Symbiotic Personal and Professional Success with EmpowHer Purpose Founder, Michelle V. Wolf

Spiritual and personal growth aren’t always thought of as symbiotic with business success, but through her coaching and company, EmpowHer Purpose, Michelle Valenzuela Wolf is proving the two can be braided seamlessly. Offering one-on-one coaching, workshops, a MembHership group, and Opportunity Knocks podcast, Wolf guides and supports women as they navigate their journeys to personal and professional success.
Originally from San Gabriel, CA, Wolf now lives in Los Angeles. Wellness always played a big role in her life, and she was taught by her mother to use natural, homeopathic remedies, alongside being an athlete and raised with a mission to serve others for the greater good. After more than 20 years working with global brands such as Mattel, Disney, and Turner Broadcasting Systems, she was looking to find more balance after a serious health issue. She found just that, and is now helping others by offering business guidance, alongside wellness tools like breathwork, yoga, meditation, Reiki, and Akashic Records. Read on to learn more about her unique, powerful approach and mission.

SBS: How did the mission for EmpowHer Purpose arise?

Michelle Wolf: I founded EmpowHer Purpose, an integrated and wellness community, after my mother fell ill with Alzheimer’s. I vowed I would commit to service and transformation, in an effort to see all people reach their highest potential, sprinkling in all the nourishment of multiple wellness modalities. I do this through one-on-one coaching, my MembHership group, workshops, my retreat in Bali, and my podcast. On the Opportunity Knocks podcast, I interview entrepreneurs on how they take, make, create, and evaluate opportunities.

SBS: What is your mission with EmpowerHer? How has it changed throughout the years?
MW: The mission of EmpowHer Purpose is to empower individuals to discover, pursue and achieve their goals by championing them as they navigate whole life transitions. This is all accomplished through the lens of both business and wellness using values as our compass to travel through these stages. I foster accountability, confidence, clarity, and resilience through coaching, workshops, and my Opportunity Knocks podcast. While the core of the EmpowHer Purpose mission has not changed, it has evolved to incorporate a deeper focus on holistic wellness, including breathwork, yoga, meditation, and other spiritual tools. This is all aimed at a personalized approach to each person's journey in their discovery process, alignment with their highest self, clear guidance, and unlocking each person's fullest potential. My signature nine-step program guides clients from defining their purpose to achieving actionable outcomes. Additionally, I incorporate spiritual wellness tools like yoga, Reiki, meditation, and breathwork, ensuring a holistic journey. Each offering is tailored to empower clients in different stages of their personal and professional lives, with the ultimate goal of achieving alignment, growth, and fulfillment.

SBS: What’s your style as a coach?
MW: My coaching style is one of true partnership. It’s direct, compassionate, empathetic, and results driven. I know exactly when it's time to drop in or regroup based on one's current state. I firmly believe there is a time to do and a time to be. I focus on aligning the true leader within each client while pushing them out of their comfort zone. My blend of corporate savvy and wellness creates a balanced approach, offering both sharp business insights and personal wellness practices. I’m a firm believer in setting intentions and practicing daily gratitude. In addition, I believe in accountability, daily structure, habits, and rituals accounting for one's success.

SBS: What are some common misconceptions about coaching, mindset work, and your integrated approach?
MW: One common misconception may be that coaching is purely focused on business or surface-level achievements. Coaching is a long-term partnership process of understanding you, your whole life, aligning with yourself, your values and what you ultimately want to create in your life on all levels. My unique point of differentiation to coaching is that while I have business acumen, I integrate spiritual wellness tools like yoga, breathwork and meditation into my sessions, which unveils that transformation comes from aligning both personal and professional aspects of life.

SBS: What are the main pitfalls you see people fall into when approaching a new endeavor or dream?
MW: One of the main pitfalls is staying in your comfort zone and not taking actionable steps. I encourage clients to step beyond what feels safe, using tailored coaching strategies to guide them toward success. I believe in addressing one’s fear and that just on the other side of fear is learning and opportunities. Women, in particular, are hesitant to move forward without all the information at hand or feeling as if they are an expert. But expertise comes from trying and experience. We must try to know what’s next in all areas of our lives. 

SBS: What are the biggest obstacles facing female entrepreneurs today? How do you approach them personally and as a coach?
MW: Female entrepreneurs often face the challenges of balancing personal and professional life, as well as the pressure to perform in a high-stakes business world. In addition, females receive less than two percent of funding. So, while the numbers are increasing, we need more financial support to gain more traction and momentum. Also, women often lack the confidence to believe they can tackle and overcome large obstacles. This is where the support of a coach or a community with support come in. I address many obstacles by focusing on the intersection of business and wellness, helping women build confidence and resilience through tools like breathwork, spiritual practices, and a strong community of support.

SBS: What are your top tips?                                                                                                     MW: First, growth happens when we address our fear, and step outside your comfort zone. Growth happens when you embrace discomfort. Second, align with your values. Know and embody them and make choices from them. Align with your purpose: Success is more fulfilling when it’s in tune with your values. Next, community and connection are core to success. Build a personal support network, as strong connections foster resilience and success. And believe to achieve. Confidence and believing in oneself is a key to success. To know and love oneself is the great gift. 

SBS: What is the most powerful teaching you’ve encountered along your diverse path that sticks with you now?
MW: The most powerful teaching is to truly know oneself and accept all parts of you without judgement, to know when to ask for help and to receive; to know when to let go to grow and step more fully into oneself. Of course, there is the importance of balance, between work, wellness, and personal fulfillment. My journey has shown that true success comes from integrating sharp business skills with soulful wellness. Two tools that have been most powerful have been channeling the Akashic Records, one's soul journey, and breathwork facilitation. I have received some of my most profound healing and guidance from them.

SBS: What's your own health, self-care, and wellness routine?
MW: Every day starts with intention and ends with gratitude. I have a multitude of wellness practices, but I believe in building a structured routine of habits and rituals from intention setting to daily movement to ending my day with gratitude. I integrate spiritual wellness practices like yoga, Reiki, meditation, channeling the Akashic Records, and breathwork into my routine, which I also offer to my clients as part of my coaching approach.

The best, zaniest part of being Michelle: My zaniest aspect is my ability to blend business acumen with soulful wellness in a way that’s magnetic and refreshing. I bring energy and enthusiasm to every space, sparking inspiration in those around me. I’ve long used the line, ‘If you want to grow, you must go,’ meaning, in order to create, we must act. Any reaction requires action. We cannot just think; we must do. Judgement is the enemy of all good. My daily sign off on emails or blogs is ‘Be Well. Do Well.’

Michelle’s SBS Mantras: Be Fearless resonates deeply because I encourage my clients to step out of their comfort zones, face their challenges head-on, and pursue their dreams with courage and determination. Be Empowered because it’s my company name…EmpowHer Purpose. And Be Courageous: This word has long been a part of my identity. Many of my peers and friends saw this within me long before I even understood that this clearly defines a part of me.

Michelle’s LA Faves:

Healthy Restaurant: Superba
Splurge Restaurant: Nobu
Nightlife Spot: Sunset Tower Hotel
Yoga Studio: Shefayoga
Fitness Studio: Platefit, Burn Collective, Circuit Works
Fun Activity: Hiking and chasing views
Calming Activity: Breathwork
Online Resources: Insight Timer
Books: The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo