We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Codorniu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I am a Latina born in Lima, Peru to Argentine parents. My first language is Spanish and I was raised in a Spanish Speaking household in Queens, NYC. I grew up with a Catholic based foundation but my parents believed that deep wisdom, intuition and healing resided within each and everyone of us. As a result, I was raised in a spiritual home that included “egg limpias”, speaking about our dreams at the breakfast table and trusting our inner senses. When I was 16, my parents tested me and blindfolded me on a ouija board and the information that came through me was true and they were able to get the facts. I began serving my Latino community as an intuitive at 16, for free and after almost a year- I said I lost my gifts. I truly wanted to just be a teenager. In my early 20s, I trained in Usui Reiki, sat in sweat lodge with a Lakota teacher, Beverly Little Thunder and continued to train in areas such as certified Clinical Hypnosis, meditation, mindfulness, Health Coach certification and many other practices for wellness. I continued working in corporate and held women’s healing circles for free or by donations monthly, in my or my friend’s small one bedroom apartment. 30-40 people would attend and exclaim,” this is my church!” While my father had built a business, I was not interested in building one. I was interested in community, connection and social justice. As the years went by I continued holding Ancestral healing circles, doing house and energy cleanses and working with folks. I rented a healing room in Sunnyside, NYC in 2009 and supported myself full-time with wellness training, healing circles and hypnosis sessions but went back to corporate for the health insurance when I needed major abdominal surgery. In 2012, 2 months after the surgery, precisely the end of the Mayan Calendar, December 21, 2012, my family was preparing to go on a trip from Miami to Georgia and as I began to enter the car at 6 am, both my mom and I felt that something was off. My older brother drove ahead of us with his family, my parents and I in the middle and my younger brother and his fiancé were behind us. About an hour or so into the trip, I was laying down in the backseat when my intuition said,” sit up straight, so you don’t break your back. Take off your bracelet so you don’t hurt your wrist and make sure your parents have their seatbelts on.” I sat up, as an intuitive and wellness guide, I teach folks to develop their intuition and so I walk my talk. My mom did not have her seatbelt on, she put it on and I took off my bracelet. Within minutes, the tire burst and we lost control of the car. All I could see was a truck in front of us and I thought, ” is this how my life ends? I never went full-time into my purpose business, I never got married,” all I could sense was that somehow all would be alright. My dad was able to grab the wheel and take us off the collision course we were on. We started to roll then, perhaps three times. Glass breaking, pots and bags flying. I kept bracing for my death and inevitable crossing over. I did not have a seatbelt and held tightly, hearing,” Everything is ok. We will all make it.” Once we landed, tires up, my parents one unconscious, the other screaming hanging from their seatbelts above me and me sitting on what was the roof of the car, in shock. I heard my brothers screaming for us, when I answered, I realized that I was indeed alive. I helped my parents get free from their seatbelts and crawl out of the trashed jeep. As I crawled out, I heard within, ” Never go back to corporate. You have another chance to live your purpose. ” My dad and I had no injuries whatsoever. My mom suffered a minor heart attack and broken ribs. Thankfully she healed. I returned to NYC grateful, moved and understanding that I had to take big risks. I had somehow survived without a seatbelt, holding myself in place and now it was time to go full out- but instead of in person, online. In early 2013, without a mailing list, fame, rich family or partner, I began to teach intuition development classes online through conference calls ( Skype was of 1;1 sessions and zoom not in existence) and was able to pay my 2k rent. I then sublet my apartment and started living in friend’s living rooms in LA, Panama City, NYC and Miami and created a 9k 9 month mastermind for creatives and business women who wanted to trust their intuition, heal and make bold moves. That year 9 women enrolled and with my trainings and workshops I hit six figures. After surviving what I thought was imminent death or disfigurement, I knew that time is short and that I had to step out with the skills I was developing for decades.
For the next year, I was location free and supporting creatives and entrepreneurs with online programs, retreats and 1:1 sessions.
In 2020, I was in my 8th year of full-time online business when the pandemic hit. I lost many of my private coaching clients , my dad died suddenly and then my mom from an illness.
I sat down and asked myself, What does the world need now? Stuck at home, scared and anxious?” I’ve always worked with indigenous, black and Latino healers but who I saw published in books, hailed in the media was constantly white, blonde -blue eyed yoga instructors…nothing wrong with white healers AND where were our people? Why would white healers consistently go to other countries and then bring the wisdom? The impact of colonization runs deep and I believe that we are living in a time where we call this out, heal and re-create new spaces of powerful reclamation. How about supporting underserved communities and helping develop folks that haven’t gotten much media or support to lead?
