So You Wanna Get to Know Me? 

*takes a deep breath in, and releases an exhale as slowly and deeply as possible*

 

I am Christene Joy Manglal-lan Gonzales - a proud mama, an evolving first-gen entrepreneur, a 4/6 Human Design Generator, a Capricorn Sun and Virgo Moon + Rising, as well as a 4'11 first-generation Filipino-American. It is important to share that before marriage, my name was Christene Joy Rigonan Manglal-lan. My parents are from Batac, Ilocos Norte in the Luzon region of the Philippines, I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and currently live south of San Jose (Morgan Hill), California. I am the first-born and only daughter of Filipino immigrants and eldest sibling of three. I am also the first... 

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• ...in my family to navigate the US education system and to graduate from a 4-year university

• ...in my family to experience a major medical surgery (I have scoliosis)

• …out of my siblings to move away from home

• …in my family to explore Yoga as a student and a teacher

• …in my family to seek therapy and other healing services

• …in my family to start a business

• …out of my siblings to marry, and to have their own kid

• …to navigate so many other experiences because of all of the above!

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I am the CEO (Courageous Equanimous Officer) of Lead with JOY who guides busy and oVeRwHeLmEd Multifaceted and Ambitious Care Leaders to connect to their JOY and inner compass to disrupt their self-abandonment patterns and to liberate the Self. I express this gift by holding compassionate space for individuals and groups as a Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach and Holistic Yoga Instructor - I am finding myself emerging as a Yogic Coach for Care Leaders <3

 

I believe Leaders are more than what they DO and are further ahead than what they believe themselves to BE. I also believe that when Ambitious and Multifaceted Care Leaders can connect to JOY, they amplify their impact as changemakers and become irresistible and invaluable contributors to their communities.

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Sharing all of the above DID NOT happen overnight.

 

A little over 4 years ago, I reluctantly whispered to my Self, "It's time to ask for help." That whisper led to opening big and oVeRwHeLmInG energy being dispersed everywhere IN me and most likely towards those closest to me, which is why I am so grateful for the compassion loved ones poured onto me (especially during the pandemic) and damn proud of my Self for doing the heART work over the last 4 years to truly get to know, and own my JOY.

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The pressure to keep up, be the best, and take care of others got to a point where I was disassociating myself. I was numb to my feelings, was always oVeRwHeLmEd, became irritated easily, and was clueless as to what self-love was. If you asked past me what I wanted and needed at any given moment, I was really good at avoiding my inner Leader and allowed my Ego to deeply default to, "I don't know," which was sensitively attached to a lot of internal shame and guilt.

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The thing is, people always received the impression that I always had my sh*t together. Since I was raised as a young performer, it made sense that I was really good at performing in other areas of my life, too.

 

I know deep in my heart what it feels like to live a "you better suck it up" kinda life and disowning yourself for 30+ years. Fun fact: I started introducing my Self as Christene Joy - my full first name - in 2021 (proof that I too, am on the journey of reclaiming JOY!).

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I also know deep in my spirit how much I care for others and have a gift to be able to relate to others so naturally.

 

Because of what I have shared so far, I know how difficult it can be to draw a line between being rigidly hard-working and mindfully service-oriented. I know way too many of us who are drowning in our own worry and anxiety rather than coming from a place of ease and self-trust.

 

It is exhausting to pretend we are fine. Self-abandonment brings us further away from our hearts and JOY.

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I am so grateful for all of the guidance, practices, teachers, mentors, coaches, healers, and space holders that led me to where I stand grounded today.

 

Practicing Yoga was the first thing that gave me a whole body cathartic release back in 2015 - by moving my body and focusing on myself, I cracked open.

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Receiving Coaching alongside Therapy were the healing spaces that loudly heard me speak my closeted truths with no judgment and empowered me to change how I lived my life.

 

Now, through Trauma-Informed Coaching, Culturally-Aware Care-Leading, and Holistic Yoga, I get to hold safe and deep space for my fellow busy, yet empathetic brothers and sisters to do the same - to nourish their bodies, empower the mind, liberate the heart, and to embrace wholeness with their spirit.

 

My mission is to ground and uplift overwhelmed Multifaceted and Ambitious Care Leaders by connecting to joy through effective models of Self-Leadership with one compassionate practice at a time.

 

This is important to me because I deeply recognize and empathize with Care Leaders (caregivers, caretakers, educators, service providers, and of the like) who feel like they have no choice but to "sacrifice" themselves (aka disconnecting from their needs and pretending they have everything handled) when deep inside they’re drowning in our distractive world. To me, JOY simply means to Just Own Yourself.

 

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Here are the top 5 things that bring me joy at the moment: Being present with loved ones, especially with my 5 year old son; journaling at least 3 times a month; moving my body from slow movement to lifting heavy weights; allowing my creativity to flow in various areas of my life; and taking the time to learn and integrate aligned knowledge towards embodiment (like IFS and Kids Yoga!). 

 

In addition to guiding individual and group coaching clients, I am the resident Yoga Instructor for my local Fitness19 gym since 2021, and a Yoga Instructor for Gilead Sciences in the Bay Area since 2023, and for the Morgan Hill Yoga Collective as of May 2024.

 

Also, as someone who believes in the power of community care, I collaborated with the Excelsior Martial Arts Academy to support their vision of offering alternative ways of well-being through a holistic Yoga offering called, "Repair and Restore." I also co-founded a virtual community group for women focused on healing and empowerment called ‘Sip and Sisterhood’ with my fellow sister-entrepreneur, Keyla. Hailing from spaces such as education, mentorship, nonprofits, Yoga, and coaching, I thrive being a nurturer of individual and group relationships; you can often find me collaborating with other women-owned and values-aligned businesses.

 

Some notable partnerships I had the honor of serving with are the Bay Area Panthers Indoor Football Team (2023 League Champs!), iMentor, Edpuzzle, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC), Volunteers in Asia (VIA), Living Bravely through Nicole Cruz Coaching, and many more.

 

I hold a BA in Human Development from the University of California (UC) San Diego and a certificate from UC Berkeley’s Post-Baccalaureate program for Counseling and Psychology. I am a Certified Life Coach from JRNI (known now as Lumia), and received my Yoga certifications from CorePower Yoga, Ignite | Institute for Yogic Leadership and Social Change, Soul of Yoga, and Tejal Yoga.

 

It is also important for me to mention that I am a mama to my energetic 5 year old son. Not only is he one of the loves of my life, but he also serves as my litmus strip to test the durability and sustainability of my patience and capacity to care for my Self and others. I deeply thank my past Self, especially the version of me in 2020 who said YES to investing in therapy and coaching despite the unknown and stigma that is deeply rooted in the Filipino culture. At that pivotal time, I was held through my combination of woes that were heightened during the pandemic - navigating motherhood with fresh eyes along with the strong identity of being the eldest and only daughter of Filipino immigrants was a big one. Since then, I have re-connected to my spirit, elevated my everyday Leadership, and I own my JOY.

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I used to think that only certain parts of me could exist in certain places and spaces, but this "broken" mindset simply does not have to be true. You and I are WHOLE anywhere and anytime. 

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To end for now, my vision is this: I want to make it possible for all humans to connect within and with others through Holistic Yoga, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Culturally-Aware Intergenerational Care-Leading so that we can harmoniously live in a whole, safe, and compassionate world now, and for generations to come.

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To be continued and much love!

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This was updated on December 3, 2024.

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Thank you for reaching the end,
Christene Joy