Life and Work with Anna Marie Cruz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Marie Cruz.

Anna Marie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It was June 2012 and I had just landed in Chu Lai International Airport in Vietnam. There was one plane (ours), one baggage claim, and one taxi (mine). I had zero knowledge of the local language and two suitcases that contained all my essentials for the next six months, an experience that would set the course for my next career, health, and business.

What led me here? Well, right before completing a grueling MBA program, I chose to apply for an international development consulting gig to continue exploring my interest in business + social impact. I went to grad school specifically to perform what I call career surgery so I could stitch together entrepreneurship and my passion for impact. Up to that point, I experienced each of these through separate career paths – one in real estate finance and the other through non-profit and volunteer work. Social entrepreneurship was just starting to gain traction then as a viable way of doing business.

As an immigrant from the Philippines, I also felt compelled to learn about effective ways to leverage business in addressing global poverty, access to health and education, and gender inequality. So, when I learned about this microenterprise consulting project from one of my professors specializing in Base of the Pyramid (the theory that poverty can be eradicated by serving and empowering the largest and poorest communities around the world), I eagerly jumped at the chance to work across the globe.

My role as a marketing consultant involved living in Tamky, a small city in Central Vietnam, and doing field work in the Central Highlands, where I supported a collaborative team of women artisans, a textile designer, a retail shop owner, local government, and an international aid organization to develop a sustainable microbusiness. The technical name for this mechanism is a private-public partnership or PPP, and seeing the impact firsthand from this collaboration was really eye-opening. Put simply, as a result of the weavers developing new product designs and gaining access to a new market, they would benefit economically through dignified work and their weaving tradition. That means they are less likely to be exploited, they would have the means to pay for healthcare and education, and in some situations, they would become less vulnerable to domestic violence, which is what we witnessed in one of the households.

Surprisingly, while I went to Vietnam for professional reasons, I also ended up doing a lot of personal development work. These six months afforded me time and space for reflection through which I discovered that many areas of my life needed attention – my relationships, finances, physical health, mindset, and even my connection to my roots. So while I was finding meaning and purpose in work, I was also uncovering this new perspective on well-being, which would later become another compass for me.

Fast Forward to Today:
Today, I am carving a life combining these priorities: empowerment of underserved communities, entrepreneurship, and health and wellness. These are present in the businesses and career I am pursuing and where I choose to lead.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have grown in my ability and confidence to lead from years of exploring, self-work, and the risks I have taken professionally. And while there have been many curves, uphill climbs, and bumps on the road, these challenges have been my greatest lessons:

1. Defining what success means to me. We are taught that success is linear. We check off boxes and climb ladders. Instead of asking which boxes to check off, I learned to do deeper self-inquiry with questions around what is important to me, my work, and my life. These revealed more meaningful answers that made me excited about the career and life I would craft. For example, in asking what is important in my work, I would always return to social impact. So this has instead become a key element I seek when investigating opportunities for work or collaboration.

2. Letting go of the ego. It has required a lot of work to avoid comparing myself with the trajectory of others and instead owning my decision of taking the road less traveled. Especially coming out of a very competitive b-school program, it was tough not to compare myself to classmates whose careers were leading to executive management at some of the biggest companies in every industry imaginable. Jokingly, I referred to mine as the Benjamin Button of careers because I was regressing instead of advancing in the traditional sense. It’s easy to feel not enough. I constantly had to (and still do) remind myself of my “why” (back to what success means to me). This has also led to the biggest shift in my mindset, which is that “I am not what I do.” Instead, what I do is a reflection of my values and my why or simply, who I am.

3. Connecting the dots. I followed my instincts and my why, but there were still times when I felt lost. At times, it is only in retrospect that I could see alignment in my work and purpose. It’s hard to believe this when a present situation feels really difficult or like a dead end. In my case, part of me anticipated working in international development post-consulting and I was a bit disappointed that I decided it was not the right fit for me at that time. For some time, I thought the six months I spent in Asia were a waste. It’s only later that I realized how that experience would become a springboard for my transformation and other projects. It’s important to give ourselves time to digest past experiences regardless of how they have or have not met expectations.

Please tell us about your business.
I am a forward slasher. I’m a health coach/economic development professional/social entrepreneur/champion for women entrepreneurs.

After I returned to Los Angeles from Asia, I started a health coaching practice to support other high achieving women to reach health goals, including all aspects of well-being (beyond nutrition and fitness). I’ve worked with amazingly talented women who are at the top of their game, but like me, had struggled with body and health issues. I also recently started teaching yoga to offer this tool, which has been valuable in my wellness journey, to clients and in communities where yoga has not been accessible.

Most of my time, however, is spent helping small business entrepreneurs in Los Angeles gain access to financing, often a major challenge for early stage and small businesses in general. This work has been tremendously rewarding and every day I feel fortunate to be working with an innovative, award-winning non-profit lender whose mission is to support local economies through access to capital. I personally guide business owners develop the path to responsible financing so they may launch and grow their company and support their local community. I connect them to resources that will also help them become successful over time.

Complementary to this and out of my passion to support female entrepreneurs, I am working on FoundHer, a podcast sharing women’s entrepreneurial stories, struggles, and biggest lessons.

And six years after those magical six months in Vietnam, I am starting my own social enterprise inspired by the women of the Co’Tu ethnic tribe from whom I learned so much. Well Woven Life is a brand that partners with other social enterprises and indigenous communities to make accessories supporting wellness and brings yoga to communities through special events and collaborations.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Favorite Books:
The Alchemist (mindset)
The Power of Now (mindset)
The $100 Startup (entrepreneurship)
The Primal Blueprint (health/fitness)
The End of Poverty (social impact)
The Blue Sweater (social entrepreneurship)

Favorite Podcasts:
How I Built This (entrepreneurship)
Akimbo (marketing)

Favorite Apps:
YNAB – You Need A Budget (building an intentional life also means achieving financial wellness)
ClassPass (fitness)
Canva (easy graphic design)

Resources:
Acumen+ (online courses for social entrepreneurs)
Opportunity Finance Network (careers in community economic development)
Mark’s Daily Apple blog (health/fitness)
Institute of Integrative Nutrition (health coaching)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.annamariecruz.com  https://www.canva.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/anna.marie.cruz

Image Credit:
Bryan Alano

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.