Meet Marlu Soria | Mindset Coach & Conscious Beauty Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marlu Soria and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marlu, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business evolved as I took action, however, it all started with a commitment to “empower beauty on the inside and out.” And, standing there, what are the actions I need to take to fulfill on that commitment? I saw firsthand the impact the perception of our own beauty can have on our health and well being and started to recognize how powerful our own mindset is in that experience. And I was compelled to connect the mindset and how we perceive as beautiful or not and the actions it then compels us to take, or not.
When I was in marketing, I had begun the process of starting a non-profit to bring beauty services and women navigating cancer together. And, I discovered I had limitations because I wasn’t licensed to actually provide the services myself. Feeling strongly I needed to be hands on, that was when I made the choice to leave my J-O-B and go on unemployment in my late 30s, go back to school, get licensed as a Skin Therapist/ Esthetician, and train as a Makeup Artist.
While I was working in a spa, I knew right away that working for someone else was not my thing- I had a wonderful, fierce female entrepreneur example in my mom. I could totally do this! So I rented a room & opened for business providing skincare services and working makeup gigs, started working with non-profits to provide the care I so committed to and have had the great privilege of working with hundreds of women navigating cancer and survivors of domestic violence.
Around the same time I started the non-profit I also found personal development and being able to cultivate that and incorporate it into the work I do brought everything together.
I love how my work and my commitment has evolved and being able to combine coaching to empower inner beauty and support what’s needed so that one’s outer beauty is a match for who you know to be inside is the culmination of nearly 20 years of what I set out to accomplish- empowering beauty on the inside and out. What a gift!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It’s so interesting… I never thought of myself as an artist. My brothers are the artists- they draw, paint, play music, are brilliant cinematographers & visual artists; they even cook amazingly! I never felt like I had any of those talents. And, it was about 3 years in as a makeup artist before I could even be open to the idea that what I did was artistic.
And I wanted it. I wanted to know myself as an artist.

So, I did what any artist does to get better, I practiced and I practiced a lot. I cultivated great partnerships with photographers, hair stylists, modeling agencies, other makeup artists. Our practice came in the form of test shoots and being open to creating what someone else wanted us to create which allowed us to open our minds to another’s point of view and work to discover our self-expression while also fulfilling what someone else wanted.

I learned how to listen, to ask questions for clarity, and to communicate what was true for me versus what I thought someone else wanted. I’ll just say my smokey eye is not necessarily your smokey eye and we need to be on the same page about that. I cultivated my own values and strengths and learned to use my voice.

This was especially good for me as I had a tendency to be quiet and “obey,” especially those I perceived in authority. I learned a lot of lesson in the losing of money because I was scared to say anything for fear of not being hired again or being thought of as “difficult.” I learned so much about myself, my worthiness, and especially that I can survive and even thrive if I had the power to say “No” or counteroffer as I stand for my value. I’ve never died bc I said no and I’ve never gone hungry. I just had to learn that for myself. And, this is the work I get to do with women now, too.

I feel I learned so much about the kind of person and leader I want to be while being a freelance makeup artist and first time entrepreneur. And as challenging as it was for me, this industry is all about building relationships and using your voice. And, it’s made such a profound and impactful difference in how I show up as a coach, how I am able to guide and support people, and the results we get to produce. And even the dreams we get to fulfill. And, I absolutely relate to coaching as artistic and creative.

One of the things I firmly believe and what I endeavor to impart on my clients is that our words create our world. I love to work with women to discover what kind of life they want to create if they could create anything. Let’s discover what’s in the way of having that kind of life and complete them with as much love as possible so you’re free and unencumbered to keep moving forward. Most importantly for me, what is your unique expression of beauty that you would like to contribute in the world. Let’s work together and have that be fulfilled. Let your life be a creative and authentic expression of beauty.

And lifting women up and empowering their inner and outer beauty is where it’s at for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love SoCal for its diversity and so many fun things to do and explore! We would definitely have to do what is iconic to Los Angeles and head to Hollywood for the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign. Afterwards we’d bring a picnic to watch movies at Hollywood Forever Cemetery or Rooftop Cinema Club. I love those. The next day we might head over to Malibu, hike Escondido Falls, drive around exploring the homes around Malibu & Bel Air, and finish off with a sunset dinner at Nobu. It would be a lot but the next day we would start over in Venice Beach to explore the canals, muscle beach, and maybe pop into a dispensary if they’ve never been. Then have brunch w/ Bloody Mary’s as we people watch at Sidewalk Cafe on the boardwalk. Afterwards we would head over to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive to shop like Pretty Woman and for the full Beverly Hills experience I would take my best friend to Spago’s and I also super love The Hideaway, too.
I have lived on the East Side for over 10 years and I absolutely love it. It’s simple but we would walk the Rose Bowl in the morning where I would get to show her my favorite tree where woodpeckers store their nuts then drive up the hill where I went to boarding school & where Christina Crawford/ Mommie Dearest’s daughter did, too. We have amazing taco trucks on the eastside so we would indulge in some of Jonathan Gold’s favorites before heading over to the The Broad and other fun art galleries in Downtown. For my best friend and me, exploring the Last Bookstore is a must before heading over to Philippe’s for some French Dips before the Dodger Game.
On our last day, because I’m on the eastside, we would head to Monterey Park at Mama Lu’s Dumpling House and indulge in all the dim sum, explore Chinatown and grab some yummy Filipino food at Spoon & Pork before heading to the Mayan in Downtown LA for Lucha Vavoom- which, if you’ve never been, is a must see with the burlesque and Mexican masked wrestling. So much fun!
We would definitely have to plan their next trip because there are a ton of places I didn’t get to show them and would love to!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is no one better to dedicate my Shoutout to than my mother, Evelyn A Soria. I always say if I had half the tenacity, resilience, grace, wisdom, and fierce commitment she has, I’d be okay. My mom immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in her 20s, by herself, the 9th child of 10, and very little money to make a better life for herself and her family. She met my dad here in California, who also immigrated from the Philippines, and with two children under 3, she was the breadwinner of the family for several years while my dad was in his Medical Residency across the country.
She raised our family and managed my dad’s medical practice for many years and at 45 years old, wanted more for herself. She started her home health agency providing in home care for hundreds of families and employing hundreds of people over the nearly 30s she was at the helm. She just retired last year at 85 years old.
She continues to amaze me with her commitment to serve AND to be the best she can be. She inspires me to keep creating at every age!

Website: https://www.marlusoria.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlusoria

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlusoria

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/marlusoria

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlusoriacoaching

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWBt5y7j_EroiMKxrFCFl2w

Other: The Mindful Beauty Collective Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulbeautycollective

Image Credits
with Billie Eilish, photographer Michael Dirlam “Your Words Create Your World”, photographer Joleigh Sherwood with Jackie (bald), photographer Jeannette Jocson abs, Marlu Soria Vogue, photographer Marisa Pike L’Officiel & “tube top”, photographer Lily Merriman Marlu zoom, photographer Jennifer Carmel-Comeau