We recently connected with Lisa Ponte and have shared our conversation below.
Lisa, 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?
During the pandemic, I started thinking about what makes me happy in life. I’ve always wanted to create something but never knew what or even how to begin. I found that pulling a daily affirmation card made me feel positive and happy. I created my deck in the hope that others can start each day with positive energy. Over the past few years, I realized how many people were suffering. Depression rates climbed and therapists were hard to come by. Parents were struggling and so were their children.
Growing Up
My teen years were the most difficult time of my life. I was severely bullied and this inevitably led to my loss of self-love and confidence. I went through the darkest days of my life and became a parents’ worst nightmare. I felt so lonely that I decided I didn’t want to live anymore. I was young and I didn’t realize the value of the one precious life I was given. My road to happiness was not smooth and easy, but instead, one filled with obstacles and challenges that I was forced to overcome the hard way. I suffered for years from a lack of emotional and psychological resilience. During that time, my family didn’t talk about these issues and I wasn’t able to share my pain with friends. I felt shame, embarrassment and a fear of being judged. Years later, I went through another dark period in my life, struggling yet again but with a different issue. The difference then was, I was stronger. It was at this point that I stopped and started to reevaluate my life and I decided…
I DESERVE HAPPINESS!
At my breaking point, I decided I deserved happiness. That day and everyday moving forward I was going to give myself the love and confidence that I deserved. It continues to this day and I will never stop.
And here’s how my love for Affirmation cards started
My sweet mother-in-law Paulette, who has been a positive impact in my life, came to me one morning with a deck of Louise Hay affirmation cards. I had no idea what an affirmation card was and she explained, “They are cute little positive verses that you pick from a deck each morning.” Little did I know the impact these cards would have on my life. I started pulling them daily with my morning coffee. When I traveled, I would pack my decks so I was able to continue the daily morning ritual I created.
I practice gratitude every day
Practicing gratitude each morning is like breathing to me. I am able to do this without effort because I appreciate the life I almost lost. “Rise and Reset your Mind Every Day,” is what I say to myself each morning. Because I experienced traumatic darkness in my life, I understand what it means to see the light. Maybe that’s why mornings mean so much to me. I’ve always loved the start of a new day, a day where I can evolve from the day before, a day that brings light, calmness and a new beginning.
My story My Purpose and Mission
In order to fully heal, I decided to share my story. I do it with courage, confidence and without shame. I believe my purpose in life is to help others create positive energy and self-love. My mission is to create positive tools for people to use to help them get through the tougher days. Not every day is easy or positive but if people can pull a positive affirmation card, write in their gratitude journal or concentrate on Rising and Resetting their maybe that will help with their mental state.
I combatted my fear head-on, and at full speed, and it has taught me that my passion and a belief in myself will always lead to success. So to end, I will leave you with the message from the affirmation card that I selected today from my inspiring and hopeful deck of cards: “Confront your fears or bow to them. The choice is yours.”
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?
Hi! I am Lisa Ponte, Mom of two daughters, loving wife, full-time Senior Marketing Coordinator at Meketa Investment Group, Yoga Instructor, and founder of LP Vibes–which is an online business outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I sell positive vibe affirmation cards for teens/adults and children, stone cardholders, as well as, gratitude journals and Rise & Reset Your Mind BB hats and coffee mugs. I hope to come out with additional merch in 2023.
My affirmation cards are essentially a colorful deck of cards meant to be used each morning by selecting a card (with original photography) that contains an uplifting verse of words that acts as your positive message for the day. My creation of a deck of affirmation cards is adding positivity to the world one card at a time. An affirmation is commonly assumed to be a prediction of one’s life or future and/or a form of spiritual communication, but they are simply words of encouragement that may help you develop a more positive mindset. An important detail to remember about these decks of cards is that not every card you choose that day is going to resonate immediately. Sometimes the message of the card will make more sense a few days later when your mind is more clear and you have had the time to reflect. Other times, you will pick the same card three days in a row, and it won’t be until the third day that you understand what the card was trying to tell you all along. Perhaps the card you pick does not even resonate with you much at all, but maybe the quote gives you hope, or the photograph makes you smile, or perhaps you just like the idea of having something to look forward to when you wake up each morning. I am not trying to predict the future, or solve people’s life problems, but instead, I strive to sprinkle bits of hope and positivity into others’ days through my deck of cards. My cards have allowed me to reinvent myself, while also touching the lives of so many other people in my community by fostering happy mindsets, and proving that any goal is attainable if it is pursued with passion. I love hearing why people bought my cards. Reasons include: to gain confidence, divorce, illness, to be more positive, death of a loved one, and so many other reasons.
