We were lucky to catch up with Hasani Reyes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hasani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission wasn’t something I came up with—it was something I lived through. I spent years following the blueprint I was told would lead to success: a solid education, a corporate career, checking all the boxes. But like so many first-generation latina who reached a lot of success – unlike the women in my family, I did everything “right” and still found myself burned out, disconnected, and questioning who I really was beneath the performance.

That unraveling and a massive burnout led me back to my roots—back to ancestral wisdom, somatic healing, and the understanding that true transformation has to happen at the level of mind, body, spirit, and soul.

I created my soul-led business to be what I didn’t have: a holistic, soul-rooted space for people like me—people carrying generations of unspoken stories, traumas and invisible labor. My mission is to guide others in healing the root cause, not just the symptoms, while honoring their wholeness and reclaiming their power.

This work isn’t just what I do—it’s how I’ve healed. Is how i lead my life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I didn’t plan to leave the fashion industry—I had worked too hard to get there. I came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic at 12 years old, not knowing a word of English. The assimilation process was jarring and traumatic, like it is for so many first-generation migrants. You’re expected to adapt quickly, succeed quietly and carry the weight of your family’s sacrifice with grace. And I did. I followed the script. I climbed the ladder. I became the person everyone could count on. I led large creative teams—over 200 people and was constantly in rooms where I had to prove I belonged.

But beneath the surface of my success was a deep disconnection from myself. I was exhausted, spiritually depleted, and emotionally numb. I had done everything “right” but I didn’t feel whole.

That burnout cracked me open. It forced me to look beyond what I was taught about achievement and return to what I already knew in my bones: the medicine of my ancestors. My healing journey led me back to the traditions of Afro Caribbean Curanderismo, to the spirit-led practices and Shamanic earth-based wisdom that lived in my lineage long before I was born. What began as a personal search for clarity and peace became the foundation for the work I now do.

Today, I run Mamavida Wellness Studio, a sacred space for first-generation professionals, creatives, and cycle breakers who feel disconnected, burnt out, or burdened by invisible scripts. My work is a fusion of intuitive coaching, somatic healing, shamanic energy work, and ancestral medicine. I guide people to the root—beyond surface-level fixes—to help them remember who they truly are and where they come from.

What sets my work apart is that I’ve lived this path. I’ve walked through assimilation, burnout, and soul loss—and I’ve found my way back home, spiritually and culturally. I hold space with honesty, warmth, and deep reverence for the human spirit. I believe healing is political, ancestral, and sacred. And I believe that reclaiming ourselves is one of the most powerful things we can do—not just for us, but for those who came before and those who come after.

This is more than a business. It’s my life’s purpose, rooted in the wisdom of my people and offered with open hands to those ready to do the work.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the belief that I must work hard, stay quiet and be grateful no matter what—even when I was being overextended, undervalued, and spiritually depleted.

Like many immigrants, I was handed an invisible script: be excellent, don’t complain, assimilate at all costs, and above all—don’t mess up the opportunity your family sacrificed so much for. Not knowing a word of English, I had to quickly adapt, succeed, and carry the unspoken responsibility of “making it.” That script became my blueprint. I rose to the top of the fashion industry, led massive teams, and constantly proved I belonged. On paper, I was thriving. Inside, I was unraveling.

My healing journey forced me to look deeper—not just at myself, but at my lineage. I come from women who were powerful, brilliant, and resilient. My grandmother and great-grandmother ran businesses, not because they were encouraged to thrive creatively, but because they had to survive. Working hard wasn’t a choice. It was their only way through. That survival-based success was passed down like a baton, and I carried it without question—until I broke.

I had to unlearn that my worth is tied to how much I produce. That gratitude means silence. That excellence requires exhaustion.

And in that unlearning, I found freedom.

Today, I live and teach a new script: one where we get to rest, to create with intention, to succeed with soul, and to break cycles without breaking ourselves. I honor the women who came before me not by repeating their survival—but by thriving in a way they never had the chance to. That is the heart of my work and the truth I now walk.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My most effective strategy has been building honest, soul-rooted relationships with my clients—relationships that are based on trust, safety and deep respect. I don’t see my clients as transactions or time slots on my schedule. I see them as whole people, sacred beings navigating real-life complexities, and I treat them accordingly.

In my world, my clients are my bosses. They are the heartbeat of my work. That mindset comes from my corporate background, where I learned the importance of customer care and professional integrity. But in my own business, I’ve taken that further—I’ve made it personal. I’m not just offering a service; I’m walking alongside them through transformation.

The foundation of my work is presence. I meet people where they are, I listen deeply, and I serve them powerfully. My clients often say that when they’re with me, they feel like they’re the most important person in the world—and that’s intentional. Because when someone is held with reverence and care, their healing accelerates. They soften. They trust. And they return—not just to me, but to themselves.

About 80–85% of my business is referral-based. My clients are my marketing team. They’re the ones who share my name, who invite others in, who root for me behind closed doors. That doesn’t happen through fancy funnels or ads. It happens through integrity, consistency and showing up fully for every person I serve.

I work with people across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and parts of Africa—and across the board, what they all say is this: Hasani will take care of you. She will see you. She will honor you.

And that’s not a tactic. That’s my way of being.

Because I know my clients already hold the power to heal. I’m simply here to guide, reflect, and hold space for that reclamation. And when we treat people like they matter—mind, body, spirit, and lineage—they don’t just become clients. They become community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hasanireyes.com
• Instagram: @hasani_mamavida
• Linkedin: Hasani Reyes

Image Credits

Hasani Reyes & Alex soto