It's possible to find the healthy balance: Live well and work well at Soma Vida
Dec 26, 2011 | 4:00 pm
It was a Sunday morning at Ruta Maya Coffee Company, and Laura Shook and Sonya Stattman were each busy tracking the whereabouts of their young daughters as they danced around to the free weekly Kids' Show. Every Sunday morning at 10:30, children's entertainer Darren Peterson and his parrot pal perform in front of around a hundred kids and adults.
Shook and Stattman had never met before, but that morning they were both part of a single parents group that enjoyed coffee and conversation while the entertainment captured their children's attention. The two women began chatting about the success of the Ruta Maya community concept, and quickly realized that they shared a dream of finding a similar type of community to help them with their passions and professional aspirations.
"We envisioned aloud the concept of a space truly designed around the idea of Work/Life Balance," says Shook. "Shared workspace, networking with like-minded entrepreneurs, on-site wellness services such as yoga and bodywork, the benefits of collaborative marketing and cross referrals…all within an inclusive space that valued us as women, mothers and holistic entrepreneurs."
Shook shared her experiences living in Sweden, Belgium and Canada. "There, I felt I had glimpsed first hand the feeling of being supported and valued as both a mother and as a professional in my field." As she explained some of the ways she had seen women supporting other women in those countries, Stattman jumped in with stories of many women entrepreneurs that she had met or worked with in her role as a business and relationship coach.
"What I found is that the more authentically we are living, the more effortless life, relationships and business becomes."
"These women were also expressing a similar desire — we all were looking for more integration rather than pushing ourselves through the constantly revolving doors of our professional and personal roles and finding ourselves divided and exhausted, rather than supported and inspired," Shook says.
She and Stattman knew they weren't alone in their desire for such a community for women, or in a quest for balance in integrating their roles as women, mothers and entrepreneurs. They began to seek out other like-minded individuals, and from this quest, Soma Vida was born.
Soma Vida, on Austin's East side at 1210 Rosewood Avenue, is a sustainable community that serves as a supportive and creative catalyst for small business owners, nonprofits, freelancers and entrepreneurs who are seeking wellness and balance in their lives. The peaceful space in an old house offers shared work space, business support, wellness opportunities such as yoga, nutritional resources and acupuncture, and many social events and workshops.
With Soma Vida, Shook and Stattman want to shift the old paradigms that work and personal spaces should be separate. It's currently the home to more than 20 entrepreneurs who range from holistic health practitioners and creative start-ups to community nonprofits. "Working collectively within a supportive community is much more likely to result in a feeling of balance, rather than working individually in isolation," Shook says.
Stattman and Shook both believe that the value of their own experiences helps guide them in making Soma Vida thrive as a community. "I am no different than all of you," says Stattman. "I have been down the road of business, conscious partnership and leadership; seen all of the ups and downs, lost everything, gained everything, found myself lost in ashes and seen myself soar. Through my own experiences, I have seen what it takes to thrive. I have also learned how to navigate the saboteurs that come up along the way to keep us small and stop us from creating our dreams."
Stattman uses these experiences in the step-by-step path she has created, called The Authentic Way, in her role as business and relationship coach. The Authentic Way is a unique process that uncovers the blocks to success and helps to create lasting change in a person's professional or personal life.
Stattman says that it took her years to uncover the truth: that we don't have to work hard to thrive, but rather that there is a path to effortless living. "What I found is that the more authentically we are living, the more effortless life, relationships and business becomes. I will continue my mission to bring a path to the world that will awaken individual potential, allow people to live effortlessly and authentically, and forge a new way to work, live and love."
Shook operates a somatic psychotherapy practice, combining psychodynamic and developmental approaches in a naturalistic approach to helping her clients heal the effects of trauma and loss. "Soma Vida is intended to be more than just another local business; our mission is to inspire and illuminate the possibilities for work-life balance, to participate in a workspace and wellness revolution."