Influential Women Recognizes Maria Pagan: Promotes Healing Through Somatic Breathwork and Mind-Body Connection

FL, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Founder of Somatic and Mental Wellness Co. and Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Combines Trauma-Informed Care, Somatic Breathwork, and a Lifelong Desire to Help People

West Palm Beach, Florida – Maria De Los Angeles Pagan, LCSW, is a Certified Somatic Breathwork Coach and Practitioner, and the founder of Somatic and Mental Wellness Co., based in South Florida. Working in the wellness industry as an Integrative Somatic Breathwork Practitioner and Coach, she integrates her formal education, personal experience, and embodied healing practices in her work with clients. Many of the people she serves are navigating anxiety, burnout, trauma, major life transitions and physical pain. Alongside her own business, she serves as a Senior Primary Therapist at a private practice, where she provides trauma-informed, evidence-based care. Her work spans partial hospitalization and outpatient levels of care and draws on modalities such as DBT, CBT, REBT, and Narrative Therapy.

Maria’s academic foundation was built at Florida Atlantic University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She went on to complete a Master of Social Work in Clinical Social Work at the same university through its Jumpstart program. She proudly holds the distinction of being the first person on her mother’s side of the family to earn a master’s degree, an achievement that reflects both her determination and the support of the family that grounds her. In addition to her degrees, she holds licensure as a clinical social worker and certification as a somatic breathwork practitioner.

Maria’s professional path has been anything but linear. It began in high school, when she worked as a dance instructor and cheer coach. From there, her career evolved through a series of formative roles, including work as a student aide at a children’s research facility and as a nanny during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She later became a Registered Behavior Technician, delivering ABA therapy to children with autism spectrum disorder and supporting behavioral modification in the field. These early experiences with children, families, and behavioral health ultimately drew her toward clinical social work.

Her dedication in her clinical role has already earned recognition. Maria was named Rookie of the Year in 2023 and Employee of the Month in October 2024, two awards that reflect the care and commitment she brings to her clients and colleagues.

Outside of her clinical work, Maria built Somatic and Mental Wellness Co. around the belief that lasting transformation happens through the body, not the mind alone. Through the company, she offers resources that help clients reconnect with their nervous systems and release stored trauma and stress through breathwork and embodiment practices. The company also reflects her enduring curiosity about how she can serve people more meaningfully and in more complete ways.

Maria attributes her success to a deep, lifelong desire to help people. Every role she has held, from coaching young dancers to supporting children in behavioral therapy, ultimately led her to pursue her master’s degree, become a licensed clinical social worker, and launch her own somatic wellness business. Her mother, father, brother, and sister, along with her community-oriented culture, have grounded her throughout this journey. She also credits the mentorship she received from Dawn Kesselman as a pivotal influence in shaping her path.

The best career advice Maria has received came from mentors who challenged her distorted beliefs and helped her recognize that she is the creator of her own reality. Her college mentor, Dawn Kesselman, an encouraging high school teacher, and both of her parents emphasized the importance of taking chances rather than being confined by standardized measures of success. One quote that reflects this philosophy is, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” This lesson gave Maria the confidence to embrace uncertainty, overcome fear, and build a career on her own terms.

Her advice to young women entering her field, or any field, is to take up space, even when they feel afraid. She encourages them to speak their truth, follow their hearts, and develop a genuine curiosity about their own thoughts. She urges them to pursue the training they truly want rather than simply what others believe they should do. Maria also invites young women to lean into the discomfort of creating their own path with curiosity, commitment, grace, and playfulness. In her view, each woman is the creator of her own life, free to make her art and live in it. She adds that it is important for women to get to know who they are inside and out and to find ways to honor that, with the understanding that it is okay to change and to like different things in different seasons.

For women working in mental health, social work, and emerging wellness spaces, Maria sees both responsibility and extraordinary opportunity. She observes that women can sometimes feel pressure to minimize themselves, question their own authority, or continually prove that they have earned their place. She challenges that narrative by encouraging women to confidently occupy the spaces they have worked hard to enter, while remaining grounded in authenticity and ethical practice. As conversations around mental health increasingly recognize the relationship between emotional well-being and embodied experience, she believes professionals who can thoughtfully bridge different perspectives have a real opportunity to contribute to a more holistic understanding of care. Her own career reflects that intersection, combining her foundation as a licensed clinician with her training in somatic breathwork. Throughout, she remains intentional about professional ethics and the boundaries between her different roles.

Community and family are at the center of everything Maria values. She is guided by the principles of safety, community, boundaries, and leading with the heart. She prioritizes staying close to her community, incorporating somatic breathwork into her daily routine, and maintaining healthy boundaries in her work. She also makes time to dance for the sheer joy and laughter it brings her, a connection to the passion that first set her career in motion. Mentoring others and nurturing close community ties are also part of how she maintains her own well-being. For Maria, being part of Influential Women means being true to herself, accepting herself, and not being afraid to lead with love and grace.

Maria’s commitment to community extends well beyond her practice. She serves as Vice President of Beca Estudiantil Maria Mercedes Pagan, a scholarship initiative that supports students through education and community investment. In this leadership role, she helps extend access to opportunity for those who need it most. She has also volunteered with the spirit team at Florida Atlantic University, where she contributed as a Spirit Volunteer supporting campus community and student engagement initiatives.

From the dance studio to the therapy room and the breathwork practice she has built, Maria has followed her curiosity and her desire to help others at every turn. Through her clinical care, her somatic wellness practice, and her investment in students and community, Maria De Los Angeles Pagan continues to help people reconnect with themselves and heal through each season and life event, with love and grace.

Learn More about Maria De Los Angeles Pagan:

Through her Influential Women profile: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/maria-pagan or through Somatic and Mental Wellness Co., https://smwellnessco.com/

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