Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Una Bella (Viggiani) of Highlands

We recently had the chance to connect with Una Bella (Viggiani) and have shared our conversation below.

Una, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
I think people often see what I do—whether it’s astrology, retreats, or travel planning—as something dreamy or “extra,” like a luxury or an escape. But what I offer is actually deep, grounded, and transformative. It’s about healing, connection, and remembering who you are at a soul level.

As a Cosmic Mermaid Astrologer and retreat creator, I’m not just organizing getaways or reading charts for fun — I’m helping people realign with their purpose, clear old patterns, and create lives and businesses that feel alive and true. These retreats and tools are vessels for personal and collective evolution.

And as a travel planner, I’m not just booking hotels — I’m weaving together meaningful, magical, and often life-changing experiences in places that hold spiritual and energetic significance.

So the biggest misconception is that it’s just a vibe or vacation — when in reality, it’s a powerful catalyst for transformation.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Una Bella — artist, astrologer, Cosmic Mermaid, and founder of Bella Retreats. My work is all about weaving beauty, transformation, and soul alignment into everything I touch — whether it’s reading your birth chart, painting intuitive art, or designing unforgettable retreats in the world’s most magical places.

Through Bella Retreats, I help visionary leaders plan, launch, and lead transformational, profitable retreats that create lasting impact. I also teach others how to step into retreat leadership themselves, combining practical strategy with energetic alignment. I’m a travel planner, too — curating soulful journeys and wellness escapes that feel divinely timed and energetically nourishing.

What makes my brand unique is that I blend the mystical with the grounded. I don’t just organize retreats — I help people remember who they truly are through sacred experiences, creative expression, astrology, and the medicine of travel.

Right now, I’m working on new ways to support retreat leaders through online courses, private coaching, and destination scouting. I believe the world needs more intentional gatherings, more beauty, and more soul-led entrepreneurs — and I’m here to help create that ripple.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
During my Saturn Return, I made a life-changing decision: I quit my job as an elementary art teacher, packed a backpack, and set out on a solo journey around the world. I traveled through 22 countries over the course of two years — this was before cell phones, during the good old Lonely Planet days.

That adventure cracked me open. I experienced the world not through headlines or politics, but through my senses. I wandered spice markets in Morocco, tasted sun-ripened tomatoes in Italy, and witnessed the raw beauty of a safari in Africa. I got to feel the soul of each place — the colors, the rhythms, the kindness of strangers.

What I saw was this: most people, no matter where they’re from, want the same things — love, connection, meaningful work, time to play, and joy. That journey gave me a reverence for the beauty and diversity of humanity, and it’s deeply shaped how I approach everything I do today — especially how I create and lead retreats.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to sit with the unknown — to surrender when nothing made sense and everything was falling apart. It showed me how to soften rather than force, how to trust my intuition when the path ahead wasn’t clear, and how to alchemize pain into purpose.

Success often brings external validation, but suffering brought me home to myself. It stripped away the roles, the expectations, the noise — and left me with my soul, raw and real. That’s where my magic came from. That’s where my work — as an astrologer, retreat guide, and artist — began to deepen.

Suffering cracked me open so I could hold space for others in their own transformation. It taught me compassion, resilience, and that true power comes not from having it all together, but from being able to rise with grace and authenticity, again and again.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They’d probably say I care — deeply. About people, about connection, about making others feel seen and supported. Kindness is one of my core values, and I try to bring that into every space I enter.

Community means everything to me — creating it, nurturing it, and showing up for it. I’m someone who values meaningful relationships over surface success. Whether I’m hosting a retreat, planning a journey, or just sitting with a friend, I’m always tuned in to how we can be more human together — with more presence, more love, and more care.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Funny enough, in astrology there’s always that question — fate or free will? For me, I’ve never been one to do what I was told. Not by my family, not by religion, and definitely not by the government. I’ve always had this inner compass that pulled me toward a different path — my soul’s path.

Astrology helped me understand that pull. It gave me a map — a cosmic blueprint — that showed me I wasn’t lost or rebellious, I was aligned. I’m absolutely doing what I was born to do: guiding others back to their own truth through creativity, travel, soul work, and sacred gathering. And I wouldn’t trade this wild, magical ride for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bellaretreats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bella_retreats/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/una-viggiani-086abb132/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unabellaretreats
• Other: https://thecosmicmermaid.com
  https://unaparadox.com

Image Credits
Headshot – Elfie Jade
Artsy Shots – Edica Pacha