My Journey Within
Hello Beautiful Souls, i'm Iris...
I walk this path as a guide, sacred space holder, seeker, and lifelong student rooted in lived experience, ancestral wisdom, and trauma-informed care with a deep devotion to healing from the inside out. I approach this work not as an expert, but as a fellow traveler - someone who has moved through deep trauma, found her way back to the light, and continues to return home to herself again and again. My work is grounded in the knowing that healing and transformation are possible, even in our darkest moments.
I believe that each of us carries the innate wisdom, resilience, and capacity for healing and transformation. My role is to walk beside you, holding space with care, integrity, and presence, while gently reflecting the light that already lives within you.
What followed was a profound healing journey guided by sacred entheogenic medicines, ancestral teachings, and spiritual remembrance. Since 2017, I have walked closely with entheogenic medicines, first solely with the intention of my own healing. As time passed, I began to feel a deep inner calling to continue learning and exploring this path. I didn't know where it was leading or what it would eventually look like, but I trusted it. I simply knew that, one day, I wanted to be of service to others again in a way that felt deeply aligned and true.
As that calling became clearer, I made a commitment to approach this work with integrity, humility, and deep respect for the traditions that had guided me. It was important to me that I took my time, honouring both the traditions I was learning from and the responsibility that comes with this work. I devoted myself to deepening my studies, learning from Indigenous elders and respected teachers, and continuing to learn through lived experience, traditional apprenticeship, and dedicated study.
That commitment eventually led me deep into the Amazon jungle of Peru, where I began apprenticing under Maestro Don Miguel within the Shipibo tradition. Through master plant dietas, sacred icaros, energetic cleansing practices, and spiritual protection rituals, I was invited into a way of learning that extended far beyond knowledge. It became a living relationship with the plants, the Earth, and myself.
An equally meaningful part of my healing journey has been reconnecting with my Mexican roots through the sacred medicine of cacao. Spending time in Mexico and Guatemala, I learned from Mayan elders and cacao farmers about its traditional and ceremonial use. Cacao has become a gentle yet powerful ally, opening my heart, deepening my presence, and supporting emotional healing.
In 2020, I founded Soul of Mexico, a heart-led offering created to honour my ancestors while supporting Indigenous artisan families through handcrafted textiles, jewelry, hats, and traditional crafts. It remains a beautiful way of sharing the richness, artistry, and spirit of Mexican culture.
Today, I feel deeply honoured to weave together everything I've lived, learned, and remembered, my personal healing journey, my background in the social services field, and the ancestral and spiritual teachings that continue to guide me. I've allowed this work to unfold slowly and intentionally.
Above all, I believe in the resilience, wisdom, and innate wholeness that live within each of us.
Wherever you are on your path, know this: you are not alone. Healing is possible. And your return to self is sacred.
Born and raised in Canada to an Indigenous Mexican mother and a Canadian father, I grew up between two distinct cultural worlds, each shaped by resilience and survival. My early life was marked by poverty, homelessness, mental health challenges, addiction, ancestral trauma, and emotional disconnection. These experiences, though incredibly challenging, became the catalyst for a lifelong journey of healing and reconnecting with the divine within.
By the age of fourteen, I was navigating survival mode, living alongside mental illness, an abusive relationship, and the ripple effects of addiction and illness within my family. For many years, I felt disconnected from my spirit, my truth, and my roots.
The adversity I experienced throughout my childhood inspired a lifelong passion for helping others, ultimately leading me to pursue a career in the social services field. For seven years, I supported individuals and families, particularly women, as they navigated many of the same systems my own family had once relied on.
I poured my heart into that work, but over time, I began to see how broken and limiting those systems truly were. I was giving everything I had, but it didn't feel like enough. The emotional toll, compounded by my own unhealed pain, eventually led to burnout, and I knew it was time to step back and turn inward. That breaking point became a doorway....
Roots of Practice
For 7 years, I worked in the field of social services, supporting individuals navigating mental health challenges, addiction, poverty, and housing insecurity. A significant part of that journey involved supporting women fleeing abuse and people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. These years provided some of the most meaningful and invaluable experiences of my life and gave me the opportunity to witness the depth of human resilience in the face of profound challenges. The lessons and perspectives I gained during that time continue to inform the way I hold space today, with compassion, humility, and deep respect for each person's unique path.
In 2020, I birthed Soul of Mexico, an ongoing small business rooted in my ancestral heritage, a heartfelt desire to share a piece of my culture with the world, and a commitment to supporting the two Indigenous artisan families I have the privilege of working closely with. Through this offering, I share traditional Mexican textiles, jewelry, hats, and artisan goods that honor the rich traditions, artistry, and cultural wisdom passed down through generations.
Trainings, Apprenticships & Certifications
Apprenticeships & Tradtional Studies
• Ceremonial Cacao Training — Lake Atitlán, Guatemala (2023)
• Master Plant Dieta under Maestro Don Miguel, Shipibo Lineage (2024)
• Shamanic Initiation, Apprenticeship & Master Plant Dieta under Maestro Don Miguel, Shipibo Lineage (2025)
• Herbalism Apprenticeship with Marysia Miernowska, Sacred School of the Wild (2025–2026)
Certifications
• Kambo Training with Alonso Rafael Gaitán, Sacred Valley, Peru (2025)
• Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Facilitator Certification, Atira Tan & Aya Healing Retreats (2026)
• Kambo Practitioner Certification with Matsés Elders, Aya Healing Retreats (2026)
Continuing Education
• School of Healing & Earth-Based Medicine with Mars (2026)
Hello Beautiful Souls, i'm Iris...
I am not a healer, but a guide and sacred space holder - walking a path rooted in lived experience, ancestral wisdom, and a deep devotion to healing from the inside out. I believe we each carry the strength, wisdom, and capacity to heal ourselves.
My role is to walk beside you, to hold space with care, and to gently reflect the light that already lives within you.
I don’t walk this path as an expert, but as a fellow traveler, someone who has moved through deep trauma, found her way back to the light, and continues to return home to herself, again and again. My work is grounded in the knowing that healing and transformation are truly possible, even in our darkest moments.
