Every once in a blue moon, someone with a sunshine-y yellow energy walks straight into your life and brightens it right up. You know it when the energy immediately hits you. This boss lady is one of those humans. She is a natural queen, living and working at Esalen Institute while pursuing her passions in health and wellness. She has a truly beautiful spirit and we cannot wait for you to get to know her.
THE STAR OF THIS BOSS LADY LESSON IS:
Nani Almanza
Healing Arts Manager
Esalen Institute
Introduce yourself to the community of lovely LEO & MAUDE ladies. Give us the 4-1-1 on Y-O-U.
I’m Juanita (Nani) Almanza. I’m 31 years young and living the dream in Big Sur, California. I work at a non-profit retreat center on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, called Esalen Institute. I live here with my 8 year old dog, Luna, a terrier mix. When I’m not working, you can find me spending time in the gym or at home exploring new recipes for yummy, healthy foods!
Q
Our motto is: Who wants to fit in a box, anyway? How do you defy limits and live a life outside the box?
A
This one is quite obvious! I live at a retreat center that people pay good money to visit. I think that counts as outside the box! Some would call Esalen Institute a “hippy commune”. This lifestyle is not for everyone, and it definitely took some getting used to, but this was the best decision I have made for myself thus far.
Q
What do you value most and why?
A
I value and honor my body. Like many women, I have struggled with my body my entire life. Growing up a curvy Latina (before curvy was “in”) didn’t make things any easier. Add to this my struggle with digestive issues and skin issues and – BAM! – you have a recipe for disaster.
A few years ago, I finally embraced my body and began treating it like gold. I realized that if I take care of myself to the best of my own abilities, that my body would treat me well in return. With that, I could be much happier all around. The health of my gut has been at the forefront of my focus for about 3 years now. I also spend a lot of time exercising and training to keep my body strong and healthy!
Q
Who has been your greatest influence? What impact did they make on your life?
A
This is a tough one. I have different influences for different reason and major catalysts of my life.
If we look at my spirituality and how I relate with the world around me, then for sure I will honor Don Miguel Ruiz for this. His teaching on the Toltec wisdom truly changed everything for me in terms of my relationship with myself and my relationship with the world around me.
If we are talking about my health, I would honor Dr. Steven Gundry. His teachings on Gut Health were so life changing for me and I have been able to narrow down and pinpoint the things that my body does not agree with. This has helped me clear up my adult acne, lose the bloat I never could get rid of, and drop the excess weight I carried. Now my body maintains a healthy weight naturally!
If we are looking at career growth, then I would honor Tammy Blount Canavan. Tammy was the CEO of an organization that I worked for. She is such a Boss Lady and became a mentor for me. I always watched her in the board room and admired the way she commanded attention, held true compassion, AND was actively listening. What impressed me the most was the fact that she was a woman in a male dominated industry, who was highly respected and had a proven record of success. Tammy inspired me to step things up a notch in my career, which ultimately led to me stepping into leadership, receiving an international award for 30 Under 30, and starting my own business.
Q
Tell us about your current profession. What led you down this path?
A
Q
What does being successful mean to you? What bit of advice would you offer women who are striving to reach that success?
A
Q
What is one fun fact about yourself that most people would never know?
A
Q
If you could share one piece of advice with women around the world, what would it be?
A
Stop eating grains and nightshades. This will drastically reduce your bloat and body aches!
Q
At what point in your life were you the happiest?
A
I would say that I felt the most fulfillment last Winter Solstice. We held a big sound healing ceremony for all of the staff at Esalen and I performed with two amazing musicians. I played my crystal bowls and sang from my heart space, helping to cleanse and heal my friends here. This was the most aligned I have ever felt! I am looking forward to doing more of this in the years to come.
Q
Imagine you are sitting in your childhood bedroom. What do you see?
A
I love this! I see my mural on the wall. My father gave me a floor to ceiling, wall to wall mural of a little magical forest that looked just like the Shire from The Hobbit. I imagined I was really living there in the trees with fairies and butterflies zooming around me and bright and colorful flowers blooming everywhere. Funny how that is exactly where I live now! That dream came true!
Q
If you could go back and talk to your 12-year-old self, what would you tell her?
A
You are NOT a loser! Start singing and dancing like crazy, you’ll love it. And trust your instincts because they are ALWAYS right.
Q
The world is constantly pulling us in a million directions. What healthy boundaries have you created in life to keep yourself from going insane?
