As part of my series about the “How Business Leaders Plan To Rebuild In The Post COVID Economy,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Blanca Vergara, a soul and business mentor for awakening female business owners. She helps them transmute their Female Lineage into their unlimited source of power. After working with her they finally give themselves permission to succeed and bloom on every level.
Her programs combine the most effective evidence based techniques, the most current scientific methodologies, ancestral knowledge, and modern business hacks.
She is the author of several books among others “Unstoppable You” and “Women Work Wonders”. She has a degree in Information Technology, in Coaching and an MBA. She has over 25 years of international business experience. She lives in Amsterdam with her two children and her husband. She also speaks Spanish and Dutch.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
The first chapter of my life was all about being a success in the masculine way. I was a successful executive: the poster perfect girl of “Women to the Top”. I was the “man” for the job.
When my body and soul were tremendously hungry for the feminine, I quit my corporate career and dived into everything spiritual and emotional. It was a great choice as it allowed love and motherhood to enter my life.
Yet, my wallet was not very pleased. I became financially dependent on my husband. No matter how hard I worked and how much I learned, the very last second before success, I would sabotage myself for no apparent reason.
It was not until I worked on healing my inherited self-worth programming that my business started growing. Now I’m paying it forward to other women just like me. And yes, you guessed it right. Their ability to allow money has increased as they reconcile with their past and align with their own hearts.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I remembered I made a forecast of all the sales I would make. It was compelling and exciting. I really thought that “they” would buy because of my CV. I went out, networked, offered talks for free, coaching pro-bono and more. However, I never asked them to buy. No wonder my business results were a disaster.
Now I can laugh about it. I embodied the employee mentality. I thought an MBA or a “CEO” title would make people buy. This is so “obvious”. However, I still see many people making this same mistake.
To be successful in business we must get obsessed with understanding our ideal clients: her dreams, aspirations, problems, challenges… When we understand them better than they do themselves, we easily have all the marketing words and all the product specifications we would ever need. AND please don’t stop in just understanding, you must also sell. Make an offer. You may even get a yes.
Is there a particular book that you read, or podcast you listened to, that really helped you in your career? Can you explain?
This is a very difficult question. I’m obsessed with learning. So I have made it my business to read all I can on the subjects that at some point I needed. I’m immensely grateful to Marie Forleo, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris and others. Also I’m incredibly in debt to Socrates, Jung, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and others.
However there’s one recommendation in “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron that changed my life. Her suggestion is to completely avoid reading for an entire week. She offers you the idea of listening to your own wisdom. I took her seriously. I let go of my TV, my radio, all social media, all books, newspapers, magazines… for a week. It was life changing. I started writing poetry, baking, painting and more.
This week changed my life. The TV never made it back. Now I have very clear definite slots in my agenda without social media or other interruptions. I even have a very consistent meditation practice.
So indeed, I’m recommending silence. Silence opens the door to wisdom. With all my gratitude to all philosophers and teachers, I recommend silence as the best book or podcast in the world.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven business” are more successful in many areas. When you started your company what was your vision, your purpose?
I left the corporate world for that very reason. Meaning was lacking in all my projects. So I was searching for “meaningful conversations”. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I just wanted out and had no clear plan.
When I realized that nobody buys because of your CV, I decided to educate myself on entrepreneurship. Then the big question came: what’s your purpose? I had no idea! It bothered me so much that I had to dream about it. So came this answer: “heal the fear of the builders of the Heart Centered Economy”.
It sounded so pretentious and terrifying. On top of that I couldn’t understand what that meant. That dream started a quest to find out who were those builders, what were they afraid of and what would they build.
2020 with the Corona virus, brought a lot of clarity in this quest.
- These builders are women who are awakening to their feminine power and who are expressing it in the world as entrepreneurs.
- Their fear is what I call the “Collective Female Trauma”, our emotional response to 12,000 years of suppression of the feminine and celebration of the masculine.
- The Heart Centered Economy is based on healthy and balanced human integrity and radical personal responsibility.
It’s my belief that when more women awaken to their feminine power and reconcile with their masculine energy, all will change. When women let go of victimhood and blame, and awake to their own power a new era of human consciousness will begin.
