10. Misunderstood Strength: Emotional Disconnection in Dominican Homes

We were raised to be strong — but not emotionally safe.
This episode explores the silence we inherited, the emotions we learned to suppress, and the softness we’re reclaiming as sacred. Caitlin shares personal stories, Dominican cultural history, somatic wisdom, and spiritual truths to help you name what hurts, feel without guilt, and heal what your family never got to.

If you’ve ever struggled to cry, felt guilty for being “too sensitive,” or pushed through pain because you were told that’s what strength looks like — this episode is for you.

🎙️ Segment 1: The Culture of Numbness We Mistake for Strength

Many of us were raised to hold it in, smile through pain, and call it “strength.” But that disconnect shows up in our health, our relationships, and our legacy.
🔄 Journal Prompt: What emotion do I struggle to show — and where do I think that started?
💬 Affirmation: “I no longer hold it in. I make space for every part of me — without shame, without fear, without apology.”

🎙️ Segment 2: When Anger Is the Only Language We Speak

Especially for Dominican men, anger became the only “acceptable” emotion. We explore the historical roots of emotional suppression and why mental health is a spiritual practice.
🔄 Journal Prompt: What were the “allowed” emotions in your home growing up?
💬 Affirmation: “I do not fear my feelings — I welcome them with honesty, softness, and wisdom.”

🎙️ Segment 3: Learning to Feel Again

Healing emotional disconnect means expanding our emotional vocabulary, reconnecting with our bodies, and learning self-compassion.
🔄 Journal Prompt: What are five specific emotions I’ve felt in the last 48 hours — and where did I feel them in my body?
💬 Affirmation: “My emotions are messengers — I honor what they teach me with grace and curiosity.”

🎙️ Segment 4: Emotional Intelligence Is Abundance

Unexpressed emotions block clarity, joy, and overflow. We talk about how somatic practices, ancestral release, and softness unlock spiritual alignment.
🔄 Journal Prompt: What emotions have I been trying to control instead of release?
💬 Affirmation: “I release what my body no longer needs. I create space for peace, clarity, and overflow.”

🎙️ Segment 5: What Softness Teaches Us About Strength

Softness is wisdom. God meets you in your emotions, not beyond them. Choosing tenderness over numbness is a radical act of faith and self-love.
🔄 Journal Prompt: When was the last time I allowed myself to be soft — without guilt?
💬 Affirmation: “My softness is sacred. I honor it as strength, not weakness.”

🎙️ Final Segment: This Is Your Return to Feeling

You are not too much. You are just healing. We close with a powerful prayer and a reminder that your emotions are a sacred bridge to God, clarity, and generational restoration.
💬 Final Affirmation: “I give myself permission to feel, to heal, and to begin again — softly and powerfully.”

✨ Support the Show:
Your support keeps this Dominican healing space alive. This podcast is a refuge — where we name what hurts, heal out loud, and reclaim our faith, culture, and tenderness. With your contribution, I can keep creating honest, purposeful, and soul-rooted episodes. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2500478/support

Check out Caitlin’s blank journals on Amazon. Just search Caitlin Gil-Soto Journals or click the link https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DDM9DSRX/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=9ec31b28-6a6e-49f2-83a5-2f3e39ccafcd&ref_=ap_rdr

📲 Stay Connected:
IG: @caitlinlajefaa | @unfilandunapologeticpod
🫶🏽 You’re not broken — you’re blooming. And your softness is sacred.

Support the show