Welcome to Uncaged!

I'm so happy you're here.

Before I began this Substack, I woke up in the middle of the night knowing what I wanted it to be.

I woke up with this specific memory.

I saw myself holding a large, heavy book with colorful illustrations and gold letters. Pages that smelled of newly minted words. A book I read over and over each night as a child: my collection of Aesop’s Fables. Hundreds of them.

These were simple stories used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson like “The Hare and the Tortoise,” or “The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.”

And they were everything to me as a kid.

I could easily say that they’ve shaped the way I write—rewiring my brain to think in moral lessons. To think in wisdom.

My book of a hundred fables taught me about right and wrong—taught me about reading between the lines when it comes to life events. It taught me to constantly ask what is the hidden meaning? What can I learn from heartache and pain and disillusion? How can I find the larger message? More importantly—it taught me about the importance of making good decisions.

Because the thing is, our lives, our memories—they are all puzzle pieces of a much bigger story. If we can give meaning to each piece, we can begin to see ourselves from a broader perspective—a perspective of unity and wholeness. Of our shared humanity.

What I’ve learned from fables is that there is wisdom to be gained from each and every day, from every experience—no matter how bland or monotonous some of those days can seem. It’s become a core belief for me now as I turn 40 this month.

On Living Deeply

I want to share the wisdom I’ve learned as a human who has lived deeply—who is also flawed, who has gone through insurmountable challenges—and has somehow overcome them. Someone who relentlessly seeks beauty in all its forms—even when it may originate from dark places.

I want to instill—with my life lessons and extensive research—that we are all capable of incredible strength, tenacity, courage and grace—beyond our wildest imagination.

We are built to endure.

You are built to endure.

That’s what this Substack will be about. I want to take all of my years as an experienced essayist, journalist, and even ghost writer, to offer these stories of hope and resilience to help you pave your own path. 

In this space, I’ll share reflections, researched articles, personal essays, poetry, and many many movie references. Mostly, I’ll share what’s inspired me.

There’s a favorite quote of mine by the famous dancer Isadora Duncan: 

“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” 

I would hang these words on my walls as a teen—they accompanied me in every new city or country I lived in.

These words meant something to me: liberation, rebellion, daring to dream and then acting on those dreams.

Last year, for my birthday, I had the words “Stay Wild” engraved as a tattoo. It serves as a reminder—to never stay tame.

Uncaged is about becoming free—from every form of constraint holding you back—and borrowing from Frida Kahlo’s words—it’s about “Rebellion against everything that chains you.

And that’s my aim with this newsletter. If you are afflicted, I hope this Substack will be a place of solace. If you are stuck and feeling complacent—I hope it will ignite something in you.

Who am I? I’m a Honduran-American writer based in Guatemala. My writing has been published in The New York Times, BBC, The Atlantic, Vogue, HuffPost, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Fast Company, The Washington Post, and many others.

I’ve written hundreds upon hundreds of articles and  interviewed some of the top psychologists, social scientists, CEOs, and productivity experts out there. I’ve covered everything from How Intellectual Humility Can Make You A Better Person—to the consequences of Sibling Parentification, to the importance of Journaling to Help Curb Anxious Feelings. 

The human mind fascinates me. Its potential. Its charm, its capacity for destruction but also illumination.

This is what I’ve discovered from all my research: We are powerful beyond measure. We are deeply flawed, deeply human, deeply capable of creating change.

The choice is ours.

Whether you sign up for free or upgrade to a paid subscription, I hope you’ll join me on this mission. Let’s do this.

~Cindy