Life milestones

Aligned Action  ·  Aligned Living  ·  Family & Relationships  ·  intentional living
A mastery moment

Happy Sacred Sunday!

It’s taken me all day to write this to you today because I’ve been consumed by remembering the sparks of bliss I experienced all weekend.

Bliss can happen in 3 ways:

When you dream of a future you believe would spark bliss 

  1. When you experience a moment that sparks bliss, and
  2. When you remember a moment that sparked bliss. 

The dream doesn’t always coincide with the actual moment. I have found sometimes the dream sparks more bliss than the actual experience. (Think of a time you planned for something but on the day it actually became a reality, it didn’t produce quite the joy you had expected.) 

Likewise, you often experience sparks of bliss in moments you could have never dreamt of. Little moments. Unexpected moments. 

But every once in a while you have a moment that hits all 3 categories. 

That was this weekend for me. 

I promised last week to share with you the story of my son fulfilling his dream of being Usnavi in his school’s upcoming production of “In the Heights.” 

It was a huge deal for him, but the experience had its own significance for us as his parents. 

The years between 2017-2020 were particularly special for our little five finger family. We had these 3 little boys at their yummiest age. They were big enough to be somewhat independent, but young enough to live with childlike wonder.


It was around that time that my son discovered his love of acting. We spent a lot of our time in theater. (The 3 of them loved going to shows.) Orly developed a special love of Lin-Manuel Miranda and his shows.

At 9 years old, he’d dress up as Usnavi from In the Heights anytime we’d go see the show. We even took him to Broadway Con in New York because the original cast of In the Heights was presenting.

He’d also dress up his brothers as his supporting actors and on two different occasions he invited 2 girls that he was friends with (one from a theater program he did and another one who is a Cuban cousin) to dress up with him.

I savored every minute of these years and dreamt of the day my son was a young man playing this role on a main stage.

Well, if you’ve been with me for a long time, then you may already know that at some point my son made a move that I thought might be the beginning of the end of his acting journey. I spoke about it on episode 17 of the podcast, Getting Off the Bus.

But as it turns out, not all detours take you off path. When you take aligned action and trust your intuition, life leads you to what was meant for you all along.

Orly joined the theater class at Westminster High School in 10th grade, and shortly after their spring show the director announced that their 2026 play would be In the Heights.

This weekend, the kid finally got his chance to play Usnavi at 17 years old.

As I sat in the front row watching my son perform, my heart felt as if it would explode.

His talent. His presence. His hard work. It all came to life before my eyes.

Our theme this month is Mastery March, and I witnessed my son master a role that he has loved for so long. 

This weekend he didn’t dress as Usnavi.

He became Usnavi.

And by the way, you may think, “Well, it’s not like he played on Broadway.” And you’d be right. 

But you know what, he might as well have been on Broadway, because it made no difference to us. 

Maybe one day my son will be in a big movie or on a big stage … and that will be a moment all on its own .., but this moment we had right now. This was everything to us. 

When he was 9 rapping with Usnavi in the lobby of the theater. 

When he was 17 rapping as Usnavi on the mainstage of his highschool theater. 

Those moments are etched in my heart forever, and will spark bliss in my memories for years to come. And they both leave room to dream for the future also. 

Life is both, and: 

This is the best it’s ever been …

and the best is yet to come.

This is a life craft my son has devoted more than half his life to, and I am so incredibly lucky to have been chosen to help him steward the gifts he got in this lifetime.

As for this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about a different kind of mastery. The kind of mastery that helps you build sustainable results in the areas that matter most to you (and how to use a team to help you build sustainable results in the areas you don’t want to master).

Thank you so much for going on this journey with me today. I’m absolutely giddy.

Sending you so much love,

P.S. Want even more support? The Well is my intimate coaching community where your vision becomes your lifestyle and we are now enrolling new members.

March 8, 2026

Life Lessons & Milestones  ·  Personal Growth & Family Life
Are you savoring or striving

Happy Sacred Sunday!

This weekend was my first son’s seventeenth birthday. There’s something about that number that hits different.

A couple of years ago when Orlando and I celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary, it inspired me to create a series of 17 lessons we’ve learned over the course of our marriage. Our tenth anniversary was probably the most impactful, but seventeen was the one that invited the most reflection.

Orly’s seventeenth birthday was no different. I’ve spent the last few days in deep reflection, getting choked up at unexpected moments. My husband has felt the same, and we were both surprised by the emotions this milestone stirred up in us.

“You’d think last year would’ve hit harder,” Orlando said. “That was the year we got Orly his first car! But this one just crept up on me.”

My theory is that there are milestones you prepare for. We planned for Orly’s car for months. It was a year of execution, logistics, saving, scheduling, and teaching, so we were ready. Next year, we’ll be preparing for college, another milestone that demands focus and action.

But seventeen was different.
Just like our anniversary, this was a year that required nothing of us. Instead, it landed softly in our laps, giving us the rare gift of stillness and the chance to notice.

Notice how much he’s grown.
How much we’ve grown.
How far we’ve all come.

This year gave us permission to savor rather than strive.

And that’s exactly the theme of this week’s podcast episode.
I share the story of a coaching client who was craving more playfulness yet, like so many high achievers, was getting caught in striving rather than savoring.

It’s not about being perfectly playful every day.
It’s about collecting sparks—those core moments when you choose presence and connection. These are the memories that shape the story of your life.

Orly’s seventeenth birthday reminded me of that truth.

