Exploring Self-Discovery and Attracting Love with Mónica Bitar
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Are you looking to embrace self-discovery, navigate life's challenges, and set healthy boundaries to attract the right person into your life? If so, the first episode of the In Between Home podcast is for you! In this episode, I am joined by Mónica Bitar, a spiritual life coach, who shares her journey and insights on love, personal growth, and conscious relationships.
Mónica has experienced deep suffering and heartbreak but also the joy of rebuilding herself and finding love again. Her teachings, grounded in personal experience and backed by certifications and over 15 years of guiding others, focus on living better and cultivating self-love.
Listen in as we discuss conscious dating, the importance of inner healing, and self-love in fostering healthy connections. Mónica emphasizes mutual growth and awareness in relationships and explores the impact of cultural differences, advocating for openness, curiosity, and value alignment to foster unity. She also shares her personal experiences with financial struggles and rebuilding after a crisis, highlighting the importance of daily practice, meditation on abundance, and seeking guidance from mentors.
Where Home is for Mónica and the Past 10 Years
Mónica was born and raised in Colombia, but she has lived in more than seven countries worldwide. Now, she resides in a paradise by the ocean in South Florida. However, through all her inner work, she has realized that "home" for her is truly her heart, wherever she may be.
Over the past decade, Mónica's life has undergone significant changes. Ten years ago, she was living in New Zealand, having just resigned from a 15-year diplomatic career with the Colombian Foreign Service. A series of events concerning her health and well-being prompted her to make the tough decision to leave a career she loved. This marked the beginning of a deep transformation journey.
Mónica began practicing yoga and meditation, delving into her spiritual path. She became a certified yoga and meditation teacher, and studied Reiki and Ayurveda, drastically shifting her life. Leading our discussion to whether she had a clear vision of her future ten years ago and her journey of embracing uncertainty and surrendering to life.
Embracing Uncertainty and Surrendering to Life
Which she didn’t.
Initially, Mónica did not have a clear vision of what her future would look like. Life had been unpredictable for her. Since she was 14, Mónica knew she wanted to become a diplomat for Colombia, aiming to work in the international arena. She pursued this goal with a clear plan, completing her education and training. However, upon leaving her diplomatic career, she embraced the unpredictability of life, learning that while it’s good to have plans, it’s also crucial to flow with life's changes.
Today, she is dedicated to serving others with her experience and knowledge, taking care of herself, and enjoying life by the ocean. Although there were times when she considered returning to a traditional job, Mónica committed to her freedom and well-being, determined to work for herself and protect her autonomy.
Nothing is wrong with having a job and working for others but her path was very clear. The calling in her heart was that she wanted freedom of movement and wanted to work for herself. A commitment and promise that she made to herself.
So, yes there were moments of struggle and difficulty but she never looked back. Now she is doing the very best she can to push and work on her two businesses so they can flourish.
Service and Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship
This led our conversation to discuss how Mónica identifies herself in the entrepreneurial journey.
Her answer is by service.
She operates two businesses: one involves working with indigenous craftswomen in Colombia, helping them access markets and opportunities in the United States. Her second business focuses on coaching, specializing in healthy, intentional dating and conscious love.
She had to create new opportunities for her life and her business. Especially because she faced a serious crisis about four years ago, where she lost everything and struggled with her health, Mónica chose to surrender and seek help. This decision led to unexpected support and opportunities, reinforcing her belief in the importance of a conscious partnership with life and the divine.
She had 2 options - either succumb and lose everything or surrender and ask for help. So, at that moment she decided to surrender.
Finding Strength in Surrender and Asking for Help
The moment she decided to relax and surrender to life, Mónica told the universe, "You take over. I am here, I am present, and I am willing to go on, but I can't do this alone."
This mindset shift marked the beginning of a new chapter filled with help and opportunities. Mónica continues to approach life with this attitude every day, seeing it as a conscious partnership—a concept she also teaches her clients.
The first partnership, she believes, is with life itself, with whatever the divine means to you. It's a collaborative effort: you show up daily, act with intention, and do your best. Then, you let life and the universe take care of the rest.
