BEGIN & BEHOLD: Ingrid Gonzalez on Healing, Surrender, and the Invitation to Begin Again

Every woman eventually finds herself standing at the threshold of a new beginning.

Some seasons arrive through celebration. Others through grief, waiting, rebuilding, or unexpected change. Whatever the season, Ingrid Gonzalez believes every new beginning is an invitation to begin again with God, to behold His presence, and to discover what He invites them to build with Him.

"She may be faith-filled, successful, or deeply busy," said Ingrid. "But beneath it all, she's longing for wholeness, deeper intimacy with Abba Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and a safe space to be fully seen. My heart is to create sacred spaces where women can tend to their souls with honesty and compassion, heal in God's presence, and remember who they are as beloved daughters of God."

Born in the Dominican Republic, Ingrid's father risked his life three times crossing the border in pursuit of a better future for his family. One of her earliest memories, at just five years old, was sprinting through the immigration doors into her father's arms—a moment he would later describe as a reflection of the boldness that has always marked her life.

Although her childhood was filled with the unwavering love of parents who courageously started over in a new country, Ingrid also carried a deep longing to understand who she was. The transition from the Dominican Republic to New York was not easy. She struggled with her identity, was bullied for not speaking English fluently, and often felt like she didn't belong. Yet even in those difficult years, she remained a dreamer with an expansive imagination. Her parents enrolled her in dance and acting classes at El Puente Community Arts Center in New York City, where creativity became both a refuge and a place to discover her passion for the arts.

To ensure her family’s well-being, they made another significant move to Florida, where they had to start over in a new state. The transition brought another season of uncertainty, change, and searching for where she belonged. At 16, tormented by feelings of unworthiness, Ingrid attempted suicide and was admitted to a psychiatric unit. The only personal item she was allowed to keep was a Bible her mother had given her. There, while reading the Psalms and Jeremiah 29:11, she had a life-changing encounter with God. By the very next day, the nurses and her counselor noticed a remarkable change in her demeanor, hope, and outlook on life. That encounter marked the beginning of more than 30 years of Christ faithfully walking with her.

"My childhood shaped me through both beautiful moments and difficult seasons, teaching me the importance of healing, identity, and belonging," Ingrid said. "Looking back now, I can clearly see God's grace and faithfulness over every part of my story, even in the moments when I felt lost or unseen. I believe God has called me to create spaces where women can honestly bring Him every part of their story, allowing Him to heal the places that shaped them and help them see themselves as the Father sees them: loved, chosen, worthy, and deeply valued."

BEGIN & BEHOLD was born from surrender, not strategy. It exists to create sacred spaces where women begin again with God, behold His presence, walk in wholeness, and build with purpose.

Nearly 25 years into their marriage, Ingrid and her childhood sweetheart, Wellington, look back on a relationship marked not only by love but by God's faithfulness through every season. One of those seasons came nine years ago, when they stepped into the IVF journey with hopeful hearts, believing God for a child.

During that season, a doctor carelessly remarked, "Your clock is ticking." Rather than allowing those words to define her, Ingrid chose to respond in faith. She committed to running her first full marathon as a declaration that her hope would be anchored in God, not in fear or a medical timeline.

Confident that God would answer their prayers, Ingrid shared their journey with her church family, believing she would soon be celebrating a miracle. Instead, just days later, she learned the IVF treatment had been unsuccessful.

The disappointment was profound. What she expected to be a testimony of answered prayer became an invitation to trust God in the silence. Along with the grief of infertility came other closed doors, leaving Ingrid wrestling with a season she never would have imagined would become part of her story.

Then, during one of her quiet times with the Lord, she sensed Him gently ask, "Can I get to the root of it? Will you let Me?"

She said yes.

That surrender became the turning point, not only in her healing journey but also in the ministry God was preparing to entrust to her. What began as a longing for a child became an invitation to let the Father restore her identity, heal the hidden places of her heart, and teach her that true fruitfulness is first cultivated in His presence.

"Healing required sitting long enough with the Holy Spirit to revisit wounds, receive new vision, and let God rewrite the narrative," Ingrid said. "I spent the last nine years in deep healing, using a lament playlist, Christian therapy, physical therapy, soul care certification, fasting, and prayer. I discovered the order: spirit, soul, body—and that unaddressed soul wounds from rejection and childhood trauma kept resurfacing despite spiritual practices. In that season, God made room for me to wrestle with grief and questions, and I later received a vision of Jesus weeping alongside me in the waiting room during my IVF journey."

"My IVF journey was one of the most sacred and painful seasons of my life," Ingrid continued. "It stretched my faith in ways I never expected. There were moments of deep hope and moments of deep grief. While we didn't receive the outcome we hoped for, I received the greatest miracle of all—His presence. That season completely reshaped my understanding of surrender. It taught me that faith is not only about believing what we hope for but also about trusting God even when the outcome doesn't match what we imagined."

Her ministry was born in that in-between place, as she journeyed closely with Abba Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through disappointment, healing, and surrender. That journey deepened her compassion and sharpened her awareness of the quiet grief many women carry unspoken.

"God gave me step-by-step instructions: gather women, read a book together, and get certified in soul care," Ingrid said. "Walking with the Holy Spirit is like The Amazing Race. You won't get the next clue until you're obedient at the first destination. I launched the BEGIN & BEHOLD podcast as an extension of the in-person gatherings, inviting daughters into the Father's presence. I want women to know they don't have to keep surviving or performing. There is an invitation to begin again; behold what God is doing in every season, and become fully alive in Him."

Along with the podcast, Ingrid created a monthly Soul Care Companion and newsletter for each conversation, designed to help women slow down, heal, hear God for themselves, and begin again. Each companion guide and newsletter concludes with the signature verse, Isaiah 43:19:

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"

"It's the verse anchoring me in this season, and it serves as a reminder from Abba Father to keep my eyes fixed on Him and to take the obedient steps He's leading me into," said Ingrid. "It reminds me that He is actively at work, even when I don't yet fully see it, and that His newness often unfolds as I walk with Him, step by step. When you behold who He is, you can begin again. Behold His presence. Walk in wholeness."

Learn more at ingridsgonzalez.com.