With flawless skin, a captivating smile, a generous sense of humor, and an innate ability for opening her heart to others, Veronica Del Castillo is the manifestation of fierce femininity and confidence – essential traits for roles ranging from award-winning journalist, television host, lecturer and author to devoted mother turned therapist and healer. Rich in wisdom, charm and truth, even her name means ‘true image.’ Veronica was the name of a legendary saint who wiped Jesus’ face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. She is tall, beautiful and brilliant. This is a woman who has clearly won the genetic lottery, but Veronica’s beauty is more than physical. Her beauty radiates from the inside out, like the warm radiance you feel when a Reiki Master (and she is) manipulates your life force energy. It feels as good as you can imagine. Meeting Veronica produces an instant calming effect –the kind of peaceful feeling anyone would crave.
Her path from internationally-acclaimed Mexican TV anchor to miracle worker and beloved spiritual leader has been one of courage and self-revelation. She has twice received the National Journalism Award in Mexico, and in 2011 she received an International Gaviota Award for her career as a journalist and communicator. In addition to many newscasts, magazines, and radio shows, she was a host and lead producer of the iconic show, Primer Impacto on Univision. In addition, this multi-talented beauty is a leading speaker on many conference circuits including Ted Talks. Whether covering a story for network news or providing Reiki therapy and Theta Healing® for cancer patients, Veronica’s work and research embodies what we are experiencing as a society – from emotional and physical pain to illness, depression and fear. She spent years studying energy healing, psychology, and A Course in Miracles – a spiritual thought system that teaches us the way to universal love, peace and remembering God is by undoing guilt through forgiving others.
Raised in the heart of Mexico, Veronica comes from a close-knit, famous family. Her father is the treasured, venerate actor, Eric Del Castillo, and her sister is the spirited actress Kate Del Castillo – star of the popular Netflix shows Ingobernable and The Day I Met El Chapo – a documentary which reveals her journey to interviewing the dangerous drug lord, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. And while the family has endured tremendous adversity and bullying surrounding Kate’s controversial meeting with El Chapo, Veronica’s positive energy, unconditional love and unwavering faith in her spiritual beliefs has helped the Del Castillo family to stay united and reign victorious in the face of public scrutiny and unwarranted attack. It is an achievement worthy of our praise.
When she isn’t writing, speaking on the lecture circuit or working with patients, the gifted author can be found at home in her favorite role of loving mom to her wonderfully intelligent son, Darwin. In an intimate interview on a beautiful September afternoon high in the gorgeous hills overlooking San Francisco Bay, Veronica opens up with Latina Magazine about life and her new book, Tu eres un Milagro (You are a Miracle), in which she shares powerful tools, emotive anecdotes and luminous phrases to help us understand the essence of miracles and attract more abundance in every area of our lives.
You must have quite a fun-loving and imaginative family. I recently heard a funny story about when you and your sister Kate were little, you pulled a prank on your busy father. Can you tell us about it?
Yes, he was a very busy man with a big imagination and could be easily distracted. My mother was usually the one who always drove us to school, so we knew we had a good chance he would forget that we had to go to school. We just quietly laughed in the back seat and distracted him. My sister and I were like, ‘Don’t tell him anything. He is going to drive directly to his job and not to the school.’ That is exactly what happened. He forgot that we had school, and we went to the television studio with him and spent the whole day having fun at the studio.
Real evidence shows hat dads have a uniquely important impact in the lives of their children. How much influence does your father have on your life?
He inspires me a lot. He showed us how to fight for our creativity. ‘No matter what you have to fight for it,’ he would say. He is also a very loving, generous and compassionate man. Before he became an actor, he thought he wanted to be a priest and attended seminary. Personally, I never wanted to be an actress. I never thought I was good, but he always told me that I was very good at it. However, I didn’t like it. I was more worried about school and doing good in school than making movies.
Instead of following family tradition and becoming an actress, you went into journalism. When did you discover your passion for psychology?
Yes, well I studied at the New World University in Communications, but I was always a frustrated psychologist inside. I wanted to study psychology, but the university did not have a psychology major. Since I had a scholarship to the university, I stayed and studied journalism. I don’t regret studying communications, but I always had the intention and a passion to know about topics on human development, behavior and mind. The truth is as skilled interviewers, journalists have to know a lot about psychology.
