We recently connected with Samantha Villavicencio and have shared our conversation below.

Samantha , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I founded MindfulBrands Creative by the end of 2018, but the idea for it started forming back in 2015. At that time, I had recently graduated from college, and I had gotten familiar with the world of wellness because of some personal matters.

I loved seeing how, by helping wellness practitioners – reiki masters, raw chefs, mindfulness gurus, etc; they were able to help so much other people as well. So, although I was a Creative at an Ad Agency working with big brands like Walgreens, Chase and Honda, I found more meaning behind helping these smaller clients… I was able to see the immediate effects of my creative help.

MindfulBrands Creative was born out of my passion for helping make this world a better place. Whether it is through branding, web design or social media, I’ve got to see first-hand how my work has impacted the lives of people in ways I never thought possible.

Samantha , 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?

I’m a Venezuelan born and raised Creative Director, founder of MindfulBrands Creative.

MindfulBrands is a studio dedicated to helping conscious brands grow through creative and production services. The studio is based in Los Angeles, California – but we work internationally from Mexico, Venezuela and other places.

I’m an advertiser, graduated from the Miami International University of Art & Design.
Throughout my career I’ve worked as an Art Director, Copywriter, Social Media Creative and Strategist, Influencer Marketing Strategist and Content Creator… I’ve basically done it all.

My passion is to work with wellness-related, and socially/environmentally responsible brands.
As a Content Creator, I run a page called @mindfullysam (www.mindfullysam.com), where I share, what I like to call ‘mindfulness for dummies’ – an inside look at all the things I’ve learnt (and I’m still learning) on taking care of ourselves holistically (mind, body & spirit).

Some of the core services I focus on, in my studio work, are – content creation with purpose, influencer marketing consultations/strategy, art direction, copywriting, brand strategy, wellness events/retreats productions, web design, product photography and branding.

I am also passionate about helping people find their purpose. Through my work as a consultant, I guide my clients to understand what it is they can offer others to help make their lives easier, and then make the most out of it. For me, this is key to running a successful business – finding what you’re good at, and what you love, and then figuring out a way to share this value to solve someone else’s problems.

Most of the times, my clients come to me with, what I call, a ‘lost puppy face’… and this is something that not only makes me feel compassion for them; but it also motivates me to help them find their calling, shape their offerings, and position them in a way that benefits the people (and environments) around them. Through my studio, I work with multicultural clients in places like California, Florida and Mexico. To me, it is always exciting to learn more about different cultures and how we can communicate with them, especially when it comes to advertising a product or service in the most efficient and authentic ways.

My more corporate work, so to say, is focused on serving as a consultant to bigger companies like Captiv8 – where I craft Influencer creative strategies for clients like Verizon, Buick, Kraft Heinz, Burt’s Bees, Delta, Levi’s and others… always keeping in mind different ways we can push for sustainability and conscious practices that don’t harm others.

To me, it all comes down to what we can do to impact our surroundings in a positive way. In using our voices and our talents to contribute to society and to the planet in any way we can. This is the secret to living a meaningful professional life, in my opinion.

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

I think what scared me the most about leaving my 9 to 5 agency job, and starting my own studio was the financial security aspect of it. I had heard stories of people who couldn’t make it as freelancers or business owners, and that terrified me. But I’ve learned these past years that, when you do what you love and you’re passionate (and good) at it, the rest just comes.

I had to overcome many limiting beliefs along the way. Thoughts like, “where am I gonna get clients”, “am I gonna make enough money to survive,” and others, would haunt me all the time. It’s been a constant lesson on trusting myself, and knowing that I’ll always be cared for as long as what I’m looking to give is for the benefit of my ‘world’.

And besides, the freedom that came from doing things my way, and at my own pace is priceless… so I’d always choose this path before any other.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I decided to quit my full-time job in the beginning of 2020. And what a year that was…

By that time, I was living in LA, married to my co-founder, and living a life that I didn’t really love. I decided that I needed a change, because I knew that if I stayed at that job, I’d get sick because of the horrible amounts of stress and how toxic the environment was.

When the pandemic hit, I had just arrived to Mexico to get my own visa. One that wasn’t sponsored by any company, and that allowed me to do what I wanted without having to owe my stay in LA to a specific job. To my surprise, the embassies closed, immigration to the US stopped, and I got stuck in Mexico for way longer than I expected.

Along the way, my ex-husband and I separated. I kept the studio, but work became less of a priority for some time.
This process was truly painful to me. Not only the world seemed like it was ending, but also my whole world fell apart. Besides, my dad got sick and had to start chemo… all at the same time.

I thought of quitting almost every day. But I made sure that even if my heart was broken, I still had a lot to offer.
So, I focused on that.
I focused on getting better. On letting go what no longer served me, and learn from my own mistakes.
I made a promise to myself that I would never carry all the weight I was carrying and I reorganized my priorities to serve my own wellness and my happiness. This was the way I recovered my creativity and found the strength to keep serving and keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mindfullysam.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindfullysam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindfullysam
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-villavicencio-72292861/
• Other: www.mindfulbrandscreative.com www.instagram.com/mindfulbrandscreative www.instagram.com/mindfulbrandsretreats

Image Credits
Profile (main) – @claudiagomezph