Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Rezende. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. undefined

My story began in Brazil, where I graduated from a prestigious Law school in 2012. I explored different areas of the industry, but over time, I realized I wasn’t fulfilled. Despite earning a good income, I wasn’t truly happy.
I
n 2014, while clerking for a judge, I took some time off to visit my half-sister in California. During one of our conversations, I found myself venting about how I no longer saw a future in law. She casually asked, “Why don’t you just move here and start over? You can do anything you want.” At first, I thought she was crazy—life doesn’t work that way! I couldn’t just drop my career and move without a plan.

But when I returned home, her question stuck with me. It was the first time I felt like I had permission to pursue what I truly wanted. The more I thought about it, the more I asked myself, “why not?”. I started researching my options, and eventually, I decided to take the leap.

When I first arrived, I pursued interior design—something I’d always loved—but I quickly realized it wasn’t the right path for me.
During a challenging time, I turned to yoga to stay grounded amidst all the uncertainty. That’s when it hit me—yoga was having such a profound impact on my life that I decided to enroll in a teacher training program.

The moment I taught my first class, I knew I had found something meaningful. I kept diving deeper, taking more trainings, teaching more classes, and eventually incorporating sound healing into my practice. Later, I took another leap and graduated from the College of Hypnotherapy, becoming a certified clinical hypnotherapist.

Taking the risk to leave behind a stable legal career, moving to a new country where I barely spoke the language, and starting over from scratch was one of the biggest challenges of my life. But it’s also been the most rewarding journey.

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?

I love helping people achieve their highest potential. Life comes with many challenges, but what often holds people back the most is their own mindset and the ways they unknowingly harm their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. I see myself as a guide—a facilitator for wellness—helping clients overcome these barriers and create lasting change.

I specialize in helping people manage stress and anxiety, change habits, quit smoking, overcome fears and phobias, lose weight, and clear limiting beliefs that may be holding them back. My approach is holistic, combining hypnotherapy with mindfulness and breathwork to support my clients in creating meaningful, lasting results.

In addition to hypnotherapy, I teach yoga classes at studios and for private clients, as well as workshops and events. Sound healing is another key element of my offerings, as it provides a deeply soothing experience that enhances the overall impact of my work.

What I love most about what I do is seeing the transformation in my clients. The results are often immediate, and witnessing their growth and breakthroughs is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. I’m always eager to keep learning and evolving, which allows me to continue offering the best possible support to those I work with.

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

When I moved here, it was really tough. I had very little money, and my resources were running out while I struggled to find a job. My English wasn’t very good at the time, which made things even more challenging. Eventually, I landed a corporate job as an administrative assistant. I worked hard and did so well that I was promoted three times in just two years, becoming an account manager.

But despite the professional growth, the work environment was toxic, and it took a toll on me. I eventually made the difficult decision to quit, which left me in a tough spot financially. From there, I worked a variety of odd jobs—driving for Uber, delivering food—doing whatever I could to make ends meet.

Each of those experiences came with their own set of challenges. Whether it was navigating difficult situations while driving or managing financial uncertainty, I always reminded myself that these struggles would one day make for an interesting chapter in the book of my life. I’ve always believed that life is full of twists and turns, and every challenge we face gives us the resilience and tools we need to grow and evolve.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I definitely think the best source of new clients is referrals. It’s incredibly rewarding when a past client trusts my work enough to send a loved one my way. When I hear things like, “I sent my cousin to you,” or “I’m sending my son,” it really means a lot to me. It’s the best compliment I can receive because it shows that what I do has truly made an impact.

I’ve also received referrals from therapists who have sent their clients to me to work on specific issues they were struggling with. It’s an honor to collaborate in that way and contribute to their healing journey alongside other professionals.

Referrals have allowed me to help more people in an organic way, without having to spend on advertising. It feels amazing to know that my work speaks for itself and that clients, and even professionals in the field, believe in it enough to share it with those who need it most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vanessarezende.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarezendeyoga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessarezendeyoga/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yoga-and-meditation-by-vanessa-rezende-marina-del-rey-3?utm_source=ishare

Image Credits

Zsuzsi Photography
Personal archive, Red Diamond Yoga class, Erick Pleitez, Usef Elgendy, Dametreus Ward.