Influencer Mireli A. America

Interview August 2022

Mireli, could you share with us some information about your family life?
I was born in Curaçao and have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I am a divorced mother of three sons and I have 4 grandchildren the 5th is underway. My parents were very dedicated parents and important to who I am at this moment. My father was always there for us at home, only when he went to work did we not see him. My parents taught us norms and values. For example, if I would leave home to go someplace, they would require me to inform them if I would change course and go somewhere else. They explained to me the reason why. They taught me to communicate and be transparent because that is important and this has always been a part of me. Or my mother would teach me principles, like staying away from people that were gossiping, this helps you to stay away from problems. That is why until now I don’t like to gossip, I considered it to be destructive energy. My father taught me to help unconditionally without other people knowing that I have helped others, walking his talk he once helped a colleague that was ill and worked both his job and that of this colleague until he passed away.

Could you share something about any other aspect of your educational background and your experiences?
I have always had this big innate drive in me, to grow and evolve. If you look at my CV, I went to the Huishoudschool for 3 years after the primary school level, as most of my peers did. I was getting good grades and teachers used to ask my parents what I was doing at this school. But in those days it wasn’t possible to switch schools, so after that school, I went to do “Office Administration” for 2 years, then MAVO for 2 years, and then HAVO for 2 years. I got a so-called holiday job after my HAVO at Dienst Administratie Ontwikkelingshulp (D.A.O.) in 1985 that decided to hire me. I kept studying and followed an “Adjunct-commies opleiding” for 3 years (MBO level) and in 1989 I started working at the Department of Finance. After some years, because of the scarcity of teachers, I decided to change my career and after a training of three years became a teacher.

I worked for 4 years as a teacher and because of my training, I was asked to become a school manager which I am doing since 2003. I never stopped upgrading myself and kept learning and started studying for a Master’s in Education, as I was more interested in the theoretical part of this study to gain more knowledge and skills, I never graduated for the lack of my final thesis only. I had discovered my other passion and started following courses on counseling and this was complementary to what I have gained in knowledge over all those years and I in hindsight had already since I was a child.

Why did you become a teacher in the first place, did it come easy?
In all the games we used to play as a child, I used to be the teacher, and this “drive in me” to become a teacher was hidden. I followed a long road starting my career in an administrative organization, Finance that offered me lots of opportunities to upgrade myself. I don’t consider these years a waste, for example becoming a school manager required management and administrative skills, which were very useful. But after 15 years working in the educational sector, I started to feel the need for a change and got involved slowly but surely in counseling. I am proud of most of the things I have done and one of my strong points was, as I had my children, I learned to deal with children of different ages and I became a teacher at an older age, all of that helped me. The connection between the teacher and the children is important, I never send a child out of my classroom, I always created a healthy competition in the classroom, intending to make the classes more lively. I gave all of them the feeling that I was there for them. Those 4 years I was teaching gave me so much fulfillment and in the beginning, as a school manager I couldn’t get used to not having to address children, it took a while.

I once heard from Bentley Leonora (Former school manager of Prins Bernard School) that Huge Lopez told them as they started to work in that school, “You should treat the children in your class as if they are your children. And if you can’t do that, you should go and find another job”. It seems to me that you treated all of your children in the class as if they were your children, right?

Yes, I did indeed.

You are also working as a counselor during your after-school hours, how did this start? Could you expand on this? What is your focus, is it life skills or do you combine it with mastery of emotions?
You know, I have been a counselor already my whole life. That has come naturally to me. It started with those around me and the number of people started to grow. At an early age, I wasn’t aware of this “Divine Gift” that I had, but in 2018 I became sick and needed a physical massage and out of three random massage therapists, I choose Gregg Martes. As I was being treated by Gregg, I talked about my spiritual abilities and as he listened to what I was telling him he proposed me to come and work at his office and work on clients’ emotional issues.

I knew that this was the moment I could feel that I couldn’t continue to not offer my gifts to clients.

I developed over the years my style, I would treat them with the same care and love that I would treat the children in my class, as the trust between my client and me are essential to be effective. During the sessions, the most shocking things might pop up that the client was not aware of. I have created some cards and would ask clients to single out those cards that they would feel are the ones bothering them the most. I believe that physical discomfort, like a headache, is a signal of something at a deeper level taking place in their subconscious mind. As emotions are a sign of trauma or pain that is stuck in the subconscious mind.

