Our Stories. Our Power.
By Dr. Violeta Garcia, Founder of Ecosistema Design
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, who wrote the story of your life?
Is it the person your parents wanted you to become? A version of yourself shaped by culture, obligation, or survival? Or is it the version you’re still dreaming about becoming?
This month’s theme, Our Stories. Our Power, is an invitation to pause and reflect deeply on the narratives that have defined you—whether you wrote them, inherited them, or accepted them by default.
Because here's the truth: not every story we carry is ours. Some of them were handed down. Some were projected onto us. And some were written in moments of fear, survival, or scarcity. But what if we could take the pen back? What if we could write the story we truly want?
The Stories We Inherit—and the Ones We Choose
When I think back to my own childhood in El Salvador, I realize now that I didn’t have a story of the future. We were in survival mode. No one asked me about dreams, goals, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. Those weren’t questions that made sense during a war. The story then was simple: stay alive.
But when we moved to the U.S., a new story started unfolding—one full of hope and pressure. My mother dreamt for me to be a medical doctor. That was the version of success she knew, the one she saw in the telenovelas, and she was doing what so many of our parents did: trying to ensure our security by scripting a story that would keep us safe.
So I studied biology. I did internships. I followed the plan. Until I realized I didn’t want that life. I chose the PhD route instead, earned a doctorate in science, and felt proud—until I heard my mom introduce me and say, “This is my daughter, the doctor… but not the real kind.”
That moment stuck with me. It reminded me that when someone else writes your story—even out of love—it doesn’t always feel like yours.
Owning YOUR Story
Another defining moment for me came much earlier, when I was just a kid in the U.S. My parents didn’t speak English fluently, so I became their unofficial accountant, bookkeeper, and business manager. I was calling state agencies, applying for permits, processing invoices, and solving real-world problems—all without realizing that these experiences were shaping me into a strategist and an entrepreneur.
I was learning to figure things out before I had language for what I was doing. And while I didn’t see it at the time, I was already starting to imagine a life where I could write the story.
Fast forward: today, I run my own business. I’ve built programs to empower women of color. I’ve worked in government, academia, and the nonprofit world. Every piece of my story has contributed to who I am. And while I don’t regret the journey—I sometimes wonder how much sooner I could have claimed my power, had I known I could write my own story for my future.
What About You?
Let’s bring it back to you.
What stories are you carrying right now?
Are they empowering you—or limiting you?
Do they come from your own desires—or from someone else’s expectations?
Are there chapters you want to close, rewrite, or begin again?
This is your invitation to reimagine what’s possible. To embrace your authenticity. To take the pen back from outdated narratives and begin writing a story that reflects who you really are—and who you’re becoming.
Whether you’re in your 20s, 40s, or 60s, your story is still unfolding. The past may have shaped you, but it does not get to define you. You do.
A Call to Reflect
This month, I invite you to sit with these questions:
What’s the first story you remember being told about who you are?
What stories do you carry from your culture, your family, or your upbringing?
Which of those stories are holding you back?
Which ones do you want to carry forward?
And what new story do you want to write—starting now?
Because your story isn’t just about your past. It’s a source of power for your future.
And that power? It’s yours to claim.