Meet Helen Cuadra | Trauma-Informed Embodiment Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Helen Cuadra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Helen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The idea didn’t come to me all at once. I had just taken a year off work after severely burning out at a tech startup. I was in stage five burnout and completely disconnected from my body, so I couldn’t think clearly about what might come next. My focus was just on healing.

Once I was finally well enough to even consider working again, I thought I might return to tech. It was what I knew. But as I started going through job listings, most of them didn’t sound appealing. And when I actually applied to a few, it felt like I was abandoning myself. Like I was slipping back into old patterns and ignoring what I had just spent so much time learning about my needs.

At the same time, I noticed I was already supporting friends in their own healing journeys. I had been sharing the practices and insights that helped me, and they were landing. Something about that felt right, so I decided to explore it more intentionally.

I spent time reflecting on what had actually supported me most. The healers who made the biggest impact were the ones who felt human. They didn’t try to fix me or hold authority over me. They met me with curiosity, care, and a kind of shared power. They gave me space to go slow, and their containers felt safe enough to bring my full self. I also realized how much I appreciated having longer 90-minute sessions. The standard 50 or 60 minutes never felt like enough for the deeper work.

I built my practice around those values. I wanted something that allowed me to work relationally, spaciously, and on a human scale.

There was definitely fear. I didn’t know what I was doing, and the unknowns felt overwhelming. But I’ve always had a streak of adventure in me. When I was twelve, I went bungee jumping off a bridge. I was terrified, but I jumped anyway. By the time I hit the bounce, I was screaming and laughing with joy. That’s what starting my business has felt like. Scary, yes, but also wildly alive.

One quote I keep returning to says, “Often the journey of transformation is steeped with mystery, and you cannot see where you are going. Be brave. Because sometimes leaps of faith lead to the most wonderful adventures.” That’s what this has been for me—a leap, a risk, and something deeply worth it.

What should our readers know about your business?
I run a trauma-informed embodiment practice called Held by Helen. I support clients in reconnecting with themselves through a deeply relational and body-aware approach. My work centers around two areas I know intimately: burnout and complex PTSD.

Many of my clients are high-functioning and self-aware. They’ve read the books, gone to therapy, and understand their patterns, but something still feels stuck. Often, that stuckness isn’t cognitive. It lives in the body. In our work together, we slow down enough to notice what’s happening underneath the insight – in sensation, impulse, and emotion – and begin to relate to those experiences with compassion and curiosity.

I trained in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) because it was developed specifically to treat complex PTSD. What resonated most for me was its present-moment focus. We don’t dig into the past or retell trauma stories. Instead, we work in the now, noticing how early experiences of disconnection may still be shaping our sense of self and relationships. That’s where change becomes possible – not through pressure, but through presence.

What sets my practice apart is the way I meet people. There’s no pressure to perform healing or arrive in a certain way. You can come in guarded, unsure, or numb. All of you is welcome. Your pace sets the pace. I don’t offer tools or techniques to try and help you feel better. But I will sit with you in what’s here and support you in listening more closely to yourself.

Getting to this point wasn’t easy. I started this business after a year of recovery from stage five burnout. I didn’t have a clear roadmap. I just knew I couldn’t go back to working in ways that felt extractive or disembodied. I had to build something that aligned with how I wanted to live and relate. That meant honoring my capacity, setting boundaries that felt ethical and sustainable, and learning how to grow slowly rather than rushing to prove anything.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the Freely Held initiative – a donation-based fund that allows me to offer free sessions to those who can’t afford care. The long-term vision is to have enough monthly contributors that I can offer all of my sessions freely, supported by community care. It’s one way I’m trying to soften the edges of a system where healing is often gatekept by privilege.

If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s this: healing doesn’t have to be forceful or fast. You don’t need to become someone new. There’s nothing wrong with you. There is so much already here in you that’s worth honoring. My work is about creating the kind of space where that remembering can unfold.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.? In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?
We’d definitely start with dinner at AttaGirl in Hermosa Beach. The food is California Mediterranean, fresh, vibrant, and thoughtfully crafted. What makes it extra special for me is that the chef and owner, Alice Mai, is a dear friend. Her warmth is infused into everything she creates. Sitting inside the cozy space, catching up over small plates and flavorful dishes would be the perfect welcome.

We’d spend at least one day by the beach, skating the boardwalk with the LA Skate Hunnies. It’s such a fun, affirming community. There is nothing like feeling the ocean breeze while rolling in a big crew of joyful, loving humans. Whether my friend is a seasoned skater or just coasting for the vibes, it’s always a good time.

On the weekend, we’d head to the Wat Thai Temple Food Court in North Hollywood. It’s an outdoor market run by the Thai community with stalls offering incredible street food – think boat noodles, mango sticky rice, fried bananas, and Thai iced tea. I love the energy there: casual, vibrant, and full of flavor.

I’d also make time for a cozy noodle lunch at Mian, the kind of meal that warms you from the inside out, followed by a visit to re_grocery, my favorite package-free grocery store. It’s beautifully curated and I always leave feeling inspired to be a little more intentional.

One day would be reserved for full relaxation at Wi Spa – soaking, steaming, and letting everything slow down. Maybe we’d end the day with a sound bath or yoga class at Yoga Bliss, a sweet little studio with a calming energy and a sense of community.

Some days would have no plans at all – just time to wander, rest, and let the city open up around us. During the day, we’d go on slow walks through my neighborhood with my orange cat, Neezy, who loves his outside time and always draws smiles from neighbors. It’s the perfect way to wind down and just be.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s no way I could have made it to where I am without the support and care of the healers who walked with me through some of my hardest moments. I want to shout out two people in particular: Dr. Maritza (thewayyin.com), who held me with so much steadiness during my burnout recovery, and Alexandra Leigh (alexandraslovinit.com), who offered me consistent empathy sessions grounded in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Her presence, attunement, and skill in that practice helped me feel deeply heard at a time when I really needed it – and ultimately inspired me to take an NVC course myself.

Another pivotal moment came when I read “What My Bones Know” by Stephanie Foo. The way Dr. Jacob Ham helped the author gently track the moments she left herself, and guided her back with care, moved me deeply. I remember feeling envious of that kind of relational attunement. It felt so rare. So far away.

And now, through my own training in NARM (the NeuroAffective Relational Model), this is the kind of work I get to offer – helping clients notice when they disconnect, and return with presence and compassion. It feels full circle. What once felt out of reach has become the heart of what I do.

Website: https://www.heldbyhelen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heldbyhelen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helencuadra

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heldbyhelen

Image Credits
David Tuman, Dan Cuadra, Kat Cheng