Every day of his seventeen years hasn’t been perfectly harmonious, meaningful, or playful. But when we look back, we remember moments—the ones we marked, documented, and cherished. The long days have condensed into short clips that play through my mind: riding bike together around the neighborhood, the years we walked to school together, eating white rice in bed at 3am when we were in South Korea, and so many more.  (Scroll down to see a picture my mom captured without us knowing and you won’t see anywhere on socials.) 

As you enter this week, I invite you to pause.
Give yourself the gift of gentle reflection.
Remember the moments that have brought you sparks of bliss.

And if you want to explore this balance between ambition and progress, tune into this week’s podcast episode.  

Wishing you a week filled with sparks of clarity and joy.

Sending you so much love today and always.

Bliss’n Up Podcast

October 19, 2025

Mindful Living  ·  Personal Growth  ·  Podcast Anniversaries
If it weren’t for this, you wouldn’t be here

There’s one thing we know for sure:
Regardless of what kind of relationship you have with your mother…
If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be in this world.
So today, on this Sacred Sunday, let’s pause to honor the mothers — those who birthed us, raised us, loved us, or simply gave us life. Let’s thank them for being the vessel through which we entered this world.

Happy Sacred Sunday!

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to lead a mission statement workshop for a family. The mother had previously attended one of my workshops and wanted her husband and children to experience it too.

Picture this: Mom and Dad, their five kids (ages 19 to 30), three spouses, and a few babies — all gathered on a Thursday night, after a long day of work, at Mom and Dad’s house to discover their personal missions.

The place was a mad house and I couldn’t believe Mom had pulled this off. 😂

This is how she did it:

  1. She told them she wanted them to participate in an activity (no details).
  2. She said it was her Mother’s Day gift.

And they showed up.

Every single one of them.

At first, I wondered how they’d respond.

Would they be annoyed? Disengaged? Scrolling on their phones?

But they were such troopers and engaged the entire time.

Each of them walked away with something powerful — a personal mission statement to help them live with intention and solid principles.

And guess what? They even enjoyed it. 😮

It touched my heart that this mother dared to create such a meaningful experience, even though it seemed inconvenient or risky at first. All she wanted was to give her family a tool for their success.

Someone once said, “The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher.”

And let me tell you — I learned so much from her that night.

Mom inspired me to dare to create a similar experience for my own family.

So yesterday, I gathered my “five fingers” (my three teenage boys and my husband) plus my mom, stepdad, and sister to do a Bliss on the Bottle Vision Casting activity together.

Now, you can probably imagine the enthusiasm level when I told three teenage boys what we’d be doing. 😅

But just like Mom’s family…

They showed up. They engaged. And I hope they’ll carry something meaningful from that moment forward.

I was especially grateful to watch my 75-year-old mom cast her visions with joy and enthusiasm.

It reminded me that it’s never too late to keep dreaming and never too early to model what daring looks like.

This week on the Bliss’n Up podcast, I’m inviting you to reflect on what motherhood can teach you about courage and daring.

Whether you’re a mom yourself, celebrating your mother, or learning from a mother’s legacy, this episode will inspire you to reflect on what brave decisions, quiet sacrifices, or bold moments shaped you.

And how you can use those lessons to pave a brighter, bolder way forward.

Let this episode be a gentle invitation to honor the many forms of daring,  especially the ones passed down through the women who molded us.

To all the mothers, the mother-figures, and the lessons they continue to give us…

Happy Mother’s Day.

Bliss’n Up Podcast
May 12, 2025

Mindful Living  ·  Personal Growth  ·  Podcast Anniversaries
It’s our Anniversary ✨✨✨ Reflections from a year of podcasting

Happy Sacred Sunday!

“May the 4th be with you” has become a famous, albeit unofficial holiday, stemming from a clever play on the Star Wars movie phrase.

As a true lover of words, I love May 4th 😂.

But today I love it a little extra … because today is also the day we celebrate the one year anniversary of Bliss’n Up on the podcast. (Cinco de Mayo is the official birthday, but we’re celebrating on this Sacred Sunday).

When I told my husband, Orlando, that I was it had been one year since I launched Bliss’n Up, he didn’t believe me. He’d shake his head and repeat, “no Caro. It can’t be! Time is passing too fast!”

It occurred to me that without any milestones, the passing of one May 4th to the other would be insignificant. It reminded me of the story I read years ago about a Native American man who told his grandfather he dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

The grandfather asked, “if that is your dream, then why don’t you go to law school?’

“I’m 47 years old, grandpa. I’m too old to go to lawschool.”

The grandfather put his hand on the man’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. “Son, in 3 years you will be 50. The only difference is you’ll be a 50 year lawyer, or you won’t.”

Time will pass regardless, but it is our responsibility to make that time intentional.

From now on, May 5th (and 4th this year) will forever mark a dream I dared to bring to life — even if it unbelievable how quickly it sprung up on us.

This week on Bliss’n Up, I’m reflecting on our anniversary and closing the loop on the 1st episode: Getting out of the trying loop and diving in.

There is a lot to learn about going from trying to doing and I’m so happy to be on the other side of this story to share those golden nuggets with you.

May the 4th be with you to DARE to chase your dreams, live your best life, and create your own reality, 

And thank you for joining along in my journey; thank you for reading this weekly newsletter, listening to the podcast, and being part of our Bliss’n Up community. This work wouldn’t matter if I didn’t have you to share it with.
Happy anniversary to us!
Bliss’n Up Podcast

May 4, 2025