How I Exceeded My Full-Time Salary Working Part Time From The Beach In Costa Rica

When I was in high school and college, my goal was to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and get a 9-5 job making 50k. That’s it. I just wanted to be stable and secure. Nothing wild.

Today, I live 100 meters from the beach in Caribbean Costa Rica, work 100% for myself – about 20 hours a week – and have surpassed that 50k goal since 2018 (my first year in business), and I’m just getting started.

In this post I’m going to share… 

1. An overview of my career path, from interning at Teen Vogue, bartending, and working full-time at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), to where I am today, running my own online business as a health coach and copywriter.
2. The people and programs who were crucial in helping me create my career, from DIY-ing my first website, to FINALLY, after years, building the confidence and courage to quit all my jobs and work for myself full-time.
3. How I got my first clients, and how I get clients today. This is one of the biggest questions I get, so I’m excited to share my early experiences and current approach. 

If your goal is to work for yourself, I hope this post gives you at least a few good tools to take the next step forward.

Let’s start at the beginning…

A lot of people in my family are self-employed, doing work they love. As inspirational as that is, for me, as a teenager, I looked at them and said “Nope – seems too risky.”

It seemed more stable to my young mind to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day and get a paycheck every other Friday.

I clung to that idea of stability.

Today I believe that NO job is stable and that your greatest asset is YOU. The most valuable thing you can do is develop your professional and people skills.

Even if you work at the most “stable” company in the world, there’s always the chance you could lose your job, regardless of how talented you are.

Entrepreneurship is a different game, 100%, but if you zoom out, it’s really no more or less stable than any job.

We need to embrace risk as part of life – because it is.

Pretending that a job can give you true safety is a waste of time and energy.

We have to build innate safety within ourselves by strengthening our nervous systems and developing our skills – but that’s a different post altogether.

Building my own thing and working full-time for myself has been incredibly satisfying – today, I can’t imagine working for someone else.

I. Career Overview and My Pathway to Entrepreneurship

I graduated from the New School in New York City with a Bachelor of Arts in Culture and Media, with a strong focus on journalism.

During my senior year and just after, I also did the Health Coach Training Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and interned at Teen Vogue and Time Out New York.

After working with editors like Eva Chen and Leigh Belz, I knew I was a strong writer.

I was published in the print and online editions of both magazines in my very early 20s, and that gave me a huge confidence boost.

My 6th grade English teacher always had me help other students with their papers, and I won a writing award in 8th grade.

So I always had the sense I was a pretty good writer, but getting published in magazines I grew up reading was what gave me confirmation I could be a professional writer.

From the time I was little, I’ve always been REALLY into holistic nutrition, personal development, and writing, so it felt like things were coming together.

I saw myself getting into holistic nutrition – maybe even dietetics – and I always knew writing would be a big part of my job.

Post-graduation I took a few short-term jobs before landing an exciting full-time position at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), as a Curriculum Coordinator.

I was psyched to have my hands in the curriculum from day one, and was promoted a few times during my 3 years there, finally coming into a senior copywriting role – and surpassing my 50k income goal. Awesome.

Soon after finishing the health coach training program, I started seeing a few coaching and copywriting clients – yoga instructors, functional medicine doctors, and other health coaches – on nights and weekends.

I was feeling solid, and excited about the present and future.

But I knew there was much more I was here on this planet to do.

My role at IIN combined everything I love, as I was developing, writing, and teaching nutrition, personal development, and business-building curriculum.

It gave me a lot of confidence as a coach and writer, because I got to put those skills into action and get feedback on them every day – whether I was drafting an email or coaching a student in one of the Facebook groups.

I was happily humming along, working my 9-5 and seeing as many clients as I could fit in.

I know this seems like a lot, and it was.

But I’ve always had a lot of energy and a huge drive to help people.

Plus, I’m a Manifesting Generator in Human Design, so I thrive doing a couple different things, and using my brain in different ways. I’m not one of those people who needs to only focus on one thing.

FUN FACTS FOR MY FELLOW WOO-WOO TYPES

Human Design: Manifesting Generator, non-specific manifestor

Astrology: Gemini sun, Gemini moon, Capricorn rising

Myers-Briggs Type: INFJ

I loved my client work, and my role at IIN.

I got to directly help people with their health, and I spent most of my days sitting in a beautiful corner cubicle writing curriculum content, blog posts, and marketing emails.

I got to appear on camera, teaching concepts I’m incredibly passionate about – like why diets don’t work, and intuitive eating does.

Ding ding ding. Intuitive eating is what I teach today.