Based on these cards I can let the client discover their traumas and gain a deeper understanding of what they are feeling at this moment that might be related to something that happened in their past. It is funny to notice that the card that they evade, often is the card where I want to start with, because there is where most of the work needs to be done.

The approach that I use, allows me to talk to people. In my counseling, I also focus on intergenerational trauma. I make people conscious of the patterns that keep repeating themselves, from grandmother, mother, myself, my sisters…etc. I teach people to discern their emotions and gain mastery over them. In that knowledge of chakras and aura is important. If people don’t believe this, I would suggest to them, to go out after it rained and look at the colors of a rainbow…you will see the same colors in the same sequence red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I have seen it time and time again the 7th color I didn’t see yet.

I focus on my intuition and I want people to leave their brains and go more to the heart. I explain to my clients how important it is not to stay stuck in their minds but to go more to their hearts so they become more intuitive.

This we teach and through training and therapy and assignments we give them usually in Nature, but it could also be towards others like asking forgiveness, we help them in their healing process. But most of all I focus on the healing of the Inner Child because there we have the biggest problems. There is where traumas stay stuck, focusing mostly on the first chakra, as there are so many limitations that need to revive. It is there where we focus on.

What does “Be Light ”mean?
It is a tattoo that I got on Mother’s day. All of my life I didn’t have a tattoo, but as I considered this Mother’s Day present a spiritual present, I accepted this.

It reminds me on days when things look “dark and grim”, that I am the “Light”;

It is a symbol that I must not be an obstacle to the path I need to walk to fulfill my mission, which is to touch people their lives and transform their lives. That I need to be the “Light” at all times;

It is a symbol of the logo of my Talk Therapy: Soulhealing ‘Di doló pa Bendishon”, my first book. (From pain to Blessing). It is a symbol of a person that is very dear to me and isn’t on this Earth anymore, he passed away.

You told us that you are also a writer and poet. How many books have you written and how many have you published?
I have written six books, of which two are completed.

My first book is titled: “Di dolor pa bendishon” published recently on 9-7-2022. It contains inspirations written in poems.

My second book is titled: Mytrea Quotes, this one isn’t published yet and contains short quotes. My Facebook page is called Mytrea. Check it out, it focuses on “Soul Healing”.

The third book is titled: “Famia fundeshi di nos alma”. (Family the foundation of our soul).

The fourth book is titled: “Habri pa transformation”. (“Open up for transformation”) It contains poets just like my first book.

The fifth book is titled “Ramonsiño”. This is a book with stories for teachers, parents, and children.

The sixth book is titled:”Mi ke siña, abo ta kapas pa edukami”? This will be published when I retire from the educational sector.

You shared with us that you are planning to leave your job as a teacher, could share why you are considering this?
I have thought a lot about all the questions you have sent me upfront. Some of them made me think deeply. This question made me reflect a lot and I have answered it as follows:

In this phase of my life, I consider the mission that I had in the educational sector, as fulfilled.

My passion for writing and counseling has surpassed my passion for the Educational sector;

I have concluded and come to realize that the way the Educational Sector is being guided and directed with an emphasis on cognition and cognitive abilities is not contributing to creating better human beings;

Furthermore, I want parents to become more conscious of how they are living their lives, as this influences a child for the rest of their lives. Parents need to raise their children with a lively conscience, not a dead conscience. This needs to be worked on and developed as this will not happen just in itself;

In the past, people use to choose to work in the Educational Sector out of passion. One needs to be passionate to work as a teacher in the Educational Sector. Nowadays it seems like some people choose to work as a teacher because of the job opportunity it offers and based on the myth that as a teacher you have a lot of vacation. If more people continue to choose to become teachers for these reasons, the quality of our Education will continue to deteriorate.

Another passion has risen, it is giving me another way to educate people on emotional mastery as I consider this to be the key to success. I have clients from 4 to 87 years old.

