Meet Nana Ponceleon

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nana Ponceleon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nana below.

Nana, 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.
I was married for 22 years. During that time, I achieved financial success, a feat no one in my family had accomplished before. My life appeared perfect with a handsome husband, two gorgeous daughters, a large house, and a fancy lifestyle. However, I spent most of those years trying to understand why I wasn’t happy, and I knew he wasn’t either. My eventual burnout and a family that was falling apart led me to resign from my successful corporate job. I had no plan B; I just knew I wanted out. Through a series of unexpected events, I ended up moving to New York to change careers and study acting and relocate my daughters from Venezuela due to its increasing danger.
A couple of years later, at a Tony Robbins event where my husband and I went in an attempt to continue to search for answers, I discovered that I had been predominantly operating in my masculine energy, not only at work but also at home. Suppressing my feminine side was at the root of the challenges in my intimate relationship.
This realization set me on a transformation process to embrace both my masculine and feminine side/energy. Though it was too late to save my 22-year marriage, it set me off on the journey to share and teach these lessons to women who, like me, were unfulfilled and in pain for the same reason but did not know it.
It was during this time that I identified my purpose—to create a movement where men and women collaborate, cooperate, and co-create their shared world. Acting, which had played a crucial role in my journey toward embracing my feminine side, became a powerful tool in my workshops and life coaching. This is how my project ACT FEMININE was born.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As mentioned before, I underwent a dramatic career change from business to acting. During my business years I worked in sales in corporations like Philip Brothers – the commodities division of the former Salomon Brothers. I worked in Microsoft Venezuela for 12 years and also in consulting for big companies in Venezuela. I have also enjoyed a wonderful and exciting career in acting. One notable recent experience was being the lead in a play in New York City, titled “My Mother’s Severed Head,” one of the first plays to be staged after the pandemic, produced by the renowned Bruce Willis.
While I take immense pride in my acting career, my ACT FEMININE project has become a life purpose, due to its significant impact on women’s lives. In June of 2023, I delivered a TEDx talk titled “Masculine and Feminine Energy is a Balance,” which has garnered almost 67,000 views and continues to grow monthly. I now speak on this subject at events and private companies. I have conducted workshops in Miami and New York for women, where I share knowledge about biology, behavior, acting exercises, and tools for embarking on a journey towards a more balanced and fulfilled life.
For those desiring a deeper transformation, I offer one-on-one coaching. In late February or early March, I will host my first workshop in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Club LA, formerly the Woman’s Club of Hollywood, of which I am a member. The exact date will be announced next week.
The most thrilling aspect of this project is witnessing the surprise and awe in the women I work with when they realize, as I once did, what has been missing in their lives—explaining their frustration, overwhelm, and unfulfillment.
Additionally, I have recently started writing a series called “Confessions of a BossLady,” currently available through my LinkedIn profile and soon to be accessible on my website in the next couple of weeks.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the qualities that has helped me throughout my life, especially during these past years when my life underwent a 180-degree shift, is my flexibility and capacity to embrace uncertainty. During my early years, I constantly moved from one place to another, having relocated eight times by the age of 14 and thirteen times by the age of 24. This experience became a great asset, providing me with the ability to embrace change and uncertainty—two things we will certainly encounter in life. Being able to navigate uncertainty with as much serenity and hope as possible will undoubtedly allow you to make better decisions and experience less stress in your life. If handling uncertainty is challenging for you, start with small steps. Uncertainty can arise from something as simple as someone canceling or rescheduling a meeting to more significant life changes like losing your job, getting a divorce, or experiencing someone’s death. The process to deal with it is exactly the same.
First, become completely aware of the thoughts and feelings/emotions that are arising for you. Do not judge them; just acknowledge them, they can be a great tool.
Then, take deep calming breaths, this is the fastest proven method to calm your nervous system. The “physiological sigh” promoted by Dr. Andrew Huberman is a great tool to calm your system down in less than 1 minute. Take one big breath in, preferably through your nose, then, without exhaling, take another smaller breath in. Then do a long exhale. You can do 2 or 3 cycles and feel your nervous system calm down. Another effective technique is 4×4 breathing—inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, and repeat the cycle for three one-minute cycles. Breathe low into your belly and relax your body as much as you can.This is a powerful calming technique and it may require some practice.
Once you have calmed yourself down from the initial anxiety of the uncertainty, ask yourself: What am I telling myself about this? Why does this change in plans or situation make me nervous, anxious, or angry? What do I think is going to happen? For each negative thought, come up with three positive ways to deal with the situation or find three positive aspects that can come out of the change. Feel the sensations of the positive feelings in your body for each of the three positive thoughts.
For example, if you’ve lost your job: Negative thought:
1) I will not be able to pay the bills.
2) It will take a long time to find a job in today’s economy.
Write three positive thoughts for each negative one: For #1: a) I can have golden time to catch up on chores and relationships I neglected over the years because of work. b) I have an opportunity now to look for the job that I really like. c) I can have the time to plan and move towards my vision of the life I want to live.
Now take action on one or two things on the list “immediately.”
Another thing that has been very helpful in my life is being curious. Wanting to learn more about a subject matter or a situation in life has pushed me to continuously learn. It has also helped me seek help from specialists like therapists, coaches, mentors, or even family members or friends who have a positive attitude and are ahead of me in that subject matter by knowledge or experience. Curiosity is at the root of growth, and growth is at the root of a great life.
Another quality that has been probably the most valuable asset in my life is my ability to connect and communicate with people. I am, as you would say, a people’s person. Close human connection is extremely important to me. This ability has allowed me the privilege to create relationships that are deep, open, profound, and nurturing. Many of the friends I have met throughout my life have become like family—individuals I can rely on when I need them, and they can rely on me as well. Conversations are meaningful because I listen attentively and care, which is a tremendous tool for enhancing relationships not only on a personal level but also at work.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

A couple of years before the pandemic, I initiated a journey of healing and growth following the dissolution of my 22-year marriage. Recognizing my tendency to operate predominantly in my masculine side (energy) and suppress my feminine, I finally understood why I experienced feelings of sadness and unfulfillment, as well as why my marriage came to an end. This realization propelled me to delve into the subject and embark on a transformative path, resulting in extraordinary improvements in the quality of my life.
Seeing so many women going through the same thing, I became obsessed with sharing the knowledge and techniques I had learned to help them transform their lives. Today, I conduct workshops, give talks, and provide one-on-one coaching to women who are strong leaders, often feeling they have no time for themselves and are overwhelmed by their work and daily responsibilities. Their relationships are okay but not amazing. For many of them, home is no longer a safe haven; they feel more stress at home than at work. They believe they are doing most things themselves with very little help. They are aware their life is not where they want it to be but don’t know where to start. They have tried therapy, read books, watched podcasts, and taken notes, but they don’t seem to move forward. They have successful careers, but that success does not translate into successful relationships. And those who are not in a relationship can’t seem to find one that works, often feeling they will not find the right partner.
My workshops and talks mark the beginning of the journey, while my one-on-one coaching represents transformation. You can start by watching my TEDx talk. Then, join me in a workshop, and afterward, you can decide what the next step is for you.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photographer for the picture with the microphone GLYPHNY Creative Studio.

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