How I Became A Spiritual and Emotional Guide | Coach

We sat down with Spiritual & Emotional Guide and Coach, Yudy Veras Bueno to learn about self-empowerment and her journey to help empower others.

What is your job title/company name and role?

I’m a Spiritual & Emotional Guide and Coach. I have a private practice, Y Veras Coaching under Products for Joy Inc.

Where and what did you study in college?

 I have an Associate’s Degree in Business & Marketing from PUCMM (Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra) in the Dominican Republic. I also have a Bachelor’s Degree from Nyack College in the USA with a major in Organizational Management & Group Dynamics. I’m a Certified NAP and NLP Practitioner (Neuro Associative Programming and Neuro-Linguistic Programming). I also have a Certification from Yale University in the Science of Well-Being. I am a Certified Reiki Master Practitioner & Mindfulness Coach. I am currently undergoing a Master's Degree in Consciousness & Human Potential from MIU (Maharshi International University, which is a consciousness-based institution).

What was that pivotal moment that you knew this is what you wanted to do as a career?

I always knew that I wanted to work with people. After finishing high school, I was accepted to a prestigious university to study psychology in the Dominican Republic. The psychology program, however, was canceled three weeks before it was set to begin due to a lack of interest; there were only three individuals with me who were interested. That was a major disappointment for me, so, I went for Marketing as my major since it provided the next opportunity to learn about human behavior and what drives individuals to do what they do, in this case, purchase something.

Did you have any internships or career experiences that helped get you to where you are today?

When I left corporate America after 16 years to pursue my dream practice, I had no experience with how this would work, so I hired a coach. After my program was completed, she was so impressed that she invited me to shadow her for almost two years. We had great chemistry to the point where she would invite me to all of her travels, interviews, and retreats – that was amazing.

During that time, I also worked for a wellness center under a Doctor's mentorship for almost a year. I was making very little money during that time but was gaining so much experience. It was a huge sacrifice. However, it made me realized how practical learning is as important as academics. It also opened my eyes to how people are looking for more holistic approaches and alternatives solutions to emotional and mental challenges. That influenced how to structure my practice. It helped me determine what sort of work I wanted to do and how to improve my skills. A combination of objective knowledge and subjective experience is the key to creating a successful practice.

I also have a Spiritual Guide who helped me understand more about myself as a human being and the meaning of life. I learned that Spirituality is different from organized religion; it is actual science--the science of getting to know thyself.

Then, I discovered that taking care of myself first was paramount - as part of that, I developed a very steady daily meditation practice that keeps me grounded and centered on serving others on the highest level.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love to see how my clients can gain a new perspective of themselves, creating an attitude of self-empowerment. They can better understand themselves.

My clients become aware of behavior that could hinder their progress and change, as well as how they can cultivate self-love, self-acceptance, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation. I teach my clients to stop being so hard on themselves and become flexible and more passionate about life. I love what I do – I'm truly committed to helping people find their potential. It’s very powerful the work that we do together.

What do you dislike about what you do?

It took me a while to understand that everyone is going through their own journey, and sometimes they are not ready to receive help. That's the first requirement for self-empowerment; you must take responsibility for your healing journey. That was the most difficult thing for me to understand and put into practice.

Tell us a personal/professional challenge you faced and how you overcame it. 

I used to suffer from anxiety, depression, and eating disorders for more than 22 years. Regardless, I was considered very successful by any standard looking from the outside. I achieved the American dream, great career, great family, great of everything. However, I was not fulfilled.  

 For many years I had an internal battle. I was very hard on myself, put myself down a lot – and compared myself to others in terms of success. I thought I was not smart enough or pretty enough. I felt very lost and confused like I did not fit anywhere. I thought of myself as a weird person because I liked things that were different than other people’s interests. This is why I wrote my book, The Becoming of a Light Warrior, because I was determined to find out why I felt this way and heal myself.

If you could give yourself advice while you were in high school, what would it be?

Know that you have choices to make in life, and that's a great thing. Know that you matter. Know that you have a voice and that you must find it because what you have to say is important. And regardless of your shortcomings, mistakes, or failures that you might perceive as wrong, you have so much to give, and those mistakes are lessons. And that true happiness can be found if you allow yourself to be yourself. However, the key to all this is that “you must get to know yourself first,” and that will take some work. That's the formula for real success and fulfillment.

Favorite Quote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

Yudy Veras Bueno

Spiritual & Emotional Guide/Coach

Please contact me to begin our journey of self-healing and self-empowerment

Please check out my website for more information and great testimonials: www.yveras.com

 Phone (845) 642-1298

Instagram.com/yudyverasbueno

Facebook.com/yudy.veras.bueno

“My mission is to teach you to nurture your soul to thrive with passion in critical times! — Sending love and healing light!”  - Yudy, The Joyful Shaman