Some things you encounter in life will literally change the trajectory of it.
For better or for worse.
Human design is one of those things that has changed my life, the way I see the world, and how I interact with people.
How do I use it?
For self exploration + awareness, it is one of my favorite tools.
One MAJOR reminder human design has given me is the fact that we are ALL unique individuals (and that’s a gift).
And I’m not even talking about the seemingly surface level things like:
The way you look
Your cultural background
Your race
Personal preferences
and things like that
I mean the essence of WHO YOU ARE is unique, even magical.
When I first heard the term “human design” I was instantly intrigued. But when I started Googling, I felt completely overwhelmed. So much so that I did not return to really study it for another few YEARS.
Because of that experience, this is why I love sharing human design in a way that is simple and applicable (although the topic can be complex, scientific, and esoteric).
What is Human Design?
My simple definition of human design:
Human design is a system founded by a man who went by the name Ra Uru Hu in 1987. Although it’s a new-ish system, it’s a melding of ancient and modern sciences. Human design meshes astrology, the chakra system, kabbalah, the I’ching, and quantum physics.
So what can you learn about yourself using human design?
What gifts + wisdom you’re here to share with the collective
How you’re designed to make decisions
What strategy you can use to meet less resistance from others
And who you are at your most authentic level beyond any societal conditioning
I want to share 4 ways human design has personally impacted my life.
1. Learning about the power of my emotions.
In human design, your authority is what helps you make aligned decisions. Growing up, I was always told I was too sensitive and I felt like there was something wrong with me because my emotions were so powerful. Now I have the ability to see my emotions as a gift and I’ve learned how to work with them, instead of against them.
2. I have greater acceptance of myself and others, which ultimately improves my relationships.
I’m able to be more objective about my strengths and how I may be challenged. I also recognize how other people are different than me and it changes my expectations. Instead of expecting someone to think and behave like me, have similar levels of energy as me, or handle their emotions like me, I accept people for who they are and experience less frustration. I’m more compassionate and less judgemental.
3. I’ve stopped trying to keep up with other people’s energy levels.
As a Manifestor, my energy levels are different than say a Manifesting Generator (which a lot of my family and friends are). Keeping up with them or coworkers who may be Generator types can lead to overwhelm and burnout for someone like me. Now I understand this and I prioritize self-care practices that are supportive for me.
4. And the biggest realization recently has been using my understanding of human design to support me with grief.
In November, when I lost my Mother to cancer, I had to deal with emotions in a new way than I had in the past. People around me wanted to support me in the best way they knew how. However, sometimes that felt counterintuitive to the way I needed to process. I’m a 2/4 Emotional Manifestor who thrives with alone time to process thoughts, emotions, etc. So being surrounded by people at all times didn’t leave room for what I needed most during the most difficult time of my life. Understanding my human design helped take away some of the guilt when I intentionally created space for myself and set boundaries.
If you’re curious about your human design chart, here’s how you get it:
First you’ll want to get your birth date, birth time, and birth location. Why? Because as you may be familiar with astrology, the planets (each with their own energetic theme) were in a certain place in the sky when you were born and this impacts how your energy is expressed. Those themes are illustrated through you in a unique way. That’s why it’s important to use the correct birth details when pulling your human design chart.
Now, don’t be alarmed when you pull your chart and see a bunch of shapes, lines, and colors that seem to make no sense! It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed at first, I know I did!
There is a lot to explore in human design, but the 3 keys to it that you can experiment with right now are:
Type – How your energy operates
Authority – The energy center that helps you make the correct decisions for your life experiences
Strategy-The way you’re designed to interact with the world to meet the least amount of resistance
There are many layers to human design. But at the broadest level, you have 5 types (well, technically 4 because 1 is a hybrid) –
Generators + Manifesting Generators
The Generators and Manifesting Generators, which combined make up the bulk of the population are the builders. That is because their defined sacral centers give them the physical energy and stamina necessary to see things through, particularly when it’s something they love! The way our world operates today is based on how the energy of the Generators works. Note: the Manifesting Generators are a hybrid type. They are actually a hybrid of the Generators and the Manifestors, sharing qualities with both.
Manifestors
Next, we have the Manifestors (that’s me!). The Manifestors are the initiators of the world, but we don’t always have the physical energy to see things through like the Generators and Manifesting Generators. Manifestors are here to bring forth the vision and get the ball rolling.
Projectors
Projectors are the guides of the world. They’re great at seeing the bird’s eye view and guiding the rest of the types in the most efficient way to do things. However, the guides are not meant to be in the trenches doing the work from start to finish either.
