5 minutes into talking with Claudia Cardozo, I’m taken aback by her overwhelmingly positive aura and calm presence. Claudia, originally from Colombia, is a corporate coach, who for the past couple of years has been working on the book that shares her story of self-acceptance. The book, Love is the Path, released officially in October, handles issues of self-esteem, self-rediscovery, and self-help. On her journey to create the book, Claudia says it wasn’t an easy process.
“For me, it was messy in the way that I confronted a lot of my stories. I’d write something down and then reflect on it. I’d come back, write more, and heal something else within myself. I had a lot to process,” Says Cardozo. Much of Cardozo’s work explores the correlation between self and the people around that self. Her desire to find meaning in her life came when she found herself at a turning point in 2022. She was recovering from a broken engagement, and had become an empty nester. Cardozo looks back on this time as her midlife crisis. 2022 also became the year that Cardozo took control of her life, spurred by a spontaneous backpacking trip to Spain for 20 days. It was a spiritually enriching trip that left Cardozo facing challenges and feelings she’d had her whole life, all while traveling to iconic places like La Rambla. These challenges catapulted Cardozo into the world of self-compassion.
“The whole trip was about me dismantling this idea of Poor Claudia with this sad childhood. I grew up in a lot of neglect, my father wasn’t around, and my mother worked all day. At ten my mom put me in a group home. Like a foster home for low-income kids. I lived all my life with Poor Claudia, but that’s not my story anymore,” Cardozo says.
Love is the Path is for those who also want to be gentler with themselves. In February, Cardozo will speak at TedX Providence, sharing how our relationship with others is a reflection of our relationship with ourselves. The TedX Talk will take place at The Vets on February 8 and will cover how selfcompassion transforms the world around us. For Cardozo, this opportunity to speak reaffirms her belief that everything happens for a reason. “I feel very grateful because I believe absolutely everything that has happened in our lives has brought us to where we are… All the light and dark I have gone through has led me here,” Says Cardozo.
When Cardozo is not working on her TedX Providence speech, she is focusing on her business, InnateFive, where she helps leaders gain self-awareness for themselves and others. Cardozo’s self-rediscovery prompted by a tough time in her life is proof that no matter what cards are dealt, humans can persevere and be better for it. Cardozo says passionately, “I am so grateful for my midlife crisis. It helped me wake up. If it wasn’t for that, sitting with so much pain and sorrow and emptiness, I wouldn’t have realized that I needed to live my life differently. A midlife crisis is telling us we are not where we want to be. It’s telling us something has to change.” •
