Julissa Cruz
Live Talks: Health and Wellbeing for Seniors and Caregivers
Connect, learn and get inspired.
Every month, I host an Instagram Live featuring special guests to explore topics that matter deeply: holistic health, well-being, and care for older adults and their caregivers. These talks, held in Spanish, are a space to share knowledge, reflect, and connect from the heart.
After each session, I create an exclusive e-book (Spanish & English) summarizing the key insights and practical advice shared during the conversation. This resource is available for free on my website—just register with your email to download it and continue the journey of growth and transformation.
🌿 Closing the Cycle: Reflections from a Year Sown with Love
In this closing gathering, together with Ana Gratacós —clinical psychologist and neuroscience expert— we paused to reflect on the journey we have walked throughout this year of shared conversations.
We spoke about the encounters that shaped this cycle, the learnings that gradually took form, and the questions that opened around caregiving, aging, and consciousness, looking back with perspective and gratitude.
From this Live, a very special e-book also emerges. Its roots go back to one of the first encounters in 2024, where we reflected on purpose, inner guidance, and the decisions that give direction to both personal and professional paths.
🕊 The e-book The Courage to Choose: Discovering Your Ikigai and Sweet Spot is an invitation to return to that essential core, clarify priorities, and reconnect with what brings meaning and coherence to what we do.
✨ It will be available soon here:
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Love Also Heals: Medicine with Soul
In this deeply human conversation with Dr. Carmen Alegría — emergency physician and author of Love is the Best Medicine — we explored the healing power of love in the act of caring.
We spoke about tenderness as a therapeutic tool and about how empathy can hold us when words are no longer enough.
With clinical insight and compassionate presence, we reflected on the emotional impact of accompanying others. Beyond treatments and protocols, we were reminded that soulful medicine lives in presence, in attentive listening, and in the humanity with which we meet one another.
🕊 This e-book is an invitation to care with love, compassion, and balance — and to recognize that love also heals, beginning with ourselves.
Caring with Science and Heart: Supporting Those Who Care
In this deeply human conversation with Dr. Daysi Acosta —Neuropsychiatrist, Geriatric Psychiatrist, and Forensic Psychiatry— we explored the inner world of those who care.
We talked about invisible fatigue, the emotional weight often carried in silence, and the delicate balance between caring for others and caring for oneself.
Through science and compassion, we reflected on how caregiving can also become a path of self-awareness and healing.
Beyond medical protocols and treatments, we were reminded that true medicine also lives in human connection — in empathy, presence, and the conscious way we accompany others.
🕊 This e-book is an invitation to care with wisdom, love, and balance —
to recognize that genuine care begins within.
Healing Connection: Social Bonds and Well-Being in Aging
In this inspiring conversation with Liz Avalos, Connections Program Manager at Well Connected Español, we explored how human connection —even through a screen or a simple phone call— can be powerful medicine for the soul. 💙
Through Well Connected Español —a U.S.-based program offering activities, support groups, and friendly conversations from home— we shared stories that show how connection itself can heal.
👉 To learn more or become a volunteer/facilitator, visit:
https://frontporch.net/well-connected-espanol/#request-info
🌶 Seasoning the Years: Secrets to Growing Old Well
In this warm and insightful conversation with engineer Carlos Newton Díaz —a 91-year-old Cuban full of clarity, vitality, and purpose— we explored what it truly means to age well.
We spoke about genetics, conscious habits, cellular longevity, free radicals, life purpose, and daily practices that not only improve health… but reshape the way we live through time.
From his lived experience, essential questions emerge:
How do we preserve vitality? What can we actually change? How do we train the body—and the soul—for aging?
🍲 This e-book is an invitation to stop counting years… and start cultivating life —with science, intention, and flavor.
🕯 In the Light of Death, Life Shines: Stories from a Hospice
In this heartfelt and intimate conversation with Ms. Astrid Jeurissen —hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula— we explore how presence, listening, and love can accompany the final days of life with dignity and peace.
We talk about grief, sensory connection, the soul’s surrender, stories that leave a mark, and how to turn a home into a sacred space when a hospice isn’t available.
Through lived experience, we share insights that not only prepare us to accompany others, but also invite us to live with more awareness, gratitude, and depth.