Writing video scripts, producing shoots, and delivering lessons on camera for thousands of students to watch was rewarding and FUN.

I even got to MC our big yearly conference at Jazz at Lincoln Center, presenting names like Deepak Chopra, and interviewing Venus Williams on stage.

My position at IIN was incredibly fun, engaging, and educational. I got to share all my skills, and I learned a ton.

Although I loved everything I was doing, about two years in I realized I would never be able to work in an office forever.

It became abundantly clear that it was difficult for me to (happily) do high-volume creative work within the parameters of a desk, and between the hours of 9-5, Monday – Friday.

Creativity is non-linear. The creative brain needs action, variation, and freedom – at least mine does.

The truth is that entrepreneurship was always in the back of my mind.

But for a long time, I was too afraid to admit I really wanted to go for it – because I could fail, and I could fail BIG.

If I wasn’t getting a paycheck every Friday, or serving and bartending – something I did on and off for 10 years starting at the age of 16 – how could I POSSIBLY SURVIVE?!

After a year and a half of playing with the idea of resigning at IIN, and then deciding not to, reminding myself I loved my job there – and after a lot of coaching sessions with my beloved Cora Poage – I finally took the leap.

I had a few health coaching and copywriting clients at the time, but nowhere near enough income – or confidence – to go straight from full-time employee to full-time entrepreneur.

So I went back to working in restaurants – bartending and serving.

It was hard, because as much as I love restaurant work, it felt like I was backsliding. Like bartending and serving was something I should’ve been done with after college.

That’s totally judgmental and not true, but it’s what was going through my mind at the time.

I did it anyway.

I put in my notice at IIN and bartended for 2 years while I built my business up.

I hustled night and day, often working from 3pm – 2am, 4am, or 5am… and then waking up at 11am to do copywriting projects and see coaching clients until I had to leave for work again at 2pm.

I am NOT one of those people who can skip sleep and still function, so I had to get those hours of shut-eye in.

Regardless of my dedication to sleep and nutrition, I was seriously struggling and burnt out after the first year and a half of pouring cocktails in the West Village.

Add the fast pace and high environmental load of New York City – electromagnetic frequencies, energy, and pollution – and I was feeling terrible.

I knew I would have to jump off a cliff if I wanted to FINALLY go full-time for myself, after seeing so many other people do it.

I had to push myself into entrepreneurship, but I needed a little cushion – something to hang on to. I wasn’t great at saving money back then, so I didn’t have that going for me.

What gave me the confidence to step down from my bartending role was landing a new 4-figure per month copywriting client, about one month before I put my notice in at the bar.

With a few other clients on my roster, I decided to make it work.

I had visited Costa Rica for the first time in 2015, and fell in love with Puerto Viejo, a little surf town with a strong expat community and some of the most beautiful beaches you’ve ever seen. It was a solo trip, and I knew I would be back.

Fast forward to April 2018: My mentor changed our retreat location from Hawaii to Costa Rica at the last minute.

“Where in Costa Rica?” I asked her.

“Puerto Viejo,” she said.

During that trip, I had the life-changing realization that living in Costa Rica would give me the time and energy I needed to go full-time in my business, doing health coaching and copywriting online.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is much less than NYC, and the pace of life is slower. The environment is deeply nourishing, rich with jungle, wildlife, beaches, and the mind-blowingly beautiful Caribbean sea.

So I decided. I took the leap. I did it.

In July of 2018 I resigned from my bartending job.

After spending August with my parents in upstate NY, to settle and prepare, I flew to Costa Rica on September 1, 2018.

Now, almost 2 years later, I’m still here, doing work I love full-time – health coaching and copywriting online – and living an incredible life.

Costa Rica has met and exceeded all my expectations, and was exactly what I thought it would be. I’ve surpassed that OG (original gangster) 50k full-time goal, working around 20 hours a week and living a lifestyle of complete freedom.

You might be wondering exactly what my everyday looks like.

My business has two silos: Health coaching and copywriting.

On the coaching side, I work with emotional eaters and chronic dieters who want to master intuitive eating without giving up their health and body goals.

I guide clients through a 6-month coaching program called ACTIVATE where we have phone sessions twice a month and they get meal plans plus text and email support.

On the copywriting side, I work with fellow wellness entrepreneurs who don’t have the time and/or know-how to write their own copy.

I do website copy, newsletters, blog posts, email funnels, social media copy, and pretty much every other type of writing you can imagine.

I use Google docs, email, text, phone, Zoom, Harvest, and Square to run my business.

