Josie with the Gems
A collection of reflections on personal and spiritual growth. Your monthly subscription goes to fund mental health support for couples and families.

Beyond Talk Therapy: How I Integrate Astrology and Ancient Tools
Growing up watching Walter Mercado, I never imagined I'd integrate astrology into therapy. But here's what I've discovered: ancient tools don't replace good therapy—they supercharge it. When clients bring their natal charts, we're not starting from zero. The patterns are already there, and healing becomes both deeper and more efficient.

It’s OK to want to be chosen
We all want to be chosen. It’s a natural, human longing — one rooted in our need for connection, belonging, and safety. But when that desire comes from unhealed wounds, it can lead us into patterns that reflect pain rather than possibility. In this piece, I explore how the longing to be chosen shows up in romantic relationships, how it can echo early attachment dynamics, and what it means to choose differently from a place of wholeness.

Starting Over, Further Along
I’ve been starting over for years, without even realizing it. What looked like failure was actually sacred redirection. From love to career to life in NYC, here’s how going “back” taught me more about trust, self-worth, and the beauty of non-linear growth.


Why I don’t offer spiritual readings anymore
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with spiritual readings because I’ve always known they’re meant to be more than a one-off insight. Over time, I realized I wasn’t just here to give readings, I was meant to walk with people through them. Now, I weave ancestral and astrological readings into my therapeutic work, creating an integrated approach that has transformed everything.