Her Story
About Rachel
Rachel Cardoso is a St. Paul, Minnesota-based entrepreneur who has built a career at the intersection of corporate operations and holistic wellness. For more than eleven years, she has worked at Ecolab, where she currently serves as a Senior Logistics Specialist, analyzing operational data, managing key customer accounts, and partnering with cross-functional teams to meet critical service metrics. Her professional background spans a range of roles in supply chain, transportation, sourcing & purchasing, quality assurance, and customer service, giving her a well-rounded foundation in operational efficiency and problem-solving that she now applies to her entrepreneurial ventures. Alongside her corporate work, Rachel is the founder of Prosperous Horizons LLC, operating as Nourish Your Mind, Body, and Soul, a small-batch wellness business she launched in February as her desire grew into wanting to live a healthier, purposeful, and intentional lifestyle; offering a lineup of seven detox beverages and five homemade salsa varieties, all sold online. Rachel manages the company entirely on her own, dedicating evenings and weekends to product development and growth while continuing to hold down her full-time operations and supply chain career. She furthers her business acumen as a member of Cody Sanchez's Contrarian Thinking Academy, where she is developing acquisition strategies and building connections with other industry-minded entrepreneurs. Academically, Rachel holds a bachelor's in business administration and management; along with an associate degree in science; concentrating on criminology. Looking ahead, she envisions scaling her wellness brand into a nationally recognized name and eventually acquiring other health-focused businesses that share her mission. In recognition of her entrepreneurial journey, Rachel has been selected to represent St. Paul, Minnesota in the Influential Women 2026 program, an honor she hopes will amplify her brand's reach, inspire other women toward entrepreneurship, and show that personal hardship can become a springboard for meaningful, lasting impact.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rachel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to cultivating a positive mindset and committing to daily learning through podcasts and mentors. I set clear goals by writing them down and visualizing my milestones, and I back that up with concrete action — from joining communities like the Contrarian Thinking Academy to formally launching my LLC after obtaining my cottage foods license.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Focus intensely on execution over mere ideation, filter out daily distractions to identify the three most important daily tasks, and choose roles based on what you can learn rather than the initial job title or salary.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd tell young women to get clear on what they want and to ask every question they need to along the way. Setting clear goals and benchmarks brings you closer to where you want to be, so it's important to let go of fear, take action, and understand that mistakes are simply part of the learning process. Focus on strategic relationship building, relentless self-advocacy, and mastering high value skills. Shift your leadership mindset, leverage emotional intelligence, take control of your career trajectory, ask without apologizing, stop waiting to be noticed. Keep the commitments you make to yourself; following through builds deep, intrinsic self-trust. Act before you feel ready: If you wait until you are completely comfortable, you will be waiting forever. Embrace the discomfort as a sign of growth. Reframe your inner critic: reframe negative thoughts into positive, empowering statements. Track your successes: keep a running list of your accomplishments, compliments from peers, and successful projects. Align with your core values: procrastination and lack of confidence often stem from misalignment with your true goals. Take time to brainstorm or journal about what you truly desire out of your professional life.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There's real opportunity right now in the growing public interest in holistic wellness, preventative health, and natural nutrition — including the potential to scale healthy products into new markets like schools, vending, and broader national distribution. At the same time, I face challenges balancing a full-time corporate career while growing my business, along with the complexity and risk that come with pursuing acquisitions and managing early-stage investment and budgeting.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being true to myself matters most to me, both personally and professionally. That means listening to my inner voice, honoring my own needs, and following through on what I know is right for me — prioritizing joy and fulfillment in everything I pursue.
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