Reflectors
Reflectors are the mirrors, meaning they take in the energy around them in a sampling manner and reflect it back out. So their environment is key. If they’re in a tense or chaotic environment, they’ll amplify that energy. Same goes if they’re in a cheerful environment. So in essence, the Reflectors have a way of showing us what’s going on, what’s working, and what’s not working.
As I mentioned, there are many layers to your human design outside of type. But type is where I’d recommend starting with your exploration. Each type also has an associated strategy, which again is how you’ll want to interact with others to usher in the most easeful experiences.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to use your Human Design strategy for your online business, check out the brand strategy quiz Marina and I created together:
Here are the Human Design strategies for each type:
Generator – Respond
Manifesting Generator – Inform + Respond
Manifestor – Initiate + Inform
Projector – Wait for the invitation
Reflector – Wait a lunar cycle
What I love most about human design is how it focuses on the ways we are all unique and how those differences can work together to complement the whole. Although the system shares amazing information about us, I do not believe it needs to be another label that you live by. Human design is meant to be an experiment. So you learn, try things out, and see what feels good and what works for you. It’s not meant to be another thing in life that limits us. When I work with clients, I use it as a system that highlights the MAGIC within you.
Do you often feel like you are destined for more greatness, joy, and freedom in your life? And you often hear about how others have “manifested their dream life?”
Manifesting your dream life seems like it can be possible but you’re not quite sure how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Let me tell you something…Living your dream life does not have to remain a mystery any longer.
Not too long ago, I was miserable in a toxic corporate environment. I knew with every ounce of my body it wasn’t the life for me. It took overcoming my fears, building confidence and a whole lot of trust in myself and the universe to walk away and start over.
Since then, I have built a business around my passions and get to earn a full-time living from it. I was able to travel full-time for two years and live in over 10 countries, land speaking opportunities with Youtube and many more like that.
Here is the proven 5 step formula I used to manifest a life I’m obsessed with!
Is it a full body yes?
The first step to manifesting your dream life is to know what you want. What are your deepest desires and intentions? Does this dream give you full body yes vibes?
You must believe in this dream so much that you will have the innate motivation to move through the difficult times.
Deeply envision this dream
Envision it
Imagine your dream life. What do you see, hear and smell?
Why do you want this? How would you feel? What emotions are coming up?
Make a plan in the future
What does your ideal life look like?
Be as specific as possible
Create an idea of what your ideal daily schedule would look like
Create a vision board
Pull together a collection of photos that inspire and evoke the feeling of living this dream
Use Pinterest to start collecting photos that inspire you from places you want to go to vibes you want to feel
Open Canva and create a moodboard with your images
You can even get the Vision Book I created, which is a more holistic vision casting experience
The Vision Book is a self-empowering tool to help you write your story this year by creating, envisioning and planning for the life you want.
Identify the fear
Once you are clear on what you want, it’s time to start identifying and releasing what is holding you back.
Is it fear of judgment?
Is it failure or not feeling good enough?
Journal about why do you feel this way?
By letting go of old patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that no longer serve you, you can open up space for things that bring you joy and align with your dream.
Take action
Take small steps towards your dream everyday.
Start with your yearly goals and break those into smaller quarterly goals and then monthly goals. This tool has a planner where you can easily map out your goals like that!
Release the attachment of the when and how. Become the person that takes action without the need to be perfect. You will find that feedback from your daily actions will help move you with confidence into the right direction.
Be fully convinced of the value you offer and put it out in the universe!
Find your people
Connect with people who inspire you. Comment on their posts, send a direct message or ask them for a coffee date. There is something powerful about connecting with people who have similar dreams, passions and desires.
Trust that the universe will guide you to where you need to go.
Formula to manifesting your dream life into reality
These are the exact steps I took to release myself from a toxic lifestyle to one that aligns with my soul and makes my heart sing!
Whatever your desires are, the formula to get there is the same.
Tune in to what lights you up
Create a vision for what you desire
Be aware of what’s holding you back
Create an action plan
Find your community
Now it’s your turn to take action. Take that first step and map out your vision. Need some inspo? Find out how my vision board played out in this recap for 2022, and get the Vision Book for a chance to write your own story.
The lifestyle you seek is within your reach. By getting crystal clear on your dream and taking imperfect daily action you will create space for new opportunities that you never even thought of before.
This trickle effect will allow you to see your future through a new lens as things start to fall into place. You CAN achieve this lifestyle you feel deeply connected to.
If you want to dive deeper into creating big visions for your life, my Brand Development Coaching Program is for you. Join me and a group of inspiring visionaries for 12 weeks as we work backwards to design a business that supports the lifestyle you crave. Join the waitlist and be notified when the next cohort begins!
