Meet Vero Estrada | Life Coach & Retreat Host, Self-Love Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vero Estrada and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vero, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
In every case, I’m focused on empowering the client with accessible tools that make authentic self-love a habit. When I’m no longer here, I’d love to be remembered as a change-maker and revolutionary in the world of personal development, specifically the area of self-love. My goal is a lasting legacy that helps millions of people live happier lives, even after I’ve left the physical realm. With the skills I teach, a student, a grandparent, an entrepreneur, a parent, a caretaker, or a corporate executive – everyone can move through their days with more ease, gentleness, clarity and fulfillment. Self-love is the foundation that enables every human to live a better life.

In the wake of the pandemic, everyone has a heightened awareness of their mental health and especially the burn-out that can come along with long working hours and the responsibilities of professional life. As a result, there’s a lot more talk about self-love and self-care. While self-love is critical to both mental and physical health,  the various ways it is explained and illustrated can lead to confusing and suboptimal outcomes for people genuinely trying to improve their lives. A lot of people do yoga and meditate, take bubble baths and wear face masks, but they’re not necessarily happier. In working with clients, I try to clarify the narrative around self-love so that their actions actually lead to more joy and inner peace.

These are some of the key things I teach:

• Self-love and self-care are not the same thing.

• • Self-love is not self-absorption, narcissism, or selfishness.

• Self-love is a journey, not a destination.

• Self-love is an internal compass, an orientation we have about ourselves.

The Oxford Dictionary defines self-love as: “Regard for one’s own well-being or happiness, considered as a natural and appropriate attitude towards oneself.” Therefore, a powerful question we get to ask ourselves to gauge our self-love is: “How well do I treat myself on the way to my life’s biggest dreams?”

As a result of coaching hundreds of people and my own journey, I’ve come to understand that self-love is the foundation for a happier life. When we make decisions, big and small, without sight of what makes us happy and nurtures our well-being, we can end up hustling for external validation, approval and society’s markers for success. Then, when and if others tell us we’re good enough, successful enough, smart enough, pretty enough, do we give ourselves permission to feel good about ourselves. However, this is short-lived and we suddenly find ourselves back on the hamster wheel, chasing whatever’s going to get us more praise, acceptance and love from the people in our lives.

The feeling of not being good enough, smart enough, beautiful enough, successful enough… all the “not enough-ness” that plagues our subconscious mind, can be remedied only by practicing unconditional self-love. Practices that become empowering habits can support everyone in experiencing a more fulfilling, joyful and peaceful life, regardless of the unexpected twists and turns. This emotional resilience is exactly what I coach my clients on developing.

This is not to say that when we practice self-love we won’t experience sadness, frustration, tragedies and escape the human experience. Life will always present us with difficult decisions & it takes practice to check in with ourselves and see if we’re paying attention to our own happiness and well-being.

Self-love is intricately associated with confidence and resilience, key ingredients on the journey towards self-fulfillment or success in any endeavor. Whether it’s being a better partner, a better parent, grandparent, friend, employee, or business owner, challenges will test us and we will experience perceived failures and disappointments. How do we treat ourselves then? What are we saying to ourselves when we let ourselves and others down? THAT’S THE PART WHERE SELF-LOVE IS KEY! We don’t need to make our suffering worse with the thoughts we have about ourselves. This is what I want as many people as possible to know.

Sharing the tools that help us all live happier lives with millions of people is the end game for Big Dream Consulting and I’m thrilled to be on this journey!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Big Dream Consulting, a Life Coaching and Retreats practice that transforms the lives of high-achieving first generation Latinas through accessible coaching focused on achieving self-love, money, career and relationship goals. I established my Life Coaching practice in May of 2019 and have coached hundreds of clients and hosted two international healing retreats since then. My career in private wealth management and business banking prepared and inspired me to establish the business but my growth objectives and self-love practice is what’s truly kept me going.

The challenges have felt insurmountable at times, but one of the most important lessons of the entrepreneurial journey was the importance of having a safe and loving community to provide inspiration when things don’t go well and celebrate successes in our lives and businesses.

A few other key lessons:

• Never stop investing in yourself.  Find life coaches, masterminds, and business partners who are highly adept at the things you’re not good at.

If you’re considering starting a business or are at the beginning stages here are a few things to keep in mind:

– Plan to invest in an assistant, courses and marketing with people who have a successful track record, references and share your values.

– It doesn’t have to be perfect, just start making money and honing your craft. You learn more in the doing than in the planning, trust me.

Always remember that you are your ancestor’s wildest dreams, don’t squander your gifts. Step into your power.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
These are some of my absolute places outside of my home to host best friends visiting me in Atlanta!

The Atlanta Botanical Garden to talk and be in nature for a few hours.

The Optimist for happy hour oysters.

Marcel for a celebratory dinner.

The High Museum for thought provoking art and conversation.

The Beltline & Krog Street Market for casual food, lots of talking and street art.

The Chattahoochee Food Works for food, frozen drinks, shopping and people watching.

Your Third Spot to tap into our inner child and play.

The Garden Room for cocktails, appetizers and boujie vibes.

Lazy Betty for a super special dining experience.

Nuevo Laredo for casual meals, great margaritas and Mexican food.

Braves game to take in the super fun ATL sports culture.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights for thought provoking conversation and shifting into gratitude.

Jeju Spa to decompress, be pampered and spend at least half a day.

Trap Music Museum for a couple of hours of fun, photo ops and great music.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people I want to dedicate this shout out to are my fiancé, family and community members who have supported me when things get hard. All of my past, present and future clients and my awesome Instagram community that’s fueled my soul and passion to make a massive positive change in the world. Every single person who’s been by my side on this journey, I love them deeply!

Website: www.VeroEstrada.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theveroestrada/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estradaveronica/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVeroEstrada

Image Credits
Christopher Brown, Christina Brown, Viajes San Miguel, Andrew Vassell, Brittany Scheinblum