I LOVE the balance between coaching people and helping other entrepreneurs get their message out into the world in a way that’s heart centered and attracts ideal clients.

Some days I see coaching clients, have lunch, and get a massage, other days I do lots of writing work, and some days I sleep in, go for brunch, and bike the coast, popping into hidden little beaches and floating in the calm ocean.

Phew, that was pretty long, but that’s just an overview of my career story so far.

So how did I do it?

Below I’m sharing the people and programs I worked with to build my online business. They’ve been massively helpful and I am SO thankful to have access to them.

I strongly recommend these resources to anyone who wants to create a location independent online business.

They’ve been invaluable for me and I am ENDLESSLY grateful.

II. The People and Programs That Helped Me Most In Building My Location Independent Online Business

PEOPLE

Cora Poage

Oh my gosh. Cora Poage was my personal, spiritual, health, business, and life coach for a few years and I don’t even know where to start with how much this woman changed my life.

She is a real-life earth angel and always has the exact words and tools you need to feel better in the moment and take the next aligned action step.

Cora helped me recover from bulimia and master intuitive eating. She was there for me when I took the leap and left my full-time job to build my business, and she was cheering me on when I moved to Costa Rica two years later.

She is a true channel, mystic, and fiercely supportive, smart guide.

Cora has built a 6-figure spiritual coaching business completely organically and with ZERO icky marketing tactics.

She doesn’t even send out emails or post on social media that often. People just come to her. She’s a magnet.

I adore and admire her beyond belief, and consider her in the top 3 people who have helped me most on my journey to healing and entrepreneurship.

Marie Forleo

Ok this woman is the GODDESS and QUEEN of modern marketing. Her course B-School is the gold standard for online business training.

The way Marie shows up online and in real life is stunning – she has massive integrity, and is loving, fun, and WHIP smart. I adore her.

Marie is super deliberate in her business. She gives free content on Marie TV all year round, and then launches B-School and The Copy Cure once a year.

Forleo says yes to very FEW things, and has still built a multi-million dollar online empire that reaches people in almost every country.

Through B-School she’s taught hundreds of humans over dozens of industries how to build heart-centered, profitable, scalable, BADASS (can you tell I get excited about Marie?) businesses.

She is a life-changer and everyone should follow her, subscribe to her emails, and watch Marie TV every single week.

Marie is one of my biggest business inspirations and teachers, and I eagerly grab anything she has to offer. I highly suggest anyone looking to build or grow something online do the same.

Amanda Frances

Amanda aka The Money Queen is one of my newest virtual guides – I’m in her Money Mentality Makeover course – and I LOVE her.

My business revenue has doubled in a month since starting the course. And beyond that, I can feel how much my BRAIN has literally shifted around money. I think about and manage money differently.

I don’t feel tight, restricted or scared when I think about earning, saving, or spending. I feel a stable sense of trust that I’m cared for and inherently deserving of all the resources I could ever need.

Amanda’s energy, integrity, and love for herself and her community is tangible.

One of the reasons her programs are so effective is because she truly LIVES what she teaches. She shows up genuinely, and is completely herself online.

It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.

Amanda’s business model is incredibly feminine. She does not follow or teach stiff blueprints – in fact, she doesn’t even teach that you have to niche down, which is a very well-regarded strategy.

Instead, Amanda teaches you to master your own energy and share the principles you’re most excited about, and then naturally attract those who need your message most.

Watching Amanda’s videos and IG lives feels as fun as watching my favorite TV shows – she is so relaxed and lovely. I can’t get enough.

Laura Hames Franklin

Laura has been a HUGE part of my personal healing journey. She’s the founder of Universal Health Principles®, an incredible modality that uses the wisdom of the body to help you heal yourself.

From my first session with her, Laura was able to laser in on exact events from my past that I never told her about.

From there she shares links – permissions and phrases – to facilitate emotional release and processing. By tapping over the head and heart, you release anything that’s ready to go and store new, supportive beliefs.

Laura is also a Franklin Method® (FM) teacher, and is married to the founder, Eric Franklin.

Franklin Method® is an embodied movement modality that helps release tension and correct postural issues in ANYTHING you do – from dancing to how you sit.

Laura’s Franklin Method® workshops give you such a physical release and softening, they’re super healing.

I recommend Laura to anyone who feels they have some deeply held subconscious beliefs that are ready to go.

She will hone in and support you so gently yet effectively, you’ll be amazed at how you feel after a UHP® and/or Franklin Method® session – they’re both very effective modalities.

