Wellness can be a strangely quiet corner of the internet.

Scroll through social feeds and you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing is happening in the world. No upheaval. No fear. No injustice. Just tips, transformations, and perfectly curated “good vibes”.

In this episode, I’m joined by Brenda Lomeli, master life coach and creator of The Last 10, a globally recognised approach supporting women to find freedom from weight and food struggle through true self-liberation in their bodies and lives.

Brenda is a first-generation Mexican American who weaves together her background in occupational therapy, advanced mindset coaching, and generational healing to bring a bold, feminist, decolonised perspective to women’s wellness.

What follows is a grounded conversation about what it really means to lead with values in a “stay positive” industry, and why healing, in Brenda’s words, isn’t neutral.

What “silence” looks like in wellness

When Brenda talks about silence, she’s not referring to taking a break from posting or choosing privacy.

She means radio silence in the face of very real events affecting real people.

At the beginning of 2026, she describes living in the United States amid escalating human rights concerns, particularly within immigrant communities. And yet, in many personal development and wellness spaces, you’d never know it.

Many brands continue as if nothing is happening.

And Brenda raises a hard question:

How can someone claim they’re doing empowerment or liberation work while ignoring the lived reality of the people they serve?

Why Brenda stopped editing herself

Brenda didn’t “decide” to become outspoken as a strategy.

It was more personal than that.

She explains that her lived experience was always present in her life, but not reflected in the coaching rooms she entered. Early in her career, she often found herself as the only person of colour in training spaces.

Over time, it became clearer that what she was navigating simply wasn’t touching many of the people around her.

So speaking up wasn’t about performing activism. It was about bringing her full humanity into her work, because without that, she’d be holding it in.

And when you’re supporting women through emotional eating, stress eating, body image, and self-trust, you can’t do that well while ignoring the forces shaping stress, fear, and safety in the first place.

What happens when you speak up: the real risks

There’s a cost to being visible with your values, and Brenda doesn’t sugar-coat it.

She has a family. A daughter. Financial responsibilities.

So yes, she’s felt the fear of what speaking out might do to revenue, audience growth, and opportunities.

And she’s also seen that some people will step away because they “didn’t sign up for this”.

But the trade-off is powerful:

• Some people fall off.
• Others come closer.
• The connection deepens.
• The work becomes cleaner, clearer, and more aligned.

Brenda’s approach now is simple and steady: this is how I want to do business, and she’ll figure the rest out.

Rebranding as liberation (not just aesthetics)

This part of the conversation is a favourite, because Brenda reframes rebranding as something much deeper than visuals.

She describes her old brand like an outfit she no longer wanted to wear.

Not because it was wrong, but because she had outgrown it.

Over the years, she deepened her practice through advanced feminist coaching, subconscious work, integrative coaching, nervous system and somatic tools. Her audience evolved too.

So the brand needed to reflect the current version of her work.

Symbolism matters: Mexico City and reclaiming identity

For her rebrand, Brenda chose to shoot in Mexico City, a decision rooted in ancestry, belonging, and reclamation.

She shares a striking image from the shoot: standing on a kitchen counter in thigh-high black boots, wearing a shirt that reads (in essence) “A woman’s body is her own business”.

In the frame: a beautiful Mexican kitchen, a familiar household cleaning product under the sink, and a woman literally taking up space above the place where so many food and body narratives have been shaped.

Without saying a word, the message lands.

Owning authority means creating a new blueprint

When Brenda fully owns her voice, she’s not just “being authentic”.

She’s creating something that didn’t exist before, because no one else has her exact synthesis of:

• 10 years of practice
• professional training
• her lived experience as a first-generation Mexican American woman
• her politics, values, and perspective

That’s why she can create work like her podcast series: “Self-care practices in times of injustice and rising fascism”, including an episode on ancestral resilience.

It’s not content for content’s sake. It’s leadership through lived truth.

How her definition of success changed after 10 years

Earlier in business, Brenda set the classic goal: make seven figures.

She achieved it, and she’s proud of it.

But in hindsight, she realised it was also a borrowed marker of success, something the industry tells you to want.

Now, her goals are far more tailored.

One clear example: a revenue target of 555k, with 111k specifically allocated to help pay off student loans for BIPOC first-generation college students.

Not because it sounds impressive, but because it reflects:

• what her family actually wants and needs
• how she defines success
• the impact she wants to create beyond her services

It’s not dreaming smaller. It’s dreaming hers.

Why podcasting works so well for Brenda (without chasing algorithms)

Brenda’s podcast has been a major driver of her business, with the majority of clients coming directly from it.

Her approach is refreshingly grounded:

• Show up consistently (weekly, over many years)
• Teach what’s real and relevant
• Use coaching themes straight from what clients are bringing
• Serve first, then invite people to work with her

She keeps her calls to action simple too: listeners can work with her through The Last 10 or her 30-day course, She Creates Freedom.

The strategy matters, but the engine is devotion to service, repeated over time.

How to show up honestly without burning out

Brenda’s advice doesn’t start with tactics. It starts with self-belief.

She emphasises the importance of recognising your own value and uniqueness, and then expressing it in a way that’s authentic for you.

That could mean speaking loudly about certain issues, or it could mean choosing a quieter lane. The point is that it must be yours.

And a key part of that, for many people, is learning to stop looking around so much.

Less comparison. Less performance.

More clarity on what you actually stand for, and who you’re here to serve.

Listen to the episode

If you want the full conversation, you can listen here:

Listen on Buzzsprout

If you need the episode title for sharing, use: Healing Isn’t Neutral: Brenda Lomeli on Speaking Up and Standing Out in Wellness.

Where to find Brenda

You can connect with Brenda in these places:

• Website: brendalomeli.com
• Podcast: Reclaiming Food Freedom in The Last 10
• Instagram: BrendaLomeliOfficial