Choosing Yourself After Decades of Losing Yourself with Deborah Santana

Choosing Yourself After Decades of Losing Yourself with Deborah Santana

From HEAL with Kelly by HEAL Media

July 30, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 195

About this episode

Deborah Santana discusses her journey of self-discovery and empowerment after leaving a high-profile marriage.

I sat down with a woman who walked away from one of the most public marriages in music history — and I wanted to know what it actually takes to choose yourself when the whole world admires your partner. Deborah Santana spent over thirty years building a life, a business, and a family inside a marriage to one of the most famous musicians of our time, Carlos Santana. From the outside, it looked like the dream. But somewhere along the way, she started asking herself the question so many of us avoid: Am I actually living my purpose, or just managing everyone else's?  Deborah is an author, activist, philanthropist, filmmaker, and longtime advocate for equity and empowerment. Her new memoir, Loving the Fire, traces a journey of choosing truth over appearances, freedom over fear, and her own voice over quiet acceptance of what no longer serves her. In this conversation, we get into what it really takes to rebuild your identity after fame, motherhood, and decades of putting yourself last — the moment that finally gave her permission to leave, what she's learned about love the second time around, and why she now believes the world has lost something essential by turning away from…

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