Deanna Rose Morgado

Deanna Rose Morgado is a Portuguese-American spiritual guide, artist, meditation teacher, Reiki Master and energy healer. Born in San Francisco’s Bay Area, her work with energetic forces first began as an interest in subjects like philosophy, the supernatural, and our role as humans in the Universe. These interests evolved and blossomed over the years into a passion and expertise. She took opportunities to study under and learn from spiritual gurus and teachers, learning why it’s so important that we humans embark on self-discovery journeys and continue to build our connection with the core of our being; staying engaged with what each individual considers wellness because that is how you live a life of joy. Continuing her understanding in aligning mind, body, and spirit, Deanna Rose felt called to share what she had mastered through her years of studying and practice. She followed her instincts and created an outlet for people who wish to align their minds, bodies, and spirits to discover their sustaining joy and the true reasons they are on this earth. Outside of her business, Deanna Rose enjoys getting out into nature, drinking too much coffee, and watching documentaries or reruns of The Office. She lives and operates Deanna Rose’s House of Well-Being in the Bay Area just outside of San Francisco.

Where did the idea for House of Well-Being come from?

My current work at the time as a freelancer wasn’t turning out the way I expected, and it showed in the quality of my life and well-being. I’d been using meditation practices and keeping hobbies on subjects of self-discovery, spirituality, and wellness within my personal life for a long time. Despite having these hobbies for many years, I always shrugged off using these passions and talents in a real business despite the encouragement of others around me. Eventually, since I was in a state of reevaluating what I was getting out of my freelancing career on multiple levels, I realized the only reason I didn’t want to pursue my own business teaching and helping others with spirituality and wellness was because I lacked the confidence. So I asked myself, “Is this something I would do if I had all the confidence in the world?” The answer was yes. It wasn’t long until ideas started flowing on how I could start, what I could teach and sell, who I would help, etc. Essentially I wanted to create a wellness hub that anyone in the world could access and learn how to live their life’s truest purpose.

I also knew that if I ever found myself with the power of a business owner, I would use it to make sure my ideas and efforts went back into taking care of our home, our planet. My passions for saving wildlife and preserving the earth needed a voice. I was tired of wanting to save the world but instantly being overwhelmed by the idea. So I knew the best thing was to combine my passions of spirituality, self-discovery, and wildlife conservation. This allowed my business to evolve and practice what I like to call “eco-wellness” or “eco-spirituality,” ultimately leading to my partnership with non-profit One Tree Planted. Focused on global reforestation, the organization plants one tree for every purchase made at Deanna Rose’s House of Well-Being.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

The start of my day begins with what I call my “witching hours” where I rise, hopefully — not always — with the sun anytime between 6:00 am and 7:00 am. The witching hours are my morning routine and rituals to set the right mindset for the day. I make my morning coffee and feed my dogs, followed by my morning yoga or other type of movement and a 20 minute meditation. One of the most beneficial ways of learning to me is reading, so I make sure I read for at least 45 minutes to an hour every morning. The reason these actions are a part of my morning routine and make me productive is because they introduce goodness to my life first thing in the morning; I do these things because it brings me joy. Setting myself up to feel good in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day, no matter what I want to accomplish. Once my witching hours are complete, I try to get a “feel” for what I should do next — normally guided by one to-do list I have for my business either hand-written or transcribed into my Google calendar. I check my list and use that “feeling” along with what’s already scheduled in my calendar to determine what items can wait and what can’t.

How do you bring ideas to life?

When an idea feels like it’s aligned with my business’s goals and purpose, I pursue it. Like so many creatives, I can think of ideas all day, every day. The trick is figuring out where or if at all that idea fits into my business at this moment. But first, I always write my ideas; getting it down on paper is probably the most important step to me because it allows me to release the idea from my brain, in a sense. If I’m constantly trying to remind myself of my idea, it doesn’t have room to evolve and take shape. I have an entire notebook dedicated to ideas alone. Some ideas, while feeling aligned with my purpose and business, may not be meant to come to fruition for some time and that’s okay. I give each idea the space to take shape and fit into my business organically. When I am ready to give an idea my full attention, self-discipline comes into play a lot. I map out actionable checkpoints for my idea to come to life and follow those steps fully and at my own pace.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I love that it’s becoming cool for people to be in touch with themselves and what their idea of happiness is. When people care about how they feel and what’s going on within themselves, they can better function in the outside world. I also love that taking care of the environment is becoming a sustaining trend… no pun intended.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