My oldest daughter Alex and I decided to create a children’s affirmation deck this past summer while she was home from college. Confidence or lack of confidence starts at a young age. We thought it was important for children to hear positive messages early on in their lives. Our cards have messages about body positivity, acceptance, being loved, being brave and many other positive sentiments. Parents, caretakers, teachers, etc. encourage the child to pick a card every day or sometimes pack a card in backpack or lunch. These are friendly little reminders to help children navigate their day.I am a social person so I love to take part in pop up events. This year was very busy but there were a few events that were really enjoyable. These included, Anthropologie, Athleta and the Wellesley Marketplace. These events helped me to connect with my customers on a more personal basis. I have had some amazing conversations with people about mental health and the lack of resources available or the struggles surrounding the stigma of behavioral health issues. The support I have received after opening up about my own mental health challenges has been inspiring and has led to others sharing their own stories with me. Life is an imperfect journey and we all go through our ups and downs at different times. I really hope my cards and other merch are there to help others on the tougher days.This year I also created a gratitude journal. I find that journaling and writing down my thoughts puts me in a better mood. My journal has an intro activity page where you circle your current mood vibe, write your daily affirmation, goals, track your water intake, exercise and what you look forward to. Practicing gratitude, whether it’s writing it down or processing it mentally, assists in expressing more compassion and kindness which is what our world really needs. By doing this, you become more thankful for the simpler things in life.
I am most proud of my live interview with Heather Hedgedus of Fox 25 news. I was so nervous and it completely put me out of my comfort zone. I feel it is important to avoid getting too comfortable in life. I really strive every day to be a better version of the day prior. I try to learn from my mistakes, grow as a person and really try to make the most of every day.
I want to people to know how passionate I am about LP Vibes. When you talk to me about my company, you will see how my eyes light up and my smile is wide. I truly love making other people feel good about themselves. I hope to expand my business in 2023 by signing a contract with a retailer. I can see my bright pink card boxes sitting on display at a retail store. How many times have we struggled to find the perfect gift for someone? You really can’t go wrong giving someone positive affirmations. We all need them in life whether we are a child, teen, adult or elderly person.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My positive attitude and bright smile belies years of pain and suffering. My road to happiness was not smooth and easy, but instead, one filled with obstacles and challenges that I was forced to overcome through hard work. My teen years were spent crying in the bathroom after being bullied at school, inevitably leading to a loss of self-esteem, and confidence. When I recap this old story my eyes began to swell and my throat chokes. I went through the darkest day of my life during this time. I felt so lonely that I decided I didn’t want to live anymore and attempted suicide. I was young and didn’t realize the value of the one precious life I was given. This moment in my life was just the beginning of my treacherous journey down a spiraling slope. Back then my parents didn’t believe in therapists so I continued to struggle. I felt embarrassed and shameful of my depression, and had no resources to lean on and nobody to turn to for help. Later in life I went through another difficult time but this time was different. I was stronger and that’s when I decided I deserved happiness. I was going to give myself the self-love and confidence I needed.
It wasn’t until seven years ago, when my mother-in-law, Paulette, gifted me a set of affirmation cards. When I received them, I had no idea what they were and little did I know that they would forever change my life. This unexpected act of kindness and gesture from my mother-in-law, was the jumpstart that I needed. From that point on, I made it my mission to rediscover the love and happiness I deserved– affirmation cards became a key tool to my achievement of this goal.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Being real. Sharing my story with others without embarrassment or shame. It’s OK not to be OK. There is such a stigma around mental health and because of this people are embarrassed to say how they feel or ask for help. I received a lot of positive feedback and a lot of people could relate to the bullying and low-self confidence.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lpvibes.com
- Instagram: Lp_vibes_
- Facebook: LP Vibes
- Other: TikTok- @positivevibeaffirmations
Image Credits
Ali Rosa Photography