We recently connected with Tess Vergara and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tess, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
Thank you. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story. Yes. There was a pivotal moment in my professional journey that drastically altered the course of my career. It was a period I call my dark night of the soul—After dedicating nearly 30 years in finance and accounting, I hit a wall, struggling to meet deadlines and expectations I had effortlessly handled before. Muscling through work just wasn’t cutting it anymore. I was burnt out, running on fumes, and clueless about it. If I wasn’t angry, I was depressed and couldn’t drag myself out of bed. My usual way of handling things went out the window, and I found myself lashing out, totally out of control, and feeling helpless and powerless to make a change. This phase marked a critical turning point where the once-clear path to success became obscured by a fog of uncertainty. Thank God this chaotic period ultimately led to an unexpected transformation, albeit slow and painful.
What hit me the hardest was this overwhelming sense of impotence and powerlessness. It felt like my mind and behavior were no longer under my control—zero control. It messed with my work and chipped away at my sense of self, draining both my professional and personal life right before my eyes.
As excruciating as this experience was, it became the catalyst for my soul’s journey—a pivotal moment where I faced my demons and declared, “Enough is enough.” This turning point marked the beginning of reclaiming my soul, which then became the cornerstone of my Soul Powered Coaching. I’m now helping others navigate similar challenges, guiding them from a place of powerlessness to discovering their SOUL POWER.
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?
Certainly. My name is Tess Vergara, Soul Powered Executive Coach and I have been coaching since 2013 serving a diverse clientele both locally and internationally. Additionally, I partner with various agencies, like the SBA THRIVE program, and FORUM virtual peer support group, to provide tailored business and leadership support, coaching and training for success-driven professionals.
As I already mentioned, my journey is a mix of resilience, burnout, and finding my way through the dark. Coaching became my path to healing, and now I’m all about helping others take back their Soul Power.
Soul Powered Coaching addresses the conflicts many high achievers face between mind and heart, soul and ego. Drawing from a blend of Strategic Intervention, NLP, Behavioral Assessment, Soul Realignment, my own spiritual awakening and other healing modalities, I guide my clients deep to the root cause of fear, lack, and separation that greatly diminishes and blocks their Soul Power. Unlike traditional coaching, Soul Powered Coaching is a journey back to your innate wholeness, unlocking the full potential of your Soul Power. Without this, life—whether in the form of business, career, health, relationships, or money—becomes a constant struggle, where success, peace, joy, freedom, and fulfillment are, at best, a fleeting glimpse.
My journey into Soul Powered Coaching wasn’t a straight path—it felt more like a series of cosmic 2×4’s, a divine intervention through the dark, dark night(s) of the soul. In trying to escape the pain, I ventured into coaching, becoming my own guinea pig. Later, I realized that burnout and powerlessness were signs of a deeper soul calling, giving birth to Soul Powered Coaching. It’s not just a job for me; it’s my soul in flesh.
Success, to me, is proof of the remarkable potential within us all. And I’ve been incredibly blessed to witness clients transform in relationships, break financial ceilings, achieve business growth, and heal within. This year, I’m excited to spotlight three professional achievements: 1) My podcast, Soul Power to the People, kicking off its third season; it’s not just a podcast but a space normalizing discussions about soul power. 2) Marking my second year as a business coach for the SBA Thrive Emerging Leaders Program, a crucial role in empowering small business owners and accelerating high-potential businesses in the U.S. And 3) Partnering with Forum, leading a peer support group titled “Radiant Women in Business; Awaken Your Soul Power,” a 12-week online program empowering women in career and business to reignite inner strength and life purpose.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Amid numerous challenges, resilience became my steadfast companion—an essential quality passed down from my parents. Motivated by a strong desire for a better and brighter future, they took on the bold journey of moving from the Philippines to Canada, bringing me and my siblings along. Just imagine us transitioning from a warm tropical place to the frigid cold of Winnipeg, Manitoba—I mean, if that isn’t resilience, I don’t know what is.
The ultimate test of resilience came when I relocated to the U.S. Picture this: I left my family and career, pregnant with my second child, with a 2-year-old by my side, all while supporting my then husband’s pursuit of a new job. Just a few months later, while still recovering from childbirth, which almost claimed my life, stress ignited an abuse towards my first born, that compelled me to ask for divorce.The response I got was a harrowing attempted kidnapping of my children. Thank God, awakened by angels, I ran in my nightgown to prevent it from happening, not without some bruises and wounds. Originally planning to return to Canada, life threw a curveball, and left me stranded in the US with no job, no family, no friends—evicted and deportable.
