When corporate franchised gyms became too competitive for Elena Rodriguez to maintain her own dance fitness studio—not to mention the fact that she was exhausted from teaching nearly 40 classes every week for 20 years—she knew she had to pivot. Having never worked in the corporate world before, she took an entry-level position at a call center, thinking it would tide her over until she figured out what to do next.
Within three months, she was killing it there. “I had applied all the skills that I learned over the years of running my own business, and I was promoted to a leadership position,” she says. “In 12 weeks, I tripled my income and was leading people that were my leads when I got hired. I built my team, we were all able to grow. That’s the thing about skills, you take them with you wherever you go. It’s important to always learn and gain new skills. They never go to waste and you never know when they will come in and work for you.”
She knew more was in store for her life, though, so she trained as a coach with the intention of getting into executive leadership development. And then she heard God tell her she was meant for something different—to help women through “the hard stuff.” Elena’s personal story took a dramatic turn when she left the corporate world. Her husband had his own business, and the plan was for him to support the family while she launched her consultancy. But within two months he had a heart attack and he passed away on Christmas Eve. “So there I was, a new widow, with no job, no plan. I had to close his business because it was bleeding money faster than I could process,” she says. “My life flipped upside down in a moment. I knew there was no option but to figure it out, and so my walk in faith began.”
Now she uses that experience in her practice, Broken Stronger Coaching & Consulting. Not only that, she discovered a five-year affair that her husband had been involved with, causing her to have to deal with shock and betrayal as well as grief. Since opening her business, she has transitioned her coaching work into “helping women regain their self-worth and self-esteem, and self-confidence, especially coming out of toxic relationships. I help women find their beauty again. Beauty that possibly someone stole from them. I work with women that are struggling to believe that they’re worth it anymore, because this impacts every area of their life.”
Part of her advice is to encourage women to recognize what they can leave behind. “When you feel broken and you feel like the puzzle pieces aren’t fitting together for you, yet you continue to try and try to force them, realize that maybe those pieces aren’t supposed to be in your puzzle at all,” she says. “Instead of thinking of yourself as broken, think of yourself as becoming. We’re becoming what it is that we were intended to be all along.”
Elena is now launching a new project, a nonprofit called The Christmas Widow, providing help, love, and financial support to women so they and their children can enjoy the “blessings and magic” of Christmas. Visit TheChristmasWidow.com to learn more. “That’s going to be my lifetime passion project,” Elena says.
To learn more about Elena’s coaching and download free resources, check out brokenstronger.com. She is also on Facebook and Instagram @BrokenStronger and available by email at [email protected].
Elena shares more of her story—she has also launched a lipstick line!—in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Supermamas and I am so happy to introduce them to you.” You can learn more about Yuri and the other featured women at https://bossupbestseller.com, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up.
About Women with Vision International
Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.
About Tam Luc
Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit
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