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
If you’re feeling the hum-drum of your business routine or feeling disconnected from your goals, a business retreat can be a great way to recharge and gain perspective. If you’re not feeling like this, you shouldn’t wait until these feelings show up for you to book your entrepreneurial retreat.
Investing in your business is vital for growth and studies show that retreats provide various health benefits. The right one can support your goals while you also enjoy the benefits of travel. Here are five science-based reasons to go on a business retreat:
Retreats Reduce Stress
Reducing stress is important to your overall well-being. We are often unaware of the stress triggers in our environment like the bills sitting on the counter or the neighbor’s dog that won’t stop barking. But stress can negatively affect brain function like memory, focus, and stress management.
To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to care for your brain’s health. A lapse in brain function hurts you and your business as you’re unable to give it the proper attention. Traveling creates distance between you and every-day triggers.
Studies on vacation resorts and meditation retreats showed an increase in wellness. People experienced more energy, less stress, and their immune system was positively impacted, so there’s the added benefit to your physical health.
Travel Boosts Your Creativity
Having a creative mind goes beyond the arts. It is essential for innovation, so nurturing creativity is important for entrepreneurial success. Luckily, traveling can boost creativity for various reasons.
For one, it exposes you to new and different experiences that can ignite new connections; in fact, openness to new experience is one trait of a creative mind.
Traveling also offers a change in pace, giving us the time to slow down and reflect. The slower pace allows you to relax and daydream, which can fill your days with intentional idleness.
These activities are typically considered unproductive but are essential for creative insights.
Retreat to Increase Focus
At a retreat, you are away from the day-to-day distractions. This primes you for deep work, the kind Cal Newport describes in the work of deep thinkers who have changed the world. If you’re looking to make a great impact, scheduling deep work should be part of your everyday goals, but a retreat can offer a heightened form of this type of work.
To better take advantage of this benefit, consider booking a one that connects you to nature where you can pause to take it all in. Being in nature improves focus since it gives your brain a cognitive break.
Learn Skills to Grow Your Business
Keeping in mind that a retreat is a vacation with intention, the intention of a business retreat is to support your development as an entrepreneur. Admittedly, workshops focused on skills you need to be successful can be taken anywhere.
So why go to a retreat?
The benefit is that you are in a relaxed, creative, and focused state. This means you will better process new information, resulting in a deeper impact on your growth.
Find New, Supportive Connections
We’re not only talking networking but genuine connections. Networking is a great way to expand your social circle, but more importantly, a quality retreat will encourage deeper connections that build a sense of community.
The relationships you form there could develop into collaborations and friendships. Attending a retreat with like-minded individuals means you may leave with a new business bestie or find your new cheering squad to help you stay motivated long after your trip is over.
Understanding the short and long-term influence a retreat can have in your life and finding one that aligns with your values and goals is important. I and Vivienne understand the impact that such a trip can have.
Our all inclusive retreats bring women together to create a supportive community and encourage your growth. This is why we integrate wellness, fun, and learning into our itinerary.
We offer workshops on branding, content strategy, storytelling, and business. We also include wellness activities like hiking, a gratitude circle, and a custom journal focusing on mindset, daily reflections, and routines.
All these will strengthen your foundation, so you can continue showing up as your best self and continue making a positive impact in your client’s life. Want to book your all-inclusive business retreat?
In this blog post, we will be covering the different ways you can show up authentically on social media for your brand.
Building your brand authenticity is important because it is the only way you can build online trust with your audience to create strong connections and build a community of loyal followers that will continue to invest in your services and products.
Let’s first define authenticity…
Authenticity is when what you say and do is aligned with what you truly believe in!
Here are the five questions you must ask yourself in order to be authentic on social media:
1. What are your brand’s core values?
This is one the very first things you want to do as you are building your brand identity.
Core values drive every brand to lead from an authentic place long-term, which will also create consistency between what you say and what you do online and within your business.
Every brand should develop a set of 3-5 values that their brand will live by. Core values shouldn’t simply be nouns, they should be actionable full sentences that you believe in.
Once defined, you can communicate these main core brand values through your social media content. This way every time you show up and speak online you will be demonstrating these brand values.
2. What is your brand story?
Humans love good stories and we love to find connection points between us and those brands we are loyal to and purchase from.
To start finding your unique brand story you need to dig deep within yourself to understand how to use your own personal history, background, and lived experiences to build your brand story.
For example, I am an immigrant woman living in the US and I make the conscious effort of connecting this personal experience with my brand story. I share this aspect of myself because it is true to me.
