Life is, without a doubt, a train loaded with diverse moments, each one leaving us with the best sensations. One thing we must all be very clear about is that we must enjoy each stage, with patience and motivation, an example of this is the well-known fashion specialist in Costa Rica, Amanda Moncada, with whom TCRN had a pleasant conversation.
At 75 years old, Amanda Moncada is a woman who adapts to the times, she likes new things. She tries to influence the people around her with her essence. She considers having a young heart, perhaps that is why the world of fashion fascinates her so much, changing and in one way or another, the right attitude helps in making decisions.
Today, she is found on social networks like Tik Tok, where she is a model for her brand Joy by Amanda, expresses fashion advice and dances, so much is her good energy that one of her videos went viral with 1,600,000 views.
For her, the stage she is experiencing is one of great joy, taking great care of herself because she wants to prolong the good years. “I have been careful with food, exercises, I enjoy my family, I enjoy eating and cooking.”
Her family roots
Thinking of childhood, Amanda Moncada highlighted the coquetry that has always characterized her, “I liked everything that had to do with the world of women, since I was little I liked to dress up. I consider that it was fundamental in my growth that in my house everyone spoke to me in a positive way, so that at present I try to transmit, the importance of parent´s words towards their children, I think that it helped me a lot, it came out well, they celebrated and influenced my self-esteem. All of this has helped me in life take a direction, because I simply did not prepare myself to be doing what I do, A door opened for me and I took that direction”.
She recalled that being young there were problems that have helped her face life, “I had to mature quickly, sometimes the problems that one feels are limitations, really are not, they are impulses that life gives you so that you are more strengthened to face everything that comes your way”.
Among the problems, there are various deaths and difficult financial times, “one begins to face death, that made us unite as a family; my mother died early, she was 52 years old, a united family helped her pass the bad times”. Today she sees it as an example, that in a family there has to be someone strong who motivates others to get ahead.
Amanda grew up in downtown San José and is currently living in Escazú (Costa Rica). She has 3 daughters, two of whom are chefs, and 2 grandchildren, although would have liked to have 12.
About her professional career
She is a radiant Costa Rican, bilingual, worked in the management of channel 6, getting married and leaving Costa Rica for 22 years, she lived in Miami, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, then in Houston where she studied at the Hotel and Restaurant Administration University.
Regarding her relationship with the clothing sector, she came up doing a favor for a relative of her husband Enrique Velázquez, and started selling clothes for that relative´s store, then the relationship with clothes changed, becoming a saleswoman, “It was a great life lesson.”
“I started in the world of fashion, when I was out of the country for pleasure, after I returned to CR, out of necessity, since it was a way to contribute to the family, the idea was to have two businesses, first clothes and then a restaurant, but it was with fashion that I was totally successful”.
How long have you been in the world of fashion with your brand and what do you want to convey to customers?
Since 1970, her life has been related to fashion and its changes. “Today I consider that dealing with so many people you come to understand the psychology of women, although we cover all ages, the special thing is to seek with fashion the internal strengthening of people., specially those mature and big-sized ladies”
At her age she continues advising women in the world of fashion, she has an online store Joy by Amanda and a physical store in Bello Horizonte, Escazú, “we work with all kinds of dresses, especially casual and gala dresses, also to dress the mothers of the bride and groom, we are here to advise and make people feel good. I am quite interested in being able to motivate people, both adults and women in general, because we all come loaded with structures and we have to get them out of above”.
Amanda Moncada emphasized the hard times as a fashion businesswoman, moments experienced with the death of her husband, Enrique Velázquez, who battled 10 years with cancer, “he passed away at the end of the month and I had to continue with the finances, he helped me with that, but I could not delay the pending payments, the salary of the people was also important. There are difficult days, when you feel that things are getting out of hand, but everything has a solution, you have to have patience. Life gives you difficult moments, but they are still lessons”
After the death of her husband, the Pandemic arrives, that is, the most difficult times, where she had to change a 30-year-old business. “I went through a difficult time, but in the midst of it all, it gave me fantastic alternatives, online sales, the simplest physical store and entering the world of social networks, especially Tik Tok, to project my clothes and services. Making content is not easy, but we’re still working on it.
She became the model of her own brand, a decision that has helped her to personalize her store, to connect with a larger group of people. Dreams she had as a young woman now needed to be fulfilled.
Amanda Moncada was raised to get married and be happy and she fulfilled that early on. Everything else has happened little by little and by itself, enjoying what she does at every step of the way. Stating, “I am clear that after darkness comes light, I aspire to be healthy, I want to travel, which I love.”
The essence of Amanda Moncada, what she wants to leave her loyal followers
Finally, Amanda, with her incomparable energy, told us that she wants women in general to be freer, not letting themselves be manipulated by age or physical appearance, “I want to leave women the freedom to choose their lives, to be what they want, the sky is the limit, they should not worry about age. I do not consider that women at 50 should feel old.”
“It motivates to see the number of women who write to me “I read and it changes my life. Women, should all feel happy with themselves, one is who has the power in hand, she adds
In these times, Amanda is aware that making fashion has a high cost, so people must be thrifty, “the next generations, who will have different customs, must be aware of all this; we are heading to a simpler world, more attentive with everything that is consumed. The following generations with different customs must be aware of this, we are heading more towards simplicity and being attentive to what we spend,” she concludes.
For those who have experienced shifts in consciousness and know that more peace, joy, and love awaits in a better living environment. A bold shared vision. A living community and hub for innovation. A sustainable ecosystem for living and working. A model for the new future.