While we often think we control everything, the truth is we don't control the timing, the hows, or the outcomes. Understanding what is within your control and what you can surrender to life can open many doors and bring unexpected support and opportunities.
We are never truly alone, and there are always choices available to us, allowing us to open doors slowly, one after another.
This leads us to the discussion of Mónica's approach to conscious dating and her dedication to serving others.
Creating Your Own Model of Healthy Love
In discussing relationships, Mónica emphasizes the importance of reuniting the masculine and feminine within ourselves to establish healthy partnerships.
She believes that conscious love involves two people aware of their imperfections, committed to continuous personal growth. Mónica encourages people to do their inner work and seek partners who are willing to do the same, creating a nurturing environment for healing and intimacy.
Many of us have experienced the pain of difficult, dysfunctional relationships and breakups. She emphasizes that there is no such thing as perfect love or a perfect partner. We are all humanly imperfect, and we carry wounds from our early life experiences. Some may have experienced significant trauma, while others face different challenges. These unresolved issues often resurface in romantic relationships, the most intimate of bonds, causing difficulties.
That is important to remember. You can't expect to find somebody 100% healthy, 100% healed from their wounds, or with no baggage. That doesn't exist. The goal should be to engage in our own inner work and healing process, recognizing the impact of our childhood and early experiences on our lives, habits, tendencies, and patterns. While this doesn't require decades of therapy, it does require awareness and effort.
Conscious love is when two people, aware of their imperfections, come together with a commitment to continue working on themselves and their relationship. Then it can become a wonderful container when two people co-create healthy, co-create conscious, co-create true intimacy.
Embracing Cultural Differences in Relationships
We then discuss the impact of cultural differences when living abroad. Mónica notes that these differences can either lead to separation or become a source of greater unity, union, and celebration. This is where a conscious couple can thrive.
She advises embracing cultural differences in relationships as opportunities for deeper connection and joy. Mónica stresses the importance of staying true to one's values and principles, regardless of where you are in the world, while also being open and curious about new cultures.
It's essential to honor your values and principles, even when moving around or living in different places. This is your first and most important responsibility, and once you do this, everything else will fall into place. You'll attract what aligns with your beliefs and what you put out into the world.
We have the power to create our own script, and if the current script doesn't serve you, it's time to change it. This involves doing the inner work to bring unconscious thoughts to the surface, allowing you to shift whatever needs changing.
You also don’t have to settle for less or accept what comes your way. It is possible to find what matches you. But make sure that all those things you’re expecting from the other, you are willing to give them too. There needs to be reciprocity. When you have clarity about what you offer and what you seek, it empowers you to hold out for a relationship that matches your values and desires.
When that matching happens, it leads to mutual investment.
Mónica’s Advice For Living Abroad
Living abroad can present challenges, such as adapting to new administrative systems and cultures.
Mónica points out that for her, it was always a challenge to fit into a new place. But the openness, our attitude, and our frequency can make a difference. She always wants to welcome the new culture, the new country, and that makes it fabulous. Approach the situation with curiosity and with a welcoming energy.
But there were also challenges when being on her own, especially after a marriage and divorce in another country where she had to take care of everything from insurance to taxes, and learning about a system she didn’t know.
Her recommendations are…
Do one thing at a time.
Surrender to life and ask for help.
Listen to your heart and honor what is important to you.
Reshaping The Relationship with Money and Abundance
We finish up our conversation by exploring how Mónica reshaped her relationship with money and abundance after experiencing financial hardship. This transformation is an ongoing process for her, and she continues to work on it daily.
She practices daily affirmations, meditates on abundance, and incorporates these mantras into her life. She also seeks help when needed and finds support in unexpected ways.
I want to thank Mónica for joining me. This episode offers deep insights into self-discovery, resilience, and the journey to finding and creating a fulfilling life. Listen to the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts to hear more about Mónica's inspiring journey and advice.
Connect with Mónica
Her 1:1 Healthy + Intentional Dating Coaching is OPEN!!
Website: unapologeticallybright.com
Instagram: @Monica.Bitar and @AuthenticColombia
YouTube: Mónica Bitar - Emotional Healing