Why?
Because…
Only you will come from that one background.
Everyone will have a unique and different point of view.
No one else will have the exact experiences you have lived through.
Even when there are so many brands offering the same service as you, you will stand out to your true ideal audience and draw in followers that align with you and relate to your authentic story.
3. Are you in search of a loyal community or a huge amount of followers?
A big way people build online trust and show up more authentically for their brand is by focusing on community versus followers.
So what is the difference?
A community consists of people who believe in what you believe, they cheer you on, they support you, and are present during any business pivots you decide to make.
Think of Apple and their loyal community of people. The people that buy iPhones are very different from those that buy Samsung phones.
Apple can sell their loyal community any new gadgets and that community will continue to believe that this new gadget is the best quality because it was made by Apple.
However, followers are people who constantly come and go. They are nothing more than stats on your IG profile.
A community invests in you.
Through a community-focused lens you will show up more authentically because you are aware of what your people need from you.
You know exactly what your people love and in turn, they will love you for who you are and not for what you offer them right now in your business.
4. Do you feel as if you are living a double life online and offline?
A big issue for people wanting to show up authentically online is the feeling of pursuing too many different lifestyles and personas resulting in a feeling of not being the same person online as they are in real life.
The underlying issue here is not connecting personal goals and passions with your business. This is also known as the WHY of the brand.
Speak about what lights you up while simultaneously making an authentic and strategic connection between your passions and what drives you to what your business does.
This allows you to keep the online version and real-life version of you consistent, reeling in your community of people naturally.
5. Does your brand voice align with your brand WHY?
Authenticity comes through in how a brand communicates their message online.
The way you communicate is your brand voice and it should align with the values and persona of your brand.
So if you have done everything we have discussed in the past 4 points in this blog post, this part should be easy to build.
Solidify why you do what you do and remember this everytime you create content and write your captions.
Don’t use language you wouldn’t use at dinner time with friends. Stay away from industry jargon and keep things simple.
Your community aka the people who really matter to you and your business will notice in a heartbeat because it isn’t YOU so it will never come through as authentic or believable!
I get it, it is difficult to put together all the pieces of your brand and navigate the world of social media while still maintaining your authentic self online.
This is the reason why I created my 8-week Brand Development Coaching Program to help brands like yours, position themselves as authentic leaders and a strong voice on social media.
If you are ready to take your brand to the next level, let’s chat!
Stay Vivacious,
Marina
PS. Did you like this post and learn something new? Let’s get this pinned on Pinterest.
Thinking about starting an online business as a digital entrepreneur?
Or maybe you started your online business but can’t seem to grow your followers, reach your revenue goal or make any money online, for that matter!
I completely GET IT! I have been there, too!
As a new digital entrepreneur myself, I made plenty of mistakes when I started that stopped me from reaching more people on social media and making money online.
However after doing these 5 things, I now make a full-time income through my Instagram and digital business.
Here are the top 5 mistakes digital entrepreneurs make when they start out and how to avoid them:
Digital Entrepreneurship Mistake One: You are NOT niche enough
I know, niching is possibly the hardest thing to do as a digital entrepreneur, however it is necessary to succeed in the online world.
Let’s break it down.
A niche is an area of focus or segment of the market that your product or service occupies.
Initially, you might be thinking “I do not want to focus on one thing, I’m good at multiple things and I don’t want to limit myself”
Trust me, you are not limiting anything but your income by not picking an area of expertise for your digital business.
There is a good reason we pay specialists more.
How to pick a good niche?
Pick something you enjoy doing and can do for a long time (your zone of genius)
Choose something that the market needs and is missing
Select something you can continue to monetize and expand on
When I made the decision to shift and start to focus on social media branding for online business owners, these things happened in my business:
I saw an increase in my income
The number of clients I was retaining was also increasing because clients were able to refer me out for a specific service
The type of people I attracted to my business was much more aligned with me
So by niching down I am now seen as an expert in my field.
Digital Entrepreneurship Mistake Two: Researching ways to procrastinate
Do you find yourself downloading and signing up for freebie after freebie “to learn more”?
Do you feel you need to research “one more thing” before you launch your brand?
But all that time spent researching could have been spent doing the damn thing!
I truly wish that I didn’t waste as much time researching as I did in the beginning.
A much more productive use of our time would be to start putting in the work to create more valuable content that will help build traction and increase our visibility online.
Instead, we are so stuck in our own heads, waiting for the perfect time to create perfect content so that we can seem to be perfect and all knowing….
but watch out because that is our EGO!