A
You must be able to say NO. This was a difficult one for me to learn, since I’m a people pleaser, but it is the strongest tool you have. Also, keep a planner. This will help you decide what you can say yes to and what you have to say no to. Establishing boundaries as a mental health practice is actually becoming more popular nowadays, and I am so glad! One last pro tip: Don’t forget to schedule “free time” for yourself to get some rest and do…nothing really.
Q
What self-care activity do you regularly practice to put your mind, body and soul at peace?
A
Exercising! I can’t express this enough. It is medicine. Exercising doesn’t have to look like the typical image of going to the gym or going on a run. You can exercise by going dancing , doing a fun outdoor activity with friends, going to a yoga class, or taking a nice swim. However you get your movement in, make it count and do what makes you happiest. For me, that’s dancing! I put on my favorite songs and go wild for no less than a half hour. Afterwards, I feel SO creative, sexy, and radiant. Whether I’m headed to work or going to run errands, this is the best way for me to start my day.
Q
There’s nothing better than feeling head-over-heels, passionate-beyond-measure, butterflies-in-stomach, totally and completely in love. What do you do to keep the madly-in-love spirit alive in your (past or present) relationship?
A
I am currently single, but when I am in a relationship, I like to keep things interesting by going on epic trips and adventures with my partner. Traveling always puts me in a sexy mood! Fun little trips make things feel special, like a first date. You get a chance to get closer with your partner and create beautiful memories.
Q
You are stranded on a desert island, and you can only have one beauty product. What product do you need with you and why is it a must-have?
A
If I was stranded, then I wouldn’t be worried about my appearances so I will go with the obvious tool that would benefit me the most: a toothbrush and toothpaste! Hopefully that counts as one thing.
Q
Tell us what’s next for you. Are there any exciting things on the horizon?
A
My favorite question! I am so excited to start learning about different healing modalities such as sound healing and massage and body work. I am feeling really called to take advantage of my resources here at Esalen and open my heart to learning how to help others with these beautiful offerings.
Q
If you live to be 100 years old, what do you hope your life will look like?
A
I’m 100 years old, living in a little magical forest with my partner and my pets. We have loved ones visiting us often and we have big, delicious dinner parties that are full of love and magic and fireflies. I’m calling this in for me!
BONUS QUESTIONS
Q
Amanda is a self-proclaimed snack queen, so she needs to know: What is your absolute, go-to, can’t-live-without, favorite snack in the world?
A
Nuts! I’m literally crazy about nuts and once I get started, psh…try and stop me. My favorite nut, that I literally can’t be in the same room with, is Macadamia nuts. Pure GOLD.
Q
Jen strongly believes in bringing the best you forward, so she needs to know: What one item of clothing (or full outfit) makes you feel like a rockstar every time you put it on?
A
My white knee high boots! I bought them for the Big Sur Fashion Show performance I did last year. They were super cheap and more for costumes, but I love them so much. They have become one of my signature looks that people remember me by around here at Esalen. I will be so sad the day they finally give out.
Q
Amanda and Jen are huge music lovers, so they need to know: What song is your ultimate anthem? (you know, the one you can play a million times in a row and never get sick of!) Why is it your favorite?
A
Gosh…this is a tough one! If I have to pick an “anthem” it’ll have to be “Clocks” by Coldplay. That song inspires the shit out of me! Gets me every single time.
A special thank you to Nani Almanza for sharing a bit of her story with us. Our hope is that this little peek behind the green curtain gives you something to connect to, showing us all that no matter how different we may be, we all have more in common than we think. Questions for the Boss Lady featured here? Leave a comment for her below!
Do you know an extra special lady who would be perfect for this interview series? Or maybe YOU are that special someone? Feel free to nominate them (or yourself) for a chance to be featured as our next Boss Lady.
6 thoughts on “Lesson No. 3: Nani Almanza”
Thank you Nani for sharing and for the inspiration! ?
Omg my beautiful God daughter Nani is such an amazing young lady, her answering to your questions were spot on and so sincere. She opened her heart out and we love her so much and are so proud of her accomplishments.
Thank you for this comment Gloria! We love to hear that you enjoyed reading Nani’s answers, we could feel her hear in her responses as well.
My beautiful daughter you never cease to amaze me. Talented and strong and fierce and just beautiful. This interview is awesome and you nailed it. I love you ❤️
That interview with Nani Almanza was priceless. A true gift READ for me Nani’s momma.
Thank you for reading the interview Anita! We are so thrilled to share your daughter’s words and love having her in our lives! xoA