Meet Janie Terrazas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janie Terrazas.

Hi Janie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
As a child I remember creativity was always wanting to pour out of me in a variety of ways– dancing, singing, storytelling, painting and acting. It was as if I had to express myself through the arts, or I was going to explode. Funny enough I still do all of them and encourage others to do same. 

Even though all of that creative fire and passion lived within, I still ended up succumbing to the worldly trappings of “the safe route”.

As a young girl, I had always dreamed of becoming a television and radio host. I’d watch Barbara Walters on 20/20, Dick Clark on American Bandstand, and listen to Casey Kasem on the radio, and think “I WANT TO DO THAT ONE DAY! 

Ironically when I was in high school, the local Fox affiliate had an open casting call for teens to host a show called, Express Yourself. When I got the call to be a part of the cast I was thrilled! It was my first time being in a studio, and I remember feeling “at home” so to speak. 

I left the job when I moved away to attend college. After graduating, I went down the cookie-cutter corporate path and quickly worked my way up the proverbial ladder in the telecommunications industry. Even though I had built a successful and lucrative career, my creative gifts and passions began to ring from within.

After 7 years in the corporate industry, I had the opportunity to audition for the movie Miss Congeniality. That story in and of itself is mind-blowing, but let’s just say it was through a series of serendipitous events that landed me in this auspicious position to play Miss New Mexico in the film.

My boss at the time didn’t want to lose one of his top producers, so he suggested I take a leave of absence. While shooting the movie, something clicked inside me. I got to thinking deeply about my life and realized NOW is the time to take the leap of faith if I ever did.

After the movie wrapped, my heart was telling me to quit my job, sell my house, break up with my fiance, pack up my Explorer and head for Los Angeles, CA to pursue my broadcasting and fitness endeavors. 

I moved there in 2000, and gave myself two years to land a national television hosting job. Just one month shy of that marker I was hired to co-host the international entertainment show titled, “Off the Roof”- an NBC/Telemundo production. (MUN2). Little did I know that years later all of my media and production experience would play a significant role in my life mission.

After living and working professionally in California for 12 years, I made the decision to move back to San Antonio, because I was going to be an aunt for the first time. I had also tied the knot in 2011, and we wanted to plant roots near family. 

Shortly after we moved, I had what is commonly referred to as a “spiritual awakening”. It was a powerful inner realization about what God is, what I am, what love is, what life is truly about, what my purpose is on this planet and why it’s important to remember how to reconnect with the power of peace that resides within. 

When something like this happens to you it can be pretty life altering. And, if it happens to you while you’re married, it can bring you and your partner closer to together, or tear you apart. I was eager to learn, heal and grow, but he wanted to ignore his trauma and remain stuck in his egoic trappings. 

The lies and betrayals that surfaced in the fifth year of our marriage, and the big consciousness/spiritual gap between us was too much to bare, so we parted ways. 

A spiritual awakening isn’t complete without a “dark night of the soul” and he certainly was the catalyst for mine. I went through the inner transformational process that has you diving into the deepest recesses of your subconscious mind, so you could FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF YOUR FEARS. It’s like taking a flashlight and shining it on all your hidden wounds that kept you stuck on a perpetual wheel of pain and suffering.  

It isn’t pretty or fun, but you come out stronger, wiser and more resilient in the end. The experience lead me to learn everything I could about healing trauma. It was the right kind of fuel I needed to light up my fire, so I could become my best self and pursue my calling wholeheartedly. 

Ever since then, I’ve dedicated my life to practicing and mastering the healing wisdom of unconditional love.

I became certified in many of the teachings and practices that helped me transform my relationship with myself and my life for the better, so that I could help others reach the same level of self-awareness and personal liberation.

My vision for Rise Above TV was birthed from my desire to empower humanity and support unity on a global scale through the power of mindfulness. 

So, I tapped back into my production and hosting skills in order to create a multi-media platform offering mindful content for optimal living and loving. 