I rebooted my business, rebranded from The Urban Priestess to The Biz Bruja- same me different visibility and created The School of the Healing Artes, A school that supports wellness/healing and leadership for BIPOC and Latinx experts. I served over 2000k folks from 2020-2021, the same year I lost my dad, mom and youngest brother. That same year, my partner and I got engaged and bought a home. I grieved but I also knew that my upbringing, my life, my skillset and my successes had shaped me for THIS moment. I was born to regulate my grieving and nervous system while I also showed up for my global communities. I offered pay-what-you-can Trainings, others for the usual rates. I trained people to manage and regulate their nervous systems during this intense time of loss. I helped folks break through ancestral patterns that were keeping them in freeze mode and many began to offer services and create businesses.
I was on Primer Impacto speaking on ancestral gifts, several times on Telemundo speaking on depression/anxiety/grounding/intuition and wellness. I started an astrology column on BELatina magazine for two years. Wrote for HOLA! magazine. I was hired to co-host the Energy Medicine Summit on the ShiftNetwork and guest host for The Shift Networks Ancestral Healing Summit. I shared my hypnosis protocol Ancestral Hypnosis Healing on the Shift Network and internationally. Created my own summit, interviewing over 35 Diverse healers for The Ancestrally Rooted Business Summit. Did a two year training and initiation with The Inca Medicine School with Inca Elders in Peru, taking a group of my students there in October 2022. Ancestral healing is also not just about releasing patterns adopted for survival by our ancestors and creating new ones. It’s also about reclaiming joy- I began training in improv in 2017 and I know bring Improv to my retreats, teach at The Harrisburg Improv Theater, NYC’s Bella Abzug Young Women’s Leadership Institute, The People’s Summit under Healing Justice and various hospitals and businessesThat fateful day on 12/21/12 changed my life and I intend to keep growing, supporting the next generation of healers and leaders with all my heart and soul. https://belatina.com/vanessa-codorniu-ancestral-healing-business-summit/
Vanessa , 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?
I support people in various ways: 1;1 single sessions of Akashic Records readings, Business and personal Astrology char readings and hypnosis on issue such as:visibility, abundance, marketing, imposter syndrome, public speaking and more. I support people in releasing deeply held ancestral and present life patterns that are affecting their lives and business. As an intuitive and medicine woman, I can sit with folks I don’t know and share powerful and specific messages for healing. My ancestral healing hypnosis offering gets to the root sometimes where even therapy as not been able to reach.I always suggest that my clients work with therapists to unpack and integrate the work we do.
Akashic Records Readings: receive deep wisdom from your soul records from guides and ancestors
Clinical and spiritual hypnosis: to get the root of what has been blocking you so we can integrate a new pattern/new habit or way of thinking and living.
Business coaching: Is a four month program where I pull from all of the skills, including being a six figure and some years multiple 6 figure full-time online wellness business. It’s for the creative and soulful entrepreneur that needs more than how-to’s because how to’s don’t land well if the foundation of of our behavior and personality isn’t understood and healed when needed. I am best for someone who wants to create a location free, online business as I’ve been doing this work 12 years myself. I have run online webinars and sold online since 2012-2013, times have changed and so have i. I can support your pivot and thrive era. For traditional businesses, hypnosis support can help unblock and create a more resilient and go-getter way of being that works with the individuals personality.
Retreats in the US, short weekends tap into the wise knowing of your own sacred medicine.
International Retreats: Mexico and Peru, take a journey to powerful connections with nature, healing, intuition and sisterhood.
Improv for Teamwork and Collaboration for business: tap into improvisation and creative ways of building a fun, inclusive and growth-mindset team! A team that laughs together, creates together and thrives together!
Improv for Resilience: For non-profits, hospitals and wellness organizations. A brief lecture on research correlating resilience with improv exercises and skill-building and then most of the time it’s hands on, fun, connection and creativity!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think I actually did when I shared that half my family passed away in less than a year in 2020 and my business almost disappeared. I knew that it was time for me to rise and truly, my business tripled, I got engaged and bought a home. Always giving thanks to the ancestors who helped me be who I am today.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I did and can explain more if needed. Thanks so much
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebizbruja.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebizbruja/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaCodorniuEnEspanol/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessacodorniu/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FVanessaCodorniu
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VanessaCodorniu
- Other: https://bizbruja.podbean.com
Image Credits
Wendy Yalom photography