Meet Dr. Kelly Alvarado-Young | Latina Yoga, Meditation, and Wellness Coach
We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Kelly Alvarado-Young (she/her/ella) and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kelly, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson I have learned as a small business owner is the refinement process is where vision turns into reality. There were a few launches for workshops and coaching programs that didn’t go well for me. I didn’t have the interest in them that I expected or hoped for when I launched. It was helpful to take the time to refine what is the problem and how did my product/experience solve that problem. There is a lot of patience needed when we are refining communications, messages, and products. I appreciated the possibility of knowing that what I was doing would help someone as long as I clearly helped them understand how I could help.
What should our readers know about your business?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was stressed, felt alone, and didn’t have a community. I felt very disembodied and started using getting back into yoga. I would spend time on the mat connecting my mind, body, and spirit. It was difficult at first because the last thing I wanted to do was truly feel the sad emotions. We live in a world of “love and light.” I had to resocialize myself to know that it’s ok to be sad, stressed, upset, and have these negative emotions. Moving through them and using them as markers of what I needed to let go of or cultivate more of in my life was the path toward transmuting them into positive feelings. So, I thought if yoga could work for me to rest, reset, and renew my life, then maybe I could share it with other Latinas who may have similar experiences as daughters of immigrants. I took a 200-hour online yoga class that helped me get certified to teach yoga and deepen my understanding. Holla to my friends who were a part of my initial training. They gave me amazing feedback on how to improve. my teaching. I want folxs to know that your experience is worth sharing with others. I have shared that as a Latina, Mami, Scholar, and Yogi, I can hold all of these identities as a part of who I am. By knowing my true story and not the story others have created for me, I can find my true authentic, and confident self.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite spots in my city of Spokane, WA, is Huntington Park. The city is on the land of the Spokane people, who the city is named after. The park was created to honor the history of the Spokane River as a source of life for the Spokane people. I love the connection point of the city and nature as a point of honoring the past, present, and future of the Native peoples of this area.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shout-out is to my community college professor, Mr. Thompson. I initially dropped out of college during my first semester. As a daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college student, I didn’t have the social capital to understand how to navigate college. I knew getting a college education was something that I wanted to further my family’s generational wealth and break the cycle of women in my family from Puerto Rico not having the option of education. I went back to school through the community college system. Mr. Thompson was my business professor who helped me see that I had a gift for building community and leadership. He sponsored me for experiences that led me to find my calling, which is to support others in becoming their most confident and authentic selves. That initial spark helped me spark my love of learning.
Website: www.labregayoga.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labregayoga/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drakay/
Other: podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4hNSK0jkE2ye0toTn8sCZM?si=8f8cec0b23b44ee6
Image Credits
PC for Headshots: Madison Perkins Photography https://madisonperkinsphotography.mypixieset.com/
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