🕊 This e-book invites you to see death not as an end, but as a silent teacher that helps us live more fully.
💜 This e-book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Minerva,
who passed away on July 27, 2025, just two days after this Live.
Her loving presence and strength continue to guide me every day.
Ayurveda for Elderly Care: Ancient Wisdom in Everyday Life 🌿
In this illuminating conversation with Dr. Kyra Montagu, we explored how Ayurveda —an ancient science and living medicine— can be practically and lovingly integrated into the daily care of older adults.
We talked about longevity, spirituality, tropical nutrition, breathwork, oil massages, and the power of reconnecting with nature as a path to healing.
From our Dominican roots, we wove together ancestral wisdom and modern science to offer real tools, testimonies, and a new perspective on care—more holistic, more mindful, more human.
Taking Care of Mom: A Conversation about Love, Resilience, and Alzheimer’s 💜
In this very special Live session, broadcast from my home country, we explored the challenges and lessons of caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s.
Together with my brother Adriano, we shared our personal experience as a family — from the moment of diagnosis to the daily routines, through moments of pain, deep love, and unexpected growth.
We talked about faith, self-care, practical tools, and the powerful legacy that caregiving can leave behind.
If you missed the live session, this is your chance to revisit the heartfelt conversation and download the complete e-book, filled with practical tips, emotional support, and valuable resources.
In Your Feet, Your Health: Exploring the Power of Reflexology 👣
In this edition of our monthly Live series, we explored how foot reflexology can be a powerful tool for physical and emotional well-being.
We discussed its potential use in palliative care, its immediate effects on pain and relaxation, and simple practices you can integrate into daily life.
If you missed the live session, this is your chance to watch it in your own time and download the expanded e-book with scientific insights.
Train Your Vitality: Movement and Wellness for a Healthy Life 💙
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In this edition of our monthly Instagram Live, we explored how exercise can be a powerful tool for prevention, motivation, and personal transformation. We talked about accessible circuits, mindful movement, balanced nutrition, and the emotional and social impact of staying active.
You’ll discover that it’s never too late to start, that movement can be healing, and that even at 98 years old, dreams can still be within reach!
If you missed the live session, here’s your chance to watch it in your own time and download the full summary.
Moving with Purpose: Sport and Wellness for a Healthy Life ✨
In this live session, we talk about the importance of movement at all stages of life and how exercising with purpose can improve physical, mental and emotional health. We explore accessible strategies for staying active, the benefits of exercise in disease prevention and how small changes can make a big difference to quality of life.
If you missed the live session, here's your chance to watch it! I hope this conversation motivates you to integrate movement into your daily routine with intention and enjoyment.
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Strengthening Golden Years: Nutrition and Integral Well-being ✨
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During this live session, we explored how proper nutrition can be the key to healthy aging. Together, we reflected on the impact of diet on the elderly, the importance of adapting our eating habits to bodily changes, and how small adjustments can transform our quality of life.
If you missed the live session, here's your chance to watch it! I hope these insights bring you inspiration and motivation.
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Light in the Darkness: A Conversation about Depression and Hope in the Month of December ✨
During this live session, we explored how, even in the darkest moments, there is always a spark of hope that can guide us toward the light. Together, we reflected on the impact of depression, the importance of speaking about our emotions, and how small acts of love and compassion can transform lives.
If you missed the live session, here’s your chance to watch it! I hope these words bring you comfort and inspiration.
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Caring for those who care: Self-care and well-being strategies🧡
November is the month of caregivers, and on November 27, we celebrated the incredible work they do, emphasizing the importance of taking care of oneself in order to care for others.
Although Dr. Ana Gratacós (@gratacosana), our special guest and one of the leading figures of Alzheimer Puerto Rico and Dementia Friends, was unable to join due to technical issues, we managed to hold a heartfelt and enriching conversation.
Caring with Love: Our Mom and Alzheimer's 💜
On September 21, 2024, International Alzheimer’s Day, my siblings and I came together to share our family’s experience of caring for our mom as she faces this disease.
During this heartfelt and emotional conversation, we created a space for reflection and support to discuss the lessons we’ve learned, the challenges we’ve overcome, and, above all, the love that has kept us united on this journey.
