“A healer is not someone that you go to for healing. A healer is someone who triggers within you, your own ability to heal yourself.”
“When it comes to wanting to help and heal others, the first task is to work on healing yourself. Healed people heal people, and hurt people often end up hurting people. Traumas from your past must be addressed so that you can truly create a safe space for someone. Whether you choose to follow the path of being a healer or are simply seeking healing for yourself and your family, it creates a ripple effect to the collective. When we do the work to become whole, we heal 7 generations back and 7 generations forward.” explains Maria Camila Betancur.
We talked to Maria Camila who went through a major transformation and a journey that contained self-healing and realization. Here is her story and how she is currently helping other people around the world.
What is your story?
In third grade when I moved from Colombia to the United States, I was the new girl in town with a language barrier and heavy accent. As a result, I was bullied throughout Elementary and Middle School. High School was no different and the kids were outrageously cruel. I was eventually transferred to Coral Glades High School where I was able to identify myself and find friends. As the bullying eventually stopped, I became extremely focused. During High School and College, most people knew me for my drive and determination. I was able to balance multiple jobs and complete all my homework.
Immediately after school, I would go to my job as a server. My weekends were occupied by a second job at a retail store, another serving job at a BBQ restaurant, and also playing soccer for the city. Life at home was tumultuous as well, causing me to move out at 17 years old into a room I rented from one of my friends. I enrolled in an early admissions program which allowed me to start college the summer of 11th grade without needing to attend my senior year of High School. Although I graduated with my class in 2015, I was already in my second year of College at Broward Community College. At 20 years old, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Business.
Initially, my goals were to finish school and become a police officer while continuing my education with a master’s degree in hopes of eventually landing a job with the FBI or DEA. I always had a calling for justice and helping people. Life had other plans for me, and along the way, I was introduced to Real Estate and quickly fell in love with it. As my real estate career blossomed, a friend and I opened up our own brokerage- Tejeda Real Estate- within which I founded my own team comprised of 5 agents. At 23 years old I had everything I thought I needed to be “happy and successful”. Real Estate gave me the financial stability I always dreamed of. Closing multiple Million-dollar transactions through my career provided me with plenty of exposure, allowing me to quickly become very knowledgeable in the field and well-known in the Luxury Market. I also got married and was working towards building my family.
Although I managed to accomplish a great deal of external success, there was still a huge void inside of me. A void I covered up by traveling, purchasing luxury items, and diving deeply into books, seeking more knowledge. In early 2018 I really started getting into meditation and yoga, learning to get to know myself, beyond the label I was given by society. Not in a million years would I have imagined that this was preparing me for one of the most painful and life-changing moments of my adult life.
In February 2019 the life I had constructed shattered before my eyes when I walked into, well … let’s just say my husband had an infidelity. I was immediately inundated with fear and pain. However, at the same time, my whole body had these chills as all of this weight was taken off me and a sudden breath of fresh air came through. This breath would carry me through the decision to filing for divorce and leaving the home I built with this man. I packed up all my things, put them in a storage unit, and went on an Eat, Pray, Love journey that took me around the world. I visited Italy, Greece, South America, and other parts of the United States.
In these travels, I realized how that night was the best thing that could have happened to me. Like Ram Dass would say “suffering is the vehicle to awakening,” and so I did. Since then, I began to shed the many layers of social conditioning and made the conscious decision to remove my implants. I wanted to learn real self-love at its core, and peel back the onion to uncover my core. Throughout this journey, I discovered the power of ancestral medicine and began to retrace and remember my origins. In this process, I began to understand why my life happened so fast and why so much happened at an early age.
I took a deep dive into the spiritual arena, through books, podcasts, trainings, and joining the Fit for Service community founded by Aubrey Marcus. Through this community and knowledge, I found my true calling. Using sound and energy, along with these sacred medicines I was able to heal, to remember, and now use those same tools to help others do the same. Through my own experience and that of others, I founded The Journey Back to Soul in February 2021, exactly 2 years after my life completely changed for me. The Journey Back to Soul is a compilation of all the knowledge and teachings I’ve received by all my teachers, guides, and spirits while following my journey.
Honoring nature’s wisdom through carefully crafted products and ceremony kits to transform habits into sacred home rituals. These kits are inspired by my ancestors and indigenous practices. My commitment is to give others the most supportive, compassionate, and personalized guidance in expanding love and awareness by creating a loving, safe, and sacred place for people to learn about and apply their own strengths, courage, and power to heal. The Journey Back to Soul not only brings you sacred medicines but also integration through group activities, experiences, and community. I believe that for real healing to take place we must consider wholeness: mind, body & spirit.
In the upcoming years, I envision The Journey Back to Soul expanding into retreat centers, continuing to facilitate plant medicine retreats, and further expanding our offerings of ancestral medicines and tools for people to develop their personal spiritual practice. My goal is to help grow the consciousness of the world by helping people cultivating a relationship with their hearts and the medicine that is within. As far as my personal life is concerned, I have opened my heart back up to love, fully embodying all I wanted in a partner. What I thought I knew about love has changed. I’ve had to completely unlearn what love was and start over. It’s been beautiful, powerful & even a little intimidating.
Conclusion
Maria Camila’s journey is one of growth and now she is helping others heal and grow. We are excited to see what the future has in store for this young entrepreneur and how she will be able to help others along the way.