Born in Colombia and adopted by a family in New Jersey, my life has been a continuous quest to get to know myself.
I don’t know my birth parents, or much about my culture for that matter, so I grew up having to rely on my inner knowing to embody what felt like the truest and fullest expression of who I was at any given moment. And I stumbled. Hard and often.
The more I felt like I was on the right path to being more authentic to myself, the more resistance I seemed to garner from other people and the harder of a fight I had to put up to be seen and heard. That inner fight started to subside and give way to an easier path of people-pleasing. My people-pleasing overtook my desire for authentic self-expression.
I felt the constant push and pull between who I was expected to be and who I was.
Creating healed me.
As I attempted to accept more of who I was, there was one modality that gave me the freedom and safety to explore myself: stories.
From writing my own stories teeming with creative character plots, to reading stories in mountains of books that I would sift through for hours, I found pieces of myself hidden throughout. My wounding of that push and pull started to heal as I learned more about myself through my personal narratives and the resonance of other people’s stories. I created a really dope fantasy world for myself that I could escape to.
But during my own exploration through storytelling, I realized that I wasn’t looking for the answer to the question of who I was.
The primary question I wanted an answer to was, "What do I have to do to be loved for who I am?"
Woof.
And as I dove deeper into that discovery, I came to the realization that the rejection I was feeling from other people was actually a deeper reflection of the lack of acceptance and permission I was giving myself to be who I was.
Double woof.
So I did everything I could to hold the truth of who I was and nurture the parts of me that felt rejected. I spoke to those parts of me that I felt were difficult to love. I journaled daily. I went to talk therapy. I tried somatic therapy. I got monthly energy healings. I did hypnotherapy to rewire my brain. I changed my diet. I changed my exercise routine. I had conversations with people to get their feedback on how I show up in relationships. I got my natal chart read. I got my human design chart read. I got tarot readings. I walked everywhere in an attempt to spend more time with myself.
Slowly, I began to not only love the parts of me I thought I couldn’t, but I started to cultivate a deep appreciation for myself. I started to accept what is, while also seeing the world for what it could be: a place to explore the endless expression of love.
And because I truly believe in the healing power of storytelling, I started to share my story with the world. For instance:
I started a super cool podcast.
I’ve written 2 books, with another one on the way.
I’m creating short visuals about womanhood on social media.
This brings me to you.
My stories are here to serve. My work is built on a foundation of love, an unrelenting passion for all of the love we can experience in this lifetime, and a commitment to be an unstoppable force for endless love and compassion.
Through all of my art or content, I’m here to root into leaving the world a better place than I found it. I’m here to root into setting the stage for future generations to pass on the art of storytelling. To help you own your story and all that comes with it. A life that’s rooted in freedom and liberation.
Let’s be clear: I’m in no way completely healed or without flaws. I continue to learn about myself and the world, which I share through my storytelling.
But my commitment to both you and myself is to do my best.
If you’ve made it this far, I hope this is just the beginning of our journey together. I’d love to get to know you better and the best way to do that is by emailing me at kayla@kaylanedza.com. Tell me what you’re working through right now or tell me which episode of Girlfriends is your favorite.
Thank you for being here friend.
Xo.
Kayla
Sports.
I played soccer, softball, and basketball as a kid. I wanted to go pro until I blew out my ACL/MCL. My degree was also in Sports Management. Here’s my favorite sports moment of all time.
Fashion.
I love how clothing can change my whole mood. My go-to outfit is a black turtleneck, black leather joggers, black sock boots, and a red leather jacket. I’m also team #degenderfashion.
Spirituality.
I’m a Cancer sun, Scorpio moon & rising with a Capricorn North Node. A 3/5 sacral generator with a vessel of love incarnation cross. An INFJ. If you understand any of this, let’s be friends.
Dismantling.
I root all of what I do in the liberation of Black and Indigenous women, femmes, and gender-fluid folks. Period.
Kink.
I identify as a switch and voyeur with primal tendencies. I love reading smut, erotica, or learning about the evolution of kink. I’m always open to more book recs.
Adoption.
I was adopted as an infant from Colombia and continue to be a mentor with different organizations for people looking for support in navigating the challenges of being adopted.