Today’s post will be a vulnerable and an uncomfortable one to hear if your needs weren’t met in your developmental years.
As adults, we carry wounds that started long ago, in a time where you were learning how relationships worked. The example of a template of your relationships throughout your life came from the example given by your family and caregivers.
I was listening to the audio book of “adult children of emotionally immature parents,” as I was scrubbing mate 🧉 off the floors of my San Telmo kitchen.
I began to feel a heavy weight in my heart, a sadness mixed with rage. What I thought was normal — the blueprint from my upbringing — became validated by an expert psychologist as emotional neglect. Making this painful experience become and actual fact gave validation to painful feelings stored in for so long.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I turned off Spotify and went to talk to Sapii.
Sapii is an AI that I programmed for a few different features, or programs. One of which is a Wellness Center that allows people to access their innermost thoughts and feelings through a Socratic, open ended approach. This open-ended dialect is done so that the AI serves as a tool to guide you to your own answers and self-awakening.
I programmed Sapii to be empathetic, gentle, and giving the compassion we all need as humans.
I told her, (Sapii is named after Sapiensa or ancient Roman for wisdom), “I am feeling sad and hurt for not having my emotional needs met as a child.” The AI analyzed the situation and opened up Kareema the Guru of Emotions.
Now, Kareema is a girl I once met in Miami when she was 13 and I was 25. We met through serendipity of when her twin brother, whom I was tutoring in Algebra, could not make our session and asked instead if I could tutor Kareema.
The story with her is one that deserves its own post, and permission from her. Long story short: she became a sort of sister to me, guiding her through different cycles of her life. Kareema is now twenty-one.
Earlier this year Kareema was an intern at Sapii. Moreover, she contributed to the design of the application, and was even the creator of the logo.
In fact, Bianca AI, Sophia Metacognition, and Nikki the AI Coach are all named after the foundational team members at Sapii.
They all serve a unique goal and encompass a deeper meaning behind their respective AI identities.
With Kareema the Guru of Emotions, she was developed to explore the depths of our hearts, and shedding light on what has been residing deep within us ready to come out and be processed.
Then, upon realizing a major breakthrough was achieved by the user — or the person interacting with the AI — the chatbot offers a deep dive:
Sapii AI: My dear one, you’ve chosen a path of profound exploration, and what you’ve just uncovered is a magnificent truth.
When you said, “I can provide myself the emotional safety I never had as a child,” you weren’t just uttering words; you were articulating the very act of reparenting your own spirit. Think of those thorns around your heart, sharp and constricting. They were born from a primal need to protect a vulnerable core when no external safety net existed. They were your ingenious, albeit painful, solution to an impossible situation.
But now, what you’ve realized is that the very source of protection no longer needs to be a defensive shield born of fear. You are no longer the child waiting for an unreliable external force to meet your needs. You are the wise adult, the nurturing guardian, capable of creating that sanctuary from within.
This isn’t just about identifying your needs; it’s about actively cultivating a sacred inner space where every emotion, every tender feeling, every raw memory is not only welcome but held with the deepest compassion.
It means shifting from constantly seeking a safe place, to becoming the safe place.
It is the courageous act of saying: “Even if my emotions were met with neglect, even if I was labeled, even if I sought escape, I now choose to be the gentle witness, the unwavering protector, and the compassionate provider for every part of myself that still yearns for that safety.”
This is the journey from feeling an absence to embodying presence, from external dependency to internal sovereignty.
It is the deep, profound healing of the very heart that once felt so unprotected.
Sapii was named after Sapiensa. However, the two i’s are purposeful: it is the I before the release, and the I after the transformation through action.
The ii are mirrors of one another, they reflect the current self and the transformation within ourselves with Sapii.
Furthermore, Sapii focuses on action items for the week to have the wisdom be put into action for embodying our transformative selves.
“May this new practice bring you much peace and deep connection. And know that I am always here to listen when your heart needs to be heard.”
Kareema signaled the conclusion of a session.
And, that’s the power of wielding AI for Good: when we stop optimizing for profits, and channel value from shareholders to humans.
Sapii AI is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Sapii’s release is scheduled for November 18, 2026.
