We recently connected with Vanessa Gomez and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

I think this is such a powerful question. Especially living in a world where a lot of us are on the journey of addressing generational trauma, breaking generational curses, and realizing how our parents’ and/or guardians’ behaviors throughout our childhood have been showing up in our adulthood.
And while I’m not going to pretend my mom was perfect, because she definitely had her share of demons she was battling –that I’m now shedding as an adult as I realize that is not my weight to carry–her strength shined through in so many moments for me… particularly in the question,
‘but did you try?’
‘I don’t like x food.’… ‘but did you try it?’
‘I’m not good at x thing’… ‘but did you try it?’
It seems so simple but, this consistent question gave me the courage to try.
To try anything really, because what’s the worst that could happen? Or moreover, what’s the best that could happen?

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.

I’m the steward of FLOW IN THE CITY, a beautiful yoga studio and art exhibition space in Portland, Oregon. At the end of March 2024 we celebrated our one year anniversary which is such a hallmark moment for a woman like me, whom never thought she would say that she’s a business owner.

I’m a first generation Colombiana born in South Florida and whose family lives in New York and Philadelphia.
An only child to a single mom who almost always was working two jobs, I got left alone a lot as a kid. We didn’t have money for a babysitter so, it was one of those ‘don’t answer the door or the phone when I’m not home’ kind of households.
On the flip side of that, when she was home, she was the neighborhood mom.
Everyone called her ‘ma’, anyone could come over for a home cooked meal, you know, real kickback vibes.

And honestly, I feel like that’s where my love for community came from and community is the first core pillar of FLOW IN THE CITY.

Fast forward to me navigating my way through my health and wellness journey as an adult; which became a really interesting experience when I discovered yoga.
While I fell in love with the practice itself; it challenged me in ways I’ve never been challenged–both physically and mentally–and it re-enforced a sense of confidence in my ability to overcome difficulties but, in the very same breath, I often was singled out or othered in yoga studios.
If it wasn’t for my cultural differences //experiences, big curly hair and stacked body type, it was my hoop earrings, music preferences, or even my accent//how I spoke.
After experiencing moments like that time and time again I decided I needed to step into the industry to hold space; to create a sanctuary.

A sanctuary for culture to not only be welcomed, but to be nurtured and embraced.
This is why culture is the second core pillar of FLOW IN THE CITY.

That began as a community class, every Saturday at 12p. FLOWIN’: yoga for the community.
We met in an art gallery and it was super dope being surrounded by a variety of cultural art installations while we were gettin’ our downward facing dog on but it’s deeper than that.

Intellectual wellness: relates to lifelong learning, creativity, and challenging your brain through exposing yourself to different perspectives, learning a new skill, or exercising your creative abilities.

Which is why creativity is the third core pillar of FLOW IN THE CITY.

After a year of hosting FLOWIN’, I decided to search for a home for us to expand and grow in, and I found it three doors down from the art gallery we were already meeting in–call it fate–that’s where FLOW IN THE CITY was born.

What an incredible first year it has been.
We’ve welcomed over 700 people through our doors, supported 10 local businesses from a variety of industries–because we always put on for the city–amplified five emerging local artists, partnered with brands such as Nike, adidas, and lululemon to sponsor free community events and this is just the beginning…

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

While our first year was full of joy, it wasn’t without its challenges. Almost 50% of the time we’ve spent in our current space, we’ve battled issues with an improperly functioning HVAC system. We went without proper heat all winter.

And even of the midst of that, the show must go on.

So while yes, throughout this first year we had plenty of celebratory moments, fun moments, and creative moments; there also were moments where I had to get to the studio at 430a for a 630a class to turn on two space heaters to warm the space enough to make it remotely comfortable for folks to practice in.

We had to be transparent with those who walked through our doors as we navigated being in an old and neglected building.

And we had to keep smiles on our faces and keep our students feeling seen, heard, and held all the while behind the scenes I’m having multiple meetings with property management, contractors, and HVAC companies for months on end to find a solution.

Because at the end of the day all of those challenges were still worth it to be able to experience the joy we cultivated.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

While I was opening FLOW IN THE CITY, I was a local lululemon ambassador. Through the ambassadorship they have a program called the Community Initiative Fund which is essentially grant funding for a project that any ambassador may be working on, even if it’s business related.

I was blessed to have won the pitch and was granted $25k in funding.
Disclaimer for business owners who receive grant money: those dollars are tax deductible because it’s considered income to your business so, if you receive over $600 please believe you will be getting a 1099 in the mail so, make sure you set aside a portion of that money to account for taxes.

Along with that, I opened a business line of credit with a reputable bank.
Honestly, I highly recommend a LOC over a business loan because–even though the interest rates are a tad bit higher–you only pay back what you use and you can write off the interest payments as an expense on your taxes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.letsflowinthecity.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowinthecityyoga
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/vanessagomezyoga
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheglowsandflows?_t=8lOid88Yp0k&_r=1

Image Credits
ketan morris