What is your driving motivation to be who you are right now and do what you are doing now?
The things that give me lots of Joy and Motivation, these 2 ingredients, make me stay the course, as:
I know who I am, what I came on to on this earth, and how to do it;
I am very well emotionally equipped to discover the miracle behind every discomfort or pain I have and experience;
Physically, I am strong with lots of energy, I seldom lack energy as I know how Nature can re-charge me and this makes me keep my strength;
Mentally, I have discovered how to silence the mind and listen to my heart-mind;
Spiritually, I have discovered my purpose in life and unveiled my spiritual powers.

What are your plans for the coming years, let us say 5 years from now?
I will be working from 2 days a week to 5 days a week as a counselor. I will be more active on Facebook and my YouTube Channel. I have them now, but they are a little bit dormant, as I will be more involved in counseling I will be more active online. As a volunteer I will be helping youth how to deal with emotions, I will follow courses abroad upgrading myself, to become an even better servant for others in need. I would like to visit countries that have a rich history in spirituality.

What are the challenges that you are dealing with? And how are you dealing with these different challenges you confront?
Doing the job I have now while the passion has gone. Because the children at school need me, there isn’t a day that I don’t want to go to school.

Over the years I was challenged by injustice in front of me or Curaçao or the world and I couldn’t handle this at first. I have learned to remind myself that I am not the only person that can solve this injustice.

Lately, more and more people are discovering that all of us are unique and we need to stop imitating one another, as this becomes an obstacle to discovering oneself. That is why we offer workshops so that people can discover themselves.

Do you use your inner voice to evaluate when dilemmas show up? How does that work for you?
I would say intuition and inner voice are more or less the same. I am an “clear connaissance”. I know it when something is being channeled to me. I would tend to look at the situation from a helicopter view and at first, not be too close to what is happening and this helps me to connect with my spirit.

How are you trying also to keep up with your knowledge and skill levels?
I always loved reading, I read a lot, and I follow lots of online courses, I watch lots of videos, and I listen to motivational speeches of spiritual people, every single day in the morning. I love to follow people that have overcome challenges in their lives and learn how they have overcome these challenges. I seldom watch TV and use every single minute of the day to gain more knowledge, and interact with other like-minded people. I meditate and spend lots of time in silence to be able to hear what my soul of spirit wants to communicate. Just sit there in the present moment, I love being in the NOW.

What are your strengths?
I am a very intuitive, creative, different, inspiring, curious, adventurous, independent, self-sufficient, and intelligent person that has a lot of perseverance.

Do you have hobbies or interests that you are also passionate about?
Hiking, swimming, reading, I love nature. I love observing our cat, and I love walking barefoot. I love working with my plants, being with them and embracing them. People might consider me to be crazy but I can sense the deep spiritual power it has.

If you as Mireli would meet a stranger on the bus (let’s say in Berlin or Bogota Columbia) and they would ask you to introduce yourself, what would you answer?
My name is Mireli and I come from the magical island Curaçao.

How would you describe Mireli in one word or one sentence?
Mireli is unique and passionate. I dare to be who I am, although not all respect this. I have had this since I was a child. The driving force to grow and evolve I sense is a unique gift. It has nothing to do with my “ego”.

Who are the persons that have inspired you the most in your life and career?
In my career:

Mgr. Amado Romer, Canisio Wanga was very strict, but it helped me to give my best and now I say …WOW look I have grown over the years. And of course, Gregg Martes who has helped me grow spiritually and also trusted me to work in his practice as a personal coach. He also helps me with spiritual and counseling literature.

On a personal level:
My parents. My children are a miracle for me, each of them is teaching me other things. Imelda Francois was the first that taught me spirituality when I was 17 years old.

What is a trait that is still a work in progress?
I can be ruthlessly honest, and that is a deadly sin in Curaçao. I have taught myself to polish my wording a little bit as I believe in not talking about people behind their backs but being straightforward to them about what I think and feel about them. I can make a clear difference between the personal and professional aspects of a relationship. But most of us on the island are not like that.

What was a defining moment in your life?
I broke my left leg in 2019 during hiking in three places, I needed surgery and stayed home for 9 months. This has been the most blissful moment in my life. I had a chance to be completely free from morning till evening. That is when I started writing the book “Mytrea quotes”. I wrote this book and it is all about the most powerful encounter with the self. This has been the real turning point in my life. This hasn’t been a disgrace but a blessing in my life. I taught myself not to stand in the way and if I would allow it I would learn and meet my Soul and Spirit.

