XIMENA CAROLINA CHO
June 6, 1978 - June 17, 2025
jaguara de la luz
DEBUT OFFERING · ARCTIC RECORDS · JUNE 6, 2026
Some songs are written. Others arrive. Jaguara de la Luz is the latter.
In the grief-stricken months following the passing of Ximena Cho — earth guardian, community builder, and one of Scarlett's most cherished friends — Scarlett de la Torre traveled to Mount Shasta. Tony Cho was by her side. In that sacred landscape, held by the mountain and by the weight of shared love and loss, the song came through Scarlett in full. In this manner, it was received rather than composed.
In the days following this transmission, Scarlett and Ximena's mutual friend Emiliana Molina also contributed to the lyrics and finalization of the song.
Scarlett and Ximena were bonded by more than friendship — they shared a deep commitment to earth guardianship: the protection of indigenous lands, cultures, and wisdom traditions in a time of rapid erasure. That bond lives in this song.
Together, they made pilgrimage. To the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. To Alto Paraíso in the Chapada dos Veadeiros. These travels were acts of devotion, journeys undertaken to make offerings in honor of the majesty of nature and in recognition of the power and wisdom of the originary stewards of the earth. The memory of those pilgrimages — the land, the light, the prayer — is woven into every note of Jaguara de la Luz.
Jaguara de la Luz made its first appearance in the world exactly where it belonged: at Ximena's Celebration of Life, held at the Chozen Retreat Center in Sebastian, Florida. Sung live and in private, it became part of the ceremony of her passing — a musical prayer offered to her memory and to the community she had built.
Now, nearly a year later, Jaguara de la Luz will be released publicly through Arctic Records on June 6, 2026 — on Ximena's birthday. This is more than a song. It is a continuation of Ximena's legacy — and a declaration of the work Scarlett carries forward.
upcoming celebrations of life
Uplifting Voices.
Healing Communities.
Regenerating Earth.
THE XIMENA CHO
LEGACY FUND
To honor and carry forward her life’s work, the Ximena Cho Legacy Fund has been established through The Miami Foundation. This fund will continue Ximena’s service to future generations by supporting the arts, protecting nature, amplifying Indigenous voices, and uplifting underserved communities. Through this living legacy, her spirit will continue to inspire beauty, healing, and justice for generations to come.
Sacred Passage
Ximena Carolina Cho, our beloved Queen of Hearts, transitioned peacefully from her earthly body on June 17, 2025, just eleven days after her 47th birthday surrounded by her closest loved ones in her home in Miami Beach. Ximena possessed a rare and divine energy and the ability to influence through her love, beauty, and grace. She embraced her spiritual names Sharada (goddess of beauty, music, and art) and Kavia (a Kogi name for fertility), and was affectionately called “Angel” by her closest friend, Jaime Murray. Her light was unmistakable, her kindness limitless, and her humility unmatched.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 6, 1978, Ximena moved to the United States as a child with her family, seeking safety and new beginnings. She embraced her new life in Florida, attending NSU University School, where she formed lifelong friendships and revealed her early devotion to service. During this time Ximena would volunteer her time to support children with Autism and Down syndrome—early signs of the deep love and care she would go on to offer her community and the world.
With a passion for beauty, health, and well-being, she studied fashion merchandising at IFAC and became a licensed esthetician, offering joy and radiant energy through her healing hands at respected establishments like The Standard Hotel and Turnberry Isle.
Ximena stood apart for her elegance, grace, and unwavering integrity in Miami’s vibrant nightlife scene. She journeyed across the world, working in fashion in Madrid, Barcelona & Paris and deepened her spiritual path in India and Bali. She cultivated an intentional life of alignment, embracing yoga, holistic wellness, and sacred service.
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Destiny reconnected her with her devoted husband, Tony Cho, in October 2008. What began as a deep soul connection blossomed into a sacred, alchemical union on 11-11-11—a date chosen for its numerological significance, reflecting the cosmic nature of their bond.
A passionate patron of the arts, environmental activist and community advocate, Ximena’s philanthropic work spanned the Friends of the New World Symphony, Bass Museum of Art, PAMM, ICA, YoungArts, wildpath, Path of the Panther, Amazon Watch, Two Worlds One Planet, The Chopra Foundation and more. Through the M1 Community arm at Metro 1 Properties, she and Tony supported socially responsible service and charitable giving. She championed causes that empowered youth and supported underserved families.
Alongside her husband, Ximena was and continues to be a guiding light behind Cho Ventures, LP, the family office that owns and operates a portfolio of impact businesses focused on regenerative placemaking, including the Future of Cities, The Climate and Innovation HUB and Metro 1 Commercial in Miami, the Phoenix Arts and Innovation District in Jacksonville. She was also the Co-Founder of ChoZen Eco Retreat in Sebastian, Florida—a sanctuary for healing, learning, and re-connecting to nature.
On Earth Day of 2025, Ximena received the Visionary Earth Steward Award from Caminantes de la Nueva Tierra & Miami-Dade County and proudly launched her lasting legacy: the ChoZen Center for Regenerative Living (CCRL). As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CCRL is a bioregional hub dedicated to protecting biodiversity, restoring native ecosystems, empowering regenerative agriculture and small local businesses, and uplifting Indigenous voices from the Amazon and beyond. Ximena’s spiritual collaborations with tribes such as the Kogi, Yawanawa, Asháninka, and Huni Kuin reflected her unwavering devotion to Mother Earth and humanity.
Even amid her illness, she called cancer her “greatest teacher,” and in her final days, worked alongside Tony to consciously prepare for her sacred transition, showing the depth of her spiritual maturity and selflessness. Her final wish was that we nurture peace within our hearts and across humanity—that we become devoted caretakers of one another and devoted protectors of this Earth we all call home.
Ximena was a daughter of the Earth, her fiercest protector, the love of Tony’s life, and his best friend. Her legacy lives in every flower and forest, in art and ritual, in acts of service and expressions of compassion. May we all carry her light forward and walk gently in her footsteps—embodying the grace, power, and love that defined her. Her passing, after an eight-year courageous battle with breast cancer, leaves an immeasurable void in the hearts of all who knew her. Yet, her radiant spirit and profound “SOFT POWER” continue to inspire.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Tony Cho; their beloved dog, Aki Cho; her loving brother, Andres Castillo; and her parents, Ernesto Castillo and Maria Lopez Varela and a global constellation of lightworkers and earth stewards who continue to carry her mission of healing and harmony.
To honor and carry forward her life’s work, the Ximena Cho Legacy Fund has been established through the Miami Foundation. This fund will continue Ximena’s service to future generations by supporting the arts, protecting nature, amplifying Indigenous voices, and uplifting underserved communities. Through this living legacy, her spirit will continue to inspire beauty, healing, and justice for generations to come.
Sonidos del corazón
A sacred collection of soul-stirring songs curated by Ximena Cho — a beloved guide, healer, and heart-centered visionary. This playlist weaves together the sounds that nourished her spirit, grounded her rituals, and opened portals of remembrance.
XIMENA’S FAVORITES
REINA DE CORAZONES
REINA DE CORAZONES is a sonic altar, a prayer in motion, carrying frequencies of peace, devotion, and release by our dear friends Jesus Hidalgo & Teresa de Jesus. A reverent soundtrack that guided Ximena Cho’s sacred passage surrounding her with love, beauty, and celestial grace.
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