So the desire and interest in the healing arts and psychology was always there. Was there an event or events that brought about your personal search to be more authentic and live out your passion?
Yes, it is clear through the experiences we have in life, we have to hit the bottom and somehow find the inspiration and strength to adapt and overcome the emotional pain and obstacles in order to grow. In my personal life, I hit bottom in many aspects. But I think life challenges, they make us rediscover ourselves and then we want to share with other people who may be having a similar situation. After going through a painful divorce, suffering postpartum depression, a losing my identity, enduring loneliness and physical and emotional illnesses among others, I knew nothing mattered more than that I feel better. So, I began to read, study and practice several philosophies and techniques of healing and meditation.
What healing techniques and therapies do you use in your practice?
Through my research, I found a remarkable mix of three therapies that I summarize in my book: The teachings from A Course in Miracles; Reiki therapies; and Theta Healing therapy. Reiki is an energy chakra healing technique, and Theta healing is a meditation process working with theta brainwaves with which you can access the unconscious. Having access to unconscious beliefs and deeply buried wounds allows you a chance to heal them where you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. These two techniques along with practicing the lessons of A Course in Miracles, you will learn to live in the light and feel the strength in you, which makes all miracles within your easy reach, and your doubts will vanish.
How did you find A Course in Miracles, or did it find you?
I had a human development podcast called Los Huevos No Son Al Gusto, ‘Eggs are not to taste.’ We touched on issues that are currently affecting young people: alcoholism, drug addiction, codependency and bullying, to name a few; and thus provided spiritual and emotional help. During one of the podcasts, I interviewed A Course in Miracles teacher, Amalia Perez. She has been teaching the course for 24 years. After I interviewed her, I asked her if she wanted to be my teacher. So every Monday in my house, we have A Course in Miracles study circle. That was two years ago, and my life has changed because of it. Now my healings are more powerful. I would also like to mention that my podcasts are still up at www.loshuevosnosonalgusto.com. There are about 60 programs available with some very helpful information.
What is a miracle to you?
There are many definitions for what makes a miracle. In my book, I present a series of interviews with people that I consider special in my life and admire for the way they overcame obstacles and went through miracles in their lives. For me, my definition is to open your eyes and enjoy life. It is the alchemy that can transform a negative situation in to a positive one. It is a change of mentality that modifies our perception of the world. It allows us to choose again, transcending the laws of the world to reflect the laws of God.
As an experienced hard news journalist, I am sure you have witnessed stories and cases that you consider miraculous. In your book, you have a journalistic approach with the interviews of the miracles. I really liked it. Tell us about them.
It’s about witnessing supernatural stories, and as a journalist my real cases like the kidnapping and martyrdom of Laura Aguilar and the explosions in Naucalpan and in Xalostoc. From my experience as a journalist, I covered real life stories of people who have had supernatural events happen to them, extraordinary stories that come out of the ordinary that I wanted to share. Also in my book, I write about working with cancer patients. My two favorite patients are a little boy who was healed of cancer from our meditation together and a women with breast cancer who was cured. The cancer society later made her an ambassador, and the doctor sent me a video of the little boy saying, “God saved me. Thank you for your healing. Now I am clean.” These two persons have been my greatest miracles. It was practice, practice. Everything is done by God.
What about miracles in your own life?
Yes, we all have miracles if we choose to be in the light. For example, the tragedy of the El Chapo ordeal in my family. It was a very difficult time as a family, but with God’s help he gave us strength. We overcame and were able to forgive and find peace in the middle of tremendous harassment. Then something happened that I was very surprised by. Around 5 or 6 years ago, I was almost kidnapped in Acapulco. I was coming out of a disco and some people started to chase me. I got in my car and began to pray. Repeating the Lord’s Prayer over and over. As I was driving I started to hear a voice, and the voice was telling, ‘Make a left. Go right. Turn here…’ I followed what the voice told me to do, and I lost them. I believe it is the same voice which dictated the book to me. Sometimes at 5 o’clock in the morning!
You are giving me chills. Do you get the feeling you were lead to write this book?
Oh definitely. I started thinking about it like two and half years ago, but I had never written anything and didn’t have the time. I needed to be fired from last journalism job in order to be free to write the book! Once I decided to write it, I finished the book in 6 months. Also, I had a supernatural experience during a trip with my father to the Holy Land in Jerusalem. We were visited some of the holy sights where Jesus performed miracles, like where the multiplication of loaves and fish took place. Something changed me on this trip, and my healing abilities became stronger.
