Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Valenzuela.
Hi Erica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My story is one for the misfits. I was adopted as a baby and always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. Growing up in Arvada as a mixed-black female I didn’t look like my peers, I was athletic enough to keep up with the boys yet not quite girly enough to hang with the girls. Dresses and skirts made me uncomfortable and scrapes and bruises were the norm. I always felt like I didn’t have a place to belong and never truly felt present.
That was until I started my love affair with basketball. Everything seemed to make sense when I was on the court. It felt like… home. Fast forward to receiving a full scholarship to Metro State here in Denver my experience there was unfortunately cut short due to my dwindling mental health as I started my journey to get to know my biological mother despite the lack of support from family. I had so many years of repressed emotions inside of me that my grades fell short, basketball didn’t feel like home anymore and my self-worth was nonexistent as I felt called to do something for me while knowing I was going against my parent’s wishes, I couldn’t help but shut down.
In that broken hiatus, I met my daughter’s father, a story of abandonment for another time but plenty of repressed emotions within it. Before she turned one, I was contacted by a coach to come play at a small school in Kansas. So excited to have someone still believe in me I packed my things to begin my college journey once again to finish what I was meant to do. I was going HOME to the one thing that made sense… to play basketball. This time I was a newly single mother and was ready for the challenge.
With baby girl in tow, I didn’t get far at all as I’m not even sure if I was there a full day as I woke up from a coma 6 weeks later and back in Colorado. 6 weeks in a coma. 3 months in the hospital. 48 Blood transfusions. Multiple grand mal seizures. Tracheotomy. Lost part of my right lung… lost all of my will to live. With physical recovery came a spiritual awakening within myself. A journey I didn’t know would lead me to entrepreneurship in opening another avenue for mental health expression.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Covid. I signed my lease in February of 2020 as the world quarantined and awaited the passing of the pandemic- what came next seems like a never-ending story of fear, creativity, hope, and a deep belief that my e•motion is exactly what this world needs.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
E•motion remains the first of its kind by combining intentional rage, fitness, and relaxation all in one experience.
Rage rooms are getting increasingly popular and fitness centers of all sorts are on every corner. I think my concept stands out because of the specific focus on mental health, giving you a cathartic release, followed by an endorphin release and last met with relaxation and meditation or just some time to “be” without feeling guilty.
An all-encompassing space. The E•motion experience aside, I also welcome any collaborations that promote emotional wellness from puppy yoga to health and wellness vendor events. I hope to uplift other businesses as well.
Pricing:
- $35 for Smash n Chill
- $45 for Smash• Workout• Chill
- Events typically fall within that range
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emotionfitness.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.motionexperience/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thee.motionexperience?mibextid=LQQJ4d
