"...There's also the stereotypical idea that women have to be skinny and feminine. Daring and adventurous is often frowned upon when it comes to our kind...

As a Health and Fitness professional, these things can either get to you, or you can choose to let it drive you. I choose to let it drive me. Strong is definitely beautiful. Independence is beautiful."

My name is Vanessa and I am a happily busy 29 year old Health Food entrepreneur and Fitness professional. After graduating from college at the University of Southern California with a degree in Communications, I gained corporate working experience in Public Relations handling Banking and Digital clients, as well as in Marketing for one of Indonesia’s leading social business enterprises. After the corporate stint, I worked in the startup industry, heading Business Development for Bobobobo’s Lifestyle department.

Only about three years ago, I fell head over heels for the Health Food and Fitness Industry. With three friends, I co-founded PÜRA VÏDA, a delivery service for tasty and healthy treats for Busy urbanites in the Greater Jakarta area. Our products can be found online, at supermarkets in Jakarta and in several other online shopping platforms. We are also looking to expand our business to other Busy metropolitan cities in Asia.

At the same time, I also became an avid Crossfitter. In 2015, I landed a gig to become a representative of Nike+ Training Club in Indonesia. Three years later, I am now one of the only two Nike trainers in the country.

To further develop my own business and pursue my career in Fitness, I left my startup job in 2015. I recently became a certified ACE Personal Trainer. I also teach Indoor Cycling at RIDE Jakarta and Functional Training at Empire Fit Club.

In Indonesia, we were never raised to be athletic. We had little support from the government to develop sporting activities in schools. There’s also the stereotypical idea that women have to be skinny and feminine. Daring and adventurous is often frowned upon when it comes to our kind...

As a Health and Fitness professional, these things can either get to you, or you can choose to let it drive you. I choose to let it drive me. Strong is definitely beautiful. Independence is beautiful.

With this in mind and with #TEAMBUSYWOMAN, I hope to be able to inspire young women to be better versions of themselves every time I create a product or lead a class. I still have a long way to go for sure, but I am more than excited to learn and grow along the way.

Photo credit: @yuanrevaphotography