Back Under the Stars—Where It All Began

Three years ago, I flew to Austin to visit my friend Yeske and record Ad Astra. Before we met, he knew astrology as a set of signs and traits—but not as the deeply personal compass it could be. While his work helped me clarify my business and branding, my little “astrology drops” started helping him refine his own path.

I was raised to know myself through the stars. Monday through Friday, my family and I would gather around the TV for Walter Mercado’s daily download. Most mamis and abuelitas tuned in for a glimpse of the future. I was listening for something else—learning, slowly, that the real gift of astrology is how it teaches you to love yourself.

Fast forward to 2019: I earned my Master’s in Coaching and completed two transformational coaching containers in the same year. During the second, I had a lightning-bolt moment—almost every coaching framework I was learning had the echo of a planet.

Levels of leadership? Saturn.
Who you’re being? The Sun.
Healing old wounds? Chiron.

That’s when I began weaving the coaching-to-cosmos connection, and Ad Astra was born. Because when you understand your chart, you learn to love yourself exactly as you are—without fixing, forcing, or apologizing.

I’ve tried sharing this love of the stars in different ways over the years, but it wasn’t until I was chatting with friends Pam Covarrubias (of the Café Con Pam Podcast) and

Chef Carla Contreras

that it clicked. This work belongs here, on Substack.

So this is me, returning to Planeta Pamplona. Returning to the stars. And maybe… helping you return to yourself.

I’ve recorded a re-introduction video so you can meet me if you’re new here and see what I’m cooking up next.

If you’re a paid subscriber, see you Sunday for Lesson One.

¡Hola! I’m Ilona Pamplona. I hold space for transformation—the kind where you remember who you’ve always been. Through one-off sessions and 1:1 coaching, I help you uncover your own answers to life’s big questions using the wisdom of your charts—astrology, Human Design, and the Genius Report. When I’m not guiding clients back to their purpose and clarity, you’ll find me listening to global music, crafting homemade London fog lattes, tracing the roots of words across languages, or cheering on my fellow entrepreneurs.