Finding Peace Beyond The Job – Ale Garnica | SFTS Ep 2

Stories From The Soul Podcast Episode #2: What happens when you finally get everything you thought you wanted, and still feel empty? In this powerful conversation, I sit with Ale Garnica, a mindfulness teacher, coach, and former tech executive who walked away from a 21-year career after a life-altering diagnosis. We talk about chasing approval, facing illness at 31, and the raw process of unbecoming who the world told you to be. This episode is about redefining success, learning to trust yourself, and letting peace lead the way.

Transcript

Good morning, Good evening, Good afternoon, Wherever you may be, Whatever you may be doing, Hello. And welcome back to Stories from the Soul, Episode two. In today's episode, I sit down with someone whose work I've admired from afar for a very long time, Ale Garnica, A mindfulness teacher, A coach, A leader, And above all, Someone who I truly admire. Not just because I have a professional crush on her work, The style, Tempo, Quality of her meditations, But a deep respect for her and for who she is. In this discussion, I learned that she is someone who walked away from the life she was supposed to live and instead chose truth and authenticity, Something especially at this time and moment I am finding extremely relevant. Ale's story is one of stillness after the storm, From working in tech and climbing the corporate ladder to facing a cancer diagnosis at just 31. Her journey is a lesson in what happens when life stops you in your tracks and asks, Are you living in alignment or just living on autopilot? We talk about how peace is not always quiet, How healing doesn't always look graceful, And how choosing yourself again and again sometimes costs you comfort but gives you everything else. This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered if it's too late to change tracks, For anyone carrying guilt about slowing down, Considering ending a relationship, A career, A path, And for anyone learning slowly and courageously to come home to themselves. Let's get into it. Hello, Ale. Hi, Tari, So good to be here. Thank you very much for inviting me and for having me here. Now, I am very glad to finally get the chance to interview Ale Garnica. So, Ale, Let's jump straight into it. And yeah, Just kind of, Just give a quick outline of who you are and what you're doing at the moment. Oh my God, This question of who you are is something that everybody asks, But it's so hard to answer, Right? Because there are so many ways you can approach this question. I'm going to say that I am someone who came here to learn to love herself, Who loved herself when she came here, But in the journey, She completely lost touch with herself. And really my work every single day, I would call it work, But it's really something, It's a practice, Is to just love myself unconditionally. It's not easy, But I have made progress there. And I am also someone who just loves life and loves being in nature and loves interacting with other people. And in any way I can help other people to feel at peace, To feel happy with themselves. So that is who I am. I'm answering what I do. I do all kinds of things, But I'm a mindfulness meditation teacher. I am a life coach and I am also a teacher in university. I teach students about leadership. And yeah, That's really what I am doing as a profession right now. Beautiful. Ale, When you were talking, Something jumped out at me, Peace. Talk to me about peace. Oh, Well, Peace is something that I was reflecting about this yesterday because I said, Well, Is peace an emotion or is peace a state of being? And I think it can be both. You can feel at peace and you can be at peace. And I was kind of looking for examples for these. You can feel angry. You can feel frustrated and still be at peace. And you get there when you learn to embrace your emotions, To see that your emotions are just signals that want you to look at something. So when you're removing those judgments that we learned to put on certain emotions or on certain behaviors, You can completely be at peace. When you just see things for what they are, Really. And feeling at peace, The emotion of peace is just something you tap into and it feels like you have arrived home. That's really one of the things that I like to start with in my meditations. Like when you put your attention in your inner silence, In the silence within, You immediately tap into this emotion of peace or feeling of peace. And it feels like home. It's like, Oh, I'm safe. This is where I belong. So I don't know if this answers the question, But that's really how I can put into words something that is so abstract, Really. It's really based on my experience, On how I experience peace. And I think it's something that is within us and we just need to go back to it. Beautiful. Beautiful. And I really love the word that you used, Home. That really struck a chord with me. So talking about peace, Talking about home. What has the journey professionally looked like in terms of currently now? You feeling your peace and where you were five, Ten, However many years ago with