Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Tanya Paniagua.
Hi Dr. Tanya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story doesn’t begin with titles or accomplishments — it begins with pain, resilience, and faith.
I know what it’s like to feel trapped by the wounds of my past.
I know what it’s like to struggle to embrace the present.
And I know what it feels like to fear the future.
I was a teenage mom, married at 16, trying to build a life while still trying to understand who I was. I wanted stability, love, and a future for my family, but I carried fear, insecurity, and unhealed trauma into my marriage. At 29, that marriage ended due to infidelity — not only from my husband but with my former best friend. The betrayal shattered my world.
During the divorce, I now had two children — and the pain didn’t stop with me. My five-year-old daughter became suicidal. She told me she didn’t want to live if her father wasn’t home with her. Hearing those words from my little girl broke something inside me. It showed me how unaddressed pain can spill into the next generation.
Yet even after that, I didn’t confront my own wounds.
I carried them — the betrayal, the shame, the disappointment, the fear — straight into my second marriage. And because I never faced my hurt, the patterns repeated. I found myself facing infidelity again.
That was the moment everything changed.
I remember looking in the mirror — exhausted, grieving, and tired of repeating cycles — and realizing that something had to shift. Not because I caused what others did to me, but because I had never confronted the wounds that shaped my choices and relationships. I finally accepted that healing had to begin. I couldn’t outrun my past anymore. I couldn’t hide behind strength anymore. I couldn’t pretend anymore.
That became my turning point.
I dug deep.
I invited healing into the darkest corners of my heart.
I began doing the internal work I had avoided for years.
And slowly, my brokenness transformed into strength, clarity, and purpose.
As the healing took root, my second marriage began to heal too. What was once broken was restored. Today, we have been married for 21 years, and together we have raised four amazing children. Our family has grown to include a daughter-in-love and two beautiful grandchildren who have filled our lives with joy and meaning. My home is now living proof that restoration is possible, even after deep pain.
As my own healing took shape, a desire grew in me to walk with others who were hurting the way I once was. That journey led me back to school. From teenage mom to earning my bachelor’s, my master’s, and eventually my doctorate — my life became living proof that where you start does not determine where you end up.
Breath of Life Foundation was born from that journey.
Not in a polished building.
Not with resources or funding.
But in a janitorial closet.
We cleared out mops, shelves, storage bins, and cleaning supplies to create my very first counseling office. In that tiny, humble space, people began to breathe again — one session, one breakthrough, one courageous step at a time. That beginning reminds me that transformation doesn’t require perfect conditions; it requires willingness and courage.
Today, what started in that closet has grown into a full team of counselors, coaches, prayer partners, administrative staff, interns, and mentees — a community of hope warriors committed to walking with people toward healing in mind, heart, body, and spirit.
This is my story — a journey shaped by faith, resilience, betrayal, restoration, motherhood, education, and redemption. And it’s why I devote my life to walking with others until they experience the breath of life that reshaped mine.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Not at all. My journey has been anything but easy — but every challenge became part of the transformation that shaped who I am today.
I became a mom as a teenager, married at 16, and entered adulthood long before I understood myself. I carried unhealed trauma, insecurity, and fear into my first marriage, which eventually ended in betrayal with someone I once called my best friend. Navigating divorce while raising two children — including a five-year-old who became suicidal during the separation — was one of the most heartbreaking seasons of my life. It showed me how deeply pain can echo through a family when it remains unaddressed.
But the hard seasons didn’t end there. Because I never confronted my wounds, I carried them straight into my second marriage — and I found myself facing infidelity again. That moment forced me to look in the mirror and acknowledge that healing had to begin with me. Not because I caused what happened, but because I had never truly faced the pain shaping my decisions and relationships.
Doing the internal work was its own battle. Healing required courage, honesty, humility, and a willingness to face the parts of my story I wanted to forget. Returning to school as a mother, pursuing higher education while rebuilding my life, and eventually earning a doctorate required resilience I didn’t know I had.
And even building Breath of Life came with challenges. We didn’t start with a budget, an office, or a team — we started in a janitorial closet that we cleaned out and turned into my first counseling space. The road from that closet to a thriving foundation with a full team was built with grit, late nights, tears, prayer, and unwavering faith.
So no — it hasn’t been smooth. It’s been painful, messy, humbling, and stretching.
But it has been worth it.
Every struggle became part of my healing.
Every setback became part of my purpose.
Every season of brokenness became fuel for restoration.
And today, with a restored marriage of 21 years, four incredible children, a daughter-in-love, and two grandchildren, I can look back and say that the hardest roads often lead to the most beautiful destinations.
