Maria Mendoza-Bautista

I am a Scholar Practitioner, life coach, and project manager currently living a bi-coastal lifestyle with work and home (Cali and Maine). My interests range from arts, food, travel, live music, and new adventures with the love of my life Edgar!

I am passionate about justice and advocacy work. This work is not easy. At times, it can be consuming - I tend to forget to take care of myself. I started my career twenty years ago thinking that I had to do everything that I could to make the lives of those that reflected my own marginalization better. In fact, I adopted what the field calls a “savior complex.” I was deeply impacted by the lives of those that I came across to serve and support; however, I never received training or mentoring on how to create boundaries around this wrap around support for students, communities, youth, and families. I wish I did or I wish I was able to at least able to see some of my role models working in the field modeling healthier behaviors. Instead, I observed BIPOC colleagues overworking themselves for their communities (at the cost of exhaustion and deteriorating health) - in the name of being “saviors” too!

My work now focuses on giving those that I support their own sense of AGENCY. By empowering those around me to be their own best advocates, it allows them to truly be self-actualized! As a past “enabler," I am done feeling unworthy, and attacked by students that will turn on us if they don't get what they want and compromise our integrity at any expense. I have learned to create strong boundaries while staying true to my core values of respect and compassion. The narrative needs to be flipped on its head! It's always a new day!

I wish for this page to be dedicated to healing and intentional self-celebration!

If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to say hello through any of the social links below.