How Valeria Hernandez built a mindful health coaching business , while staying clear of creative

Find out how the Wellness coach and Creator Fellowship winner Valeria Hernandez has created a successful online business helping women embrace plant-based foods that celebrate their culture.

In the time that Valeria Hernandez was confronted with challenges to her body, she discovered the benefits of intuitive eating and plants-based nutrition. Determined to incorporate this wisdom to traditional recipes, Valeria started crafting authentic Mexican meals using ingredients that are vegan.

The present day, Valeria shares those discoveries through VegiVale  the plant-based health coaching business that helps clients eat more delicious fruit and vegetables, savor the cultural foods they love and live more energetic lives.

The creator's path wasn't always smooth sailing.

In the process, Valeria faced a toxic rush culture that was prevalent in the internet market and was pressured to join the crowd regardless of her own instincts that was pulling her in a different direction. Then, she learned to change her mindset from employee to decision-making entrepreneur while balancing the growth of her business with a typical 9-5 working schedule.

Through tackling these challenges that Valeria managed to create her dream business, create an efficient work-life balance and discover her unique way to go.

Here's how Valeria inspires women to eat plant-based meals that honor their culture as well as establishing a coaching business grounded in authenticity throughout the process.

Getting started within the wellness industry

In the beginning she was living in a city in which she had no friends. Following her graduation from college and moving into a full-time job, Valeria was lonely. She wasn't feeling great physically too. Valeria had been following a vegan diet for a several years and struggled to find satisfying and satisfying meals.

"I just kind of winged it with my vegan journey. I resorted to having french fries with salad in the dining hall at college, and that often wasn't allowing me to get the full nutrients. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that I wasn't feeling great."

Realizing there was a way to deal with both issues at once, Valeria found connections within the vegan community. The health coach she hired was who specialized in plant-based eating and was able to identify the foods she needed to take in order to remain fit, fulfill the nutritional requirements of her body and be healthier all over .

Utilizing the lessons that her coach given her resulted in an 180deg change. Inspired, Valeria become a health coach in order to help people live their best lives.

Valeria was a coach with an organization that was a part of a network marketing, but she didn't like the fact that the focus of the program was on weight loss and dieting. She felt limited by the single-to-many approach to coaching and stressed by the pressure of constantly acquiring additional clients.

Valeria dreamed of creating an experience that was personalized and hands-on to her customers that would give her greater freedom. Then, 2020 happened.

With the world in turmoil, Valeria decided that she was finally ready to tackle things in her own style.

Finding the first few clients

However, Valeria realized she could turn upon her network of contacts to build experience and develop her idea for a business.

First, Valeria used contacts she'd built in network marketing. They already knew about her coaching style and were interested in an experience that was intimate and personal.

Following that, Valeria reached out to her friends from the group she knew through school, her community, family connections, and also to friends from the same circle.

It was initially a little nerve-racking to talk about her idea for a business with "real-life" family members and friends ones. However, these friends proved to be one of her greatest fans.

The business grew. "I started doing one-on-one coaching and really liked it" she tells us.

"I've pivoted a couple of various ways within my company However, my desire is helping others to eat more plant-based foods. It's not my intention to force people to switch to veganism. Most of my clients are not even vegetarian however, I am focused on helping people eat more plant-based foods and listening to their bodies."

The decision to niche down

Once she had her first clients in her portfolio, Valeria had a better idea of how she wanted her business to be like. The next thing she had to do was determine her ideal client. However, the idea of narrowing her clienteleas well as the pool of potential customers -- seemed daunting at first.

"It's tempting to want to create something that will benefit everyone to help as many people as is possible."

In the present, Valeria believes that serving an area of expertise is a key element that is what makes her company stand out. Her decision was to concentrate on serving women of color because she saw that many of them faced the same issues she'd experienced in her own experience.

"I thought this might be an awesome subset of my clients, and being Latina, I understand what they're going through. I'm able to speak about particular issues they might be experiencing that many persons wouldn't."

Valeria designed her program to help women from different backgrounds to incorporate their ethnic cuisines in their food choices.

"I aid people to reconnect to their traditional foods, as we're often taught that our cultural foods are not healthy, which is not necessarily true," Valeria elaborates. "That attitude stems from eating habits and white supremacy, so getting rid of it by helping people with their health is the goal I'm pursuing."

"There seven billion people living on earth. When you try to help everyone, and reach out to everyone it's really talking to everyone. It's much more effective in the event that you concentrate only a select segment of people with whom you've built a community around... as they are aware that you're talking exclusively to the people they are talking to."

Using for a streamlined simple business

After having a clear idea of her business plan and deciphering the target market, Valeria turned to to establish her online home base. Valeria currently offers fitness coaching sessions as well as a online cookbook that features vegan Mexican food items through her website.

Being a customer, Valeria knew making different logins for several platforms to get access to one creator's work was frustrating. Valeria didn't want to force her customers through the same process.

" helps both on the side of the entrepreneur and also on the client's aspect. Customers have one login, and are able to use every product they have purchased through me."

