Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Belliveau.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in a school bus in Southern New Hampshire. My family was so poor that it was all we could afford. My parents were religious fanatics and horrifyingly abusive. I grew up learning to hide and fighting for opportunity wherever it could be discovered. These traumas shaped my quest for freedom and prosperity that I have learned, over time to be grateful for. I loved school, not because I was particularly good at it but because there was food, and it was warm. I was not very well-liked, and my clothes were second-hand and filthy. I withstood years of teasing that have made me tough and steadfast. I eventually applied college for my first ticket out of the hell I knew to be home. I maxed out my loans along the way and took on debt that still consumes my subconscious, like so many others, but at least I had a place to stay and food, and I could learn and make friends. I was starting to shape my own reality.
After college, a friend invited me to move to Miami with her, and with no money, homeless, afraid of what will come next, I left to start a new life. I took odd jobs, worked in nightclubs and promotional events, and I made it work. I began to find myself, and this quest lead me to yoga. I was so vulnerable that it was the glue that kept me together when I felt like breaking. I studied and taught for free while working at a nightclub, exhausted but at complete peace to be taking control of my life.
It wasn’t long till some people took notice of my diligence, and I got an opportunity to work at a hotel. The hotel lead me to timeshare, and I was offered a job in St. Thomas, where I started to make big girl money. I kept up my yoga and started building a foundation. Timeshare lead me to fractional assets, and I found my confidence. I was living a dream life in Mexico.
When my contract ended, I returned to Miami to bring my sales to bigger opportunities and started working in innovation and investment vehicles. Only then did it all hit me: I was out of the woods and could finally look back to see all the pain I took on and all the circumstances I put myself in, desperately, to get as far away from a life I never chose in the first place. I felt guilt for the things I had done to overcome my past and guilt for leaving my family behind. I starting having seizures and would collapse in million-dollar meetings, blowing contracts because I couldn’t keep my body together.
I lost touch with the simplicity of life, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I tried to pull back from all the commitments, but any steps back terrified me more than death, so I relied on yoga to balance me, and I continued in spite of my body warnings.
I suffered emotional breakups, not understanding my role in them. I held on to my passions as if it would make more more fully myself. It wasn’t until I experienced loss complied in all areas of my life did I stop to sit with it. To do the deep work of forgiving myself for wanting to be better. It was not my fault what happened to me, I was a child, and it made me awesome. I am only responsible for what I do with it.
I started bigger projects, sharing my knowledge of healing. I found my light, and I wanted to share it. I have been called to bring people together for healing, and do this will all my heart. In tandem with building yoga retreats and women’s circles, I took on more jobs in the start-up sector, this time closer to the exit, in marketing. I finally had that stable job with a big paycheck, health insurance, a good community, and a passion to pour my love into…and just like that, when I thought I had it all figured out, I had a positive cancer result from my doctor.
All that work, all that running, all that acceptance and painful processing, was for what? Everything stopped but this time I had something worth living for, death was scarier than the life I built. I truly believe that anyone who has suffered through cancer can agree that, on some level, I allowed it in my body to exist. I had to give my full self to the cancer to make peace with her and with me and recognize how beautiful death is. My body is not a coffin for my emotions, and I need to work with them.
I took some time off, I started my own ‘startup’ space company, providing digital identities through brand development, and got clear on what yoga is, what I am sharing, and what I teach. I hope for the day when both of my passions merge and elevate my financial success, and I believe that I am on the right track. I am fully present and authentic with myself and with others.
I now share somatic yoga and vibrational healing with as many people as I can, and my yoga classes have laughter, tears, and connection. This is my brand. This is the point. Without death, there is no point. To be here now and to tap into what makes us feel inspired and fulfilled cannot wait. There is so much in this world and in this life to discover that everyone can find it if they are willing to be open and look deeper. Don’t let the spark stay inside you; shine bright so others may see the way through the dark.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been smooth. I have learned if it is smooth, something is not working. Life is not the easy road, there is no short cut. I used to let money alter my emotions, but it’s not real. Money is an exchange and so long as I am clear about my energy and share it accordingly, money responds and shows up in surprising ways. How I feel has been the biggest lesson so far. If I can control my emotions, it doesn’t matter what the struggle is. “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how” -Viktor Frankl.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My branding agency helps companies establish their online presence to increase awareness and elevate their image to increase sales. I do everything from logos to websites, social media, packaging, manufacturing needs, and, in some cases, licensing and investing.
My unique positioning in the industry comes from years of experience working with different groups so every area can work symbiotically and with consistence, so the message stays on brand to entirety. The trick is to automate and reproduce.
I also teach yoga and hold groups for people to come and build community to heal and help one another. This space allows people to get real with themselves and process their pain in a way that creates beautiful expressions within the lives we touch. To leave love in this world just by being here.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
During COVID, a lot shut down. It prevented traditions and repeated experiences to take place. From this I began to question what I celebrate and how I am living, who I am living for. Birthdays will never be the same, or Christmas. They are better, less stressful, and more meaningful. I learned I don’t really care what a day is, it’s every day we live, how we do that is what makes it special.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.1pagedesigns.com / www.ThatYogaLady.com
- Instagram: @1PAGEdesigns / @That_Yoga_Lady
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-e-belliveau-210a8482/
