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

Oriana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope to be a legacy to my sisters. I’m the first in my family to have made it to college and get their degree. The plan was to go as far in my education as I could being first gen. I wanted to do so much but I unfortunately got sick with a debilitating chronic illness. As I still navigate managing my illness I strive to show my sisters that no matter where life takes you there can always be a way to make your own path to fit your needs. I want to inspire others to keep pushing forward and make lemonade out of the lemons life has given you. I hope to be an inspiration to others with debilitating illnesses that they can create their own journey to happiness and eventually success.

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 name is Oriana I am 23 and I started my business a year ago. The reason for starting my business is a bit of a ride. In January of 2022 I got sick with a simple cold that had triggered an autoimmune disease in my body. I was in my undergrad going to online classes while I was bed ridden for 3-5 months not being able to eat or really drink anything. I completely lost my memory from January to March or May. Once I was able to find a doctor she then sent me to specialist and now we understanding what I have. After an extreme amount of exams and lab work we were able to find that I have a chronic illness named POTS (postural, orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). This is a condition where it affects your nervous system. Your body does not properly flow blood when going from a sitting position to standing and so your heart becomes tachycardic which can lead to either feeling like you might pass out or you do pass out. POTS has no cure just managing symptoms and Is life changing. Unfortunately because of my symptoms and neurological issues I got in October after I got COVID I had to leave grad school. My plan was to get my masters in counseling. Life wanted me to change that so I did. I was home depressed and mad that I couldn’t do the basic things I could before. I had to have someone at home with me at all times, I couldn’t help watch my youngest sister while my parents work and basic things like just walk around the house without feeling like I would fall any minute. Since I can’t do a 9-5 due to my debilitating condition I decided to become my own boss. So that’s why I started OrianasCookies I wanted do occupy my time and try and get my life back. All though it can be exhausting and stressful which trigger my symptoms or a flare up I really love what I do. Being able to bake my customers desserts is lovely especially when they ask for special custom orders like cakes, pull apart cupcakes, or sugar cookies. I love what I do and I hope I can keep going for as long as life gives me. I am very proud of how far I’ve come considering having to change my dreams and passions and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.

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

I believe my entire journey shows my resilience. Once I was able to let go of my old body and the abilities it had I learned to adjust to my new one. There have been many times where I’ve gone to the emergency room from passing out or feeling very close to it and I will go back to either working on my website or taking pictures or even working on orders a few days later. What some of my customers don’t know is that I have to be very careful and all though when I’m giving them what they asked for a lot of the times in the back ground I need to be resting or taking multiple breaks because an episode might be coming on. It’s very hard since I don’t always know when it’ll happen and I find that to be resilient. Knowing I have this condition and still pushing forward and resting in between orders or right before pick up so that I can speak to my customers. I think this shows how much I truly love what I do and how I’m trying to take care of myself at the same time.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started my business March 20 2023. I was doing markets on the weekends during May-July. The plan was to keep going every weekend until it got too hot and I almost passed out. So I had to change my strategy of getting my name out there. Then I started with a small table at home. I would stand outside for 3 hours with a small table filled with baked good right in front of my gate. I unfortunately couldn’t keep doing that either as I would make myself sick. So I set a larger table by my door and had my baked goods there while I would sit inside and look at my cameras. After getting covid it changed my POTS and gave me neurological issues. I am not able to look at screens for longer than 5 minutes and so this became very challenging. I was able to get interviewed by the New York Post and that helped pick business up a little bit. However I had to close down the front and take care of my eyes, brain and body. Now I’m fully online and it’s hard because people miss the stand but don’t understand how painful it is for me to be checking the cameras or staying with my table. Business during the summer is a bit slower since I’m still new and getting my name out there so I’m currently trying to find new ways of promoting without making myself sick.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.OrianasCookies.com
• Instagram: OrianasCookies
• Facebook: OrianasCookies
• Other: TikTok OrianasCookies

Image Credits

OrianasCookies