The Eco-Business Spotlight is Nadi Marketing’s monthly series highlighting businesses and entrepreneurs leading the way with sustainable practices and making a lasting impact.

We highlight Latina-owned businesses for our Eco-Business Spotlight to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. I’d like to introduce you to Lupe Nambo, a bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Luna Counseling. Lupe is a proud daughter of immigrants and mental wellness advocate with a passion for supporting BIPOC in breaking generational cycles of trauma and building healthier generations. Read Lupe’s interview below and connect with her on Instagram or by visiting her website.

What is your business?

 I am a Latina in Mental health and own a private Therapy practice. I strive to create sustainable mental health practices by intentionally inviting conversations that explore barriers and systemic inequities in marginalized communities and empowering communities to reclaim their mental health and live as their authentic selves.

What are some industry-specific challenges you faced?

In graduate school, I learned how to be an employee and work for someone else. I did not know what it would be like to work for myself, and it took time to figure it out. I got to a point where I was tired of being exploited by community mental health systems,  and I knew I had to build something more sustainable. I spent a lot of time researching how to open a private practice and run a business, and with that came a lot of tears, heartache, trials, and error but also joy and liberation from a system that was crippling mental health.

If you could go back, would you do anything differently? If so, what would it be and why? 

Yes, 100 percent. If I could go back in time, I would give myself the advice I had to learn the hard way: invest in yourself and hire out what you don’t know. Invest in a lawyer to form your business and give you peace. Hire a good tax person. Know your limits, and do not try and DIY when you have no idea what you are doing, especially if it is legal. Trust me. It will save a lot of heartache and stress to hire out.

Any tips for a Latina-owned business?

Surround yourself with like-minded people who understand your dreams, motivations, and struggles. Enterpenuralship can be lonely. You need people in your corner to inspire and bounce ideas with you. Know your boundaries and your limits. Do not try and do everything yourself. Ask for help or hire help, especially when building your business. 

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