respect to that? Well, Oh my God, It's so different because I started my professional journey doing what I was told to do. I remember and I mentioned this pretty often because it just stayed with me for a long time. I remember very well that when I was in high school and I was deciding which career I was going to go towards, I had no clue. I think that like many other people, We really don't know. I mean, I was, What, 18 years old and I was meant to choose what I was going to do for the rest of my life and I had no idea. It felt like a huge decision that I wasn't prepared for. So I leaned on what I had, The resources I had, Which was the advice from my dad, The advice from my sister, The advice from my back then boyfriend. And really based on also the beliefs that I had in the moment, Because back then what I wanted is to live well, Make money, Get to a position of leadership. And just be admired by what I was doing. So those were my beliefs back then. And I think this will explain quite a bit of why the peace is, The peace was not there in that moment. And it is now because I was really choosing to start a path based on other people's opinions and based on other people's expectations. So I really decided to go into industrial engineering because that's what I was told was going to give me the money or everything that I was looking for. And while I enjoyed that path, It was something that I really treasure. I learned so much about myself and about so many things. My career there in corporate, Because I was an industrial engineer, But I ended up moving into the technology field. And I got to travel all over the world and I met a lot of people and I interacted with all, With many different cultures. So the path gave me a lot, But the intention behind that path didn't. And I actually felt that I was feeling emptier and emptier because I was chasing something that really I was never going to achieve. No, I was chasing something that I thought was going to give me the happiness and the peace that I was looking for, Which was money and success and admiration and recognition. But then there was a time in my life where I got shaked by life, Just like many of us do whenever we are diverting from where we are meant to be. And I started to dig deeper into understanding why I was here and understanding who I am. And this started even before that time when life shook me. But because my mom always wanted us to do well and just like every mom, Right? Like moms really want you to shine and they want you not to suffer, Not to struggle. So she started me in a self-discovery journey by forcing me to go to certain courses in Mexico. And those courses opened my eyes. But after life shook me, And this is I'm going to share about it because I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. And that's when I was like, OK, My life could end in any moment. This is true. So I need to do something about my unhappiness. And that's when I decided to understand myself better to see how to find a way to suffer less. Because really what I was doing while facing all these things and trying to meet other people's expectations really was creating suffering for me. So that's when I started to work on myself. And without knowing, I was really paving the path to do what I am doing, Which is helping other people to learn more about, To know themselves and to be at peace. So that moment when you were diagnosed with stomach cancer, Are you comfortable sharing how that made you feel? I mean, What happened? Yes, Absolutely. Well, It was something that I mean, Of course, Right now I see it with a different perspective, Like I have a different perspective towards what happened. But back then, It was something that I never thought could happen to me. I mean, I was 20, I was 31. And you feel that you can eat the world, You can conquer the world and that you are invincible. Invincible. And that, Yeah, No one and nothing can bring you down. And it almost feels like you will never die, Right? And so when I got this diagnosis and I knew nothing about cancer. So when I heard this for the first time, I immediately thought about death. And I remember very well that when I shared the news with my brother and my brother told me, Ale, You're going to be OK. And those simple words open a window of possibilities. I was like, Yeah, I mean, It could be that I, I will be OK. So immediately right after I talked to my brother, I decided that I was going to do everything I could to be healthy again. And of course, The path wasn't easy because, Well, I went through chemotherapy and then through surgery and the recovery from the surgery was really, Really, Really hard on my body. And there were times when I was about to give up. And it really was, It felt, I was really trying to survive and trying to survive the physical pain, But also trying to survive this voice that we all have that is constantly telling us or questioning or judging. But in this case, The voice was telling me, Are you sure you can do this? What kind of questioning? Are you sure you can do this? So it was really a tough time. And but in that moment when you are