Jan 54 min read

Breaking the Chains of Hustle Culture: Healing as a Path to True Success

Healing as Resistance: Reclaiming Emotional Connection for True Success

We—Latinas and other minority communities—have been sold a definition of success rooted in systems that were never designed for us. The hustle culture we’ve inherited tells us to keep pushing, striving, and going—no matter the cost. But have you ever paused to ask: At what expense? What parts of yourself have you left behind in the pursuit of “being unstoppable”?

What does success even mean to you? Because success is deeply personal!

And is success truly yours or someone else’s version of it? Honestly, sit with these questions and don't rush to answer them. Take your time!

Colonialism’s Legacy: Productivity Over Humanity

Colonialism has left an indelible mark on how we view ourselves and our values. It taught us to measure our worth by how much we produce rather than by our inherent humanity. In this paradigm, emotions became a liability—a distraction from achieving and surviving.

Does this resonate? How often have you silenced your emotions to focus on “what really matters”—only to feel drained and disconnected later?

For BIPOC women especially, this narrative runs deep. We’ve been taught to suppress vulnerability and overcompensate just to be seen or heard. But at what cost to our souls and to our communities?

White Feminism’s Hyper-Individualism

While feminism has opened doors for many, white feminism often glorifies a hyper-individualistic idea of empowerment that can feel disconnected from the realities faced by minority communities. It promotes “independence” at the cost of emotional connection, community, and cultural roots.

Have you ever felt like your growth required you to “leave your emotions at the door”? To detach from the things that truly make you feel alive?

For many women of color, this adds another layer of disconnection from their essence and identity. Who benefits when we’re told to be “strong” at the expense of being whole?

My Story: Between Two Worlds

As a Latina born in the United States and raised in Costa Rica, I experienced the glorification of Eurocentric values and beauty standards within my family and the society I grew up in. These ideals were subtly woven into our culture, teaching us to prioritize appearances and perfection over authenticity.

When I returned to the U.S. as a teenager, it was Eurocentric values and white feminism on steroids!

My white skin granted me access to spaces and opportunities that other women in minority communities didn’t have to a certain degree; after all, I was still a Latina with an accent. But even in these rooms, masterminds, and retreats, I noticed a recurring theme: a relentless push for “self-improvement” that required numbing ourselves to the realities of the world.

Have you ever found yourself in spaces like this? Where empowerment feels performative?

Where connection is shallow, and the focus is on climbing a ladder that doesn’t lead to your dreams?

In these spaces, the hyper-individualistic mindset encouraged us to grow while ignoring the weight of systemic inequality and ancestral wounds. Growth for growth’s sake—but at what cost to our emotional and spiritual well-being?

The Cost of Numbing

Emotional desensitization may feel like strength in the short term, but it’s a survival mechanism that leaves cracks in your foundation. It creates strained relationships, chronic anxiety masked as productivity, and a profound disconnection from your true desires. In recent years, the more I confronted these realities, divorcing from capitalist culture and white feminism, the more the foundation disintegrated, leaving room to build from the truth and collective liberation.

What would happen if you allowed yourself to feel? To stop surviving and start thriving?

For women striving to build their dream lives, this disconnection keeps them locked in cycles of burnout and dissatisfaction. But here’s the truth: it doesn’t have to be this way.

Healing as an Act of Resistance

Everything changed when I allowed myself to slow down and rest—body, mind, and soul. I began to see that success rooted in wholeness feels so much better than success built on self-abandonment.

Healing isn’t just a personal journey; it’s a revolutionary act.

When we reclaim our emotions and embrace all parts of ourselves, we shatter the narratives that keep us small and disconnected. We rewrite the story that says we must sacrifice our humanity to achieve our dreams.

What narratives are you ready to shatter today, even when it is uncomfortable?

What stories are you ready to rewrite?

Reclaiming Emotional Power

True success doesn’t come from numbing your emotions or striving to fit into systems that weren’t built for you. It comes from embracing your essence—your intuition, vulnerability, and humanity. It’s about redefining what success means on your terms, not the terms dictated by colonialism, white feminism, or hustle culture.

Healing is the key. It’s how we break free from the patterns of emotional desensitization that have kept us in survival mode for generations. When we heal, we lead from a place of power, not exhaustion. We create lives that reflect our deepest desires, not someone else’s expectations.