Lacy Phillips

Lacy created her own manifestation process that’s grounded in neuroscience. She doesn’t believe that you ALWAYS have to think positive and “be in the vibration of what you want” to get what you want.

Lacy teaches that it’s ok to have negative thoughts, and that we don’t need to be paranoid or worried when our minds get dark.

Rather than manifesting from our thoughts, she says we manifest from our deeply held subconscious beliefs.

Through Lacy’s energetic gifts, neuroscience, journaling, and hypnotic meditations, she helps her cult following manifest everything they want – from money to relationships.

I do a Deep Imagining (DI) aka hypnotic meditation every night before bed, and have gone through most of Lacy’s courses.

I did Shadow, one of her online workshops, the April before I moved to Costa Rica, and I feel it was a huge factor in having the confidence to leave my job, apartment, family and friends in New York to move to a developing country by myself.

Lacy’s approach works, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Nisha Moodley

Nisha was and still is one of my biggest business inspirations – she’s a Women’s Leadership Coach, writer, and speaker who markets and serves in such a genuine, truly helpful way. Her integrity and care are profound.

I got familiar with Nisha while working at IIN, got to see her speak live, and then got to meet her when she came to record some classes with the school and I was the producer-writer.

A couple years later, I flew out to California to go to one of her in-person retreats in Sonoma, called Live Free. It was a stunning experience.

Nisha is divinely gifted in transformational coaching, leadership, energy work, and heart-centered marketing.

She was one of the first people I looked to and said “I want to do business like that.”

Nisha showed me that marketing could feel good, and that it’s in true service to the people who need my work.

Laura Belgray

I consider this woman the #1 copywriter in my field today. She is a badass, point blank. Laura used to write for big TV channels like Nickelodeon, then she met Marie Forleo at a dance class and got into her world.

From there Laura started writing for small business owners, including Marie, who is a celebrity in my industry. Today Laura sells online courses and products, including The Copy Cure with Marie.

Laura is so unapologetically herself that it’s just FUN to follow her and read her emails and posts.

I always look forward to her emails, and she always reminds me that marketing and writing are a fun conversation with people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Laura’s an incredible human – real, goofy, fun, and humble.

She’s a huge copywriting inspiration for me, and The Copy Cure completely transformed my writing skills.

Eva Chen

Interning at Teen Vogue was a life-changing experience that confirmed my love for writing, and my skill for it.

Eva Chen was the Beauty and Health Director at the time, and I interned for her for a few months. She told me I was a great writer, and gave me amazing feedback to get better.

Eva also gave me the opportunity to be published multiple times online, and once in print, which felt EPIC.

She leads with so much grace, passion, and knowledge – I’ve always looked up to her.

Eva taught me to pay attention to detail and take pride in everything I do, no matter how small. I still follow her and admire her to this day. She’s awesome.

Ramit Sethi

Ramit is a shot of espresso. His business and marketing game is TIGHT. I look to him when I’m craving masculine guidance.

He’s also super funny, and I really enjoy him as a person.

I’ve done some of his smaller psych and business courses, like Success Triggers and Behind the Sales Page.

Ramit has taught so many business owners across a bunch of industries to build 6 and 7-figure businesses, and he shows up with tons of heart, integrity, and humor.

I read his New York Times best selling book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, almost 10 years ago, and still use his principles to manage my personal finances today.

Game-changing. Highly recommended.

PROGRAMS

Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)

IIN is the company who runs the health coach training program I did during my senior year of college. It’s also where I worked full-time for 3 years in my early-mid twenties, as a content developer, copywriter, and on-camera instructor.

It’s an incredible springboard for anyone who wants to go into wellness – whether you’re passionate about helping people and you want to start a part-time coaching practice, or you want to become a full blown, location independent entrepreneur.

IIN teaches holistic nutrition, coaching skills, personal development, and how to run a successful business.

They give you everything you need to thrive – you just have to follow the steps. It takes dedication, but it is possible to build something incredible if you follow along with the health coach training program.

I know a lot of people in different categories who have done this – from products like granola and chocolate to online training programs and international retreat businesses. And IIN attracts the best humans – you connect with awesome people through the program.

B-School

Marie Forleo’s B-School is the gold standard for online business training programs. Her energy is so positive and uplifting, it’s impossible not to be inspired to get into gear when you watch her.

In B-School she covers everything from how to identify a profitable business idea to how to build an email list and establish your presence on social media. Everything Marie does is so full – overflowing – with heart and integrity.

I’m SO proud to be a B-Schooler, and it’s the program that helped me get my business off the ground.