recovering, You start questioning a lot of the things that you have done. You also have plenty of time to think because I was laying down on bed for quite a bit of time. And also you not only think about the things you have done, But you also think about the things you want to do and that you want to have time for to do. And a lot of the true things, Like the things that felt true to me, Came up. And I remember that one of them was that I wanted to help people. I didn't know how, But I wanted to help people. So because in the moment I couldn't take immediate action, It's easy to dream. It's easy to allow yourself to dream. You don't let the ego or that inner critic to tell you, Oh, No, That's too big of a dream or that is impossible. So it gave me so much like that time of reflection gave me so much because I know that I allowed myself to dream. And after that, When it was the moment to act, I didn't act immediately. I, Of course, Had to get rid of so many beliefs that made me think I couldn't do what I wanted to do. But I knew that I had to get there. I knew that that was where I wanted to be. And somehow I was going to get there. So I hope this answers the question, But it's really how I remember everything happening. Of course, From a completely different perspective now that I have understood why this happened for me. So thank you for sharing that. That is probably a comment from me, An indescribable moment for me. And, You know, Looking back on it now in 2025, What do you believe was the belief that got you through that? That's a very good question, Tari. But I, I think it was. There are so many thoughts that are coming to my mind and probably like I was given a second chance. That's probably the main, Main belief. But also I know that with this belief, There were many other beliefs attached. And one was that life is so precious and I wanted to treat it as such. And I couldn't in that moment, Because I mean, One thing is going through something that shakes you. And probably, Yes, You make immediate changes because you have to. You have to make changes on how you see yourself, On how you see life. But you still carry a big load of beliefs that you have reinforced over and over for so many years. And those beliefs can stop you. So I, Even when I believed that life was precious and that I wanted to treat it as such. I didn't. I didn't because there were so many other things that I needed to look at that were preventing me from seeing life like that. And seeing myself like that, Seeing myself as something or someone precious. So I think that links to the first question that I am someone who came here to learn to love herself unconditionally. And I'm still doing that. So when I believe that life is precious, That my life is precious, Then I will love anything that comes to my life or that happens in my life. But I think that is really what got me through it. And was kind of the destination for me that was telling me, OK, You're going there. Keep looking there. How right now, Probably you judge yourself or right now you reacted with your partner. But is this like is judging yourself for that? Treating life as if it was precious. So that belief and is still accompanying me through my path to create something beautiful out of the experience that I have in this in this world, In the planet Earth. Yeah. Well, I hear that. I hear that. And that unconditional love and that preciousness of life. I mean, What did that say to you professionally and your trajectory at that time? Yeah. OK. So I think it says a lot to me, But sometimes I don't listen, Especially professionally. Because. Really. I'm so used to. To create expectations about how things should be or how things should look like. And that is conditional. Yeah. That is. Creating certain conditions, Certain standards. And if I don't get there, Then I feel like I am failing or I failed. So I am professionally I am in a phase where. I my business is not thriving at all. It is doing well. I'm loving it. Every time I sit down and work on what I have to work on, I enjoy it. I enjoy coaching people. I enjoy guiding people through meditations is really something that when I finish. A call or a guided meditation, I'm like, Oh, My God, This feels so good. It feels so true to myself. And that's when I feel the unconditional love. That's when I know that I am. One with God, With the divinity. It's like God wants me to do this. There is no doubt. But then when I look at the expectations that I have talking about, Oh, No, By this time, It's already three years. And by this time, I should be here or I should have made this amount of money or I should like all the shoots that. I create for myself. That's when the love is not there. So right now, I'm. Learning how to be OK, How to be in love with life, How to be in love with what I do, Even when those expectations are not met. And it's so challenging, Terry. I mean, It is. It's like it's it sounds easy to me to think about it. Yeah, Just let it go. Let it go. But it is not that easy. So it's something that I'm every single day I am reminding myself of. You are doing this because you love doing