Meet Stacy Lambatos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Lambatos.

Stacy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
No problem.  I think it’s best to start with two truths that I can vividly recall for most of my life.  The first: my answer to anyone who asked what I wanted to do with my life was always, “I don’t know, I just want to help people.” The second: my answer to anyone who asked me how I was, was always “okay,” with a can of worms left on the table that I didn’t know how to open in order to get to “good” or “great.” These two truths always left me searching for more.

My journey started like many others. Grow up in a supportive family, go to school, make friends, apply to college, get a job and go to work. Nowhere in that journey did I learn how to just BE. How to feel my emotions and learn what to do with them. How to connect with people from an open heart. How to deal with loss, disappointment, uncertainty or even joy. How to show up to my life as me, fully present with my whole heart.

Everything that I had been unconsciously and consciously committing to was in direct contrast to the person I wanted to be and the relationships I wanted to have. I either had to accept my actions and behavior and let them redefine who I was, or start living a more authentic and honest life.

I desperately wanted to get to “good” or “great,” so I started prioritizing myself in my life and finding people, places and experiences that brought more peace, more love, more joy and more acceptance.  It has changed my life to the extent that while I still have tough days, I feel deeply in my soul the goodness and energy of my life. Now I am paving a path to help others do the same with CAYA Studios.

With CAYA, I’m bringing along the individuals and teachers who have helped me on my own path. Who have helped me see the world and myself for who I am today. There is no question that I have shown up and done the work with each of them, but they have also shown up with me and held my hand and heart.

Before starting CAYA Studios, I was the VP of Brand Experiences for Verizon Media, the $8B Verizon Communications subsidiary. Over eight years at the company, I held leadership positions within events, B2B marketing, creative, and brand marketing. I was born and raised in Denver, CO and received my BBA at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth at times, for sure, but not always. There have been times in my journey of complete soaring, but most of my adult life, until recently, has been filled with a lot of internal unrest and discontentment. I was searching for genuine peace and joy. I believe this is my life’s work…to not only continue to discover it within myself but to help others do the same.

Before starting CAYA, my biggest struggle was working for and with people I loved and a team I felt very connected to, yet feeling and knowing in my bones that I was meant to do something else. I kept growing, succeeding and acquiring more responsibility which kept me addicted to my job, the insane hours, the intense pace and the “success” of it all. Don’t they say a workaholic is the one addiction you can not only be proud of but also brag about? That was me…to a tee.

It was a series of events that drove me to start doing the most painful, hard, liberating and ultimately life changing work of my life. I was tired of being tired. Of not feeling creative. Of trying so hard to keep up with the life I created for myself. Most of all, I was tired of feeling unfulfilled and disconnected.

I found a therapist through insurance…my copay is $20/visit. I say that because I’ve heard a lot of people say the therapists that take insurance aren’t that good…I’m here to say mine has been one of the single most important people in my life. I started getting body and energy work. I found a meditation practice, started reading books and writing again. I took vacations, I ran outside, picked up cycling, fell in love with sound meditation, tried floating…you get the point. I started putting myself first and giving a shit about my life, my body and who I was outside of my job.

I started doing all of this while I was still working in the corporate world and began to notice how much of a positive impact it had on my performance, relationships, creativity and focus. And ultimately, my happiness.

CAYA is the culmination of my career experience in marketing and events and my deep passion for helping people. Creating and building CAYA has been the biggest joy of my professional life. I am being very conscious of how I build the business, who I work with and how I fill my days. Our culture talks about start ups as a sleepless and stressed out lifestyle. While I’m not saying I don’t have a long day here and there, I am saying I am much more interested in building a business around the life I want to live than around money and “success”. I believe I can and will find both, but I will never sacrifice my well being and joy.

Please tell us about your business.
We’re taught math, science and history in school, yet we’re never taught how to communicate, how to comfort someone who is grieving, how to heal a broken heart, how to celebrate and how to feel.

CAYA Studios brings the best teachers, healers and coaches in health, mindfulness and wellness together with individuals, teams, leaders and businesses that are seeking a deeper practice in personal and team development. Yes, we teach creativity and leadership, but before that, we teach what it means and how it feels to be a human being.  We teach connection, how to connect both with yourself and others.

We’re also taught to be one person at home, with friends and family and another person at work and in our careers. News flash, you take yourself with you, wherever you go. The fight you have with your partner in the morning will likely impact how you show up at work. Conflict at work is likely coming from the same trigger that shows up with your family. It’s all connected. We’re all connected.

CAYA breaks down these walls and connects people, teams and leaders at the root. Research shows, doing so leads to higher profits, increased productivity and happier employees.

Depending on the client, we curate 8-12 month programs for teams that include yoga, physical exercise, coaching, nutrition, herbal medicine, energy work, meditation and breath work… even astrology if the client is up for it!

I really want to do a leadership workshop where each leader has their astrology chart and learns how to read their chart along with their peers. Astrology is an incredible tool for learning about yourself and gaining new perspectives. We also program workshops and classes for private events and retreats.

Lastly, we’re launching a retail line filled with tools and products to help you on your journey. What sets us apart is our diversity in thought and offering. It hasn’t been one person, one method or one message that has changed my life. It’s been the incorporation of several people, practices and messages. We collect the most incredible teachers and healers and bring them together to curate a program vs relying on one message or practice to impact everyone in the room.

We also fill each engagement with tools, resources and practices that teams and individuals can do on their own. We want the work to go on in each person’s life outside of CAYA.

I’m most proud of building a business that feels so authentic. It’s the reflection of my heart and soul and hope for the world. It’s a win/win for both the healers and teachers of the world and the businesses and teams that are seeking them out. Both groups, until now, have struggled to find each other.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing…CAYA is a new business as of this year and I’ve been really conscious of how I’m building it. It’s uncomfortable and there’s a lot of room for doubt when you follow your heart and start your own business, however, I’m using this time period to not only build the business but to learn about myself in this phase of my life.  I try to be present in each day and be guided by that day vs letting fear or doubt drive my decisions. So far, it’s been a beautiful journey and one I’m so incredibly grateful for.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cayastudios.com
• Email: slambatos@cayastudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caya_studios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAYAStudios/

Image Credit:
Melissa Markle, Maya Abinakad

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.