We were lucky to catch up with Sundarri Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sundarri thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Soma Wellness started as a dream of opening a wellness center. I had very a clear knowing that I wanted to open a wellness center that would serve as a community space where all could find a place where they are welcomed and accepted. I envision a space that would not only serve as a yoga studio, but also a co-working cafe, and event space. As I work towards opening this space now, I understand that it’s a journey, and it’s not something that can just happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and dedication. One of our biggest roadblocks has been finding the resources we need to make this dream a reality. I never thought that Soma would start as a remote business, but one thing led to another, and we find ourselves now serving the recovery community all over the southern California area. Things started to get really serious when we decided to go the non-profit route because we have a passion for serving and helping others. We are currently in process of receiving our 501(c)(3) status which we are hoping will open more doors for us. We ended up serving the recovery community after I lost my step-dad to addiction at the beginning of last year. Ever since then, things have just been opening up for us, and guiding us in this direction to serve the recovery community.

Sundarri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Soma is a Christ-Consciousness based wellness company for all, including those in recovery. We offer things like breath-work, yoga, sound-healings, akashic readings, support groups and more to the community. We offer these one-on-one and group sessions virtually and in person. I wanted to make Soma a Christ-Consciousness based company because I grew up Christian, and always had a deep connection to Christ, so when I had the idea for Soma, I knew that I wanted to go in that direction. We don’t follow the confines of religion, but rather show people an unconditional love and support that represents Christ. We are helping others heal their religious trauma through being an example of what we believe God represents, which is just pure love and non-judgement. There are many wellness companies out there, but what I think sets us apart is our deep connection to God and the intention to bridge the gap between Christ-Consciousness and wellness. I never thought that we would be serving the recovery community, but we feel so blessed to be in a position to help others who are on a recovery journey. After I lost my step-dad, it created a strong desire to help how I could. We have been receiving great feedback from offering these integrative services to this community. Even though these kinds of practices are more new in this field, I think people are really starting to understand that healing is not just a physical process, but also a spiritual one.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My co-founder is actually my husband. It has been so great going after this dream together, and I am so lucky to have such an amazing partner who has my back in this! We actually met at a yoga studio in 2021, so when I told my husband about the dreams of opening the wellness center, he was all for it and ready to help however he could. We really want this center to be family oriented, and be a safe space for people who may not have families of their own, so it felt very aligned when we initially had the calling to do this together. Of course, there are challenges doing business with your significant other, but we always try to bring ourselves back to the purpose of why we decided to do this joint venture in the first place.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What changed the game for us was finding business mentors that are in the field that we are in. These mentors we connected with are in the recovery community in LA and San Diego, so they were able to help us build connections and a reputation. They gave us so much valuable insight on how to go about making this happen. They gave us tips, and advice that came from their own experience in this field. It’s important when finding a mentor that the person is in the same industry or field that you are in, and can really speak from experience. They give you hope and inspiration because you know that it can work because they are doing it themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: healwithsoma.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/healwithsoma
• Facebook: Soma Wellness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/healwithsoma