this. So just love it. Enjoy it. Because in 10 years, You're going to look back and you're going to think, Oh, My gosh, What was I doing? Why didn't I have fun in that moment? So, Yeah, I think that's how unconditional love is in my professional journey right now. Hmm. And so. All of this. The unconditional love, Preciousness, The. New kind of profession or kind of says that, You know, We're living in a vacuum, But we don't live in vacuums. We live and interact with other people, Partners, Family, Friends. That transition from that life, That professional life of. Ambition, Success and. Tangible. You know, Markers of the above to where you are now. How is that received by friends, Family, Partners? That decision. Well, There were so many things that happened after I recovered and so many decisions that I made. And some of them were well received. Some of them were not. For example, Transitioning professionally. Is something that I had all the support on from everybody, And I honestly didn't expect it. But I think also has to do with how you bring the news or how you share the decision you've taken. I was so convinced that quitting my job was the best thing to do in that moment. And I was so convinced that these is my path, That people felt that. And I think. Because of that. They responded the way they did. I remember that when I left. The company that I worked for for 21 years. People were shocked. They didn't think that I was going to leave because I had been working there for so many years and I was doing well. And I really had a great relationship with everybody that I was working with. And they were shocked, But they also told me, Of course, That makes a lot of sense. I mean, I completely see you doing that and I'm so happy for you. And I remember that I had a conversation with the VP and he told me, Ale, I'm so sad that you're leaving because I had a very, Very important project for you. But. I admire your courage. To go for what you love. And those words stayed with me and still are a reminder. For me to keep going, To not give up because of who this person is and what he means for me. And also because I mean, Even people in like my colleagues saw that this was where I was meant to be. Now, My family was also very supportive. They said no problem. Even my mom right now, She keeps telling me, Oh, No, Ale, Don't worry. If you don't make money, I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you. So, Of course, I don't want that to happen. I don't think I will let that happen. But just knowing that your family is there to support you, Like even in the lowest moment of your life, Helps you keep going and helps you continue believing in your dream. So that was one part. The other part is after I was diagnosed. And this has nothing to do with my profession, But it kind of links. I decided to separate from my partner, From my husband. And that is where my family was like, I don't know, Not everybody, But some of my family members were questioning, Why? Why are you doing this? Like, It makes no sense, Especially coming from a Catholic tradition. I grew up Catholic and I don't consider myself a Catholic, But I don't consider myself religious at all. But it is believed that you are married for life. And especially in Mexico, No? And it's also the old school thinking. Like my parents, That's how they thought. And they are divorced, But it felt like a failure. It felt like something that should have not happened. And so, Of course, Me deciding to do that was like, What? How? So I didn't get the support there from some of my family members. And it felt very, Very lonely. I felt that I had to go through this on my own. And of course, That made it harder. And there was a lot of shame and guilt and doubt. But at some point, I guess they understood why I was doing it. And they also got to see that I was more certain about the situation. Because at the beginning, I wasn't so certain. I was also doubting myself. And I think that's why they reflected back with their response. But then after they understood why, They were supportive again. So, Yeah, I mean, I think it's so important to have the support of your family and your friends. Because especially when you are making a transition that is very challenging or that is completely outside of the norm. Because they are your pillars. They are really the main foundation for you to keep, To feel balanced. And to feel that no matter what, You are going to be okay. How do you navigate two challenging situations like that at the same time with what sounds like full support on one line and partial support in another? What in you allowed you or enabled you or pushed you to keep going? Well, Both situations happened at different times. The situation with my husband happened first. And that one was, I think what helped me go through that was all the resources that I got from my self-discovery journey or self-growth journey. Because I had already been dedicating quite a bit of time on therapy and some courses that I took in Mexico that just really changed my life. And on exploring myself, On really kind of shedding out those conditioning that