feels distant.

I know this ache intimately. For years, I equated success with titles, performance, and proving myself in every room I entered. But when the proving becomes your only fuel, burnout is inevitable. And science tells us something deeper: when purpose is missing, our very lives are at risk.

The Science of Purpose and Survival

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl discovered this truth in the darkest of circumstances. In Nazi concentration camps, he observed that those who survived were not the strongest in body, but those who carried a deep sense of purpose—a “why” to live for.

“Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how,” he wrote (Man’s Search for Meaning, 1946/2006).

Modern research echoes his findings. A landmark study from the University of Michigan found that adults with a strong sense of purpose had a 15% lower risk of death compared to those who felt aimless (Alimujiang et al., 2019, JAMA Network Open). Other studies show that purpose improves sleep quality, lowers the risk of heart disease, and strengthens resilience against depression (Hill & Turiano, 2014; Boyle et al., 2009).

In the workplace, purpose has profound effects, too. A McKinsey study found that employees who identify strongly with their purpose are five times more likely to be engaged at work and report higher resilience and well-being, even in times of crisis (McKinsey, 2021).

This isn’t just philosophy—it’s physiology. Purpose literally sustains us.

Purpose in Leadership and Career

In Breaking Through Coaching, I describe purpose as your compass. It doesn’t eliminate challenges, but it orients you toward clarity when everything else feels uncertain.

Without it, leaders often find themselves over-performing, burned out, or disconnected from their own values. With it, leaders create trust, inspire others, and align their decisions with meaning—not just metrics.

Reconnecting with your why isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline for your health, your leadership, and your legacy.

Reflection for You

This week, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

• What was my why when I first began this career or leadership journey?
• Where have I drifted from it—and why?
• If I reconnected with that, why, how would my decisions, energy, and impact shift today?

Take five quiet minutes to journal. Your heart already knows the answer.

Closing

If you’ve lost touch with your why, know this: you can always return. Purpose is waiting—not in another title or achievement, but in the clarity of who you already are.

That’s why my coaching and workshops exist: to help leaders and teams pause, breathe, and realign with their compass of purpose. Because when you reconnect with your why, you don’t just extend your years—you expand the quality of your life and leadership.

Ready to reignite your purpose? Let’s explore it together. Book a discovery call NOW to explore how a team workshop might be the spark you’ve been missing.

As a Latina in leadership, I’ve lived between two worlds—fitting in and standing out. I learned to prove my worth twice as hard. But true leadership is not about proving. It’s about embodying.

For years, I thought success meant performing perfectly in both languages, cultures, and systems—never too much, never too little. That constant negotiation shaped me, but it also exhausted me. The real breakthrough came when I discovered that leadership isn’t about shrinking or proving—it’s about standing rooted in who you are, leading with clarity, and aligning with your purpose.

Purpose as Compass

In Breaking Through Coaching and Leadership Workhops, I teach that purpose is your compass. It is not another title, role, or task on your to-do list—it’s the anchor that helps you realign when you feel stretched between identities, expectations, or demands.

When clients rediscover their purpose, they often say it feels like breathing again. They no longer lead from pressure; they lead from presence. They realize purpose is not about pleasing others—it’s about living and leading from inner truth.

Viktor Frankl’s Reminder

Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl described this so beautifully in Man’s Search for Meaning. Amid unthinkable suffering, he observed that those who survived were not the strongest, but those who held onto a sense of purpose—something beyond themselves that gave meaning to their suffering and direction to their lives (Frankl, 1946/2006).

He wrote: “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’”

Frankl’s story reminds us: purpose is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline. And as Latinas and leaders navigating multiple worlds, holding onto purpose allows us to embody—not perform—our leadership.

Reflection for You

This Hispanic Heritage Month, I invite you to pause and reflect:

• Where in your leadership do you feel you’re proving instead of embodying?
• What part of your identity have you hidden—or overworked—just to belong?
• If you could lead from your why, what would shift in your career, your relationships, or your well-being?

Take a moment to journal your answers. This is not about fixing yourself. It’s about remembering who you already are.

Closing

Leadership begins when you stop proving and start embodying your light. This month, may you honor both your roots and your wings. May you stand in the fullness of your dual identity—not as a weight, but as a source of wisdom and strength.

And if you’re ready to explore your purpose more deeply, I’d love to walk with you. In our coaching journey, we use tools and reflections to help you reset, realign, and reignite the clarity you already carry.

Because when you lead with purpose, you don’t just lead for yourself—you light the way for others.

If you or your team are ready to break through burnout and lead with clarity, let’s connect. Together, we can reignite leadership that’s rooted in humanity, purpose, and lasting impact.

We live in a world that teaches us to hustle for love—overgive, overachieve, and overextend to feel worthy. But what if the most radical, restorative act you could take is to pause and make a vow to yourself?

Just like wedding vows mark a sacred commitment to another, self-vows are sacred promises you make to yourself. They are declarations that your worth is not earned through productivity, people-pleasing, or perfection—it is inherent.

As Oscar Wilde once said, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

Why Self-Vows Matter

Self-vows reconnect us with the parts of ourselves we may have abandoned in the name of achievement or service. They are both an anchor and a compass—a reminder of who we are when the noise of the world quiets down. As my coaching framework teaches, they are a reclaiming of personal love, a return to clarity, and an act of courage that shifts us from self-abandonment to self-connection.

Research supports this. Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in self-compassion research, has shown that when we treat ourselves with kindness and commitment, we reduce anxiety, increase resilience, and experience stronger well-being (Neff, 2011). In other words: when you honor yourself, you create the foundation to love and lead more fully.

How to Begin Writing Your Own Self-Vows

Here’s a simple practice you can try today:

1. Pause & Connect
   Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Picture yourself at 6 or 7 years old—curious, alive, and full of wonder. Ask yourself: What does that child need to hear from me right now?

2. Reflect
   Journal on these questions:

• What parts of myself have I abandoned in the name of achievement, service, or perfection?
• What would it feel like to truly commit to myself—not just in productivity, but in presence, rest, and joy?
• What do I yearn to believe about my worth?

3. Write Your Vows
   Complete this statement: “Today, I vow to myself…”
   Examples might be:

• I vow to honor my needs without apology.
• I vow to stop proving my worth through exhaustion.
• I vow to celebrate my small wins as much as my big ones.
• I vow to return to myself when I feel lost.

Once you’ve written them, post your vows somewhere visible—on your desk, mirror, or journal. Read them aloud each morning. Let them guide your choices and protect your energy. This is what I do for myself.

A Reflection for You

What’s one vow you can make to yourself today that would restore your energy, honor your truth, or remind you of your worth?

Coaching Connection

Sometimes writing these vows brings up resistance, self-doubt, or the grief of how long you’ve abandoned yourself. That’s where coaching can help. Coaching creates a safe, supportive space to explore what’s holding you back, rewrite your inner narrative, and practice the kind of personal love that transforms everything—from your relationships to your leadership.

If you’re ready to pause, breathe, and return home to yourself, I’d love to walk with you. Let’s start with a free consultation call to explore how you can begin honoring your vows and living in alignment with your true nature.

Because you don’t have to earn your worth. You are the light. You are the love. And this is your return.