Pam Covarrubias, Holistic Business Coach & EFT Practitioner
Pam Covarrubias is on a mission to change the way women tackle their careers. The Holistic Business Coach and EFT Practitioner, who’s also the creator and host of the Café Con Pam podcast, takes an innovative approach to business coaching, basing her work around women’s menstrual cycles after learning of the impact periods have on mood, energy levels, and the “desire to show up.”
“While there’s a lot of fabulous teachers talking about the power of the menstrual cycle and the magic women have within,” Pam says, adding: “I think it’s important to apply those spiritual principles into the way we do business as humans who bleed.”
She specializes in helping women of color, primarily Latinas, step into their own power by letting go of harmful beliefs and embracing lo bueno en esta vida — prioritizing self-care and exercising their voice along the way.
I’m so excited to introduce you to this mujer de magia. Keep scrolling to meet her.
Grace Gavilanes: Tell us about what you do for a living. What's a typical day in your life look like?
Pam Covarrubias: I’m a Business Coach for Women, specifically Latinas. I became the business coach my mom needed. A typical day in my world looks like self-care in the morning and evening, and serving clients via Zoom calls — since the pandemic, I moved my business to fully online. Fridays are my days to work on the business and take care of administrative tasks. Monday through Thursday is mainly spent doing 1:1 calls, group work, and/or workshops.
GG: I find it so, so interesting that you base your business coaching around women's menstrual cycles. How did you land on that & why is that connection key?
PC: I have been deeply connected to my own menstrual cycle because when I was 13 I was diagnosed with PCOS and my doctor told me that my periods were going to be really hard and I was going to be on medication for the rest of my life. I decided then that I was only going to take one pack of pills and that was going to heal me. I became friends with my period at that moment.
When I started my business, I noticed how I felt depending on the energy season — as I call the menstrual cycles — I was in. I started tracking my mood, energy levels, and desire to show up and I used myself as a case study. When I figured I was up to something, I continued learning from the women who have dedicated their work to studying and teaching women about their menstrual cycles, and I connected their teachings into business.
While there’s a lot of fabulous teachers talking about the power of the menstrual cycle and the magic women have within, I think it’s important to apply those spiritual principles into the way we do business as humans who bleed. The business world has been dominated by men who cycle every 24 hours and women who cycle every 24-28 (on average), so it makes sense why women are tired, overworked, and burned out faster than men, because we simply operate in a different circadian rhythm. Men are like the sun, and women are like the moon. Men’s testosterone levels get released every three hours (on average) with the highest count in the morning. Women’s hormonal cycle lasts almost a month. The rhythm in which men operate is not sustainable for women simply by looking at our biology. This is why I believe it is critical we look at our menstrual cycle when we work on our business.
GG: What would you say is a common question or concern you get from your clients?
PC: One of the most common questions I get from my clients is, “Why is it not working for me?” And my answer is always because we need to work from within to make sure we create what you truly want from an aligned place. Since my work is primarily with Latinas and WOC, we do carry traumas in our body that many times get activated when we start a business. I often tell people that starting a business is shadow work because all the things we need to work on come to the surface sooner or later.
I use another tool: EFT/Tapping, which assists us in regulating our nervous system so we can ask the deeper questions. What if it did work? Before that question can be answered we must remove the doubts and emotional charge we carry from the negative thought. I invite people to explore: What is a quick win they could have? Sometimes we focus on the huge goal and that could make life look like a tragedy. However, if we start small, we can see progress.
I believe combining the alignment of their menstrual cycle, tapping, and mindful planning can help women create significant changes in their delivery and overall accomplishments.
GG: Hustle culture and burnout is so prominent in our community. How do you make sure to take care of yourself first?
PC: This is a constant conversation I have with my clients. It is hustle culture coupled with immigrant mentality. Since I work with a lot of children of immigrants, we carry a weight that “working hard is the only way” and that is not true. One of my favorite books that addresses this is Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown. We must understand that the system that rules our present reality was built for our bodies to be overworked constantly. Prioritizing self-care is a great way to reframe the belief around working hard and to dismantle the oppressive system that has been so ingrained in us. It’s a rebellion and an absolute must in my day, even if it’s five minutes.
GG: Same goes for imposter syndrome. How do you combat those feelings (if any)?
PC: That one I believe is also systemic. The system has created this narrative that we need to “be enough” to do something, but what if we are already enough? What if passion and alignment is enough to give us the strength to embark onto something and make it happen? Nobody has it fully figured out.
When impostor syndrome kicks in, I look for evidence of a strength I have that can combat the belief that I’m not enough. For example, when I started talking about the menstrual cycle in business, I had evidence that it worked with me and some clients whom I had shared this with. So when impostor syndrome came in to tell me I didn’t know enough, I reminded that part of me that I had enough evidence that I could talk about this topic because it worked for me and others.
““I refuse to be limited to a box so I always bring my language and my cultura to everything I do.””
GG: How do you stay connected to your culture and community?
PC: I grew up in Mexico City and when I came to the U.S. I realized this is the country of boxes. I had to select all the boxes to let them know who I was. I had to check the Hispanic box and the Latina box and the immigrant box. I refuse to be limited to a box so I always bring my language and my cultura to everything I do.
I love connecting with others with similar stories, as far as staying connected with a community, I have created a couple of gathering spaces (free and paid) for people to exist and continue to have these conversations around business, identity, money, and their energy seasons.
GG: What does being Latina mean to you?
PC: This is actually a term I’ve been exploring lately. On the surface, being Latina is being proud of who we are and what we bring to the table as individuals with our rich history, language, and food. On a deeper level, I wonder if being Latina is another blanket term that is being used to blend the vast differences of the people of the Americas into one thing, just like when the Spaniards arrived and started calling all Mesoamerican communities “Indios.” I wonder if Latina/e/x is the new colonized term to group our colossal differences yet similarities into one entity.
GG: What would 12-year-old Pam say about where you're at in life now?
PC: I told you you could.
Want to keep up with this mujer de magia? Follow @cobiux and @cafeconpampodcast on Instagram!
Photos: Studio Luniste
