Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amelia Fortes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Amelia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

I am on a mission to heal the “Starving Artist” trope in society.

It is my belief that healers, artists, coaches, and transformational leaders are still a widely underappreciated group in society especially if those healers or artists are trans, BIPOC, or neurodivergent.

Most business mentoring and coaching experts don’t create an inclusive or safe space for ALL people and often market to only those who already have a lot of privilege or money. This leaves an entire population of people feeling unworthy or undeserving of such support.

This makes no sense to me because I believe that independent artists and healers are deeply needed members of society, yet people still try all they can to underpay them for their services and products.

What got us through the COVID-19 global pandemic? Artists and healers.

Could you imagine living through quarantines and lock downs without your favorite streaming services to watch shows or listen to music? Could you imagine going through that global trauma without your therapist, healer, or coach?

We would have gone insane.

Couple that with the fact that trans, BIPOC, and neurodivergent folks still face many stigmas and prejudices simply for being who they are.

My community is a safe space for all people to be unapologetically themselves AND learn how to make a full time, stable living from their natural gifts and talents.

It is my belief that we ALL deserve that.

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.

I am a former Wall Street VP & Computer Engineer turned world traveling digital nomad, full-time Creative & Entrepreneur.

I grew up in a one-parent household in Jamaica Queens, New York with a strict mother and four older siblings who had very specific opinions about the kind of life I should have. This didn’t leave me much room for self-esteem, creativity, or empowered decision making.

I was a flat chested, late bloomer who spent most of my tweens and teens terrified of my own personal power. I distinctly remember my mother dictating which colleges to apply to, what major to pick, and her extremely high expectations for me to become a world renowned teacher, engineer, government worker, or female Catholic priest (LOL).

I never learned how to discover my true desires or make my own decisions.

I had a spiritual awakening 15 years ago in 2008 as I was hunched over my desk on Wall Street figuring out an excel spreadsheet.

I thought to myself… is this all that life is? Am I doomed to work a desk job until I’m 70 years old only to regret the life I didn’t allow myself to live?

I started educating myself on alternative lifestyles. I knew deep in my soul that there had to be people living out their dreams and doing work that was meaningful to them.

I read books and articles. I invested all my spare time and money in personal development, coaches, mentors, healers, and teachers.

I reinvigorated my passion for the art of dance, movement, and performing.

I promised myself that one day, I would not need an alarm clock and only commit to doing work that was meaningful to me.

In April 2011, I left Wall Street to become a full-time entrepreneur and creative.

I did this with no back up plan, a little savings, family who didn’t understand, and zero experience running a business or creating content online.

Today, I run a global online platform called Self Love Story that teaches thousands of people around the world how to deeply love themselves, make self-care a priority, and build stable businesses using their natural talents and gifts. I help people write their own *self* love story as I have written mine.

The services we offer are all about I helping witchy, spiritual healers, heart-centered coaches, talented creatives, and artists overcome self doubt & be unapologetically visible online so they can go full-time with their passions.

I deeply believe that the things you dream about can actually become moments you look forward to.

With the right mindset shifts, aligned action plan, and loving support, you truly can go all the way!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was 19, I was in a 3-year, violently abusive relationship with my college boyfriend.

The relationship took me by surprise and I was swept up by it.

No one knew what I was going through. I remained reliable at work and at school. I was working on Wall Street at the time as an intern and graduated NYU early, cum laude with my degree in Computer Engineering.

People who have never been in an abusive relationship don’t understand how easy it is to get caught up and feel trapped.

It is a moment by moment conditioning that takes place over time and before I knew it, I felt lost, overwhelmed, and unable to get out.

I didn’t get help or leave right away because on some level, I think I believed I deserved this treatment.

It was dance that saved me.

In my darkest hour, my best friend, Jake, invited me to audition for a dance team he was forming. I went and for those few hours, I forgot the hell I was living in. I knew, that evening, art, passion, and creativity can save your life.

I left my ex shortly after that. Not just by breaking up with him, but by energetically and spiritually untangling myself from his web.

A few years later, I read in The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, if someone abuses you even a little bit less than you abuse yourself, you will tolerate it endlessly.

I thought of my ex.

I tolerated his abuse for as long as I did because I didn’t love myself enough to walk away from it. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was how Self Love Story was born.

I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that self-love is the necessary, must have ingredient we need to truly create the results we want in life. Without it, it’s just smoke and mirrors.

I teach self-love from this place; knowing that I’ve survived my own personal hell, lived to tell about it, and am committed to showing others how to do the same.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that being a successful business owner wasn’t just reserved for white, privileged, pretty folks.

I didn’t grow up seeing myself represented in media. Successful professionals, creatives, and business owners were always portrayed as people who didn’t look like me. This is called symbolic annihilation.

Symbolic annihilation is when you don’t see yourself represented in the media you consume, you end up believing that you don’t matter.

I had to learn that mattering is a choice.

I choose to matter and I choose to represent myself in all my queer, neurodivergent, curvy filipina glory. I believe this gives other people permission to make that same choice.

I had to learn that I could choose the media I consume AND I could create my own content to represent untold stories. I am eternally grateful for other artists and content creators who do the same. Thankfully, there are more diverse representations in media today than there were in the 90s, but we still have a long way to go.

This is why I deeply believe in and am forever committed to my mission. I’m not going anywhere… if anything, I’m just going to get louder. :)   

Contact Info:

• Website: ameliafortes.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/theameliafortes
• Facebook: facebook.com/groups/selflovehealingsessions
• Twitter: twitter.com/theameliafortes
• Youtube: youtube.com/theameliafortes

Image Credits
Troy Tigner Jagger Waters Candace Rogue Natalie Kabenjian Brittney King