At first glance today, Mache Torres-Ackerman projects the image of someone who has had it easy all her life. Intelligent, well-educated, and coming from a well-to-do family, she had everything going for her.

Yet, sometime in the past, Mache went through an upheaval that did not only break her heart. It also diminished her self-worth as a person and as a woman.

Mache went through the deepest valleys but, in time, she recovered and rose triumphantly and made herself whole again, happy, successful, renewed, and complete. She also found her true love in the person of husband David.

Mache wrote about her horrible experience and how she got out of the emotional mess she found herself in, and achieved the miracle of renewal.

The book, Explore the Deepest Essence of Your Being, is the story of a woman's becoming — better yet, a woman's journey of reinvention. It is about a human being who "has been there and done that."

Not in the sense of one who has led the good life, traveled, met famous people, worn the most expensive dresses and jewelry, and one who has attended all the big parties of high society. Although the author herself is a woman of great worth, easily one of the smartest, best dressed, and most beautiful.

She comes from a successful family that founded an educational institution and, today, she is happily married to a successful man whose lineage is noteworthy in the field of finance, securities, and investments. As a handsome couple of substance, David and Mache Ackerman command respect, elicit admiration, and easily attract more good fortune.

Hurt by a failed marriage
This is a second chance for Mache, and this book tells us of a failed early life, specifically as a wife. It tells of her expectations not fulfilled, and of a life that could have been perfect except that it was imperfect. And wanting and bereft of love, respect, and happiness.

Mache had been hurt by a failed marriage. It was a sad time as much as perplexing for someone who did not know how to cope with such challenges. On top of it, she had daughters to attend to and care for, and for their sake, she kept a happy front, trying to show that all was well with the world.

To be sure, she shares, "I tried so hard to fix what was broken. I tried so hard to make the family complete again. Then I realized that it always takes two to tango. It takes two to break a marriage and, on the other hand, it takes two to fix a marriage as well."

Yet it was not just the case of two people going through emotional trauma. Mache was being "judged by people who lacked compassion and experience." At the same time, this defining moment of her life pointed to her real friends. The turning point came when she sought help from those "who have been there and done that."

Mache hits the bullseye when she says, "Our culture has dictated on my personal acceptance, having believed that a woman should always take a backseat, take the blows, and accept all the lies." Then comes the realization that "everything happened because I let it happen."

Daughters learn from her
She then looks beyond herself and considers her own daughters, all beautiful like her, since she is responsible for imparting to them the right values.

She now sounds triumphant when she says, "I am glad that my girls — Mica, Bea, Cielo, and Daniela — learned and are learning from what I have been through. I want them to understand and to believe that they are all precious and nobody can make them feel otherwise. I want them to realize that being a woman is not a liability. I want them to learn that women in society are meant to inspire and are big contributors to the community. I want them to feel that they deserve all the respect as they respect themselves. It is for them to learn that they cannot live in lies…the truth should always prevail."

She then proceeds to her healing phase, which benefited largely from the support of her parents and siblings.  At the same time, she took "a break from family, work, and friends" and went on productive trips where she "met the right people."

Must-read for hurting women
Essential to this experience of discovery and renewal was her trusting "my Higher Power that He will guide me to the perfect situation and the perfect people."

The book is a must-read not only for women who have been hurt and are hurting, not just wives and mothers, but every woman, especially the young ones who deserve to learn from Mache's experiences so they can avoid mistakes and, early on, learn their worth, stand for themselves and know that they have something substantial to contribute to society.

Mache shares that her travels abroad "became beneficial since my focus was self-discovery and healing. She asked herself questions that led to her "deeper introspection and retrospection."

Women who will read from start to finish this short yet eloquent book will be glad to learn from the horse's mouth, as it were, about how she achieved an empowered existence,
self-leadership, and the strength within, which she concludes with strategies and techniques to actualize her becoming into the woman she ought to be. Here, the book turns into a useful "guide or map," as Mache shares her experiences in "envisioning a powerful existence, nurturing one's inner child, and embracing change with gratitude."

Most important to her as a woman who is always in the process of becoming is a person's true essence, which she breaks down into acrostics, each letter an action or behavior contributing to transforming one into an ideal person.

This Christmas season, the best gift that women can give to other women is Mache's Explore the Deepest Essence of Your Being. It is also the best gift a woman can give herself. More than being attractive on the outside, it is what is inside and how a woman takes care of it that gives her utmost joy and fulfillment.