AwakeInnate

Not everything we’re meant to pursue comes naturally at first. Some things ask us to practice, to be patient with ourselves, and to keep showing up before confidence arrives. Growth often looks like being willing to be a beginner and not giving up.

Hi, I’m Daniela.

I’m a Holistic Family Nurse Practitioner, wife and mother of four, and the heart behind AwakeInnate.

For years, I worked in healthcare, where I witnessed how deeply our lifestyle, stress, and disconnection from ourselves can affect our well-being. At the same time, my own journey through anxiety and healing led me to realize something simple, yet powerful.. our bodies carry innate wisdom.

AwakeInnate was born from that understanding.

It’s a space where I share gentle reminders, mindful practices, and reflections to help you reconnect with your inner voice, your body, and a more natural rhythm of living. I believe wellness isn’t about fixing yourself..

It’s  about learning, growing and remembering who you already are beneath the noise.

Through yoga, meditation, exercise, nature, whole foods and intentional living, I hope to guide others back to that place within.. where clarity, calm, and healing begin.

What is the biggest lesson I have learned and continue to learn as an adult?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned and continue to learn as an adult is that becoming the best version of yourself requires a willingness to do the inner work.

It means being open to self-reflection, listening to your thoughts, recognizing your behaviors, understanding your triggers, and becoming aware of your emotions so that you can make conscious decisions.

This is especially important when raising children because who you are inevitably shapes them. Your actions, mindset, and energy become a reflection they absorb.

The question then becomes: Are you at peace with the person they are learning from? And are you guiding them in a way that allows them to carry that wisdom forward to the next generation?

That is a question I believe we must continually ask ourselves, as it serves as a guiding light on our journey. When we take the time to reflect on who we are and the impact we have, we gain clarity on the path that aligns with our values and purpose.

Growth isn’t about perfection. It’s about recognizing our mistakes, acknowledging them, and learning to love ourselves as we learn from them. It’s about moving beyond shame, forgiving ourselves, and taking new steps that lead to new outcomes. Growth requires awareness, intention, and a willingness to evolve. And when we commit to that process, we not only create a better life for ourselves but also inspire those around us to do the same.

Today, I woke up early, did my yoga, meditated, and felt calm, centered, and ready to take on the day. I even planned to get to school extra early because Adriana wanted an extra day of helping with Best Buddies.

But then, the purple shirt happened.

Today was class picture day. And, of course, the girls’ elementary school requires a very specific, very essential, and very singular purple uniform shirt. The challenge? We only have one.

And because the universe enjoys a good laugh, both Adriana and Alexandra needed it today.

Did I, in my peaceful morning state, remember to check on the shirt ahead of time? Of course not. Because Adriana had worn it yesterday.

When Adriana woke up and began to get ready, she remembered she needed to wear her purple shirt.  After a few minutes of her searching she begins to show signs of frustration, she is not able to find her purple shirt. After a frantic search, we found it.

In the washer. Mid-cycle.

I pulled it out, wrung out the excess water (with the strength of a mother who just realized we are now officially LATE), and threw it in the dryer. We had hope. We had a plan. We even started laughing about the utter ridiculousness of it all—stressing over a shirt like it was a life-or-death situation.

And so we waited. 7:20. 7:30. 7:40.

At 7:45, I pulled it out, expecting it to be dried.

Instead? Still… WET …. How? After 45 min on the high temperature setting?

Adriana, bless her determined little heart, was ready to wear the wet shirt because, in her mind, wearing anything else meant absolute failure to her and disappointed by her teacher.

So, naturally, we were now late.

We rushed out the door, the still-wet shirt in hand, hoping for a miracle at the school office. Thank G-d, Alexandra’s teacher had already given us a pass and said she could wear a regular uniform shirt—one small mercy in this morning’s disaster.

The Moral of the Story?

There’s a special kind of parent guilt that creeps in when something as ridiculous as a purple shirt makes you feel like you’ve failed. Because the world tells us we should have been more prepared. More organized. More on top of it. And when we’re not? Well, clearly, we’re not good enough.

But you know what? Life is full of purple shirt moments. The forgotten homework, the missing vocab packets, the constant school pressures—it can all feel like a lion is constantly chasing us. But in reality? It’s not that serious.

So today, I choose to laugh. Because if we don’t, we’ll drown in all the not enoughs. And honestly? I’d rather be a little bit of a mess (we are not perfect) than lose my mind over a f*cking purple shirt….

I wrote this a few weeks ago. Today I came across it and thought I would share it since I think it’s important for us to remember including myself….

Feeling accepted stems from our thoughts and feelings of SELF acceptance…. You must FIRST love yourself……to feel love from others….. When we see something wrong in others we must first be willing to look within ourselves and ask where our feelings stem from….We all have our past experiences that have shaped our thoughts, habits and beliefs. Therefore, we all project our own unique movies in our minds with our own feelings and reactions to the flow of life circumstances….. We must not take other people’s life interpretations personally….It’s their own unique journey…

To find peace, we must be aware and always look within to find the answer… We are love and ” I believe love is the answer….. I Believe love will find the way…I believe that love is the answer….I believe love will find the way …”