I revisit the program on a yearly basis – she gives you lifetime access – to hone and refine any areas that need a fresh perspective or some extra nurturing. I recommend this course 1000% to anyone who wants to build an online business.

The Copy Cure

The Copy Cure is Marie Forleo’s copywriting course, in collaboration with Laura Belgray. I adore them both.

I was the second person to ever buy The Copy Cure, and it took my writing and marketing to the next level… and I was already a successful full-time writer (at IIN at the time).

In The Copy Cure, Laura and Marie teach you how to sound more like YOU in your writing, get ultra clear on your branding, and grow your business.

The principles they teach apply to any business owner – whether you’re online or brick and mortar.

Money Mentality Makeover

This is Amanda Frances’ signature money mindset course.

In the 30 days I went through the course, my business income doubled, and it felt like my brain changed on a deep, fundamental level.

The way I relate to money is 100% different than when I started Money Mentality Makeover. I genuinely feel SO abundant and supported – rather than scarce and fearful around money. And my numbers reflect this – it’s not just a feeling.

Over 6 modules and tons of bonus content, Amanda rewires your brain around money and teaches you how to feel innately worthy, and naturally attract money without forcing or pushing.

Amanda’s work is not only for coaches and entrepreneurs – she’s helped people in tons of fields change their mind around money and attract more wealth, whether through surprise checks in the mail, unexpected inheritances, or unprecedented salary raises.

She’s a true master, and I strongly recommend her and this course to anyone who is struggling with money.

III. How I Got My First Clients, and How I Get Clients Today

In my early coaching years I wrote a lot of articles for Mind Body Green, and my first few clients were readers: People who landed on my articles, connected with my message, and emailed me for a session.

I had friends of friends and family members of friends coming to me, too.

My website was kind of a joke at the time – I had built it myself using a wordpress.org template – but I attracted a few clients who landed on it through Google searches or social media.

Side note: I now have a custom wordpress.org site, and I strongly recommend the platform. It’s super adaptable and can pretty much accommodate any type of site, as your business evolves.

Institute for Integrative Nutrition has also been a source of clients for me – both coaching and writing. People see what I’m doing and that I’m a grad, and they want to coach with me or have me write for them.

Today, my health coaching and copywriting clients come through word of mouth, social media, and email marketing.

I post on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as often as I can, but I do not have a set strategy at the moment. I’m working on that.

I email my list 1-4 times per month, usually sharing valuable content with no sales pitch.

When I have a program or coaching spots open, I share about it. But I make sure I’m offering a lot of free value, too.

I’ve NEVER done paid advertising of any sort – everything has been organic.

When you’re starting out, it’s really important to find your own voice, stay in your lane, and avoid gimmicky tactics or blueprints.

You don’t need advertising.

Wait until you’ve built up a solid base of organic clients, and once that’s in place, if you choose, you can scale using paid ads.

I’m not considering paid ads at the moment, even ~two years into my business.

My personal next step is to learn more about SEO, get more consistent with my organic social media strategy, and potentially hire a virtual assistant to free up more of my time.

As you can see, I’m a big fan of organic marketing.

I believe that if you’re passionate about your work – and you know your message and demographic inside and out – you do not need to use paid advertising.

B-School is the program that helped me most with organic marketing.

Building something reliable and profitable online takes courage, confidence and skill – but all of this can be learned.

I do not come from money, and I am not an extraordinarily well-connected person.

I’m an outgoing introvert (INFJ) who loves people but also needs a lot of alone time.

I’ve landed most of my jobs by sending out applications online, like anyone else. And I’m not afraid to send a cold email to a potential client I’d love to work with.

At this point, most of my clients come to me, but it takes time to build that up, and maintaining faith and tenacity is key.

If you have something in your heart you know you’re meant to do, never give up on it. The resources you need to make it happen are available.

What are your career goals, and what’s the next step?

What’s something you can do this week, in less than 30 minutes, to move forward?

Creating a satisfying career is a huge part of holistic health.

When our work environment is stressful, toxic, or simply not in full alignment with our desires, values, and skills, we’re more likely to look to food to soothe us.

When food is the most exciting thing to reach for, it’s easy to wind up feeling heavy and sick.

Everything is woven together – your relationship with your body, food, career, relationships, and spiritual connection all affect how you feel every day.

Is your current career nourishing you or draining you? What career questions do you have for me?

Post a comment below and I’ll respond, and perhaps I’ll write some follow-up posts on specific areas you want to know more about.

Sending you a lot of love on your career journey!

XO,
Lula