Meet Vicky Aldana | Professional Certified Coach & Spiritual Mentor

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

Hi Vicky, what do you want your legacy to be?

I love this question. It’s one that has been on mind lately. Living in a time of so much unknown, I find this question more relevant than ever. What DO I want to leave behind and how do I want people to remember me? The wisdom and the stories of my ancestors… and how much I supported others in remembering who they really are.

For over 8 years, I have been on the path of self-discovery, immersing myself into different schools and organizations and diving deep into various modalities. From ontological training to immersing myself into feminine mystery schools, as well as working closely with a West African shaman, I have realized that no amount of searching within will quite satiate the seeking as the deep bones-knowledge of where I am from, and the stories that define my ancestral line. I have come to believe that story-telling across the generations is one of the main ways if not the only way to pass down wisdom, knowledge, skills, and so much more…. We carry the torches of our ancestors and transitioned ones, and when we learn to connect with our history, we begin to understand the reason we came to this planet and what we’re here to carry forward.

To answer this question, I want to be remembered as someone who helped to bridge the generations, who helped to pass on ancient wisdom to the generations after me, and imparted the importance of connecting with our Ancestors in a whole new way here in the West.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

It’s been a process of unfolding. Where I was when I was 23 compared to where I am now is completely different. You wouldn’t guess that it’s the same person’s life. From working in a high-rise in downtown San Francisco for a top global financial company to “working” for myself as a coach and spiritual mentor drawing deeply from indigenous teachings in the quiet hills of Topanga, CA, it’s hard to imagine how so much has changed.

I was asked to speak for a conference to celebrate Earth Day on the importance of Elderhood as well as my experience of erotic spirituality, and how the two are connected. If you would have told me I would speak on either of those topics even just a few years ago, I would have been genuinely confused if you had the right person.

And yet, when I zoom out and reflect on my journey, it is clear that I am being guided on a very deep level. I am being called upon as a Venezuelan-American first-generation immigrant to not only be a bridge between cultures, but a bridge between stories, generations, and consciousness.

The stories of my ancestral line are at once enchanting, challenging, passionate, and heart-breaking. The more I connect to where I am from, the more my life makes sense, what I am drawn to makes sense, and the more I can intentionally infuse my decisions with a sense of clear purpose and drive. While I often felt like the “odd one out” growing up, I now see that that eccentricity, that sensitivity, and that innate sense of rebelliousness were to become my greatest gifts. I would become a healer for myself and for those magnetized into my field.

One of the main markers of my how I got into entrepreneurship has been learning to relate to the challenges in my life in a more intricate way — not just as unfortunate events or sad & random happenings, but to really get into a relationship with my challenges and my pain. Asking new questions like, what higher purpose might this be serving? What lesson and opportunities are available here? What is being asked of me?

I recently learned an indigenous saying, which I love — if you get bit by a snake, you visit the doctor to get the medical help you need but then you would also visit the shaman to understand why this occurred in your life. This is the kind of invitation I have for folks, is to challenge themselves to get into relationship with their lives and treat their experiences as feedback.

This is how I was led into creating my own business and brand — because as I learned to listen on an intuitive level, I realized that there were jobs, industries, relationships, lifestyles, etc. that I was forcing myself into that were not best suited for my skill set and disposition. When I learned more information about my ancestral line, it began to click like a series of a-ha moments why I was interested in what I was interested in.

When we take an action, it is important to know our motivation and intention behind it. Is this to satisfy a need, is this what’s most efficient, is this what I’ve been conditioned into thinking is best for me? Or is this something that lights me up, speaks to me at a deep level, and is something I’m delighted to choose?

My brand and my story are about learning to listen to the guidance I’ve been receiving all along. I am passionate about supporting others in doing the same, helping them get back in touch with their true nature, and become really connected to their purpose.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Let’s say you got in Friday.

I would take you to Hide Sushi on Sawtelle for dinner and you would without a doubt say that it’s the best sushi you’ve ever had.

We’d go to sleep that night and wake up early the next day and head to the Pacific Ocean for a swim and make it to the Place-To-Be bakery on Main Street in Santa Monica for genuinely French and very delicious pastries. This is already an amazing day and it’s not even 9am yet!

I would make sure you get a nap and drive you up the PCH to get a very LA feeling of the water, with the palm trees, and the beautiful houses. We would definitely make for a fruit cart pit stop — because you can’t miss that.

For dinner, we would visit Uovo which after 5 years in LA, has become one of my favorite pasta restaurants and imports hand-made pasta from Italy.

Sunday, I would take you on a long hike to Eagle Rock and we would get brunch at Topanga Living Cafe.

During the week, I would invite you to co-work with me throughout the week at different coffee shops like Sachi (best matcha in LA!), FlowerBoy Project (where you’d also pick up the most gorgeous bouquet!), and Highly Likely.

We would go to yoga at either Love Yoga or Ethereal Yoga Studio in Topanga, walk down the boardwalk, and if we have time visit the Alamo for a movie.

In LA it’s all about the people, so we would have multiple house dinner parties and we would have to stop at Gjusta for dessert.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Elder Malidoma Somé & Elder Theresa Sykes, and all the members of my family on both the Aldana and Carbonell sides, as well as all of my coaches, therapists, mentors, and guides along the way.

Website: www.vickyaldana.com

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

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/vickylizette

Other: Podcast “The Voices of Wisdom Project” Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3TLDbF1YNavS8l3ggjVRYy Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-voices-of-wisdom-project/id1589835856

Image Credits
Inna Shnayder & Talia Shipman