María de los Ángeles Estrada

For most of my life, and as far back as I can remember, I have lived in the pursuit of finding a secure
connection, of being loved, and wanting to believe that I am valuable and deserving of belonging. This
led me to, unconsciously, develop a pernicious perfectionism (which aimed to conceal an unconscious
belief that I wasn't good enough to deserve love) and countless situations of self-betrayal, anger,
resentment, and feelings of shame, loneliness, and emptiness; all contrary to what my being longed for.
Years of therapy with 8 different therapists, and NEVER before had I managed to understand (and find)
what I was searching for, what was missing in my life, until I found Compassionate Inquiry! Thanks to
Gabor Maté, MD, I learned that what was missing was a connection with myself, that the only person
who could love me as I needed to be loved was myself, and that the one who needed to recognize my
worth as a person was me. Bringing all these behavioral patterns into my consciousness, understanding
how and why I acquired them, and what function they have served in my life, has been an arduous and
painful process, but tremendously empowering and liberating. Now I have the power and freedom to
choose how I want to respond (rather than react) to different challenging everyday situations. I can
choose how I show up with my family, loved ones, and colleagues; I can choose who I want to be for
them from a place of love and respect for myself, rather than from a place of needing to prove that I am
valuable and deserving of belonging, or from desperation and craving to be loved and accepted. I
learned to prioritize and value the expression of my authenticity over attachment to people who impose
conditions for accepting me in their presence. I learned to give because I want to and can give, not out
of a need to prove anything, or to receive something in return, such as love, approval, recognition, or
validation.
I am a Licensed Registered Nurse, Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, Certified Professional Life Coach
and Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner. I have been divorced and was a single mother of one child for
three years. I am currently married for 30 years, mother of three adult-children, and grandmother of
four beautiful grandchildren.
In my CI sessions, I offer a safe, compassionate, and gentle space within which I accompany my clients
on their journey of self-discovery, moving as slowly as needed, peeling away layers of conditioned
behavioral patterns, erroneous beliefs about themselves and the world, forged from traumatic
situations where there was no empathetic and emotionally mature presence to help them process what
happened and make sense of it in a healthier way. In this process, the client reconnects with themself
and their essence, recognizing their innate goodness and value, and comes to experience (often for the
first time) the internal security, peace, and contentment that arise from that connection, independent
of external circumstances and past traumatic experiences. From this place, it becomes possible to create
an authentic life that aligns with each person's values, principles, and aspirations.
I was born in Uruguay in 1967 and immigrated to the USA in 1986. I currently reside in New York and
offer virtual sessions via Zoom to clients internationally.

I invite you to a complimentary virtual conversation to discover if we are a good match to walk together
on your journey toward profound self-discovery and emotional liberation through Compassionate
Inquiry.