A lot of consideration goes into how I feel throughout every process of my business. I am constantly checking in with myself throughout the day to see if what I am doing is aligned with my goals and purpose. Does it feel good to write a blog post today? Am I excited to release certain content on a specific date? These are questions I ask myself regularly. Sometimes it feels the most aligned and therefore productive to take a beat and go for a walk or take a power nap instead of slaving over my business. And when I return from my walk or whatever felt good at the moment, more than likely I am much more energized and ready to get things done.
Since I’m an entrepreneur that specializes in spiritual, inner connection, people assume that it’s obvious for me personally to utilize these “touchy-feely” practices because it directly relates to the niche of my business. But it doesn’t matter if you are a spiritual teacher like myself, are an accountant, bartender, or lawyer, intuitively taking notice on how you are doing with some breathing or meditation exercise will do wonders for your business/work and life because it will do wonders for your psyche and overall well-being.

What advice would you give your younger self?

When something doesn’t feel good to do, put it aside for another time. Not everything has to be finished and perfect in one sitting. Allow the process to be a little messy, there’s always time to go back and clean up the details.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

The idea our culture has that “hustling” is the only way to be successful.
Also, things like building a meditation practice, improving self-dialogue, following your heart, listening within, and similar spiritual actions that so many people may deem “corny” or too “touchy-feely” are actually the things that impact us and help the most in living the life we want.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Meditation. I joke that I am a broken record because I constantly tell this to my clients, loved ones, or anyone that will listen, honestly. Picking up a meditation practice where you sit just for 15 minutes a day can have a huge impact on your life and well-being. It may not seem like it because sitting with your eyes closed doesn’t directly solve an issue or certain struggle. But it can change your mindset, and that’s the first step in creating the life we want to live. Starting with just a couple minutes a day and working up to 15, 20 minutes can work wonders on someone’s quality of life. It’s the intangible energy work within ourselves that creates tangible differences in our physical lives.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I love everything I do and put into my business. If I am doing website maintenance, I find a way to love it. If I am working with a client or planning and producing content, I find a way to love every second of it. If it doesn’t feel good to do a certain thing one day, I put it away for another time. For things that I can’t easily move to another day, like a booked appointment with a client or a speaking engagement I already committed to, I schedule them mindfully and dedicate enough time beforehand to prepare with gratitude and appreciation. If I can’t find a way to love what I am doing while I am doing it, it most likely won’t help my business as much as it could if I put my love and appreciation into it.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

When I officially launched my website, I set up a special discount for two weeks following my launch. No one booked. Not. One. Person. Instantly self-doubt rolled in and I had to ask myself if this was a sign of some sort that I was embarking on the wrong business journey. But after a few breaths and a little bit of time, I was able to re-evaluate and re-align my business’s structure and strategies with a clear mind.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

An all-plants-based breakfast restaurant with a pancake and waffle bar…preferably by my house.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I bought my two dogs, Jack and Iris, new leashes, harnesses, toys, treats, and beds for a recent move. Spending money on my dogs always feels like money well spent.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use Google Calendar for scheduling and my to-do list and I love it. I try to keep things as simple as possible with productivity software because it’s too easy to get swept away in a program’s features that you don’t pay attention to whether or not it’s actually aligned with your business. But I have to mention Adobe Spark because it’s free and you can create amazing graphics.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of Being Just Who You Are by Tim Burkett. This book talks about one man’s journey of learning Zen from two teachers directly responsible for bringing Zen to America in the 1960s. The book follows Burkett’s applications of what he learned from these Zen Masters to everyday happenings, from the mundane to the life-changing. The book emphasizes that the power to accomplish anything in your life can be accessed within you because it has always been within you; it has nothing to do with anything “holy” or outside of ourselves.

What is your favorite quote?

“Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu. Allow things to evolve and take shape. It’ll get to where it needs to go as long as you provide the right nourishment.

Key Learnings:

• Things like building a meditation practice, improving self-dialogue, following your heart, listening within, and similar spiritual actions that so many people may deem too “touchy-feely” are actually the things that impact and help us the most in living the life we want.
• Setting up your own “witching hours” or morning routine will get your mindset right for the day
• When people care about how they feel and what’s going on within themselves, they can better function in the outside world.
• Give your ideas the space to take shape and fit into your business or life organically, but first write them down somewhere.
• Starting with just a couple minutes a day and working up to a 15 or 20 minute daily meditation can work wonders on someone’s quality of life. It’s the intangible work within ourselves that creates tangible differences in our physical lives.