As you know, we’re big fans of Breath of Life Foundation, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Breath of Life Foundation is more than an organization — it is a movement of healing. We exist to walk with people through the hardest seasons of their lives and lead them toward hope in mind, heart, body, and spirit. What began in a janitorial closet with one chair, one desk, and a deep conviction to help others has now grown into a full team of counselors, coaches, prayer partners, administrative leaders, interns, and mentees who are committed to restoring families, strengthening leaders, and equipping communities.
What makes Breath of Life unique is our holistic approach. We don’t just focus on one dimension of a person’s life — we integrate faith, psychology, trauma-informed practices, and real-life experience into one cohesive model. Our work is rooted in the belief that healing cannot be compartmentalized. Your thoughts, emotions, relationships, upbringing, nervous system, and spiritual life all intersect. When you address them together, transformation becomes possible.
We specialize in walking with individuals, couples, and families who feel stuck in pain, patterns, or crisis. Many of the people who come to us have tried counseling before or feel like they’ve hit a wall. Our strength is helping them find clarity, stabilize their hearts, and rebuild from the inside out. We are known for working with marriages in crisis, couples healing from betrayal or infidelity, individuals battling anxiety or identity wounds, and leaders carrying emotional or spiritual burdens. We also provide pastoral counseling, mentorship, workshops, and large-scale conferences that equip leaders across the country.
What sets us apart is our lived experience. Our team is not just trained — we have lived the very kinds of pain we walk people through. Many of us have rebuilt marriages, overcome deep trauma, and survived seasons of complete brokenness. That authenticity and empathy create an environment where people feel safe, understood, and supported.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of our integrity and our heart posture. We aren’t trying to be flashy or perfect. We are committed to creating spaces where people can breathe again, be honest again, and hope again. Everything from our counseling sessions to our workshops, resources, and conferences carries the same message: healing is possible, and you do not have to walk through it alone.
For readers encountering us for the first time, I want you to know this: Breath of Life is a place of safety and restoration. Whether you are seeking support individually, as a couple, as a family, or as a leader, we walk with you — step by step — with compassion, structure, and faith. We offer counseling, coaching, intensives, workshops, wellness support, and leadership development. But more than services, we provide presence, guidance, and hope.
We started in a closet. Today, we serve thousands. And every person we meet reminds us why we exist: to lead the hurting to hope and to equip world-changers who will do the same.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
When people hear the word “risk,” they often think of impulsive decisions or big leaps into the unknown. But for me, risk has always looked different. My view on risk is rooted in faith, courage, and the willingness to step into growth even when fear is loud. I don’t believe risk is about recklessness — I believe it’s about obedience to the pull inside you that says, “There is more for your life than this.”
Some of the biggest risks I’ve taken weren’t glamorous or public. They were deeply personal.
One of the greatest risks I ever took was choosing to face my own wounds. For years, it felt safer to stay busy, stay strong, stay distracted. Confronting my pain — the betrayal, the divorce, the patterns I carried into a second marriage, the moments where I felt like I had failed my children — was terrifying. There is nothing more risky than looking in the mirror and deciding to change from the inside out. But that risk changed my life. It healed my marriage. It reshaped my family. It opened the door to the work I do today.
Another major risk was going back to school. As a teenage mom who had endured two devastating seasons of infidelity, the idea of pursuing higher education — and eventually earning a doctorate — felt impossible. I had every reason to doubt myself. But I took the risk, one course at a time, and it expanded my capacity, my vision, and my voice.
And of course, launching Breath of Life Foundation was a tremendous risk. We didn’t start with money or space or a business plan. We started by clearing out a janitorial closet and believing that healing could happen in the smallest of rooms. I had no guarantee that anyone would come, that we would grow, or that our model would work. But I knew the calling was real. That risk is now a foundation serving thousands.
What I’ve learned is this: risk is not the absence of fear — it is moving forward anyway. Risk is choosing growth over comfort. Risk is saying yes to healing, yes to purpose, and yes to the life you were meant to live, even when the path is unclear.
I don’t take risks for the thrill of it. I take risks when staying the same becomes too costly. Every meaningful change in my life — in my family, my marriage, my education, my career, and this foundation — began with a risk wrapped in faith.
To me, risk is simply the price of transformation. And I’ve never regretted the risks that led me toward healing, purpose, and the people I now have the privilege to serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breathoflifefoundation.info
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breathoflife_foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breathoflifefoundation7
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tanya-paniagua-586833209
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/drtanyapaniagua/
Image Credits
Edgar Lara of Drone Pixel
