We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mari Ahumada. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mari below.
Alright, Mari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
I love this question because my response varies depending on the flow of my days.
When I am consumed with social media content, I will tell you that I wish I had started my business sooner. I heard someone call it a death scroll, which is basically when you spend hours scrolling on social media and can’t get yourself to log off. On those days my brain is overstimulated and it tells me that i’m behind, and i’’m not doing enough. I often fall into a pattern of comparison and as Theodore Roosevelt once said “comparison is the thief of joy”. Unfortunately, social media has a way of making you feel unfulfilled if you allow it to. However, these feelings usually serve as a sign that I am neglecting my self-care and the best thing I can do is remind myself to not feel guilty about it.
On days when I’m overwhelmed with work and have an endless to-do list, I might lean towards wishing I had started later. This feeling is usually a result of overcommitting and it leads to craving an escape. I have interpreted this as a sign of not centering joy and pushing myself towards perfection. As a result I may feel as though I started my business too young, i’m missing out on life, and taking everything too seriously.
What these responses have in common is that they are connected to my feelings and the fears I have about myself. However, the truth is that I started my business on divine timing. Therefore, when I am intentionally nourishing and grounding myself this truth is so clear to me. In these moments I can hear my intuition loud and clear, and I am reminded that my business originated from a place of listening to God. These moments give me the patience to understand that my vision is going to take some time. Instead of listening to my fears, I choose to find joy in the journey and express gratitude for my present moment, how far I’ve come, and how excited I am for all the places i’ll go. This is the intentional mindset that I choose to run my business from.
So, the answer depends on the day you ask me.
Mari, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hi! My name is Maria Paula Ahumada and I go by Mari. I consider myself a multi-talented baddie who is an influencer, coach, speaker, and model. After leaving a fully funded PhD program and navigating the loss of my Mami, I followed my intuition and launched my dance business, Recocha Vibes. What is unique about the work that I do is that I combine my lived experience and research from my Masters program to center movement as a form of resistance and liberation by helping Women of Color take up the space they deserve in this world. My expertise lies in working with Women to use movement as a form of healing so that they can live intentional lives. I specialize in guiding women to reclaim their bodies from the impacts of past traumas, societal expectations, insecurities, and more.
Through movement workshops, coaching, and social media I empower women to move their bodies confidently and freely regardless of what they look like, past experiences, or where they come from. By helping women reconnect with their bodies and break free from toxic diet culture, we use movement as a way to release emotions and celebrate ourselves. What I’m most proud of is that our vibrant movement workshops, which have constantly sold out all over the country, have impacted countless Women of Color by providing a safe space where women can release emotions, reclaim their bodies, and tap into their inner light!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Over the past year, I have found myself pressing pause on various aspects of my life, including teaching both physical and virtual dance classes to hosting events. This decision was made intuitively and although I chose to surrender this shift to God, the truth is that there was so much fear.
Letting go of our dance membership, which was the heartbeat of my business, was not easy. Our membership was what brought our Recocherx community together, and what initially launched Recocha Vibes. It created a safe and healing space for Women of Color to embrace their authenticity, and it is something that I will forever hold close to my heart.
Looking back a year later, I have come to realize that God was calling me to take this step so that I could prioritize my health. A few months before discontinuing our dance classes, I began to experience physical pain, making movement increasingly challenging. As I was grieving these changes, as soon as I paused everything, the pain only seemed to get louder. However, this pause has allowed me to redirect my energy into collaborating with healthcare providers that could help me learn more about my body, and teach me practices to alleviate the physical pain I was experiencing.
Navigating this process has been extremely challenging and frustrating, to say the least. However, I am learning to treat my body as a temple. This process has allowed me to practice patience and embody what it looks like to walk in my purpose and trust my path. I interpret this shift as a way to nurture my gift of dance which God has blessed me with. I trust that from this experience I will soon be able to share the joy of dance with the world again. Until then, I am finding fulfillment in getting to share my journey with our recocherxs through social media, and interviews like this one!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
One of the transformative experiences that significantly shaped my management and entrepreneurial thinking occurred during a Carlos Vives concert in 2022. This event impacted my philosophy towards business and leadership in such a powerful way.
We live in a world where we are constantly being sold shortcuts to success. Much of the business advice that I have come across is centered around rapid growth, maximizing profits, and achieving immediate success. My feed is filled with content on “How to make X amount of money, How to have the most success, etc” and promoting how to do it fast. For a long time, I found myself trying to follow all these tips because I wanted to see my vision come to life on my terms, only to end up burnt out and unfulfilled every single time.
However, the Carlos Vives concert caused a shift in my perspective. The concert marked the celebration of 20 years of collaboration between Carlos Vives and his band. I remember being excited to be there since I grew up listening to his songs, but I only expected to know a handful of them. However, I was standing up the entire time dancing and singing along. Despite not being close to the stage there was a powerful, joyful energy that radiated throughout the venue. After reflecting on the concert I realized that for Carlos Vives to provide such an impactful experience to his audience, it took two decades of commitment to his gifts and talents.
Another part of the concert that shifted my perspective was Carlos Vives ability to incorporate the Colombian culture into his music and performance. I remember so vividly seeing his flutist, Mayte Moreno, playing “la gaita”, an indigenous instrument, and how it almost brought me to tears. Being able to witness the Colombian culture being amplified in a venue filled with people in such a powerful way reflected so much of my vision. As someone who is passionate about sharing the music, food, biodiversity, and teachings of Colombia, it inspires me to continue incorporating my lived experiences into the work that I do.
This concert experience redefined success for me, as something that takes dedication, patience, and commitment.
Therefore, as I navigate my entrepreneurial journey, I carry with me the lessons and the experiences from that transformative night.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.recochavibes.com
- Instagram: @recochavibes
- Other: Tik Tok: @recochavibes
Image Credits
Nelson N. Castillo