We recently connected with Vanessa Hollaman of EleVenth Cup and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Vanessa, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
When I embarked on my own spiritual journey, I realized I didn’t know myself as much as I did and I think that was the biggest catalyst for wanting to help other people discover who they are and how they can help themselves most efficiently. For every issue that you have, every question that you have for yourself, every roadblock to your next challenge, there’s almost always a way to get around it or at least an easier way to guide yourself through it and sometimes that way is specific to you because we don’t all navigate life in the same way. Sometimes that’s due to different life paths, sometimes it’s due to trauma, and sometimes it’s due to traditions and familiarity. Some people use organized monotheistic religions like Christianity to guide them through, but those usually come with extreme limits and not everyone (even people who are devoted to that path) feel that they are able to optimally find what they are looking for which generally leaves people with more questions than answers. Being a person who has always been fascinated with the how’s, why’s, and what’s of the world, I love being able to find a solution to questions or at least a lead to get closer to a solution. Spirituality, for me, has been that solution and the lead before a solution so many times. Everything is connected so the best way to truly grasp who you are, what you’re capable of, and how to navigate life is to connect deeper with yourself and the energies around you.
Did you know that trees can communicate with each other through biological pathways? They communicate their needs, send resources, and warn each other of danger, but they can’t do it alone. They have to rely on fungi to connect their networks. Think of spirituality as the fungi. When we need assistance or an answer or a clue for what to do and which path to take, we use the fungi to relay the request to the best person for the job and in turn, they send the assistance or answers we need. This is what it’s been like for me since strengthening my connection to the spirits and energies around me. This is what working together with the spiritual realm looks like.
I’ve always considered myself a very helpful person. I like to see people happy and fulfilled while living in ease and harmony. I’ve come to realize that self-limiting beliefs are a primary component to holding us back from those things. When I started to knock down the walls and mystery of who I was and what I was capable of through meditation, ancestral veneration, spiritual gratitude and giving offerings, astrology, spell casting, and crystal research and healing, it felt so incredibly empowering and fulfilling. I call it “the cheat codes of life”, but it’s really more of an acknowledgement of access to the greatest resources you can imagine. There’s no need to struggle if you don’t have to and I strive to communicate that through my work.
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 am an intuitive tarot reader, spiritual advisor, and spiritual practitioner. My passion is to be of help to those who need it, whether that help is for a mundane matter or otherwise. Because of the many hurdles I’ve faced throughout my own life and the hurdles I put myself through by not processing and healing those traumas, I know all too well what it’s like to struggle, both on the outside and the inside. I strive to help others who may feel lost, abandoned, confused, or those who sabotage themselves to avoid facing their pain. I am also empathic which gives me the ability to feel the emotional and sometimes physical pain of another. I try my best to understand the emotions of my client to the very best of my ability so that I can most accurately assist in their healing. I also create products to help with mundane and spiritual situations and provide spellwork services when needed.
I have always been the kind of person who is in love with nature, the natural, and the supernatural. Being in the middle of the woods, connecting with the world and creatures around me, has always been my jam. Harry Potter, Matilda, and anything else magical and full of wonder bring me incredible fascination and never cease to pull me in. I also love to hike and my absolute favorite vacation destination is a cozy cabin nestled in a beautiful mountainside. In nature is where I feel the most at peace and where I feel I perform best in my work. I greatly enjoy doing my readings outside!
I’m truly in my happy place when I’m putting puzzles together. The hows and whys of every little thing are what keep me going and quench my thirst for knowledge. I love to mentally dissect and analyze things to the smallest details to make the mechanics of those things make the most sense to me. Putting things together like something as simple as a jigsaw puzzle or something as difficult as a piece of furniture or machinery easily sparks my inner child. When I’m deciphering the messages of the readings and putting together the stories that the cards give me, I apply my love for piecing objects and information together so that I can deliver those messages in a way that flows clearly and concisely together enough to be easily understood by my client.
My spiritual journey began with me learning about my natal chart and how its aspects truly called the shots. I then found out about tarot readings on YouTube and instantly became more intrigued in the accuracy of those readings because even though the reader was pulling cards for thousands of people at a time, they still had my number, so to speak. I was hesitant to read cards on my own at first, but the more time I spent practicing with the cards, the more comfortable I felt with them and the easier it became to read them. I have only ever doubted my reading abilities twice and both times only reinforced my trust in my cards and the spirits that bring me the messages because although those messages didn’t make sense to me, they were still proven to be accurate. One thing I always say is, “The cards are never wrong. The only thing that can be wrong is my interpretation of them.”
When I decided I wanted to put my own intuitive abilities to use professionally, I asked my dad what he thought and he was supremely supportive and so were my two siblings. They have remained my favorite supporters. I began practicing spellwork about a year later and actually found out earlier this year through an uncle that my great grandmother was a conjurer and herbalist. It was at that point that I got the last bit of confirmation that I would ever need about this being the path I was destined for.
Black girl magic isn’t just a phrase. We’re healers. Our grandparents were healers. Their grandparents were healers. It’s a shame that spirituality is such a taboo subject for so many from those generations that benefitted from it. I plan to teach my children everything I’ve learned one day. I call this path “the cheat codes to life”. I believe there’s no reason to suffer spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or otherwise if you don’t have to. If they choose this path, and it’ll be entirely up to them and what they choose to believe, they won’t have to. I only wish for them to choose healing and comfort, wherever that is for them.
I take great pride in my ability to change someone’s perspective in themselves and the world around them.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned is that it’s only difficult to change your life if you only do the bare minimum to change it. We are literally the authors of our own stories with all the tools we need to make it whatever we want it to be. We need only to tap in and embrace them.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I do manufacture my own handmade products and I get my crystals from reputable vendors throughout the United States. I learned to make jewelry through tutorial videos on YouTube and TikTok and through taking premade jewelry apart and learning how they were put together. My first batch of candles and jewelry were made by vendors that were suggested to me on Etsy and Faire. The biggest lesson I have learned is to just keep trying. Try new things. Try new designs. Be bold and make statements with your art.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
My two favorite business-savvy books are “Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography” by Walter Isaacson and “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future” by Peter Thiel.
Contact Info:
- Website: eleventhcup.com
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/eleVenthcup
Image Credits
First photo: Jasmine Carter @ Jasmine Carter Photography https://www.facebook.com/jasminecarterphotography Photo 2-8: Vanessa Hollaman