My Story

What I Don’t Want You To Know About Me

I’ve been afraid for most of my life. When I was 5, I hid in a bathroom during a school play where I was supposed to be on stage, terrified of being laughed at. At 7, I pretended to be sick to avoid going to horseback riding lessons, because of my fear of horses. At 12, I experienced sexual abuse that forced my heart to close, creating deep confusion around sexuality, trust, love, and intimacy. This traumatic experience led me down a path of disconnection and addiction, trying to numb the pain I couldn’t face.

At 14, I once overheard my father tell a friend he was worried because ‘Gabriel didn’t have a personality.’ From that moment on, believing who I was wasn’t good enough, I promised myself I would have a personality my father would be proud of so that I could win his love back. And I lost myself in the process.

Living From the Head

Like many people, I spent years living from my head instead of my heart. On the outside, I had what looked like success—from riding horses professionally after college to starring in telenovelas and performing in theater plays. I was building a thriving career in the entertainment industry, living the dream that many aspired to, with achievements to be proud of and a life that others might envy. Bright lights, applause, accolades—all of it was there. But inside, despite all the acclaim and success, I felt empty, disconnected, and alone.

I was surrounded by people, yet utterly alone. I’d look in the mirror and barely recognize the person staring back. The image was polished, the smile practiced, but behind it all, there was a hollowness, a yearning for something more real, more meaningful. My relationships felt superficial, my passions felt forced, and even my moments of supposed joy were tinged with a subtle sadness. I knew I had to break free, to dismantle the facade and discover the authentic self that was buried beneath layers of expectations and societal conditioning.

The Journey of Healing

Grief has been a profound teacher in my life. I lost my father at 19, followed by my younger brother, my best friend, and my sister. Each time, I struggled to recover and move forward. However, it was my mother’s death in 2008 that broke my heart wide open. In the immediate aftermath, I was mugged and lost my job, a series of events that triggered the most intense existential crisis of my life. It was a period of immense pain that brought me to my lowest point. Each night, I’d cry myself to sleep, praying I wouldn’t wake up the next day.

This crisis happened while I was visiting South Africa. It was there that my open heart began to heal, particularly through my work with a spiritually-based NGO supporting those who had lost loved ones to HIV/AIDS. This experience marked the beginning of a deep personal journey of healing and transformation. During my time in Cape Town, I pursued ministerial studies with the Emerson Institute under Dr. Tom Sannar, established Sacred Heart Ministries – an educational non-profit organization, became a certified HeartMath Coach, explored the use of sacred plant medicines, began to play guitar, and finally confronted the trauma I had been carrying all my life.

The Work That Found Me

What started as a spiritual counseling practice, a ministry of the heart dedicated to supporting those who were brokenhearted, later evolved into Cardiocentrica, my current coaching, consulting, and training business. I also founded the Heart Leader Community, where for the past nine years, I’ve trained leaders in the art of heart-centered, transformative leadership. Additionally, I created the Path of the Heart Seminars, guiding hundreds through their own heart awakening, healing, and transformation.

My core values are love, creativity, and freedom. I consciously built my coaching and training practice around my deepest passions: personal development, spirituality, and creative self-expression. The Heart Leadership and Mastery framework I developed is essentially the training I wish had existed when I first started walking this path. It is, in many ways, a blueprint of the nine fundamental skills anyone on the path of Heart Mastery must develop—a practical, heart-centered approach that seamlessly blends ancient wisdom with modern scientific understanding.

Spiritual Influences & Approach

I was raised Catholic and feel most at home with the original teachings of Christ, the ancestral knowledge of the Vedas, the noble truths of Buddhism, the magic of Sufism, and the wisdom of Native American and Indigenous shamanic traditions. My work draws from these influences, along with modern science, particularly the research from HeartMath Institute and Institute of Noetic Sciences. I’m also inspired by Dr. David R. Hawkins’s research on consciousness, Ken Wilber’s Integral Framework, Susanna and Puran Bair’s teachings, Tej Steiner’s Five Ways of Being, and Mari Perron’s A Course of Love —among many others.

While my approach is deeply spiritual, it isn’t tied to any specific religion or dogma. Instead, I integrate timeless wisdom and modern science with contemporary understanding, creating a practical path that honors all spiritual traditions while remaining accessible to everyone. Love is the religion of my heart, and transformation through loving presence is my daily practice.

My Gifts and Shadows

This path has revealed my three greatest gifts:

• The ability to see beneath people’s masks and connect with their energy, heart wisdom, and spiritual essence. 
• A natural talent for guiding people back to their own inner source of love, wisdom, and power so they can tap into their full potential. 
• The capacity to translate complex spiritual wisdom into practical understanding, making it easier for others to embody these truths in their daily lives

But these gifts come with their shadows. My sensitivity to others’ pain sometimes leads to overwhelm. Sometimes I get frustrated when people can’t see their own potential and magnificence as clearly as I can see it. And my passion for sharing wisdom can occasionally overwhelm people with too much information at once.

Present Work and Future Vision

After twelve transformative years in South Africa, I followed my heart’s calling to move to Spain. The first step on this journey was walking the Camino de Santiago, which ultimately guided me to Granada, where I now live and continue the work I’m meant to do. I’m currently creating a new Heart Space—a sanctuary for deep connection and sacred work, where people can embody the practices of wholehearted living.  I’m also recording the Medicine for the Heart songs that began coming to me when I first embarked on this path.

My vision extends far beyond this single space. I dream of creating a global network of Heart Spaces run by Heart Leaders—licensed, trained facilitators and coaches—where people from all walks of life can come to connect, create community, heal, and grow together. The crown jewel of this vision is Heartland, an international retreat center where people from around the world will come to heal their hearts and reconnect with themselves, others, nature, and their Divinity. It will also serve as a gathering place where Heart Leaders meet regularly to connect and support one another.

Even now, at 56, fear visits me every day. I’m afraid of growing old, of being judged, of dying with my songs still inside me, of my vision never becoming true. But I’ve learned that behind each fear lies a deeper desire. So, fear has become my compass, my friend, pointing me toward what my heart longs for and truly matters most.

An Invitation to Join Me

If you’re seeking emotional healing, a deeper spiritual connection, or desire to lead from a place of authentic power, and would like me to be your guide along the Path of Heart Leadership and Mastery, please feel free to reach out or explore the different ways to work with me.