Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Valenzuela. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
I like to think of Emotion as an intersection of three very saturated industries – mental health, fitness and rage rooms. The experience at emotion is a unique blend of processes that support all three areas of my clients’ lives. They will journal on bottles, break them – and others – against a wall, work out the adrenaline created during the smash session, and then intentionally relax in the chill room. People come into my space for a variety of reasons – to celebrate successes, work through stressors, process grief and everything in between.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Erica, I’m 37, a mother, a Colorado native and an entrepreneur at heart. I’m fascinated with health and wellness and the multitude of methods used to achieve it. My life is my message and my hope is that I leave behind a powerful one. One that proves that healing should never be a punishment but rather a gift that we continue to explore when hardships make their appearance.
My story is one for the misfits. I was adopted as a baby and always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. Growing up in Arvada as a mixed-black female I didn’t look like my peers, I was athletic enough to keep up with the boys yet not quite girly enough to hang with the girls. Dresses and skirts made me uncomfortable and scrapes and bruises were the norm. I always felt like I didn’t have a place to belong and never truly felt present.
That was until I started my love affair with basketball. Everything seemed to make sense when I was on the court. It felt like… home. Fast forward to receiving a full scholarship to Metro State here in Denver my experience there was unfortunately cut short due to my dwindling mental health as I started my journey to get to know my biological mother despite the lack of support from family. I had so many years of repressed emotions inside of me that my grades fell short, basketball didn’t feel like home anymore and my self-worth was nonexistent as I felt called to do something for me while knowing I was going against my parent’s wishes, I couldn’t help but shut down.
In that broken hiatus, I met my daughter’s father, a story of abandonment for another time but plenty of repressed emotions within it. Before she turned one, I was contacted by a coach to come play at a small school in Kansas. So excited to have someone still believe in me I packed my things to begin my college journey once again to finish what I was meant to do. I was going HOME to the one thing that made sense… to play basketball. This time I was a newly single mother and was ready for the challenge.
With baby girl in tow, I didn’t get far at all as I’m not even sure if I was there a full day as I woke up from a coma 6 weeks later and back in Colorado. 6 weeks in a coma. 3 months in the hospital. 48 Blood transfusions. Multiple grand mal seizures. Tracheotomy. Lost part of my right lung… lost all of my will to live. With physical recovery came a spiritual awakening within myself. A journey I didn’t know would lead me to entrepreneurship in opening another avenue for mental health expression. And here….years after processing my story – I opened Emotion.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I have grown to learn that I am my own business card – and word of mouth is vital to my success. Every guest comes to emotion for a different reason and it is imperative to hold space for each of them. Emotion can be a very vulnerable experience. My goal for everyone who comes through is to have them share about their time with me – either through word of mouth to their people or on an online platform through reviews.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
Aside from the traditional Emotion experience you can have in my space, I often work in collaboration with other professionals. I have paired with yoga instructors, therapists, sound bowl healers, puppy rescues, and the list goes on. Additionally, I work with first responders, sports teams and corporate teams.
Again, understanding that mental health and fitness mean different things to different people, these collaborations are vital to my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: emotionfitness.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.motionexperience/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=profile§ion=username
Image Credits
Natalie Morrow with Good Morrow Photography