From Teacher to Mindfulness Entrepreneur with Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely

Update: 2025-07-10

Description

Episode Description

In this inspiring episode of The Uplifters Podcast, host Aransas Savas sits down with Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely, a California-French educator who made a bold career pivot from 20 years in teaching to founding Big Belly Breathing, her mindfulness and meditation platform.

Vanessa shares her transformative journey from San Francisco classroom teacher to entrepreneur, including a life-changing sabbatical year in the French Alps, her discovery of yoga and meditation during the pandemic, and how she built courage to leave educational stability behind. Learn about her innovative approach to family mindfulness, her bilingual meditation podcasts, and her newest venture co-hosting a WNBA podcast.

Listen for: A bonus guided meditation led by Vanessa that will refresh your afternoon and energize your next brave step!

Key Topics Covered

Career transitions after 40: How to pivot from a stable 20-year career to entrepreneurship
Mindfulness and meditation: Building a daily practice and teaching it to families
Entrepreneurship journey: From idea to execution, testing and iterating products
Overcoming perfectionism: Embracing the "messy" process of building something new
Work-life balance: Taking care of yourself while serving others as an "uplifter"
Bilingual education: Creating resources in French and English
Sports and community: Finding joy and building connections through women's basketball

Guest Bio

Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely is a California-French educator, writer, and mindfulness advocate based in San Francisco. She's the founder of Big Belly Breathing, where she teaches meditation workshops and creates mindfulness resources for families, kids, and adults. She also co-hosts "Valkyries, Say Less," a podcast covering the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. After 20 years in education, including time as a PE teacher and instructional coach, Vanessa took a brave leap to build her own platform focused on wellness and joy.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

[02:00 ] The sabbatical year that changed everything - moving to a French Alpine village
[06:30 ] How the pandemic shifted her perspective on education and connection
[09:15 ] Getting yoga teacher certification while teaching PE outdoors
[12:30 ] The meditation insight that gave her business its name
[14:45 ] Testing her first product and learning to scale back based on feedback
[21:00 ] The scary but exhilarating leap from stable employment to entrepreneurship
[24:30 ] Her "throwing pasta at the wall" philosophy for overcoming perfectionism
[32:45 ] BONUS: Guided meditation demonstration - Vanessa leads a calming body scan
[38:30 ] Self-care strategies for busy entrepreneurs and "uplifters"

Lift Her Up

Ready to add more mindfulness to your family's life? Big Belly Breathing offers guided meditations in both French and English, plus journals and workshops for all ages. Find the podcast on any platform, visit bigbellybreathing.com for resources, and if you're feeling generous, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

For WNBA fans, check out Valkyries Say Less for pure basketball joy and community celebration. And if you're in the Bay Area, maybe you'll spot Vanessa in her season ticket seats, evangelizing the power of women's sports with infectious enthusiasm.

Connect with Vanessa's work at bigbellybreathing.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode References

Big Belly Breathing podcast and website (bigbellybreathing.com) - Vanessa's guided meditation platform with over 100 episodes in French and English
Valkyries Say Less - Her newest podcast celebrating the Golden State Valkyries WNBA team
Breathe for Change - The organization where she earned her yoga teacher training and social emotional learning certification
Core Power Yoga - Where she discovered her love for teaching yoga
The Elles Collective - The francophone women entrepreneur group that became part of her support system
Insight Timer - The meditation app she recommends for building a consistent practice
Transcendental Meditation - Her personal practice and training background

Related Episodes

Episode 51: Konika Ray Wong - Science teacher who founded Girl Power Science (nominated Vanessa)
Episode 8: Julie Hartigan - Engineer turned chef and travel guide
Episode 20: Jen Liddy - Teacher turned entrepreneur
Episode 34: Heather Markel - Corporate executive turned full-time traveler

Subscribe & Review

Love this episode? Subscribe to The Uplifters Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a 5-star review and tell us which part of Vanessa's story inspired you most!

New episodes drop weekly featuring women who are breaking barriers, creating change, and reinventing themselves while lifting others up along the way.

The Uplifters Podcast is hosted by Aransas Savas. Connect with the show at theuplifterspodcast.com.