Meet Vanessa Bustamante | Revolutionary Educator & Creator

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

Hi Vanessa, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The most difficult decision I had to make was to “throw everything I had worked so hard for away” by taking a chance on myself and starting my own business and brand while also taking a stand for myself and other hard workers in my community. Being pushed out of my 13 year career and the profession I went to school for up to a Doctoral level degree, while simultaneously letting down my parents and coming back to live at home was also the biggest hit to my nervous system and identity I held for so long.

What should our readers know about your business?
Homegirl Doctora at the root, is an educational hub. I promote education in all areas with a focus on critical thinking, the development of consciousness, and revolutionary thought to empower the community to rise from the ashes, adversity, closed doors, etc. to believe in themselves and create something new, while also finding the people in alignment for them, and find resources and networks to get to their desired destination together; bringing it back to the communal culture that allowed us to dream in the first place and bringing our resources back to our homes to keep elevating our communities. Since transitioning to finance, I have a heavy focus on protecting and building intergenerational wealth by centering mindset and money wounds.

It has not been an easy road, especially being pushed out of a job that paid me a salary, gave me benefits and return to a place I never wanted to find myself again – broke and rationing to make ends meet. But, the journey has been rewarding. I have found myself at a deeper level, healed wounds I didn’t even know existed within me, and rise again with a new zest and zeal for life that has served to empower others to bet on themselves and create community. The many challenges I have endured and continue to endure are hard as I am having to re-learn, study, research, and organize myself in a new way, but being in community spaces with medicine people in my community and practice indigenous care practices for myself have helped me tremendously to keep going and be intentional in my creation process.

What I would like folks to know about my story, is that it would not exist without my family and community. I am community made and my work is rooted in uplifting and supporting those that society writes off the most. I am not here to make people comfortable, I am here to speak the truth, educate, provide a different perspective that helps to create forward progress for those who are consistently forgotten or made to be less.

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?
Breakfast Spots: MexCocina Cafe or Cafe de Olla, check to see si ay comida en la casa my mom made, or whip up some huevos rancheros at home.
Lunch Spots: Xeviches, Rosarito Fish Market, El Mazatleco, Tacos el Venado, Poke, or Lotus Vegan
Then hit Boyle Heights, East LA, Downtown to find a community event or cruise.
Snack/Dinner: Tacos Virginia, King Taco, or In N Out.
Night Dancing: Try to catch Deorro, Matroda, or hit La Cita, Eastside Luv, Cumbiaton or another place to dance.

I would probably also plan a Raza Unida event for my friend to attend and stack up a bunch of community events my friends are promoting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The biggest shoutouts to give are to my family, both here and in Mexico, the friends I made in college through all my campus activities (including my sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha Latín Sorority, Inc., MEChA, and student housing) as well as my community organizations (Chola Pinup, La Raza Unida Party, Radio La Raza and the Chola Conference Committee) as well as my friends/colleagues and mentors I have made in work spaces, healing spaces, and on social media.

Website: https://www.homegirldoctora.com

Instagram: @homegirldoctora

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@homegirldoctora?si=VImE-rfe2JbY1kvQ

Image Credits
Lovely Hue Photography
Studio 76 Photography