Do you have a “number one principle” that guides you through the ups and downs of running a business?
Work harder on yourself than you do on your business. For me to be able to serve my customers and guide my team, I need to be in my best inner shape.
Personal mastery is the number one priority. My morning ritual is the one principle that changes everything. By taking that time in the morning, I can keep the focus on what’s important and what’s not, where I want to go and how best to achieve it.
Thank you for all that. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. For the benefit of empowering our readers, can you share with our readers a few of the personal and family related challenges you faced during this crisis? Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
In 2019, I attended four funerals of close family members, starting with my mother. So I was in the middle of grieving when Covid19 came into my life. It was some kind of a blessing to have suffered so much in 2019. It allowed me to be more present for the suffering that 2020 brought.
In comparison with many others we have been very lucky this year. No-one in our family has had Covid 19. We of course were in lock down at the beginning of the year. At that time, the kids (7 and 9 year old) needed to be homeschooled. At the beginning my husband and I thought of doing it 50/50.
It was a very logical choice for some other families. Looking closer it was not a good choice for us. My husband had just sold his last company. My mother tongue is not Dutch and my kids go to Dutch school. So we decided to do 90/10.
He basically homeschooled them. He taught them all the curriculum the school sent and much more. They had fun with algebra, geometry and even computer programming. They learned so much! They loved it. A huge bond between the 3 of them was built. Terrific!
My 10% was composed by art and finances. We painted, sculpted, saw and more. They also learned about budgeting, investing, pensions and more. I’m now so excited when I see them making plans about their money. Proud mama!
We also implemented many daily practices for the mental and physical well being for all of us, including kids. This included breathwork and taking cold showers. My son created a weekly review that we continue doing to this day. Every Wednesday we review: what we liked, disliked, learned the past week and what we want for the following week. We made a point of teaching kids personal mastery.
I don’t know if we were lucky or we are very positive people, but for us the lockdown period was a joy. It was a time of bonding and learning. The challenge was in the fact that it was different. So it demanded from us creativity and patience. I guess the secret was to concentrate ourselves in what we could do, instead of on what we couldn’t do.
Can you share a few of the biggest work related challenges you are facing during this pandemic? Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
I used to organize retreats. My customers and I loved them. We hugged. We burned papers. We had high tea with champagne. We walked in the woods. All that gone.
So I moved online. Honestly I’m falling in love with the new version of my business. Now I can serve people all over the world. Now I have customers in South Africa, in the USA, in Australia, in England…
I think the most important thing to do when you move online is to open your mind and heart. You cannot hug, but you can smile. You cannot drink champagne from the same bottle, but you can send so many things by mail. You cannot walk in the same woods together, but you can meditate together.
2020 has pushed us to be innovative. We cannot go back. Let’s embrace the changes and make the best of what is.
Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have understandably heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. What are a few ideas that you have used to offer support to your family and loved one who were feeling anxious? Can you explain?
On uncertainty I always call upon the Stoics. They are my secret weapon to create calm and courage. The Stoics invite us to face our fears. When we don’t listen to our fears, they become stronger and stronger. Our fears become the dominant force in our lives. Instead when we look at them in the eye, they lose all their power.
Let’s start with fear number one: Fear of dying. Well, let me ruin it for all of you. We all will. This is the one certainty in life we’ll die. This ends all the uncertainty. Remembering that we will die was one of the common practices of the Stoics: Memento Mori. They reminded themselves this on success and on failure. This way they remained calm in the highs and lows of life.
For those ones who are really afraid of dying, I can share that I had the blessing of having a near death experience. I can tell you, this is the best thing that ever happened to me. Once dead, there was no pain, no drama, no attachment, no longings. Freedom and love was all. So, the only certainty is that: freedom and love.
If you’re suffering, please don’t anesthetize the feeling. Switch off your tv and any other external stimuli. Feel that pain. Welcome that suffering. Cry. Talk to that suffering. Ask the suffering what is it here for. Listen carefully. Suffering always comes with a lesson. Once you hear that go and take action. In this drama, as in other past historical dramas, the greatest heroes were just like you, suffering at the beginning of the quest. Don’t despair. This is just the beginning. You’re being prepared for being of great service.
