Meet Nancy Candea – Embracing The Long Game After 60

Nancy Candea is a life coach and yoga therapist who helps women make peace with their past, find self-acceptance, and step wholeheartedly into their purpose.

I met Nancy Candea through Clubhouse, a chat-only social media app, during the height of the pandemic. It was clear pretty quickly that Nancy needed a spot on the Kuel Life Thought Leader roster. Her breath work instructional videos are priceless. I encourage everyone to try them out.

Nancy recently began a brand new path, pursuing higher education, proving to us all that we are never too old to play the long game.

KUELLIFE: What type of business do you own/run?

Nancy: I’m the founder of the “soon to be launched” Women’s Resource Sanctuary, a platform for women, and those who work with women, to understand ageism and learn about healthy longevity. I’m also the author of PRESENT: The Art of Living Boldly in the Second Half of Life and leader of the Living Boldly Leadership Group Course.

“I started a nonprofit in 2009 to bring wellness modalities to communities that don’t have access to them.”

Nancy Candea – Serial Entrepreneur:

KUELLIFE: What prompted you or drove you to become an entrepreneur? When?

Nancy: Oh wow! I started mowing lawns when I was 15 and starting businesses just kept continuing. Also, I ran a dance business until I was 45, then transitioned to a yoga therapist who specializes in trauma, addiction, and chronic pain.

I started a nonprofit in 2009 to bring wellness modalities to communities that don’t have access to them. In addition, I’ve trained yoga teachers on how to adapt yoga modalities to help veterans, those in jail, shelters, and group homes. In the US, Greece, and Uganda. I’ve worked with women who were sexually assaulted when they were in the military. I also help people with spinal cord injuries, and elite athletes.

Moreover, I also have led yoga and wellness retreats in Sedona, Hawaii, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Now, I’m joining the other experts at Kuel Life to help women in the second half of life design a life that makes them feel fantastic and fulfilled.

Difficult Moments:

KUELLIFE: What’s your biggest struggle?

Nancy: #1 is recovery from the pandemic. It took a toll on the yoga business, so I’ve really had to transition. And now that we’re coming out the of pandemic, it feels different again!

KUELLIFE: What is your biggest fear as an entrepreneur? How do you work through it? 

“Looking back over my life, I feel successful.”

Nancy: Money. I love my work and at times, I’ve made a fantastic living. And I was a single mom and there were some difficult financial moments. Of course, now I can call them moments, at the time they felt like forever. After seeing that my business wasn’t pandemic proof, I decided that going back to college and getting my masters in clinical mental health or social work, would give me a better chance of consistent work.

Other Side Of Chronic Depression:

KUELLIFE: How do you measure your success? 

Nancy: Day-to-day success is about did I make enough money, great health, and unity in my family. Looking back over my life, I feel successful. I’ve definitely been through some difficult if not traumatizing experiences in my adult life.

But now at 61, I’ve gotten on the other side of chronic depression. I’ve adjusted my lifestyle so that I don’t have chronic pain as I did as a dancer and over-enthusiastic yoga teacher, and I can sit quietly and just be. For me, that is the success that will help me enjoy the rest of this round trip we call life.

Being My Own Boss Is Worth It:

KUELLIFE: Finally, what advice would you give other women about taking an entrepreneurial path? 

Nancy: Of course, it would be best to have a nice savings account or another person who would pay the bills while you get started. That is the best thing. Luckily, I was able to use some funds from my nonprofit to fund the Women’s Resource Sanctuary.

I’m also writing some grants and looking for some corporate sponsors. Sometimes I’m tired of the hustle of it all, but being my own boss is worth it. So whether you have money or not, cultivate a group of people that are willing to listen to your ideas and give their feedback, challenge you, and cheer you on.

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