Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Veras.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After a few years in finance and later education, I was experiencing burn-out in a toxic workplace and had come to the conclusion that I really just wanted to help people on a deeper level. I wasn’t sure how I was going to change careers, but once I accepted the idea of a new beginning — following an unexpected lay-off — new opportunities arrived and they made all the difference!
I like to think of my personal transformation as kismet. By this time I was meditating and practicing yoga in order to maintain my own wellbeing but 2018 was a pivotal year for me. I obtained three certifications within four months: teen yoga, mind-body medicine and brain fitness. I was able to dive right in to helping others. I have since become a Reiki Master, a certified doula, and a traditional healer as well as a meditation teacher certified in Yoga Nidra. I am also a doula and advocate for maternal and climate health. Eight years later, I am still a teacher at heart, but the transformations I witness (almost daily!) are — what I like to call — infinite heart currency, or priceless!
As a Certified Chief Happiness Officer & Coach. I design programs that help teens, adults, seniors and employees create and explore sustainable joy through wellbeing. In my adventures I have presented to schools, employee retreats, staff & clients at assisted living facilities, healthcare providers. law enforcement and other local organizations. I teach weekly classes at local libraries and assisted living facilities.
People often ask, “As a happiness coach, are you always happy?” My answer is always the same: I may not always be happy, but when I am not, I am able to immediately notice what is happening and use my tools in order to bring myself back to normal. I am now more resilient than ever and I’ve never been happier!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not a smooth road at all! I have learned that the bumps in the road literally and figuratively force us to swerve! We may have to pull over, get out of the car or at the very least, take a look around. Every experience makes us more mindful for the next time things get a little rough out there. I have learned to love my journey because it has brought me to where I am and if it had been smooth the whole time, I would have never found my purpose.
I realize now that the struggles have been my own. I too have struggled to fit in and follow the “road map,” as prescribed as life, culture, upbringing, etc. lays it out. To continue with your analogy: some are walkers, others runners, some are bikers, others passengers and still others prefer to drive. Even when we appear to be traveling in the same direction, we are not all going to the same place!
I believe the obstacles/challenges are put before us BY US at any given time. We have to listen (Lizten!) to our intuition. In the busyness of life, we don’t often take time to be still and listen. Everything is faster, better, more. Many answers can be heard and found in the silence, we need only give the quiet a chance. When I experienced an unexpected lay-off, I was scared. I had just changed careers and I didn’t want to go back to any of my prior stints. I fell into a deep depression. One dark morning, I heard the birds singing outside my window. Their singing was so loud, it knocked me back into reality. It inspired me to spend time outside. In spending time outside, I learned to listen to myself and this is when I remembered that I wanted to help people. The bump in the road had catapulted me in another direction and I managed to find my way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LIZtening – Elizabeth Veras Wellness ?
I am a wellness provider. I work in the tri-county area: Miami, Broward and Palm Beach. I specialize in designing wellness programs for organizations and individuals. I also teach: yoga, meditation, brain fitness. I am a birth and post-partum doula. I am known for facilitating the self. I like to say that I am able to help others because I have been there myself. I did the work to make myself well again before I even learned many of the modalities I now teach. I think my authenticity and vulnerability sets me apart from others. I used to work in HR with a boss that would routinely tell me I was being too nice to “them” (them being the employees!) and I never paid her words much mind. I was happy to help them. This is still the foundation on which I’ve based my business model. I am most proud of the fact that I cannot pick a lane! I want anyone in need of my services to know that I’m available. I am most proud of the fact that I bring integrity, knowledge and patience to everything I do. My business is about transformation, not about transactions. I love to receive text messages from former clients/those who attended a workshop. I am helping people at the deep level I always wished for! I want your readers to know that authenticity matters. I am not a therapist, but I like to say that I am mental health adjacent because I show up authentically and that is usually what matters most. I encourage my clients to show up authentically aware so we can get to work! I am available for workplace, individual and group sessions.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
After my lay-off, I could not find work. I was in a new field and I barely had the three year minimum required for the positions I was soliciting. It took months for me to find work and when I finally landed a position with a placement agency, it was not a good fit. I was desperate for a paycheck but when the opportunity to take a tuition-free training came to a location that was a three minute drive from my house… I woke up on the first morning of that training and arrived at 7 am — without a confirmed registration. I took a risk and did not go to work that day. That decision has, to quote Robert Frost, “made all the difference.” Yes, I needed to be employed, but that morning I chose me. I participated in a life-changing, trauma-informed training. That choice later allowed me entry into the world of group facilitation and then one by one, opportunities presented themselves and I have never been the same. I have been way better!
Pricing:
- Pricing is determined on an case/case basis for each service.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @i.am.liztening