If you are mostly ok, you must also take care of your emotional health. Surround yourself with positive inputs. Create a group of like minded entrepreneurs, people who believe in possibilities and are working towards them. Stick to your morning ritual. Meditate daily. Care for what you ingest: watch your diet and consume what your intuition guides you to do. I personally have incorporate intermittent fasting in my habits. If you are mostly positive, please hold the space for others. Please don’t judge the suffering and the fear of others. In which ever way is comfortable for you pray for them, send them love.
Obviously we can’t know for certain what the Post-Covid economy will look like. But we can of course try our best to be prepared. We can reasonably assume that the Post-Covid economy will be a trying time for many people across the globe. Yet at the same time the Post-Covid growth can be a time of opportunity. Can you share a few of the opportunities that you anticipate in the Post-Covid economy?
I actually see the post Covid19 economy as a something to look forward to. In this time of lockdowns and remembering death, we all as humanity have looked within and reflected on what is truly important: values, meaning, service, life…
Indeed, I see great opportunities in the future. The Covid19 experience has classified us in 4 main areas, which in turn are 4 business opportunities,
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Big loss. These are the people who lost something in this period: their business, their job, their loved ones, their health, their house. Understanding and serving this segment is a great opportunity for grief coaches, sports trainers, real estate developers and many other entrepreneurs.
- Big rest: These are the people who for the first time spend a lot of time in their own houses and possibly in their own psyche. The opportunity is here in the material for interior designers, furniture companies, minimalism advisors, working from home advisors and others who help with home improvement. Also the opportunity is here for those who work with the psyche: psychologist, coaches, couples therapists, etc.
- Big work: These are the doctors and health professionals who dealt with the emergency. They also need support. So the opportunity is for stress coaches, physio therapist, masseurs, etc.
- Future builders: These are all the entrepreneurs who would be serving the 3 previous groups. So the opportunity is in for business building mentoring, branding advise, online sales, online advertisement, etc.
How do you think the COVID pandemic might permanently change the way we behave, act or live?
It’s impossible to bring our awaken consciousness back into the materialism that dominated the past 200 years. I believe that this year marks the beginning of a more enlightened era of business.
I see these unemployed people becoming independent online entrepreneurs. They must be innovative and heart centered. Cooperation, meaning and originality are the name of the game in the future.
I believe in a future with increased awareness of oneness, even actual embodiment of it. I call it the Heart Centered Economy. In this future we reawaken and embrace the Divine Feminine. We will also reconcile with the Divine Masculine.
We are at the dawn of a new level of consciousness. We’re letting go of good versus evil, wining versus losing, dominance and submission. Unconditional love is just showing its nose. The more we realize that reality is wholeness, the less fear we’ll have; the more peace, joy and abundance will be our “new normal”.
Considering the potential challenges and opportunities in the Post-Covid economy, what do you personally plan to do to rebuild and grow your business or organization in the Post-Covid Economy?
Concentrate on empowering awakening women to become the builders of the heart centered economy. The Coronavirus has been like an awakening force for me. It brought a massive sense of urgency: if not now, when? If not me, who?
That has made my business flourish. I’ve never been busier than now and I don’t see it changing. I was not alone in the awakening. Humanity is realizing that we need to include the feminine power. Love is the one thing that will better the future: the economy, the ecology, education and more.
Similarly, what would you encourage others to do?
- The limit of your business is your own psychology. Invest in a mentor/coach. As you expand your sense of possibility, your business will grow.
- Make marketing a priority. You could create the best product in the world, but if no one knows about it…
- Be customer-centric. Be obsessed with your customer. Know them better than they know themselves. Understand how the life of your customers has changed and make your offers relevant to their present needs.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” — Unknown
We tend to be upset about the behaviour of others. Compassion always offers a new perspective that will allow for possibilities. As one awakens, we become more and more accepting of the journey of others. We don’t need to awaken them. We can hold the space for them in the knowing that all is in Divine Perfect timing.
How can our readers further follow your work?
You can find me in my website: https://www.blancavergara.com/ where you always find the latest events and free resources for your entrepreneurial journey.
