In a world where conformity often overshadows individuality, Vanessa Naja stands as a beacon of inspiration, guiding people towards their authentic selves. With a diverse background that spans the realms of movement, well-being, and self-discovery, Vanessa’s remarkable journey has been one of profound transformation. Her mission is to spread love, light, and healing by helping others break free from the constraints of societal expectations and embrace their uniqueness. As a seeker and a multi-passionate individual, Vanessa is not content with a one-size-fits-all approach. She tailors her work to the individual, encouraging them to find their inner authority and live life on their own terms.
In this exclusive feature, we delve into Vanessa Naja’s extraordinary story, exploring how she empowers others to discover their true path, prioritize self-care, and live authentically in a world that often demands conformity. Join us on a journey of self-discovery and well-being as we uncover the wisdom and passion of Vanessa Naja.
Can you tell us more about your journey and how you found your calling in spreading love, light, and healing in the world through your work?
I have been a seeker for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been someone that loves to learn and then share what I’ve found useful with others. Even though I originally followed the old paradigm formula of going to school, studying something practical (in my case finance), getting a good job with the intention of doing it until retirement and then actually living life after retirement, I discovered early that this was a recipe for disaster. In my late 20’s during the time of my first Saturn Return, I knew the life I had created was not the life I wanted, in fact, I was completely miserable, frustrated and deeply depressed. I made some major shifts during that time period and came out the other end with a completely different life, one that I was living according to my terms and not what society has deemed as the correct way to do it.
So many people are living conditioned lives, thinking they are doing everything right by standards that aren’t their own, and as a result being dissatisfied and unhappy. Helping others discover their true path in life so they can live authentically, be on purpose and fulfill their potential has been a natural extension of my own experience on this journey.
You mentioned that you see each person as an individual with unique needs. How do you tailor your approach to address these individual needs in your work?
We are all completely unique beings. There has never before been and there will never again be anyone like you. Everyone is wired differently, we have different purposes, different bodies, minds and spirits, different conditioning. There is no one size fits all approach. I tailor my work to the individual and help people find their own inner authority that lets them know what is true and correct for them. Learning to live authentic lives that honor the uniqueness of each and every one of us is essential to being on purpose and fulfilling our potential. No one outside of us can tell us what that is, we find the answer inside of ourselves and my work is to help people find their own answers within.
How do you balance your multiple roles and interests, such as teaching movement, Human Design, Transformational Breathwork, coaching, dance, podcasting, and more? Is there a common thread that ties them all together?
I LOVE this question. I am someone who is very multi-passionate. This is an important part of my makeup and what I’m meant to give to the world. My Human Design (which I’ll talk more about in the next questions) shows this. The thought of just doing one thing was something I could never get on board with and this is true for about 33% of the population. Society and conditioning tells us that we should pick one thing and stick to it, to specialize in something. That only works for some people depending on their makeup.
Many people are absolutely miserable having followed all the “right” steps society has told them to follow. They went to school, they have highly successful careers, they have money and big homes and whatever the societal view of success is yet they’re completely miserable. Success is not one size fits all. It’s something each person has to define for themselves. What you define as success might be completely different from my definition. To me success means doing work that I love, with people that I love, having freedom to create what I want, when I want and having time to spend with my loved ones and engage in things outside of work, all while living on a tropical island (I live on the beautiful island of Grenada in the Caribbean).
As someone with high energy levels who is designed to do work she loves, being busy with the things that really light me up is a must in order for me to thrive and feel satisfied in my life. I follow what interests me and naturally those things come together in a way that makes sense.
Weaving together all my interests in a way that helps people align in body, mind and spirit so they can feel empowered, joyful, connected and free is my passion and my purpose. I also love teaching and providing people with helpful and practical information such as through my Human Design Podcast and online programs. The common thread that ties them together is that they are about holistic wellness, wellbeing in body, mind and spirit. How I help people using these tools is completely dependent on the individual and what they need to live fulfilled and joyful lives. I offer personalized Human Design Reports, Human Design Readings, self paced programs and Human Design based coaching that brings in other modalities such as Transformational Breathwork, mindful movement and Yoga Nidra in the deconditioning process.
In addition to your focus on movement and well-being, you engage in Human Design. Could you share what this entails and how this can help individuals in finding their authentic selves?
Human Design is an incredible tool of self understanding that gives people a map of their unique energy blueprint. As I said before, we’re all completely unique beings and Human Design shows you this in a very unique and practical way. It shows us how to interact with life and other people, how to make the best decisions that are correct for us and goes very deep on many levels all the way down to life purpose and soul purpose.
Human Design helps us decondition all the ways we were influenced by the outside in a way that takes us away from being our true authentic selves so we can fulfill the purpose we came here for. It shows you your unique strengths, traits and functions that you broadcast out into the world and that you’re meant to use on the journey of fulfilling your potential. It also shows you all the areas where you’re likely to get distracted from your purpose, where you’re taking in energy that isn’t yours and likely to be very conditioned and it gives you tools to become incredibly wise in these areas rather than letting them steer you off track.
I’ve studied many of the personality typing systems and tools for understanding oneself better and have found Human Design to be by far THE most detailed and accurate system out there. It’s also unique because it doesn’t just give you insight, it gives you practical application that helps you on your journey to living as your authentic self and fulfilling your purpose.
Human Design is its own unique system that synthesizes aspects of Astrology, the Chinese I-Ching, The Hindu Brahmin Chakra system, the Kabbalah Tree of Life and various branches of modern science.
I weave Human Design into everything I do. Your design shows you how you best learn, how you best interact with others, how you best make decisions, how to use your energy in the most efficient way and it helps you love and accept yourself so you can better love and accept others. Human Design has done absolute wonders for my relationships and my business and I strive to help others with all of these areas as well based on their unique designs.
How do you balance your passion for helping others with the need to prioritize your own well-being, and what advice can you offer to others striving to find this balance in their lives?
Human Design actually shows you insight on this. For me personally, I have a propensity to put others’ needs ahead of my own. This is very clear in my chart. Learning to make sure my cup is full and I’ve addressed all of my needs before giving to others has been vital and allows me to be of service and supportive in the best way. I’ve also learned to rely on my inner authority to know who I’m actually meant to help, how and when to help them and not to get led off track by feelings of guilt and obligation. Knowing and using my Human Design has helped me so much in balancing my own well-being with my passion for helping others.
The advice I would give to others is to make sure their own needs are met and that they’re giving from a full cup before they try to meet the needs of others. Learning about their design, and using their Human Design strategy and Authority (which means honoring their unique ways of interacting with others and following their own way to make the best decisions) helps tremendously in living balanced lives and preventing burn out.
If you would like to find out more or get in touch, visit
www.vanessanaja.com
