Born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida, Giordana “Gigi” Vogel founded de la heart as a way to share her ancestral beauty and wellness secrets with the world—and help everyone discover the transformative benefits of self-love and self-care. After years in the fast-paced and stress-filled fashion industry, Gigi realized she needed to take a different path, one where she could live with purpose, find balance and restore her health. Gigi turned to social media to share her advice and experiences with the local community and quickly gained a global following. From there, she decided to create the tools she and her followers needed for optimal wellness. de la heart provides natural body and face care tools, plant-based skincare, and body-sculpting essentials.
Tell us about your first experience with entrepreneurship.
Gigi Vogel: I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I started my first venture when I was in 3rd grade. I grew up in Colombia, and when we traveled abroad, I would always source and bring back novelty things — candy, hair accessories, jewelry makeup, toys, and CDs — to sell to my friends in school. My parents would loan me the money to buy everything, I would have to pay them back and I would keep the profit to reinvest in my next trip. Business failed when the school found out I was running a full operation – hahaha.
What is your company’s origin story? What is the biggest reason you started your business? What did those early days look like and teach you?
GV: My business started out of pure passion and curiosity. After working many jobs and chasing money in my 20s, when I turned 30, I decided to drop everything and start doing what I loved. I knew I wanted to be in the wellness space; so, I did many certifications in nutrition, skincare, beauty, and yoga, I then started writing and contributing to different publications, until eventually I started my own blog (de la heart) to share all my knowledge and latest findings with my community. In an interview I did, I learned about lymphatic drainage and the lymphatic system, its benefits blew my mind. I fell so hard for this method, I started developing products to support at-home massage, and a few years later we have a full wellness and beauty brand.
What do you wish you knew when you started? Is there anything you would do differently?
GV: Absolutely nothing, because if I knew then what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have pursued my dream because it’s very hard, it’s a lot of work, and it’s not as glamorous as people think it is. And by people, I mean me.
What does “success” look like for you? We’d love to hear your biggest, boldest dream. What do you think will help you achieve it?
GV: Success, to me, means freedom and happiness. My dream is to continue creating and developing products people want, products that add value to their lives, and be able to support and grow with them in every stage of life. My success in that is to be able to do it from anywhere in the world, having fun and in the company of my family.
What is your superpower as an entrepreneur? What is your proudest and darkest moment so far? Share a key high and a key low from your journey if you can.
GV: My superpower is to be able to stay grounded and balanced. I don’t let the highs be too high, or the lows be too low. I prefer to ebb and flow between ease and effort. This mindset keeps me detached and doesn’t allow me to be defined by the highs or the lows of my journey.
What are your personal driving principles, your top values?
GV: Resilience, consistency, hard work, and determination.
What’s it like to work alone or with your partners?
GV: I don’t have any partners, but I do work with my family, which makes it feel cozy and supported. My husband sits on the board, my brother is the head of production and logistics, my parents run our ateliers in Colombia, and my brother-in-law runs our digital marketing strategy. It’s special to be able to work with such an incredible and talented team that you know has your back no matter what.
Do you have a mentor? Tell us about what makes them valuable to you and your business.
GV: I have many mentors and they all add different values to my personal growth as CEO & to my business. They have a deep understanding of the wellness and beauty industries due to their backgrounds and experiences, and they always push me to think out of the box, without overstepping on my decision-making.
Have you raised outside capital so far?
GV: No, we’re fully private. It’s not in our business plan to fundraise just yet. We will in due time.
What role does mentorship play in your world (as a mentor or mentee)?
GV: I built an entire business by sharing everything I know, everything I learn, and everything I see. I am always willing to help fellow entrepreneurs get started and follow their passions.
Many entrepreneurs continue to perfect their daily routines to support their work and greater vision; would you mind sharing your morning routine or a regular ritual that grounds your work each day?
GV: I always start my day at 5am with 32oz of room temp water and then meditate for an hour. Afterwards, I move my body—outdoor power walk or yoga. At 7am, I have 16oz of celery juice or warm lemon water followed by coffee or matcha. I wake up my kids, get them ready, and drop them off at school every morning. At around 8:30am I grab my phone and check my email and social media, and head to work. This morning ritual of settling my mind, my body, my heart, and my soul is what keeps me grounded, but laser focused.
What are you reading or have read?
GV: My last read was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
Where do you go for inspiration?
GV: I go in.
Do you have a favorite quote, mantra, or words of wisdom to get through the tough days?
GV: “It’s our birthright to do the uncommon”.
What is a problem that keeps you up at night?
GV: Nothing. I make sure to unload everything before I go to bed with a short evening meditation. Interrupted sleep is not an option for me.
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