Isabel Varela
Isabel Varela is a business coach, holistic practitioner, and global speaker who has built a career at the intersection of leadership development, nervous system regulation, and sustainable business strategy. As the founder and CEO of Repurpose Your Life™, she works with high-achieving women leaders, founders, and executive teams who are outwardly successful but internally overwhelmed. Based in New York City, Isabel has become known for helping clients rebuild both the internal and external structures of their lives so leadership, wellness, and business growth can work together instead of competing against one another. Her approach combines executive coaching, somatic practices, emotional intelligence, and operational strategy, creating a model that prioritizes sustainable success over burnout.
Over the course of nearly two decades, Isabel has built businesses across fashion, sustainability, consulting, coaching, and luxury retail while working with globally recognized brands including LVMH, Balmain, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. Her background spans everything from master tailoring and operational systems design to sustainability consulting and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Isabel has also worked with celebrity and entertainment clients connected to events such as the Met Gala, Tony Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. Alongside her corporate and creative work, she has spoken on more than 30 global stages, including Columbia University, New York University, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, with her insights featured on CNN, Reuters, and other major media outlets.
What sets Isabel apart is the deeply personal foundation behind her work. After experiencing severe burnout and rebuilding her life under intense financial and emotional pressure, including paying off more than $100,000 in debt while managing multiple ventures, she developed a philosophy rooted in resilience, regulation, and intentional leadership. She now advocates for a more human-centered model of success, encouraging leaders to prioritize mental clarity, emotional capacity, and aligned systems alongside performance and profitability. Through private coaching, corporate wellness workshops, leadership retreats, and speaking engagements, Isabel continues to help women redefine achievement on their own terms while creating businesses and lives that support long-term well-being, creativity, and impact.
• Certified life coach
• Certified executive business coach
• Louisiana State University- Bachelor's
• École Duperré Paris
• Communitas America Small Grant Award
• David Prize Nominee
• Award-Winning Documentary – “Fashion Addict” (2× Winner)
• Changemaker of the Year
• "Designer to Watch"
• NextUp New York
• Independent Policy Advocacy & Civic Testimony
• Bloomberg Philanthropies
• New York City Horticultural Society
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I do what I do for my younger self, and that ties into the future children of the world and the future people. If they don't have to go through what I did, and if I can help that in any way and give them tools so they can build their businesses and live a more purposeful life, that's my mission. I want people to feel like they have enough tools for them to move forward. It's about helping others avoid the pain I experienced and empowering them with the resources they need to succeed.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from the CEO of Barney's when I was in Dallas dreaming of moving to New York City to bring my fashion business there, but I never thought I could. I had built my own fashion brand and got connected to him through SCORE. I only had 15 minutes to speak to this man, and I had three questions prepared about the fashion movement in New York. But what he said to me is what moved me. He asked me, 'So, you're in Dallas. I can help you more if you're here in New York, but what's stopping you?' That question held a mirror to me, and I said, 'Oh, nothing.' It was just me, because I wasn't married, I didn't have kids back then. That was it. Six months later, I moved to New York, got a full-time job, moved my business and everything else. That's all he asked me - what's stopping you?
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say make sure you understand both sides of owning your own business. The most important thing is never losing why you're doing something, and really being clear on what you want to do and what you want to offer as solutions. You have to stay connected to your purpose and be crystal clear about the value you're bringing to the world.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the biggest opportunities is leveraging AI in an ethical way - to me, that's really important. There needs to be more oversight, especially in this industry. I'm at the forefront of building a hybrid business because I'm online and in person as well. What's happening with AI is pushing people to want to go more analog and to be more in person, to be more in community, because we've been so distracted and we feel more alone than we ever did, even though we have so much connection. So I'm combining two worlds - I'm building a healing research center and looking to buy land, but also leveraging AI to help me with systems and automate certain things, so then there's more time and more space for that connection in person.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are integrity, responsibility, and sustainability—showing up authentically, following through on my commitments, and building systems, relationships, and businesses that create long-term impact without sacrificing well-being or ethics.