From Hardship to Empowerment: The Journey of Angelina Cortez

“God spoke to me and told me, ‘This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to help people transform and heal,’” she says.

A teen mom at 17 and later a single mother of four after two failed marriages, Angelina Cortez once cleaned houses, fed her children cheese tacos because there was nothing else to eat, and was forced to leave her dream job in law enforcement.

These are just some of the struggles Cortez has faced—stories she now shares to show other women they are not alone in their challenges. Her message: they too can overcome obstacles and become strong, successful, and confident women—or as she calls them in her motivational seminars, “Mujeres Divinas.”

Cortez is a motivational speaker, life coach, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, businesswoman in the security consulting industry, and author of two books. She also organizes one-day seminars called “Mujer Divina,” dedicated to helping individuals break free from pain, trauma, and limiting beliefs so they can reach their full potential and find fulfillment and joy.

“I’m building a community of strong women—a movement where they can feel safe, seen, and motivated to be more. To be better wives, women, and role models,” says the 45-year-old.

STRUGGLES

Cortez, who has a large following on social media where she posts motivational videos several times a week, grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, and moved to San Diego at age 13. She became a mother at 17. She now has four children—ages 29, 24, 18, and 14—and two grandchildren.

She has been married and divorced twice.

Always interested in becoming a soldier or police officer, she studied Criminal Justice but wasn’t hired anywhere. She then entered the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy.

“It was very challenging,” she remembers. “Being a female, never having been through physical training, the mental toughness was difficult.”

And there were family obligations, too.

“I still had to go home and be a mom and a wife. Not having a supportive partner was hard. I had to study, write reports. I was sleep-deprived, only getting three hours of sleep,” she recalls. “My mom had to come help me with my kids. I was not going to allow myself to quit, even though I thought about it.”

She persevered and became a Sheriff’s Deputy. But after 15 years in the force, she says she was forced to resign due to a false accusation.

At that point, she hit rock bottom.

“Mujer Divina is about empowerment and transformation,” she says. “It’s about healing and understanding the trauma we’ve carried from childhood and life experiences.”

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

“I went to a dark place,” Cortez says. “I was experiencing depression, anxiety, panic attacks—even suicidal thoughts.”

“I couldn’t understand why all these things were happening to me,” she adds.

Then one day, in the midst of this darkness, she had what she describes as a spiritual awakening.

“God spoke to me and told me, ‘This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to help people transform and heal,’” she says.

She began writing down her thoughts on notepads and embarked on a journey of self-discovery—revisiting her life and the traumas that had shaped it: abandonment, bullying, being dismissed and put down for being a woman and a single mom.

“I left everything I was doing to just focus on that,” says Cortez, who decided to share her experiences and the resilience she had built over the years.

That experience, she says, “opened a realm of events.”

“I started receiving a lot of messages. I began to listen to my thoughts, observe my emotions and my actions.”

This deep inner work eventually led to the creation of her “Ascend from Pain into Purpose” program, which guides individuals through self-discovery, emotional healing, and personal transformation.

In December, she held her first “Mujer Divina” event, where attendees could experience the program firsthand.

“They get to know who they truly are,” Cortez says. “To reprogram themselves to become the person they dream of being. They learn there is more to life than suffering.”

EMPOWER AND TRANSFORM

So far, Cortez has hosted two Mujer Divina events and plans to hold them every three months. The cost is intentionally kept affordable ($30 to $50, including food), just enough to cover expenses.

She also offers free tickets to those who need them.

Cortez wants the events to be accessible so more people can benefit.

“Mujer Divina is about empowerment and transformation,” she says. “It’s about healing and understanding the trauma we’ve carried from childhood and life experiences.”

She explains that trauma creates “mental and emotional conditioning that sabotages our relationships and family dynamics,” ultimately preventing us from achieving success.

“It’s about breaking free from your old operating system,” she notes.

She also organizes events for men.

“Men need a lot of empowerment too. They need to be seen and validated,” Cortez says. “There are a lot of broken men—men who are hurting, who’ve been through abuse and trauma.”

These events, and the messages shared, are intended to be catalysts for change.

“It’s a pouring of love and wisdom to provide hope and inspiration,” says Cortez, who serves as a role model by sharing her story of struggle and triumph—as an author, entrepreneur, mother, motivational speaker, and life coach.

During her events, participants learn how to:

Connect with their inner child

Meditate

Break negative thought patterns

Shift their energy

Journal effectively

Connect with their higher self

Cortez also offers each attendee a free one-on-one session to help jumpstart their journey.

Her goal?

“To open a door of hope and inspiration—just like the one I found.”

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