The subsequent months became a relentless battle not only for my own sanity and resilience but for the well-being and safety of my precious little ones. Fortunately, Cornerstone, a nonprofit for battered women, provided us transitional housing and community support, a lifeline I couldn’t have managed without. The following 15 years as a single mom, navigating without a dime from their father, became a tale of courage, resilience, success, and an unyielding commitment to create a better life for my daughters and myself.
Nevertheless, despite my resilience, the toll of burnout and depression eventually caught up with me. It occurred because, amid the chaos, I lost sight of myself.
Fast forward to today, and I reflect on that journey—a soul path of unexpected twists and turns, and an unbreakable spirit that emerged from the dark night of the soul. It taught me a thing or two—about having faith, summoning courage, and believing that with God, anything is possible. But the real nugget of wisdom? It’s all about keeping your strength and power intact, especially when life throws those curve balls that will have you drop to your knees, seeking mercy. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that faith is far from passive. Saying “Thy will be done” doesn’t mean surrendering or abdicating your power (just the ego); it means merging with the light of God within your soul and taking action from that space I call soul power.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I’m no spring chicken anymore, and I’ve had to unlearn quite a few for my own peace of mind. But anyway. Growing up in a dysfunctional, alcoholic, and abusive environment, I witnessed my mom sacrificing herself to please everyone. I decided at a very young age not to follow in her footsteps; I vowed not to be a medicine cabinet, a punching bag, or a doormat. True to my word, I couldn’t bring myself to take antidepressants, prescription medicine, or even alcohol, even if it meant saving my life. I just couldn’t. Instead, I found healing through coaching and leadership transformation. However, despite this resolve, I uncovered surprising tendencies of martyrdom, people-pleasing, and a superwoman complex deeply ingrained in my subconscious, shaping decisions contrary to my conscious intentions.
As a single mom and immigrant, I achieved career success while simultaneously managing multiple business and income streams, accumulating substantial assets in my name. Yet, beneath my confident exterior, unbeknownst to me, I was concealing wounds and insecurities, prioritizing others over my well-being. I went to great lengths, often neglecting my well-being and putting others first, to my own detriment. Initially, I saw myself as a devoted mother who would stop at nothing for her children, and a supremely capable individual, determined to prove to the world (hint: ex-husband) that I can because I can. Beneath the surface, I was fragile, unaware of my true worth, incapable of asking for help, and even used money, unconsciously, as a tool to gain acceptance and/or affection. Confronting my own incongruence, I came face to face with shame, judgment and confusion about my identity. In my healing journey, I redirected my focus towards prioritizing self-love, aligning with my soul, and fully expressing my unique divine gifts. Which also means deliberately unplugging from dysfunction, codependency and victimhood.
This is the inspiration behind creating “Radiant Women in Business: Awaken Your Soul Power”, an online peer-support group for success-driven women. It’s a space especially designed for those ready to shed societal expectations, unlearn patterns that hinder authentic expression, and fully step into their soul power. My vision is to guide women in reclaiming their authentic power, participating in a collective shift from fear power to Soul Power—a bridge connecting heaven and earth. It’s not solely about professional growth (just imagine the possibilities with authentic confidence); it’s a transformative journey towards love, joy, abundance, and freedom—the inherent qualities of our divine nature. Through unlearning the worldly conditioning that perpetuates fear power, I found my way back to Soul Power.
When we collectively recognize, accept and embody that love, joy, abundance, and freedom are our inherent divine nature, and we assert our divine right to these qualities, we actively manifest more, inevitably changing the face of the earth. This is my hope and vision—the collective shift from fear power to Soul Power, a bridge between heaven and earth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tessvergara.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TessVergaraSoulPoweredExecutiveCoach
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessvergarasoulpoweredexecutivecoach/
- Other: https://app.joinforum.com/partnergrouppage/radiant-women-in-business-awaken-your-soul-power-gpid1165 https://www.sbathrive.com/about
Image Credits
Bobby Ramilo Amagan Modie A-more