06/11/2025
From Survival to Wellness
For as long as I can remember, I felt things deeply — the sadness, the silence, the ache of not belonging.
Even in early childhood, there was a quiet sense that life was heavier than it should be.
By twelve, I had already carried thoughts far too big for a child’s heart. In my teens, I worked, isolated, and learned to survive on my own. Life was about endurance, not joy.
I paid my way through high school, married early, became a mother early, and tried to hold a life together while quietly falling apart inside. The voices around me — and later, within me — said I wasn’t enough. Not good enough. Not deserving enough. Not worthy of love or ease.
Losing Myself in the Search for Help
When I finally reached out for help, what I found instead was more wounding.
My first therapist gaslighted me into believing I was broken — that there had to be something terribly wrong with me. Each session left me more confused, more hopeless.
Later, when another therapist handed me a book on boundaries without ever truly looking me in the eye, I realized how deeply I craved to be seen — not fixed, not judged, but seen.
When the pain became unbearable, I thought maybe the world would be better without me. Twice, I tried to leave it. Twice, I woke up. Both times, I felt like I couldn’t even “do that right.” That’s when I decided: if I couldn’t die, I’d simply stop expecting joy.
I would work. Pay bills. Care for my children. Float through life — half here, half gone.
The Awakening: Finding My Body, Finding My Breath
At 31, something shifted.
I found yoga.
For the first time, I felt my body not as a burden, but as a guide. The mat became sacred ground — a place to breathe, release, and listen. Through movement, I began to remember parts of myself that had long been silenced.
Later, I met a psychologist who told me the truth — without sugarcoating, without shame. He was honest, straightforward, and human. For the first time, I felt seen for who I was, not for what was “wrong” with me. That experience planted a seed: maybe healing was possible after all.
Becoming the Therapist I Needed
In my forties, I decided to leave the corporate grind behind. I was tired of chasing goals that meant nothing to my soul. So, I went back to school to become a therapist — the kind of therapist I had needed all those years ago.
I worked my way through grad school as a fitness instructor, teaching yoga, spin, and bootcamp classes. It was the healthiest and most grounded I had ever felt — strong in body, focused in mind, and open in heart.
My internship brought me face to face with survivors of sexual and domestic trauma, addiction, and mental illness. I knew instantly: This is my work.
I wasn’t just helping others heal — I was healing through them.
Rising into My Purpose
I went on to lead programs for people facing anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, and eventually became Clinical Director at a behavioral treatment center. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, something in me knew it was time for another leap.
On November 10, 2020, I closed that chapter.
On November 11, 2020, I stepped fully into private practice.
That date marks my rebirth — the day I stopped working for others and started walking in alignment with my calling.
Since then, my work has deepened beyond anything I could have imagined. As a therapist, I hold space for people to unravel the old stories and rediscover their wholeness. As a coach, I guide those ready to create new patterns — to move beyond surviving into embodied thriving.
Coming Home to Myself
Today, I am both a therapist and a holistic coach.
I am a woman who has reclaimed her voice — as Latina, as Indigenous, as wise, as whole.
I have decolonized myself from the beliefs that kept me small — the patriarchal, religious, and cultural narratives that once silenced me — and I help others do the same.
Through Soul Body Flow, I teach women that healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken — it’s about remembering what’s whole.
That your body holds ancient wisdom.
That your pain carries medicine.
That your voice is sacred.
This is my life’s work: guiding others to rise — to remember — to reclaim.
Because I’ve been where you are.
And I know the way home.
Edna Balboa, M.S., LPC, CPT, YT
Therapist. Healer. Holistic Coach.
Founder of Mind Flow Wellness — A sanctuary for healing, strength, and spiritual embodiment.
