LINETTE LAUREANO
Co-Founder, Viv for Your V
Founder, BosYogi
Age: 29
Heritage: Puerto Rican
Linette Laureano was born in Boston, MA to a family deeply rooted in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Raised by her community in Jamaica Plain and her grandmother, who strived to teach her lessons from her own childhood from the historic town of Jayuya, Linette learned of the importance of seeking out the wisdom gained from real life experiences.
Linette has faced the challenges of having a mother who struggled with substance abuse, having an absent father, witnessing community violence and the death of her youngest daughter. During this time, she channeled her grandmother’s wisdom that had been instilled in her and heavily relied on the resilience passed to her from her ancestral lineage. Through her love of reading, free online courses and knowledge acquired from her mentors, she discovered alternate forms of education. Observing Linette's entrepreneurial drive and spirit, her mentors created pathways to positions of leadership, giving her the opportunity to grow her skill set and share it with others. She is now creating pathways for her mentees and encouraging them to reach for leadership opportunities.
From wellness practices to providing mentorship to women who are in search of building strong networks, Linette is an advocate for removing barriers of accessibility in her community. She is a proud founder of BosYogi, a movement that brings awareness to the lack of cultural and body diversity in the wellness space. Through teaching and her platform, she helps to close the gaps of the lack of representation in the health industry. She is also co-founder of Viv for Your V, an earth friendly menstrual care brand. By sourcing cheaper and more sustainable ingredients, her aim is to address issues of sustainability, affordability, and access to quality care.
As Boston City Organizer for She+ Geeks Out, she hosts two monthly networking events where women+ make meaningful connections. Linette supports the existing community as they build and foster relationships within their respective networks. Her theme for 2019 has been to make use of the power of community.
Linette is a proud G.E.D holding, tattooed, big-natural-hair wearing Latina and it has pushed her to challenge the mainstream view of success. She celebrates Afro-Latina representation and is focused on helping the world to widen their views of beauty and success. Linette continues to create spaces for women of color to feel empowered and is set to pursue speaking opportunities on an international scale.
