We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vida Valdes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Vida, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
The biggest risk that I ever took personally was fighting for my community & doing this work at a full time basis. I have over 25 years experience in the medical field, I started out as a dental receptionist & moved my way up to Medical Billing Manager, Office Manager & eventually owning my own Medical Billing & Collections practice. At the end of 2017 it seemed like all of my contracts with providers were ending. I lost around 30 provider contracts from September to December 2017 under the weirdest circumstances, with every dismissal I did receive a severance check. Some of these checks ranged from $50-$500. I panicked I mean I really freaked out. At the time my husband & I had 5 kids still in school. As a mom & stepmom I couldn’t be irresponsible & stop working or lose any more contracts. It was then that my husband said you need to do this work full time. I said it isn’t reliable & this was always a side gig. My husband is my biggest support system & he pushed me to be a full time Spiritual Advisor & follow the path of my ancestors. My grandmother did this work in Cuba, not for the public but for our family. She was the one everyone came to for “spiritual help'”So on 1/1/2018, I went full time with the business. Within 24 hours I created my first 3 products for my online Botanica. I now am a Spiritual Advisor, Ordained Minister, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Elder & Shaman in the diaspora.
Vida, 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?
The Almighty Pineapple has transformed me personally in my life.
You see the Pineapple is a running joke with my long standing clients. I always tell my clients to Pray/Meditate a.k.a. the 1-2 combo (like a punching combination in boxing). I don’t particularly care in who you believe in and I don’t judge anyone. If you choose to honor Energy, Jesus, Spirit, Source, Allah, Buddha, a chocolate dragon or the Almighty Pineapple it is all good with me. If the Almighty Pineapple brings you to a higher level of Ascension and restores your faith in yourself, then ALL HAIL THE ALMIGHTY PINEAPPLE. It made all my clients laugh during the first 10 minutes of a reading. Laughter heals and its important for me that my clients are comfortable with me.
That’s how I got the logo with the Pineapple and after doing much research I saw how it resonated with me completely. Pineapples are associated with wealth, good fortune and good luck. Dried pineapple makes for excellent sachets and incenses that can draw wealth to the home and encourage financial gain, or fresh pineapple can be baked into cakes and desserts to gift to friend and bless them with good fortune as well. Pineapple is ruled by fire and the sun, and carries the energies of strength and power. It can be incorporated into charms for vigor and courage. It’s a benefit to spiritual power, and can increase personal magical energy as well as strengthen psychic experience and intuition. So you see how perfect it fits!! Makes sense I’m a triple fire sign. Ha ha I think!
Anyways back to who I am.
I am Vida, I am a Life Coach, some call me Soul Coach, also I am a Spiritualist, I am an Apetebi in the Ifa Tradition, I am an Aborisha in the Santeria religion as well. I am an Espiritista aka Psychic Medium, Seer, Consejera (reader since 1988) into Past Lives , Akashic Records, Channeled messages, Mentor/Teacher, Shaman (since 1997) , initiated through an actual Death & Resurrection aka Curandera (Medicine Woman), Ancestral Rituals & Hoodoo Practitioner aka Rootworker (see paragraph below), Pranic Healer & an ordained Minister (since 2019), with a non denominational church that honors all faiths & culture. Sacred Sexologist I’m Certified in Cosmic Sexuality (2021). I also am a Certified Intuitive Hypnotherapist, aka Certified Hypnotist Internationally. I wouldn’t associate myself with practices that belittles anyone of any background. I am also a verified Harvard recipient with several certifications of achievement in numerous spiritual studies. Things I don’t like labeling in any way shape or form; but in this society it’s ridiculous how a title changes perception. I rather go by INTUITION & experience. I am a hyper sensitive energetic intuitive, also I am clairvoyant, clairsentient, claircognizant, clairaudient, clairtangent, clairsalient and clairgustant. I am also called a Physical Empath or highly sensitive person with personality type INFJ.
We have a plethora of Counseling, Hypnotherapy, Intuitive & Spiritual Services & Products in our online Botanica/Boutique. We are trademarked in 3 different classifications with the US Trademark & Patents office where we can hold Spiritual & Religious Services, Ceremonies, Counseling & now Hypnotherapy!!! We also have handmade products passed down with recipes from our Ancestors.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What helped me the most is being consistent with my community on social media. I have been doing this work part time under the guidance and tutelage of my grandmother since i was 14 years old. I am what you call a Hereditary Witch. I am 5th generation psychic medium, ancestral and rituals practitioner. I already had a long standing clientele and they encouraged me to go online and share my services. That is how I became known in my community. So I started sharing concepts that were given to me such as praying, meditating, following intuition, connecting with your divine teams and so much more. But being consistent is what got me brand deals and interviews in several publications. Being accessible on social media, such as instagram, twitter, tiktok and youtube.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I had to tell my story and show up every day if necessary. Let people know what I am about. I had to be vulnerable in my story. I had to share the darkest parts of myself and let my community know that they are not alone. I never ran away from my past and I encourage my community to embrace the past as well. I started doing instagram lives, giving out free advice, doing the card of the days and giving out reminders to help people seek their own path and be honest with themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thealmightypineapple.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingsbyvida/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/v-b-valdes-melendez-585022222/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReadingsbyVida
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQaBYrSMcAEhz486hBgtr3A
Image Credits
Personal photos from Denisse Myrick