Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Colangelo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Vanessa, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
If I hadn’t been forced to walk away from my full-time job, I don’t think I ever would’ve left. It was stable, familiar, and—by most people’s standards—“good.” But sometimes the ground has to shift beneath your feet for you to finally find your own balance.
At the time, our daughter was 4 years old, and I was eight months pregnant with my son, working in a role that, on paper, looked secure but had started to feel misaligned. When my values were suddenly challenged during the pandemic, I was forced to make a decision that, while incredibly scary, became the catalyst for everything that followed. I left that job without a plan or a safety net. Just a knowing that staying would mean betraying myself, and potentially a detriment to my family.
What came next wasn’t glamorous. It was humbling. I went from having a steady paycheck with benefits for our growing household to nursing my son in one arm while sending endless job applications with the other. All the while trying to figure out who I was without a title attached to my name. That’s when the real work began.
I started asking myself bigger questions: What actually lights me up? What does “success” look like if I strip away what I THOUGHT I needed to chase? Those questions led me back to my lifelong love of wellness, creativity, and helping people feel like their fullest selves. I earned my certification as a personal trainer, started coaching part-time, and rediscovered what it meant to lead others from a place of integrity and alignment.
That same season of rebuilding gave birth to my business, Life Well Branded, Co.—a creative studio that helps entrepreneurs translate their vision into form. It became my way of merging two worlds that had always lived inside me: the wellness coach who believes in clarity, confidence, and embodiment; and the brand strategist who believes that visuals and words can heal confusion and inspire action.
Today, my purpose feels less like a destination and more like a rhythm I get to live inside of. I help people uncover the why behind their work and give it shape through design, language, and strategy. I help them see that their story—the messy, winding, human parts of it—isn’t something to hide, but something to build from.
Losing that job stripped me stability, but it also stripped away the noise. It forced me to rebuild from my values up, and that’s where I found my purpose: in translating the formless into form, in helping others find the clarity I once had to fight for, and in building a life—and a business—that finally feels like mine.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Today, I run Life Well Branded, Co, a boutique brand and website design studio that helps passionate small business owners translate the vision in their heads into something tangible—something they can see, share, and feel proud of.
I work primarily with health and wellness professionals and creative entrepreneurs—people who have poured their heart into their craft but feel like their brand doesn’t quite reflect the depth or quality of their work. Many of them have DIY’d their visuals or messaging for years, and they’ve hit that wall where things feel scattered and out of sync. My job is to help them bring it all into alignment—to translate all those abstract ideas, values, and gut feelings into a cohesive visual identity and digital presence that finally feels like them.
What makes my work so fulfilling is that it sits at the intersection of creativity and transformation. Branding isn’t just about logos and color palettes—it’s about clarity. It’s the moment when a client looks at their new brand and says, “That’s me.” That spark of recognition never gets old. Every project becomes this beautiful process of distilling who they are and what they stand for into something that their audience can instantly connect with.
Because so many of my clients work in health and wellness, there’s also this ripple effect that inspires me daily. By helping these business owners build brands that resonate, I’m indirectly helping them reach more people—people who are looking to move better, eat better, feel better, or just live more fully. It’s my way of contributing to a collective sense of well-being, and I love that.
Recently, I’ve been especially excited about my Mini Brand + Website in a Week offering—a streamlined, high-impact experience that gives entrepreneurs a complete visual identity and one-page website in just seven days. It’s perfect for those who are ready to elevate their brand but don’t want to spend months in development. This offer has quickly become one of my favorites because it delivers clarity and confidence fast—two things every entrepreneur needs to show up powerfully in their work.
At its core, Life Well Branded exists to help people see themselves clearly—to give form to the formless. That’s the magic I get to be part of every day, and honestly, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If I had to narrow it down, I’d say the three qualities that have shaped my journey most are grit, resourcefulness, and humility.
Grit is the one that’s woven through everything. I was raised by parents who didn’t believe in quitting. If you wanted something, you worked for it — even when it got hard, especially when it got hard. That mindset has carried me through every season of uncertainty. The most meaningful rewards in life often sit on the other side of discomfort. You have to be willing to stay in the push to get to the payoff.
Resourcefulness has been another guiding force. I’ve always believed that there’s always a way forward — even if it’s not obvious at first. That might mean doing research, asking questions, or getting creative with the tools you already have. Shortly after I lost my job, I found a handwritten note in my mailbox — to this day, I don’t know who left it — but it said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” That quote by Arthur Ashe became something of a mantra for me. It reminded me that progress doesn’t always require perfect conditions; it just requires action.
And finally, humility. I’ll never claim to have it all figured out. Every step of entrepreneurship — and life — is a learning process. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve doubted myself, I’ve felt imposter syndrome creep in more times than I can count. But humility keeps me teachable. It allows me to own my mistakes, to ask for help, and to keep growing instead of getting stuck in perfectionism.
For anyone early in their journey, my biggest advice is to lean into community. None of us get anywhere entirely on our own. Find the people who see you, who support your vision, and who challenge you to grow — and be that person for others too. Give more than you take. Ask questions. Stay curious. Be kind. That’s where the real magic happens — not in competition, but in connection.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
One book that has deeply impacted me—both personally and professionally—is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I read it years ago, but it’s one of those books that leaves an imprint that quietly works on you long after you’ve closed the cover.
What I love most about Big Magic is how it reframes creativity—not as something reserved for artists or designers, but as a way of living. Gilbert talks about creativity as this conversation between you and the world, one that asks you to stay curious, brave, and open to possibility. That mindset has shaped so much of how I approach my work and life.
She reminds us that fear and creativity will always ride in the same car, but fear doesn’t get to drive. That simple truth gave me so much freedom—to take risks, to start over, to create without waiting for permission or perfection. It’s a reminder that ideas are alive, that they want to be expressed through us, and that it’s our responsibility (and privilege) to show up and do the work.
In many ways, Big Magic helped me embrace the kind of creative courage that LifeWell Branded is built on. My clients often come to me feeling stuck or unsure—like their vision is there, but hidden behind fear, doubt, or overwhelm. The process of branding is, at its core, an act of translation and creation—of turning something invisible into something tangible. That’s the essence of Big Magic.
The biggest takeaway for me is that creativity isn’t about striving for greatness, but rather participating in possibility. It’s all about showing up, being present, and trusting that what wants to come through you has a purpose. That’s a lesson I carry with me in every project, every season of growth, and every leap into the unknown.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lifewellbranded.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewellbranded.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewellbranded
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessacolangelo/
Image Credits
Rebecca Loomis Photography (Feature Image)
Tori Risucci (1-Up Wellness group photo)
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