Tell Me All About It: Q&A with Carolina Valle {+ ANOTHER Amazing Giveaway!}

Today, I'd like to introduce you to the fabulously inspiring Carolina Valle. You may remember Carolina from a personal essay that she wrote for Starr Struck last year, Why I Broke Up With the Gym (which I loved!), but if you don't, I definitely encourage you to go back and read it. 

I met Carolina when we worked together at Tranquil Space, and from our very first meeting, I remember her expressing her desire to expand her horizons--to become a yoga teacher, to write more, to start her own business--but at the time, she was still on the precipice. 

Now, just a few years later, she's done all of these things while working in a very demanding corporate career. Carolina is now teaching yoga in Houston and has started a fabulous creative biz, TribeYoga, which makes + sells gorgeous meditation cushions, mat bags, and eye pillows. 

Obviously, hearing how much Carolina has accomplished in just a few short years made me want to share her story with the Starr Struck community, in the hopes that it inspires YOU to follow your dreams, too ;) 

Read on to learn more about all things Carolina Valle + TribeYoga, and be sure to read all the way to the end for a chance to enter Starr Struck's 3rd Giveaway of the month (since March is still my 4th Blogiversary month, after all!), courtesy of TribeYoga...

What's the story of your biz? Tell us about why you started it, what you do/make, etc.
TribeYoga started as a fun side project for me and my mama. She’s an incredibly talented and creative spirit with years of experience making clothes, and I am a yoga teacher, full-time career gal, and aspiring entrepreneur with a passion for yoga and big dreams. 

Last year, we put our talents and personalities together and BAM, our sweet little biz was born. TribeYoga sells unique, hand-made yoga accessories inspired and tested by my own tribe of yoginis. It’s true that you really don’t need anything other than your mat and soul to do yoga, but bringing a touch of color and a sprinkle of whimsy to your practice with TribeYoga accessories never hurts :)

What inspires you?
So many things! I am inspired by things as simple as my silly pups playing in the yard, the bright colors of a wild bougainvillea, and a beautifully designed pair of shoes at Anthropologie, as well as big, important, goosebump-raising things like passionate, badass women making a difference in the world.

What's your creative process like?
My small, beat-up journal that goes everywhere with me (even to the bars, no joke) is the beginning and end of my creative process. Writing things down and doodling ideas on a page is like Redbull for my creative neurons.

If you had to give one piece of advice to women (or men!) who want to take the plunge and pursue their dreams of starting their own business or blog, what would it be?
Begin it. Start it. Make something, anything, happen. As simple and obvious as this sounds, it is the best business advice I ever got. If you want your dreams to come true, you have to take that first step, and it has to be now. Not tomorrow. Not when you have more money, when you’re married, when you’re divorced, or when you retire. Not when you’ve read more books, taken more classes, or accumulated more degrees. Not when the time is right, when your kids are older, when you are less busy, thinner, or smarter. Now.

I wrote a blog post about this shortly after starting TribeYoga. Check it out here. 

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
Figuring out what I want to do when I grow up! It has taken me 31 years, 2 degrees, a corporate career, countless downward dogs, thousands of journal pages, a million books, and so many tears, to finally understand what I want to do, what I was MEANT to do. I want to help people fall in love with themselves, get to know who they are and what they really want, and live their full potential. Yoga and meditation have helped me overcome anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, and body image issues in my own life, and I hope to share these gifts with my tribe.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
Spending an entire morning in bed reading or writing (on the weekends, of course).

How do you stay balanced? How do you unwind?
A regular yoga practice helps me stay balanced (a pose a day keeps the doctor away!) I am a lover of bubble baths, long walks, coffee shops, and a good book (and yes, juicy love novels count as good books!), To unwind, I pencil in one (or all) of these activities in my calendar.

If you were exiled to a desert island and could only bring 3 things, what would they be (have to ask it because I love this question!)?
1. Journal
2. Pencil pouch with colored ink pens (it’s not cheating if it’s one pouch, right?)
3. My pillow - cannot sleep without it. 

 Words of wisdom you live by:
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” I have a tendency to compare myself to others and experience life envy every once in a while. This quote reminds me that my goal should be to be the best “me” I can be and follow my own unique path to happiness.

If you could live anywhere for one year, where would it be and why?
Viña del Mar, Chile. It’s the little beach town I grew up in, and my happy place on this earth. My parents own a condo there right on the beach, where you can fall asleep to the sound of the Pacific Ocean and wake with the sun shining on your face. 

Want to learn more about Carolina + TribeYoga? You can find her in the following places:

• Etsy
• Website + Blog
• Facebook
• Instagram

...And now, for our GIVEAWAY! 

This week, you can win a "Patagonia" Zafu Meditation Cushion from TribeYoga (pictured below). You've got to put in a *bit* more effort to win this prize, but that's because TribeYoga is a small creative biz and we can't just be giving these things away like hotcakes ;) 

So, you can enter by doing one (or both--you can enter twice!) of the following: 

• Join BOTH of our mailing lists: TribeYoga (here) + Starr Struck (here). *If you already receive Starr Struck's newsletter, you can just sign up for TribeYoga's ;) 
• "Favorite" BOTH of our shops on Etsy: TribeYoga (here) + Starr Struck Studio (here)
  
  

Once you've completed one (or both!) of these entry requirements, enter your info into the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway details: You can enter more than once. Use the Rafflecopter widget to submit your entry. The giveaway will close on Sunday, 3/29, at 11:59 pm EST. I'll then choose one winner using Rafflecopter and will announce the winner next week. So sorry, but this giveaway is only available to U.S. residents :( You can view the full terms + conditions by clicking on the Terms & Conditions link within the Rafflecopter widget. 

Thanks for telling me all about it AND hosting such a fabulous giveaway, Carolina! Good luck, everyone!

Oh, and last week's Frette Fragrance giveaway winners are Laurie E. and Laura W. (weird, huh?)! Check your inbox on info for how to claim your prize ;)