We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Moncayo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose while navigating life and paying close attention to how things I do make me feel. At the onset of my work life, as a corporate employee, it felt really good to be validated for work well done and that helped me build confidence and self-esteem, but it didn’t quite feel purposeful. What led me to becoming a Wellness Professional, started with paying attention to how I spent my time outside of work hours and how learning about wellness fueled me. I’ve always had a keen interest and been drawn towards natural wellness modalities and the science of how they interact to create positive health improvements. All of my off work time was spent learning and testing out wellness related stuff. I loved realizing the physical and mental health benefits I was gaining, as well as the autonomy over my health. This gave me the courage to make the huge career shift of moving out of the comforts (and discomforts) of corporate, to launching my own wellness business. There is a sense of wholeness, joy and “rightness” that comes with doing work that you love so much that it doesn’t feel like work! And as my clients let me know I was having an impact on their lives by sharing my passion, then there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I had found my passion!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
So, I’m a Wellness Professional and my main focus is teaching Yoga and Mindfulness/Meditation. Back in 2012, I came up with this holistic wellness concept called Move-Nourish-Mind® – it’s actually trademarked! – and I launched it at my studio in Brookhaven. The idea was to help people understand how movement, nutrition, and emotional well-being are all connected and how addressing all 3 together can really transform your life. Every client got a personalized assessment and we created programs tailored to their unique needs. It was a game changer for so many people!
Four years in, I made the strategic business decision to leave the brick & mortar studio presence behind, and take my work to my clients directly. These days, I’m fully focused on my private practice, working one-on-one with men, women, teens and tweens. They either come to me or we do live video sessions. I’m fortunate and proud to say that all of my business is referral-based.
Recognizing that Private one-on-one training is not accessible to everyone, I decided to take the most pivotal piece of my teachings – Mindfulness – and create an online self-guided course, The course , Mind Muscle Training, (ADD HYPERLINK FROM MIND MUSCLE TRAINING: https://qonscious-fit-school.teachable.com/p/Mind-Muscle-Training) continues to attract students, especially since Covid because managing stress, anxiety and emotional regulation in general are, unfortunately, very real challenges for many.
Lately, I am most excited about what’s next in the evolution of my business: the planning process for young adult small group wellness retreats. This is a dream that is emerging from studying the impact of my work with young clients and the value of wellness retreats on myself. Most weekend or weeklong retreats seem to cater to older adults or large groups. I’m exploring the idea of offering weekend retreats catering specifically to young adults and for groups of up to 10 attendees maximum.
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?
Three qualities of most impact in my journey have been: confidence, patience, and dedication to continued education. . Confidence is critical for decision making. With it you can learn to trust yourself and recognize your worth. Confidence will also bring you the courage to live out your purpose.
Confidence isn’t built overnight, but here’s where the values of patience and continued education come in. If you’re continuing to build knowledge you add to your value/worth and it really helps boost confidence! Also, I found that an additional benefit of learning is that while reseaching and learning about what others in my field were doing I realized the value of my work/what I had to offer. If you’re starting a business, do your research early on so that you can stand on firm ground and understand your worth. In doing so not only will you boost your confidence, you’ll also be able to develop partnerships and collaborations, and feel comfortable asking for the help and referrals that will bring you success.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents have consistently been very dedicated, driven and hard working individuals. They led by example and as such, it wouldn’t occur to me to give up easy on a dream, to not try another way around something,. They never did either. They provided a strong foundation in this way for me.
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