Dreaming in Darkness: Building Queen Mindset Leadership 👑 Before I Knew What It Was

  “There is a vision for my life that is greater than my imagination can hold.”
— Oprah Winfrey

Have you ever felt something growing within you before you could understand what it was? That’s how Queen Mindset Leadership began for me—not with a master plan, but with a whisper of possibility.

[If you missed the first part of this blog series, you can read it here.]

When the Universe Has Bigger Plans

For all that Queen Mindset Leadership 👑 has become my signature work, would you believe it started as an unintentional series of fortunate events?

In my previous blog, I shared about the heartbreak and healing that created space for me to have vision for my life again.

In this writing, I want to take you behind the scenes of how this idea emerged—before I even knew what I was creating.

I had always stayed on a traditional path, even if it didn’t align with what I truly desired. I didn't trust my vision, didn't trust myself to realize anything that hadn't already been carved, so I stayed in my disappointment despite my feelings.

My journey toward healing and leadership didn’t come with a clear vision in the beginning. In fact, it all started with a decision that set me free, even when I couldn’t fully understand what that freedom would allow me to create.

The Freedom of Letting Go

After my sterilization surgery (a juicy story for another day), something magical happened: the future opened up in my mind.

For years, I unconsciously limited my dreams to the conventional roles of wife and mother—not because I wanted them, but because I thought I should.

I had been stuck in a vision of life that wasn’t my own, dictated by societal expectations rather than my inner calling. I didn't even know I had an inner calling.

With that decision behind me, a new question arose:

What does a woman like me dream when she’s truly free to dream?

This was uncharted territory. I had spent so much time focused on escaping my life in travels and ticking off checkboxes, but now, I was free to ask myself what I truly wanted—what my soul desired.

Taking the Leap into the Unknown

This question led me to one of the most audacious moves of my career so far: requesting an unpaid sabbatical. I was freaked out to be walking away from a steady paycheck to take time off.

I had become trained to expect my paycheck every two weeks, and though I had money in my savings to hold me over, I was hesitant to dip into it. But my body physically couldn't keep going.

I had just finished an unsuccessful year of job searching, looking for "the one," and space was needed. I had never done anything like this before (or knew anything that had) but I knew I had other skills that I could leverage here

I entered my sabbatical with:

• 135 books on leadership, healing, and personal development
• A PhD student’s discipline
• A teacher’s gift for creating curriculum
• And an unshakable desire to define my purpose

I started on this journey, even though I had no idea where it would lead. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about launching a leadership framework, building a brand, or creating my own niche. I was just trying to figure out how to lead my own life in a way that felt aligned with my truth, whatever that was.

Creating Structure in the Void

During my sabbatical, my days became sacred rituals, each designed to help me reconnect with my inner self. Every day, I cycled through:

• Deep learning from the books I'd read and TED talks on a select set of topics
• Soulful writing, where I poured out my thoughts and dreams and life stories
• Intentional creating, as I started to play with new ways of expressing myself
• Meditative movement, through yoga and walks, connecting me to my body and spirit

This self-structured rhythm allowed me to explore what fulfillment looked like outside the conventional paradigms of success. For the first time, I was living life on my terms, not by someone else's roadmap.It was difficult for me to stay the course, but I kept showing up and trying every day for those seven weeks.

The First Signs of Something Bigger Than Me

It was during this time that I received my first clear sign from Spirit. One day, while contemplating whether to pursue a coaching certification, a great wind swept around me, swirling leaves in a circle.

It was like I was in a movie, but no one else was around to witness in with me. I had asked the question to my father and great Aunt (my Spirit Guides), "if I leap into coaching, will you help lead me?" In that moment, I realized I had been given the confirmation I needed.

That was the first time I fully leaned into trusting Spirit’s guidance.

These signs continued to appear as I took further steps on my journey.

They were subtle at first, but the more I tuned into them, the clearer they became. I would "randomly" see quotes about making an impact and leaping into the unknown.

This newfound trust would later become a cornerstone of Queen Mindset Leadership 👑—the courage to walk by faith, even when you can’t see the whole path.

The Accidental Naming

By March 2023, I had begun securing my first speaking engagements, including two International Women’s Day talks—one in English and one in Spanish.

During this time, I was still working to articulate what this journey was leading me to. I hadn’t yet named it, but others were starting to see something in me that I hadn’t claimed for myself.

I thought maybe what I'd found in my healing and sabbatical was passion, and that was the subject of the talks. It was the first time I introduced this "Queen Leadership Mindset" concept.

It was my old colleague, who had invited me to speak, who first gave me the name of creator of this paradigm. When she introduced me as “the creator of Queen Leadership Mindset,” I was stunned.

I had never called myself a visionary or a creator, but those words had just been spoken aloud in front of an audience. I guess I had something to create now.

Sometimes the Universe names your vision before you’re ready to claim it.

Reflecting on the Dreams You’ve Ignored

Before I close, I want to leave you with some food for thought: Have you ever ignored a vision or a dream because it seemed too far-fetched? Or maybe you felt a gut feeling pulling you toward a decision, but fear stopped you in your tracks.

I encourage you to take some time today to reflect on those moments. Where have you ignored the whispers of your own spirit? And where have you had the courage to follow them?

Often, the path toward manifesting our greatest vision starts with something small—something as simple as trusting our intuition.

Practical Steps Toward Manifesting Your Vision:

1. Give Yourself Time and Space: Carve out moments in your day or week where you can sit with your thoughts and dreams without distraction. Visions need room to grow.
2. Trust Your Intuition: Notice when something inside you lights up or gives you a sense of peace. Your body and spirit often know the way forward before your mind does.
3. Have the Audacity to Speak It: Even before you’re fully ready, share your vision with someone who can hold it with you. The power of declaration is real.

Next time, I’ll share how the audacity to speak my vision transformed it into something bigger than I could have imagined. Until then, keep following your own whispers. They are guiding you toward you.

Through the Audacity to Queen Leadership Mastermind, I’m creating space for more mujeres of color to trust their inner knowing and build their visions—even before they can fully see them.

This program is for you if you’ve ever felt a dream stirring inside you that you couldn’t quite put into words, but you knew it was powerful. In community, we will explore how to lead with confidence, vision, and audacity.