I have gotten from my family and society. So, I'm someone who, I thought I was someone who was scared and who wouldn't act immediately. But now I see that I am really someone who likes to have everything she needs to make the jump. I like to feel supported. And many times that supports, Well many times or most of the times, That support comes from myself. And when I know that I have everything I need to make the jump, I will do it. And that could take years, Like for me to have all those resources. And when I decided to make that jump, I felt ready inside. I knew that I was certain that that was the best decision. And also I was certain that I was going to be okay. Even when everything went completely bad or completely wrong, I knew I had my own back. So I think that is really the main thing that helped me go through that alone. Because that's really how it felt. Of course, I had the support from some family members and a few friends that knew about it too. Because I'm a very private person and I don't like sharing a lot. Especially when it's happening, When I'm not ready to share it. But I know that, Really, That I had my best friend with me. And that best friend is me. But it took years for me to become my best friend. So I think that's really what got me through that. And what is really getting me through any challenge that life puts in my path. It's so interesting hearing you talk about this journey. And again, Thank you for sharing. Thank you for agreeing to be here. And telling your story, Your truth. And I hear so many kind of similarities in terms of not necessarily the incident. But the experience that you went through in terms of self-discovery. And it's quite interesting for me. Because I'll tell you something interesting about my kind of journey. I remember, So, When we started on Meraki, You know, Doing Insight Timer. And I found myself, You know, Checking in to see how everybody else on Meraki was doing. In terms of, You know, On Insight Timer and followers and growth. And I found myself really drawn to what I believed at that time was comparison to you. And I remember, You know, I typically go out for like a walk and just kind of engage and listen to podcasts. And I remember really questioning what that energy was. Was it comparison? And I didn't put a name on it. I just felt there was an energy. And I then took some time out. Not time out, I took time. And I listened to your meditations. And something really just struck me. And it was in an understanding of what that energy was. It wasn't an energy of comparison or negativity. It was an energy of almost like, You know, You see someone familiar from the other side of the room. And you're like, Hey. And it was a real energy of respect, You know, Real respect for who you were and the art that you were producing. And I was kind of giving my insight, Doing my meditation. And then you jumped on. And I was just like, You know what? This is someone saying something to me. And, You know, I was like, Hey, I think we need to do a collaboration. And then we did a collaboration. And that's gotten here. So long story short, You know, What I just want to say is that, You know, For me personally, And I've said this before, But what you're doing is really, Truly great art. And you have an authenticity which strikes such a deep chord and resonates with me that, You know, I completely hear that vice president of yours saying what they said all those years ago. And even to the point where you speak today about peace, You know, Again, That's a word which really resonates with me at this moment in time. And so, You know, Whilst we might not necessarily seek validation, You know, The point that I'm making is just to kind of say that as a listener and a consumer of your art, Thank you. And I really enjoy it. I really enjoy it. Thank you. Thank you, Tarina. Well, I thank you for sharing this, Because, You know, And I want to, I share this with you on WhatsApp, Because I also remember where I was when I joined your live on Inside Timer. And I mean, Physically and where I was emotionally. Basically, I was exactly sitting in this room. I was feeling so down that morning. And I said, I need something to help me get out of this because it just felt like a very dark place. And I said, I don't want to be in this dark place this early in the morning, You know, And this early on the day. And I said, I'm going to go into Inside Timer. And normally I don't join live events in the morning. And I went into Inside Timer and I don't know how, But the lives were the first thing I saw. And I saw you there and I was like, Oh, Tari is here. So I joined and then you were in the middle of the meditation. So I interrupted the meditation by saying, Hello, Tari, Because I was so excited. I wasn't even meditating because I had just joined. And then I said, OK, OK, Well, Let's meditate. And I meditate. And then you took us out from the meditation. You said, Hello. And then you said what you said. So in that moment, I saw that everything for me shifted. And I knew, I said, This is really life or the divinity telling me, I'm here for you. I've got you. And you