Keisha Blair
September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! On the Holistic Wealth podcast I had an amazing conversation with Vanessa Coppes, Editor-In-Chief of Bella Magazine. Vanessa is only one of five Latinas in the United States to helm a major international magazine. On the Holistic Wealth podcast we talked about her media and publishing empire, how she built it as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, the COVID-19 impact on her business and how she pivoted as well as managing mental health during the pandemic.
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, at the age of 13, Vanessa had a clear vision of working in the magazine business in New York City, but pursued the more predictable path of becoming a Teacher. After graduating college and attending design school there, she taught for several years and loved it, but knew her future held more.
Vanessa’s journey and success story is one that embraces authenticity and determination. In this episode we discussed Vanessa’s journey as an immigrant and starting her very own business and going through post-partum depression. Mental health is a topic that’s very important to Vanessa, and as Vanessa stated in the interview: “I talk about it (mental health) as often as I possibly can, because I’m here to show people that you can overcome it and you can manage it and you can continue to live a happy life, regardless of whatever mental health aspect you may be plowing through. I’ve struggled with depression from the age of 13. So it wasn’t anything new to me after I had post-partum depression”. Vanessa is an inspiration to women everywhere and has lifted the bar as it relates to representation and inclusion in the publishing industry. BELLA Magazine covers have reflected the importance of diversity and inclusion and have included cover stories, and celebrities and influencers gracing the cover of the magazine such as Boys II Men, Meagan Good, Tabitha Brown and Choyce Brown, Jaimie Xie, Jamie Kern Lima, and one of my favorites, Kelly Rutherford, who I have previously interviewed on the Holistic Wealth podcast, and author of the Foreward for the expanded and updated version of Holistic Wealth, that’s now available for pre-order.
Vanessa discussed strategies for diversifying the magazine’s sources of revenue during the pandemic that also serves as a way to engage with and serve their customers. The entrepreneurship lessons Vanessa offers can be applied to any business in tough situations and pivoting in an authentic way: “during the pandemic, what saved the company literally was the launch of our apparel line. I had been talking about making t-shirts and mugs for a long time and who knew that people wanted BELLA t-shirts so much, and that was literally for the first three months of the pandemic. The orders just started to come in and come in. And I would literally just be in tears at home because I couldn’t believe that, okay, we have money to pay our rent. We have money to pay my team. I have money to go to print”.
Vanessa also discussed her mission and the sacrifices she made to get to the amazing success story she is now: “If I go back and tell you that when I launched my first business, I got a part-time job to be able to fund what was my dream. And again, no shame in that either. You do what you have to, but the reality is, if you believe in your calling, if you believe in your mission and what it is, that is your passion, you are going to always find a way, because for me personally, there is no other alternative”.
Tune in to listen to this episode with Vanessa Coppes, and learn strategies to transition and pivot, whether in business or in your career and also tips to manage mental health during a pandemic.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
– Vanessa’s amazing journey as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic to starting her very first business in New York City.
– Vanessa’s story on how she acquired a magazine and transitioned from a writer to a CEO of an international publication and media company.
– Vanessa’s journey as an entrepreneur, becoming a new mom and her journey through overcoming post-partum depression.
– Vanessa’s thoughts on thriving through a global pandemic and how moms and women can thrive financially.
– Vanessa’s thoughts on coping with mental health struggles and embracing a mindset that will help you perform at your best while prioritizing balance and joy.
– Learn some tips and strategies to deal with your personal finances.
Listen to this episode and Subscribe to the Holistic Wealth Podcast on Apple Podcasts.
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