What would you want your Loved Ones, family, friends, and others to say about you let’s say 20 years from now?
Mireli was not afraid of the world. She presented herself in this world as she is. She is accomplishing her mission, let us give her a round of applause.

What makes you stay optimistic about the future of Curaçao as we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and recession, and in the middle of growing environmental challenges because of the global warming consequences?
Increased consciousness, not completely, but the awareness of the power of Nature. I have seen how the Covid-pandemic made a lot of the world, look at the world and Nature from a different perspective. There are so many things that we could do differently if we had started earlier with our hygiene we could have dealt with the certain issue better. We were forced to go into silence. In that silence, some discovered their creativity on the one hand, but on the other hand looked at how many issues people have towards other people. Certain false perceptions evaporated, like there is no poverty, or we are good at dealing with each other. Some people got confronted with themselves and this has made us more conscious about our health and our destructive relationship with Nature. Nature and Mother Earth have shown us how powerful it is and can be. I firmly believe that if we give our youngsters the lead and the trust they need, then I believe there is an auspicious future for Curaçao. I talk a lot with youngsters, I know how they think and feel. If only more people could become aware of the spiritual power that our energy and vibrations have, to bring about changes in the world, we have a unique chance to change the world for the better.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?
The Universe is doing its work, thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed.

One of the 250 Influencers of Curaçao

Mireli A. America is a very intuitive, creative, different, inspiring, curious, adventurous, independent, self-sufficient, and intelligent teacher, counselor, and author that has a lot of perseverance. During her childhood Mireli always had a big innate drive in, to grow and evolve. Her whole life she has shown curiosity and she has explored different jobs and studied a variety of subject matters preparing her in this stage of her life to listen to her intuition and become a full-time counselor this coming year, after a fruitful career in the Educational sector as a teacher and school manager. Daring to be who she is, although not all respect this, has made her choose her next steps when she arrived at a crossroads, following her heart. Expressing what she thinks, although some consider this a deadly sin, has always helped her be authentic. A life-changing accident in 2019 forced her to go on sickness leave for 9 months and taught her not to stand in the way of herself and allow and meet her Soul and her Spirit. Mireli started writing and what makes her stand out is, that she is now only at the beginning of impacting many more people’s life based on a focus on another passion, counseling. Helping people release past hurts and she also educates people on emotional mastery which she considers to be the key to the success of her clients’ lives, which vary in age from 4 to 87 years old. For all these reasons and her consistency to grow and evolve over the years, we consider Mireli A. America, one of the 250 influencers on the island, representing the “Emotional Mastery and Counseling ”-sector. Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.

The goal of the core group of Share2Uplift for 2022

The goal of the Share2Uplift movement is to: “Identify 250 leaders from all walks of life to connect, align and create impactful changes in all walks of life, which includes intergenerational collaboration by the end of 2022.” We will use interviewing Influencers, meet-and-greet events, “train-the-trainers”-programs on “Emotional Mastery” and “Intentionality “as national intervention strategies, to reach this goal on top of our goal to scale up the possibilities to connect, align and create impact via a virtual platform. We believe that by collaborating with Miguel Goede on the virtual Vision 2030 platform, we will accelerate the possibilities to connect the diaspora and others elsewhere in the world and on the island willing to constructively create impactful changes in Curaçao, to join.

As Share2Uplift, we are fully trying to align with this thinking of Center for Curriculum Redesign to promote this agenda in our educational systems and workplace. So, in that sense, we fully support any initiative to make our educational system 21st-century proof.

Share2Uplift aligners are those that:
– Create an inspiring vision of the future;
– Motivate and inspire people to engage with that vision;– Manage the delivery of the vision;
– Coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. These criteria are now being polished.

We also consider these 5 values the most important ones for Share2Uplift aligners. They are:

• Peace from within;
• Compassion;
• Respectfulness;
• Integrity;
• Responsibility.

As we will progress towards this goal, we will update you on the progress.

We will share in this week’s tips, some short videos of ‘Counseling’. We will upload one of these videos every day on our facebook.com/share2uplift page.

What is Counselling? – YouTube