We also host community events and classes that educate, empower and inspire others to take their well-being into their own hands, so they can experience more peace, joy, vitality, and prosperity in all ways.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life certainly has not been a series of smooth roads. My personal journey, like most, has been a compilation of ecstatic highs, brutally devastating lows, and lots of little unexpected curve balls in between. 

Thankfully I chose to look deeper into myself and the darker memories of my life. This allowed me to connect the dots of my painful past. I could see how the negatives and the positives played a role in the overarching story and purpose of my life.

Until I began learning how trauma impacts the mind and body, I didn’t know that the string of betrayals, injustices, and rejections I faced personally in relationships and professionally, were subconsciously tied to my unresolved adoption and sex trauma wounds.

As a child, I had taken on mental and emotional codependency coping strategies that made me susceptible to being taken advantage of personally and professionally as an adult. Over giving, over doing, over sharing, over caring, over accommodating, and over committing were all people-pleasing symptoms. 

Once I acknowledged and healed the ways in which the trauma impacted my mindset and my self-worth, I was able to restore my power and my wholeness. I started to value and respect my T.E.A. time, energy, and attention in a new way. And, I honored my truth and my boundaries more confidently and effectively.

When you understand how to mindfully review all obstacles and challenges from this higher, more intimate perspective, it changes your attitude for the better. You’re able to see, think, feel and move through life with more ease and resilience.

You’re less likely to succumb to the unpleasant victim mentality trappings of self-doubt, helplessness, hopelessness, and bitterness when things don’t go your way because you have faith that all is happening for a reason and it’s up to you to uncover it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do, what you think sets you apart from others, and what are you most proud of?
I believe one of my “superpowers” that sets me apart from others in my field, is my ability to bring levity to brevity. 

Many of my clients are confronting heavy-duty issues during chaotic times, and being able to bring an element of light-heartedness and playfulness into the healing process has proven to be a powerful elixir when it comes to transmuting pain and rewiring the brain. 

What makes my coaching practice unique is my ability to compassionately assess the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of a person in order to provide a holistic perspective on the problems they’re wanting to address. I create a non-judgmental safe space for people to comfortably express themselves.

The combination of methods and healing modalities I offer for the mind, body, heart, and soul, mixed with my sincere care, allows my clients to achieve their desired results more quickly and efficiently. What I share and teach, I personally use.

All of my teachings and programs are rooted in the power of unconditional love which is based on the following principles: SELF AWARENESS – SELF ACCEPTANCE – SELF ACCOUNTABILITY – SELF LOVE.

My specialties are in mind-body stress modulation, relationship/communication guidance, and overcoming childhood trauma. 

Certifications: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor, Twogether in Texas Certified Relationship Coach & Wedding Officiant, Life Optimization Coach, Master Reiki Practitioner, Meditation Guide, Emotional Freedom Technique Instructor. 

What I’m most proud of is the healing work I’ve done on myself in order to be the woman I am today. I’m also very proud of the work I’ve done to inspire others to live and love mindfully. Through my coaching and creative endeavors at Rise Above TV, I’m committed to doing my part to bridge peace on earth.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There is no way I’d be able to list them all, so I’ll do my best to wrap this one up in a nutshell.

I credit my maker, family, friends, mentors, healers, lovers and haters for teaching me what I needed to learn, so that I could become who I was intended to be.

A special thank you to those that supported me during my darkest days and provided valuable advice personally and/or professionally. You all know who you are! I love you to infinity and beyond.

There are specific teachers I’d like to acknowledge. These individuals expanded my consciousness and perspective on life greatly. They opened me up to understanding the sacred meaning of love and oneness.

Yeshua, Buddha, Alan Watts, Dr. Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Dr. Bruce Lipton, and Gregg Braden

Contact Info:

• Website: janieterrazas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janiethemindfulnesscoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiseAboveTV/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RiseAboveTV360
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/janie-terrazas-the-mindfulness-coach-san-antonio
• Other: https://bit.ly/3mYphvB