Your ego is stopping you from reaching your greatness and full potential. It’s constantly telling you that you aren’t ready enough or not good enough.
How can you crush this ego?
You can start by shifting your focus from yourself onto the people you can help and serve through your expertise, experience, and knowledge as a digital entrepreneur.
Digital Entrepreneurship Mistake Three: Not knowing who you are serving
AKA your target audience!
For some time I was struggling with defining who my target audience was. Like you, I thought I wanted to work, talk, and engage with anyone and everyone.
But you can’t be talking to everyone because not everyone is your type, sort of like dating.
You need to really hone in on your ideal client, audience, or customer and create a specific message just for them.
How can you start defining your target audience?
First think about who you would enjoy serving with your business.
Then think who needs this service.
Lately define these things:
what are their values
what is their background
what do they like
what do they dislike.
Then you open up a Google document and brain dump everything about this ideal audience.
Get all your thoughts out and then go back and make some changes once you have a better understanding of who and what you want to attract.
Once you have this step completed make sure you are creating content that is directly talking to this ONE person.
Remember, you are NOT talking to everyone.
No one will find you that way, not everyone is your person. Now go out and find your ONE.
Digital Entrepreneurship Mistake Four: Not investing in your business early enough
A major mindset shift I had to consciously work through when I started my online business was—to start investing in my business before I felt ready to!
I know a lot of people think investing means hiring people onto your team or business, and for some it does.
But, I am talking about investing in terms of putting in the time, passion, self-work, and skills that your business deserves to GROW.
From experience, I can tell you that the return on investment is HUGE!
I was able to two times my income all because I invested into a business coach.
This is the biggest mindset shift you need to understand.
When you invest in your business, you are NOT spending money you are investing, which means that you will be getting a return on that investment. PERIOD.
My advice is to really invest in your business in whatever capacity this means to you.
And make sure to do this BEFORE you are ready because you will never feel ready, you will always feel like you never have the money.
So invest now.
Digital Entrepreneurship Mistake Five: Defining your WHY
To do that you can begin by asking yourself the following:
Why did I start my business?
Why am I running a business?
Why am I posting on social media?
Why do I want to do this?
Why am I spending my time sitting here reading this blog post?
Why am I a digital entrepreneur?
There has to be a good reason why you decided to start a business in the first place.
Because if not then you will soon be finding yourself feeling burnt out and your marketing efforts had no purpose.
You might eventually start feeling sad because your content isn’t reaching enough people, not many followers are engaging with you on social media, you aren’t hitting the number of calls or bookings you had hoped for.
All this can be easily avoided when you know and define your why!
You must realize you are helping someone, but this realization only occurs when you know you are speaking and connecting to a specific person.
When your ideal client receives your purpose-driven message you begin changing their lives.
Today, I get a lot of messages from followers and my clients telling me how I’ve inspired them to take steps towards building their dream lives and brand.
These messages are what keeps me going. I know I am changing lives, even if it’s a single person through a single blog post.
I know why I am running Livin Vivaciously, do you know why you are running your business?
Now that you know all the mistakes I made early on in my business, you will hopefully be able to take away lessons from them towards success in your online business.
What big mindset shifts do you think you need to make to get to that next level of your business?
If you are ready for that next level in your brand, find your purpose, and build an authentic online brand then you can join my 1:1 8-week Brand Development Coaching Program.
In addition to spin and tread classes, you can get boot camps, yoga, and stretching.
Don’t forget to sign up by April 30th for your free trial.
2.Body Machine Fitness
Body Machine Fitness is a HIIT studio that I go to in Plano, Texas and it is one of the best workouts I have ever done.
They are providing free 30 minute workouts on their website with multiple to choose from ranging from upper body strength to lower body recovery.
The amount of energy you will burn off in these full-body workouts is INSANE.
3. Nike Training Club
The Nike Training Club app has generously upgraded all Nike members to Premium status therefore unlocking even more workouts that your heart (and glutes) desire.
You can even choose the workout based on the type of equipment you have at home; I enjoy using this one as well.
While on the app you can shop Nike apparel, the best of both worlds.
Mia_fitness– Fitness warrior and some VERY nice motivation
We hope that these free fitness apps will keep you feeling strong mentally and physically through these tough times. Tell us about your favorite fitness apps in the comments below.
Gianna Agudelo graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Health Promotion and is a current Public Health graduate student at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She is certified through the AFAA and has over five years of fitness experience teaching group exercise classes, personal training, and creating wellness programs. She is passionate about people and leading them into creating better, healthier lives. Gianna enjoys trying new workouts, drinking sangria with friends, and traveling all over the world.