When you finished the book, were you shocked by what you had written?
Yes, because it would be in the middle of night, and the voice would wake me up. I was asleep and very tired, but the voice would say, ‘Get up. Wake up.’ It wakes you up and you are like, ‘Later, later, later. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.’ Then I would fall back asleep again. The next morning I would read it and say, ‘I never wrote this.’ I had no memory of it. Often, I was too tired to write every night, and I wanted to remember everything, but I couldn’t. However, the voice dictated to me the events of what happened and everything was so fresh.
Most important thing you want others to get from your book?
The most important thing I want to get across with this book is, we can transform our reality through our beliefs and thoughts. I have entire chapters on money and prosperity. The chapter on illness is one thing I would want people to know. Illness is an illusion. Sickness is not real. What is behind sickness is guilt, so we need to forgive. It is about forgiveness and removing the obstacles to love. I tell everybody we have to recover our powerful mind. If you heal your mind, then your body heals.
Do you see the news differently now?
Yes, in fact I just did a Ted Talk, “De la nota roja a la nota rosa” – From hard news to soft news. It’s on YouTube. Now, I am giving good news, positive news. I used to identify myself with the dark side of people, and now I don’t. I have changed my vibration and choose not to believe in suffering. I was just in front of a building that was completely destroyed during the Mexico City earthquake last September. Everybody was crying, and there was so much drama, and yet I felt so calm. I knew the Holy Spirit was present, and I have to help the people who are alive.
How did the September 2017 Mexico City earthquake affect you?
When the earthquake came, I was unemployed and thought what can I donate if I don’t have money. We always have something to give, time, knowledge, companionship, so I opened a house with a group of holistic therapists to give free therapy to PTSD earthquake victims. It was not a coincidence that this event was occurring. It was very good because it was preparing me, and “coincidentally” I was available to dedicate myself to this new work. Then I opened my consultation office for patients, began doing conferences and workshops, and wrote my book. This has changed my life.
Another miracle. Were people upset that you were so calm?
They wanted help and needed someone strong. People started telling me about people who were supposed to be alive in the rubble. I began talking to relatives and sending healing energy to the buried people. I was able to tell the rescue workers where people were located and in what position. I dreamed about the victims and their locations. I went with the rescue workers and told them I see 20 people alive. They thought I was crazy, but asked if I could tell them the exact floor on which they were lying. I told them they were all on the same floor, as they were having a meeting when the building collapsed. It was a match.
Have you had this ability your whole life?
Yes, my great grandmother was a psychic. However, I around 5 yrs ago, I had experience after experience. In my Ted Talk, I share that everybody has the gift of healing. We only need practice the knowledge.
So it has always been there. At what point in your life did you embrace it and become public with your gift?
The truth is during the earthquake, I literally had to come out of the closet. Before I was so concerned with what other people would think and say. My fellow journalists are going to say I went crazy. Anyone, even my family. Yes, I have questioned if I was afraid that my credibility as a journalist would lose out by these types of healings, but also at the same time the energy is so right. It is clear to me that this is my purpose.
Through all of this has your definition of success changed?
Yes, I wanted to impress my parents, my colleagues, my bosses, etc. I was always thinking about what they thought about me. I was worried about their opinion about me. But now, I don’t care. Now I am more authentic. So success is not about just being ambitious in the work place. It’s more from the inner world. It is more about having peace, giving to others and trying to serve the others.
As a spiritual leader and miracle worker, you are helping others to awaken and raise their consciousness. What can we watch for in the future from Veronica Del Castillo?
Right now I am speaking about Latinas, and I am part of a movement that is called Hispanas.org. It is a community blog to be in contact with Hispanas who have similar life stories, traditions, and ideologies to share. It is a space for mutual support, in which women can express themselves and freely share ideas, passions, and the successes and difficulties when migrating to another country. It is a wonderful community empowering Hispanas here in the states. In January 2019, we are looking to kick-off a conference tour in major cities around the world. Our website is up and we have several bloggers. It is important for us to empower each other.
It’s been a delightful and enlightening chat. How can people reach you for a consultation?
I would be happy to help them. They can contact me and schedule an appointment by using the cell phone app, WhatsApp. The country is Mexico (011) and my number is +52 1 (55) 5502 1581.