Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rosa Castano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rosa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
My business background had always been in sales. I worked for a small business, entrepreneurial start-up, and large scale non-profit. In 2020 I was working in Tourism & Hospitality in Nashville, TN. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 pandemic my job position was eliminated. I was also 5 months pregnant at the time. I watched as friends, peers, and colleagues really struggled with being home and by themselves without the busy schedules and with their own thoughts. For most of the world, the pandemic forced people and business to come to a hard stop. I saw there was a need for support in the mental health space and managing stress. These were all things that I had developed skills for along the way that helped me to manage the ups and downs of life. On the side, I completed Yoga Teacher Training and then added on Meditation Teacher Training (through Flourish Meditation) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training through Mindful Leader. As I did research to see if there was even a market for combining my experience in the workplace and wellness/well-being I discovered the rise of the Chief Well-Being Officer. I started to create curriculum and workshops and seminars around Stress Management through Mindfulness and Leadership Development practices.
With Burnout being so high on a lot of peoples radar, the word started to be thrown around very haphazardly. Burnout was not a badge of honor that one should wear. I researched and found that developing practices to manage stress and cultivate resiliency and creating sustainable practices is what is going to help support individuals in the workplace.
Not every company has the budget to bring on a full time Chief Well-Being Officer so my goal is through the workshops and series that companies can still provide support to their employees. There is also opportunities to provide fractional Chief Well-Being Officer services to help create and cultivate a thriving program for companies.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My mom brought me to my very first yoga class when I was 18yrs old and I fell in love with it. I realized I felt better on the other side of the class walking out than I did when walking in. I realized the connection between moving my body and breath and how it supports the whole body and mind. I dove deep into Personal Development, Mindset, and Professional Development work from there. It is fascinating the awareness you begin to learn and understand about life when you being to develop awareness of the self.
Like in any jobs, there were many opportunities for stress to arise. Stress is guaranteed in life, but it is how we manage it that makes all the difference. I worked through many stressful situations using tools that I have gained, learned and practiced. When I looked at starting my own company I realized I could bring tools and curriculum to the workplace in a very meet you where you are at way. It is important to me to speak the “corporate” language so that way messaging lands with all people. I use meditation in my workshops because it is accessible to all people and all bodies in the workplace.
My goal is to bring these teachings to companies that want to support their employees mental health and well-being in the workplace and overall. These workshops can help create realistic and sustainable practices for individuals. It teaches how to strive for work/life harmony, stress management, boundaries, defining self-care, creating personal goals to work towards and to create empathy and compassion in the workplace.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy I have learned truly began before I even went down this road to starting a business. Networking. I did a lot of networking in my previous industry and met a lot of people and developed important relationships. When I pivoted from what I was doing to a brand new industry, company, offering…People trusted me. They trusted what kind of person I was and in turn trusted that I would provide good services for them and their clients. Some of my first clients came from companies that I had previous relationships with and thanks to their trust I was given opportunities to get my foot in the door.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
New clients are built off of relationships. I have been apart my local Chamber of Commerce, Networking Groups, LinkedIn Pages, and Slack groups. Staying active and present is the best way to source new clients. Put yourself out there and tell people who you are and what you do. People can not hire you unless they KNOW you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.workplacestresssolutions.co
- Instagram: @wellbeingwithrosa
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosa-castano-well-being/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgGsFL7HLBTn61644Yz5rKg
- Other: Speaker Page: www.rosacastano.com