Valeria insists that you do not need to employ the same equipment as entrepreneurs earning six or seven figures as you begin your career. Utilizing these expensive programs won't ensure that you'll get similar results. Likewise, paying for the hefty bill payments can create unnecessary pressure.

" is a great way to streamline the process. I'm all for simplicity, especially at this stage of my career."

Tips for other entrepreneurs and creators!

In response to a question about what her advice is for budding entrepreneurs Valeria said that that you listen to your intuition, find work-life balance, be decisive in your decision-making, and put the emphasis on the health of your body and mind.

Listen to your inner voice and go with what you feel is natural

After building VegiVale , Valeria learned that being your own person creates a unique business.

"Put your blinders on since it's tempting to see what everyone other people are doing. If you spot a hundred people who are doing the same thing then you're likely to want to do that too," she remarks. "It's normal to be tempted to judge others. .... The great thing about being an artist is that you are one of a particular kind. There is no one else who can achieve what you do in the same way that you do."

"The beautiful thing about being a creator is that you are one of an unique kind. No one can do what you do, in the way that you execute it."

"Even although there are thousands of health professionals out there, I know the moment I speak, it will land differently as opposed to when someone else is saying the same thing. The messages we share will resonate with various individuals. When you try to follow the mainstream, you are losing that distinctive voice."

The reason for this, Valeria explains, is your special sauce for being a creator.

Valeria advises entrepreneurs to embrace what feels good regardless of making your own choices within your industry. "Everyone's connected to TikTok at the moment," she points out, "There are so many health experts on there. I felt like I wasn't being heard. Then I joined the platform but it wasn't my vibe."

For Valeria, this format felt more authentic and enjoyable.

"I can't say everything I need to say in fifteen to 60 seconds, but newsletters have stood the years. I want something more timeless if I'm going spend time and energy on it. If I followed the crowds and did TikTok and forget that it's difficult for me and that I'm not enjoying it."

This doesn't mean you should brush aside everychallenge within your company If something is causing you slack consider other options.

Create a balanced work-life balance

However, many entrepreneurs are caught in the trap of working too much.

    Sometimes, a toxic hustle culture is at fault.    

When she was a network marketer, Valeria always felt pressured to grind and get more customers. It was her job to work till late in the evenings after her regular job, and then miss precious time with her family and friends.

The constant hustle didn't produce results, and Valeria's mental condition deteriorated due to her absence from her friends and family.

    Sometimes, the creators work too much because they're passionate.    

"Creators are more at risk since we enjoy our work. It is easy to blur the lines between passion and overworking as well as life and the creation of content. When you're really enthusiastic about what you do and the vision you have will be difficult to turn off."

Valeria's solution: Take control of your time and organize your company to ensure you have the work-life balance you deserve.

"I have seen numerous creators and entrepreneurs quit their 9-5 jobs and then re-create that same structure in their business," Valeria says. "Why would you do that? Why would you only take two days off a week on Saturday and Sunday? Isn't that defeating the purpose?"

You're in charge, so you can:

Use your days off as needed.

Work fewer hours without feeling guilty.

Choose to work with the time to handle fewer clients and get more time to yourself.

Make achievable goals for yourself in a time-bound, realistic plan.

Do not follow the tradition just because it's popular.

"Don't forget what's important," Valeria reminds fellow creators. "You can live a full life outside of the internet."

Be confident when you make big decisions

At the beginning of her venture, Valeria struggled to make crucial choices. She now realizes that listening to her intuition and taking a decision is crucial to moving forward.

"The manner you operate during your nine-to-five-day job is very different from how you function as an entrepreneur," she shares.

"In a traditional job you have deadlines, projects as well as steps. But there is a person who will guide you. For entrepreneurship, it's entirely yours. The only person who can make decisions is you. making choices, and you have to feel confident about those decisions."

It's an enormous amount of stress for someone who is a novice creator. When she's stuck and struggling, Valeria reminds herself that "not making a decision is inherently a deliberation." This helps her make up her mind and execute a plan.

It is important to prioritize your physical and mental well-being

In the end, Valeria emphasizes how important it is to take care of yourself. In her travels, Valeria noticed that when she was not feeling well emotionally or physically and her business went through a downturn. If she was feeling great the business thrived.

In order to keep health in the spotlight, Valeria follows the same advice she gives her clients who she coaches. "How can I instruct my clients to rest for eight hours a night, drink fluids, and consume their greens when I'm not doing that?" she asks.

"I often think about if I were my client What would I advise myself to say in this circumstance?'"

What's coming up for VeviVale?

Valeria has already assisted many women of color lead healthier lives through her VegiVale-related products , programs and newsletter  as well as through her newsletter, and we are sure this is just the beginning.

"With the assistance by my virtual assistant, we're in the process of developing a course which will launch later this year. It's still in the infant phase right now, but I wouldn't be able to work on the course if not for her help," Valeria notes.

Through embracing her distinctive voice, maintaining a healthy work-life balance taking tough choices, and putting health first, Valeria built a freeing and exciting online venture. With solid foundations and a strong foundation, there's no limit. We can't wait to find out what the artist comes up with next!