were that, I call you angel. Those people and situations that happen are really like angels that come to my life and tell me, Hey, You are not alone. And we are here with you. We are you. So you were that angel that brought the message for me. And then from that, Something beautiful was created, Which was the meditation that we both created. And now also these beautiful conversation that I am enjoying so much. And I also want to tell you that I respect and I admire your work very, Very deeply. And I the first time I heard something through Meraki as well, Which is the mastermind that we are in for the listeners. And I remember that I listened to that on YouTube and I was like, Oh, My God. I mean, This is so good. And and since then, Yeah, I mean, I really, Really admired everything that you do. And as I've said before, Some of the talks that you have shared on Inside Timer have changed the way I see life. And that is of I mean, It's really of tremendous value. I can't even put a value on that because it's so much it means so much for me. And I thank you for that. No, I thank you. And, You know, I don't believe in coincidence. And I know that things happen for a reason. And everything that happened with me internally was mirroring and reflecting back to me on things that I needed to look at and process myself. And when I was listening to what you were saying, Two things jumped out at me, Support and self. And, You know, That ability to just stop. And go internal to reflect on how one is feeling as opposed to picking up the phone or going to go see a friend. And there's nothing wrong with that. However, As you so eloquently said, That relationship that you've established with you as your best friend is what created that support, Which got you through all of the things you've gone through. And I guess to come to like almost the last question is, What would you say to seven-year-old Ale today? Oh, My gosh, To the seven-year-old Ale. I would. . . I'm going to cry. I would tell her to keep shining and to not let what other people say change the way she thinks or the way she sees herself. And just allow that light that she has to brighten the world. And yeah, Just continue having fun because you are someone who loves to have fun and who loves to do so many things. So continue being spontaneous and don't overthink what you want to do. And don't think that, Oh, If you don't complete it, Then it's a failure. No, Just do it because you want to do it. And if you complete it, Fine. If not, Fine, Too. But keep shining because doing that is how you shine the most. So I think that's what I would tell her. Thank you for that question. Oh, My God, Ty. And she's listening. Ale, Thank you so much for your time. This has been really, Really powerful. Thank you, Ty, For inviting me to the podcast. I really enjoyed it. Your questions are so powerful that I feel like I had a coaching session. Yeah, You're a coach as well. No wonder. But thank you very much. And yeah, I just want to thank you for the work you do because I know that what you're doing is helping people. It's definitely helping me. So thank you very much. Thank you for your energy, For your love and for everything that you give. Thank you, Ale. I appreciate that. And I'll catch you later. And that was Ale. And what a gift it is to hear someone speak not just from clarity, But from the heart, From deep within the soul. And Ale didn't just tell us her story. She offered us a mirror. You know, There's so much to take from this conversation. But the three truths that stand out for me mostly and clearly are, First of all, You don't need a breakdown to make a breakthrough. Sometimes it's just simply what opens the door. You know, Ale's diagnosis didn't just change her health, It changed her priorities. It reminded her that life is precious and that peace isn't optional. It's essential. Secondly, Support is powerful. But trusting in self is the bedrock. You know, Whether it was her pivoting from her career or the ending of her marriage, Ale walked through transition after transition with grace because she had built a relationship with herself. That relationship was unshakeable. She was deeply rooted in self, Authentic. And she was her own best friend. She didn't just have her own back. And third, Expectations can quietly steal our joy. Even after following her soul's calling, Ale found herself measuring progress against an invisible yardstick. Her story reminds us, Reminds me, To love the work even when the outcomes aren't what we imagined yet. And I add yet deliberately. Because it'll come. You know, Joy isn't the result of success, It's what makes the work worth doing. Which is why I'm doing this podcast. So, If you're standing at a crossroads or simply wondering if you're behind, Let this be a gentle nudge. To pause. To breathe. And ask yourself, What would life feel like. . . . . . If it was easy? Thank you for listening. Thank you for being here. And thank you for choosing stories that go beneath the surface. I'll see you next time.

Reviews

Thank you so much Tari for this beautiful conversation. I admire you and your work, deeply 🙌🏼