Isabella Alvarez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Isabella, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Anything that has to do with art. Since I was little, I’ve been deeply connected to it. My grandma was a visual artist (a painter and a sculptor) and even though what I do today isn’t “art” in the traditional sense, I’m lucky that my work lets me use my creativity every single day.
But any hobby or activity that helps me reconnect with my creativity — with that artistic side of me, feels like returning home to myself. It’s like discovering new parts of who I am. And honestly, time flies because I enjoy it so much.
Even working out feels like that for me. Especially a Pilates class that challenges me on different levels, where I have to use my creativity and my mind to finish it. I love that too.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Isabella Alvarez — Venezuelan, and I’ve been living in the United States for eight years now. I built my business five years ago, and ever since, I’ve been on a mission: helping as many women as possible make as much money as possible, from joy, from lightness, from strategy, and from the soul.
I’m a business, sales, and content mentor for women who want to build a business that doesn’t just make money. Because money, at the end of the day, is simply the positive consequence of having a solid, sustainable business that makes you feel fulfilled, a business that makes you wake up every day with joy and excitement for what you get to do.
That’s my purpose. Contributing to a world where more women get to experience exactly that.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
Without a doubt, the people who taught me the most about work were my family, especially when I was a kid. From a very young age, I absorbed certain patterns, beliefs, and narratives around work: ones that helped me at some point, but that also pushed me to expand even more later on.
For example, I grew up believing that the more hours I worked, the more money I would make. Or that the harder I pushed myself, even to the point of forcing it, the better the results would be. And yes, those beliefs worked for me to a certain extent. But over time, as I expanded my level of awareness and basically reprogrammed my mind, those same beliefs that once limited me became the catalyst for understanding myself and creating healthier narratives around money, work, and work ethic.
It’s very normal, especially in Latin culture, to grow up thinking that you need to reach a point of saturation, burnout, and self-inflicted pressure to “earn” results, simply because that’s what we were taught. When in reality, what truly gets you where you want to go is having the right strategy, the right guidance, and implementing the right steps.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I have to admit that when I first read this question, it brought up some resistance for a moment. But without a doubt, something suffering has taught me that success never did is this: suffering is 100% optional.
Why? Stay with me while I explain. I know it sounds controversial to say that suffering is optional. But the truth is that it’s scientifically proven that emotional pain in the body, in the heart, is only physically felt for about 28 seconds. This is a scientific fact.
Meaning, yes, we absolutely feel pain. We can feel deep sadness, emotional heaviness, and even physical sensations from that pain. But our body only feels the actual emotional pain for 28 seconds. Anything beyond that is the mind continuing the suffering because of certain patterns.
For example, lack of worthiness, imposter syndrome, beliefs that make you feel small or “not enough,” and all the narratives tied to identity and self-concept.
So, without a doubt, something suffering has taught me is to remember that it will always, always, always be optional. This doesn’t mean life is perfect or that difficult things won’t happen. What it means is that no matter what situation you face, the impact it has on you will depend entirely on your emotional state and the attitude you bring to it.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say yes, to a certain point and at a certain level, because the public version of me is still Isa. It’s still me, in my essence. But of course, as humans, we unconsciously adapt to our environments. We adapt to the context we’re in.
When you go to work, you naturally turn the volume up on certain parts of yourself and turn it down on others. That doesn’t mean you stop being you. It simply means you’re a version of yourself at work, a version of yourself at home, a version of yourself with friends, and a version of yourself with your partner.
I truly believe humans will always shift into different versions of themselves depending on the context. And the beautiful part is being able to honor and recognize all those versions, and understanding that they’re all valid as long as you’re still rooted in your essence.
The issue with this question (and with the idea that people on social media are nothing like who they are in their personal lives) is that this happens when someone changes their essence and isn’t being true to themselves. But when you stay true to who you are and simply adapt to your environment, you’re still you… just a different version of you.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Without a doubt, my work contributed to helping as many women as possible co-create abundant, prosperous, and sustainable businesses that allow them to live a much more fulfilling life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isalvarezv.com
- Instagram: @isalvarezv
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
