More than me, a space for us.
This work is about creating a safe, sacred space where you feel seen, supported, and empowered to live your truth. Everything I share here is rooted in accessibility, integrity, and the belief that you already carry what you need within you.
A letter from Barbara
Dear Friend,
This is the real story. Everything I have has been a team effort with my family and community. I’m not self-made—I’m community-made. And that’s the truth I want to live by: we rise together.
As the eldest daughter of a single mom, I grew up watching sacrifice. My mom always told me, “Mamá linda, be selfish. Go where you shine.” Still, I carried the guilt of choosing myself—staying too long in roles where I wasn’t valued, in relationships where I settled, and pushing through health struggles that my body eventually refused to ignore.
Last summer, heartbreak cracked me open. I walked away from a dream job, ended a situationship that was draining me, and decided to rebuild on my own terms. That’s when I launched La Ruta del Cacao, a nine-month apprenticeship to share cacao and tobacco work, mentorship spaces for women of color, and business foundation support for entrepreneurs. My work now bridges ceremony, mentorship, and strategy—rooted in accessibility, community, and the belief that self-worth belongs to us all.
Healing isn’t linear. You can choose yourself and still feel guilt. You can set boundaries and still feel shame. But none of that makes you wrong—it makes you human.
And while the journey inward is deeply personal, it’s not one we take alone. I wouldn’t be here without my family, my teachers, and the guides who’ve walked with me. That’s the kind of support I want for you too.
If you’re here, I want you to feel free to choose yourself, financially abundant, and deeply worthy. Especially if you’re a first-gen eldest daughter carrying the weight of sacrifice—I want this even more for you.
We are more than what we’ve survived. We are strong, soft, and sovereign.
Thank you for being here and for being brave.
con todo el amor,
Barbara
Barbara Sánchez is an entrepreneur, women’s mentor, and artist who guides people back to their heart and spirit through cacao, tobacco, and sound. With trauma-informed training and over a decade of experience, she creates safe, accessible spaces for individuals to reconnect with their wholeness, self-worth, and authentic voice.
Raised between New York and Ecuador, Barbara serves as a cultural bridge and currently resides in Cuenca, Ecuador. Her mission is to empower individuals to embrace their identity, embody self-worth, live in integrity, and break generational cycles that hold them back.
Her journey into personal development began at 17, and over the past 13 years she has cultivated a deep understanding of healing, drawing wisdom from both ancient traditions and modern methodologies. With indigenous roots in the Ecuadorian Andean highlands, Barbara connects with Mother Nature, plants, and animals through ceremony, ritual, and song. She has undergone extensive training and Master Plant dietas with Indigenous elders of the Sapara Nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, where she was initiated into working with tobacco as a healing medicine under the guidance of Manari Ushigua, the spiritual leader of the Sapara Nation.
After helping build two six-figure businesses in the spiritual space, Barbara recognized that while plant ceremonies open powerful doors, true healing requires embodiment, self-responsibility, and integration. Choosing to pause her work with ayahuasca, she returned to New York to build her own business with both feet on solid ground — creating offerings designed to let the body breathe, empower self-worth, and make this work accessible to more people.
Alongside her ceremonial work, Barbara is an entrepreneur and creative who specializes in launching signature courses, producing global retreats, and building sustainable, high-impact businesses. Through her offerings, she now weaves entrepreneurship, art, and spiritual practice — creating experiences and mentorship programs that inspire self-empowerment, cultural reconnection, and thriving from within.
My Journey & Training
Over the years, I’ve invested deeply in both my personal growth and professional skills, studying a variety of modalities that support the mind, body, and spirit. This has included training in health coaching (IIN), 200HR Tantra Yoga, a cacao apprenticeship with Florencia Fridman, and a tobacco spiritual initiation dieta under the guidance of Manari Ushigua. I’ve also explored the business side of things through programs like Oh Sierra’s Social Media Management Training and The Coaching Master’s Coaching Certification, learning how to create and run impactful ventures.
I had the opportunity to work alongside Jessica Scheer, helping build Dream World Program and Sacred CEO into high-impact businesses. Together, we executed multiple six-figure launches, grew social media audiences to 900K+, reached over 3K students through courses, and ran the day-to-day operations of both companies.
For the past three years, I’ve continued to study with Sapara spiritual guides and healers, deepening my connection to Earth-based rituals, plant medicine, and ancestral practices. Each step of this journey has shaped the work I offer today — blending spiritual wisdom, creative expression, and entrepreneurial know-how to create spaces that are safe, empowering, and accessible.
