Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. A. Yanina Gomez.
Hi Dr. A. Yanina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins in Chicagoland. My family and I moved there from Puerto Rico when I was young, and it’s where I went on to study and practice traditional psychology for years. Then one day I felt a call to leave my position and step into the entrepreneurial world. If I’m honest, I was burned out, to say the least. My husband encouraged me to stop looking for a role that already existed and write my own job description instead. We felt God’s hand in it, so I leapt.
That first year was equal parts teaching at a local university and quietly figuring out what that job description would actually become. The answer came through my tween son, of all people. His enthusiasm nudged me toward writing, and I authored my first book, Moms Don’t Quit! How to Influence, Empower and Stay Connected with Your Tween or Teen in a Noisy World. That’s when I discovered the thing that still drives me; a passion for creating content that changes people.
Around the same time, my husband Sergio was hearing his own call: to leave his tenured art faculty position and help artists build sustainable, healthy careers. We founded the Art NXT Level Program in response. I stepped in to lead the mindset and emotional wellness side for our members while he provides training in marketing, sales, and studio practice. That’s where my path took a turn I didn’t see coming. I had built my heart around serving moms, but as I watched the psycho-emotional struggles artists carry, something in me started to shift. I’ll admit I was confused as it didn’t match my plan. Yet, it felt unmistakably right. So I leaned in. I joined forces with my husband, and we co-wrote Crush Self-Sabotage and Live Fully: The Artist’s Wellness Journey to Confidence and Success. Later, I wrote Today’s Working Artist: Weekly Mindful Reflections to Awaken Your Potential.
Then came a season of waiting. Things were going okay in the Midwest, but the long, dark, and bitterly cold winters were getting to us. We prayed for direction and felt called to move south; a real leap of faith. In November 2023, my family relocated to South Florida, excited to carry our programs, services, and 33 Contemporary Gallery into a new chapter. It was through the gallery that I began offering experiences that blend art and mindfulness as healing tools.
As I was closing 2025 with an open heart, I felt a new call: to share practical mindset and emotional wellness strategies with women in business and on their entrepreneurial journeys. I expanded my one-on-one sessions to serve women in business and leadership. As a ladypreneur myself, I know the challenge firsthand: running a business while carrying everyone else’s needs, until our own wellbeing is the last thing on the list. That’s the heart of my podcast, Inside Edge: Mindset + Emotional Wellness for Women Entrepreneurs, where I name real mental health challenges out loud, offer clear strategies, and walk listeners through simple, doable steps to strengthen their emotional wellbeing.
At the time of this interview, I’m writing my fourth book. This time, I’m weaving in my faith. This one is for women of faith who are building businesses and leading wholeheartedly, yet neglecting their emotional and spiritual alignment along the way. It’s been quite an entrepreneurial ride, and I’m genuinely excited about what’s ahead. My mission stays the same: helping artists and women in business, leadership, and entrepreneurship stay anchored, aligned, and emotionally whole.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not smooth at all. There have been plenty of challenges, disappointments, and frustrations, including doors that swung wide open only to shut the moment I stepped toward them. More than once I’ve asked myself why I walked away from a well-paid, full-time job with excellent benefits to navigate the uncertainty of the entrepreneurial world.
Some of the struggles have been very concrete. In the early days, I poured myself into creating content and heard almost nothing back; putting work into the world and meeting silence. Marketing has been its own hurdle, especially video content for social media, which is honestly still a stretch for me. And then there’s the deepest challenge of all: helping people understand and embrace why investing in their emotional wellbeing matters in the first place. That’s not a quick sell. It’s a mindset shift.
A few things keep me moving forward. The first is my commitment to the mission: helping artists and fellow women in business and leadership experience optimal mental health. I genuinely believe so many capable, high-achieving people are quietly running on empty. I can’t unsee that. It’s the work I was made for. The second is the impact itself. When someone tells me a piece of my content gave them language for what they were feeling, or that a single session helped them breathe a little easier, that lands deeper than any metric ever could. Those moments are fuel.
Underneath all of it is my faith. The same conviction that gave me the courage to leave my job, write my own job description, and move my family south is the conviction that steadies me now. On the hard days, that’s what reminds me I’m not lost or behind. I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At the heart of everything I do is one conviction: purpose is loudest when anxiety is quiet. I’m an author, mindset and emotional wellness specialist, podcast host, and workshop facilitator. My work lives at the intersection of psychology, mindful intentionality, and real life.
I hold a Ph.D. in Psychology and advanced training in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, which means I translate behavioral science and inner-world awareness into practical strategies that actually fit between client calls, creative sprints, and the beautiful chaos of running a business. No fluff or clinical jargon, just tools people can use.
I serve two communities close to my heart: artists and creatives through the Art NXT Level Program, and women in business and leadership through one-on-one sessions, workshops, social media content, my podcast, and Art + Mindfulness Experiences at 33 Contemporary Gallery, where art and emotional wellness meet as healing tools in a truly unique way.
What sets me apart is the combination of clinical depth and personal connection. I bring real frameworks, but I’m not outside looking in. I’m a woman entrepreneur navigating the same pressures I help others through. I’m also one of the few wellness voices consistently showing up for artists specifically, not as a one-time workshop but as ongoing support woven into their creative journey. What I’m most proud of is the impact. When someone tells me that a session, a podcast episode, a mindfulness strategy, downloadable blueprint or content I shared helped them move from self-sabotage and overwhelm to clarity, that’s why I’m here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Honestly? I don’t believe in luck. Every role I’ve stepped into, whether psychologist, author, entrepreneur, wellness coach, podcast host, experiences curator, workshop facilitator, has been shaped by intentionality, not chance. Each decision was made with purpose, and each role has influenced the next in ways I couldn’t have scripted but also didn’t stumble into accidentally.
Looking back, what some might call lucky moments I would call aligned ones. The pivot from serving moms to supporting artists, the move to South Florida, the expansion into serving women in business; none of those were coincidences. They were the result of prayer, discernment, and a willingness to say yes when the call came, even when the path wasn’t fully clear.
I believe we create the conditions for good things to happen when we show up with intention, do the inner work, and stay open to where purpose leads. That’s not luck. That’s alignment.
Pricing:
- Visit the Website for 1-on-1 Sessions Packages
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dryaninagomez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dryaninagomez
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryaninagomez
- Yelp: https://open.spotify.com/show/0PWY0eQ4WabVjLPbdXPsoq?si=323ce9066adb4b46
- Soundcloud: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-edge-mindset-wellness-for-women-entrepreneurs/id1816063183
- Other: https://www.theartistnextlevel.com
