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What if forgiveness wasn’t about letting someone else off the hook... but about setting yourself free?

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Manders Mindset, host Amanda Russo sits down with public speaker and mindfulness teacher Cesar Cardona to unpack his remarkable journey from gang life and trauma to healing, forgiveness, and inner peace. Cesar opens up about growing up between two cultures, joining a gang as a teen, surviving a violent assault, and how that moment ultimately became a turning point toward transformation.

The conversation dives deep into what it truly means to heal not by denying pain, but by understanding it. Cesar shares how Buddhism, storytelling, and intentional mindset shifts helped him move forward, and why forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. This is an inspiring episode for anyone carrying emotional scars, struggling to let go, or ready to reclaim their peace.

🎙️ In this episode, listeners will discover

🧠 How childhood instability shaped Cesar’s search for identity
 🔥 What led him from gang life and violence to self-employment and public speaking
 🚨 The traumatic assault that nearly took his life—and how he recovered
 💡 Why forgiveness is more about you than the person who hurt you
🧘‍♂️ How Buddhism and mindfulness supported his emotional healing
💬 Why asking how instead of if is a powerful mindset shift
📖 The spiritual and symbolic threads that tie us all together

⏰ Timeline Summary

[2:16 ] Growing up between two cultures and never quite fitting in
 [5:26 ] School struggles, rebellion, and early gang involvement
 [13:53 ] Realizing it was time for change and buying a house at 20
 [18:51 ] Driving across the country to LA and starting over
 [25:53 ] Becoming a boxing trainer and slowly building a new life
 [30:36 ] The power of metaphor and being discovered as a speaker
 [36:16 ] The brutal assault that changed everything
 [44:57 ] Recovery, trauma, and the physical and emotional scars
 [48:10 ] Choosing forgiveness over revenge, what that really meant
 [57:12 ] Buddhism, mindfulness, and the journey to inner peace
 [1:04:58 ] What forgiveness is really about

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To Connect with Cesar: 

📸 Instagram: @_cesarcardona