The Mexican born, Costa Rican businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist opens up about her mediation practices during the “new normal”, and how she stays active when traveling. She´s an impact journalist, photographer and leader in the social sector for advancing social entrepreneurship as a model for tackling the world’s most pressing problems. She´s also the founder and creative force behind RSChicLux, a coming soon Spanish language subscription-based digital media company on social responsibility and impact investing issues around the world. RSChicLux will publish daily articles and will not have any ads on its site. Carolina currently is doing her undergraduate studies on social responsibility at the Jewish ORT University and previously taken courses in photography.
When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
TG: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
CRH: When I open my eyes it is to feel my dog licking my face, and then I take my cell phone and check the news on Instagram (karolina_vonkuhnberg). I drink a glass of water next to nightstand and meditate before going down to prepare breakfast for my daughter and Gaia, my dog.
TG: What gives you energy?
CRH: Staying active, I took a course in meditation with my friend Tom Cronin (https://www.tomcronin.com/meditation/) who taught me that sometimes we have to disconnect in order to connect and vibrate in a positive energy frequency. Also take online gym tutorials with my fitness couch Daniel Arnal (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=digifit.android.virtuagym.pro.danielarnal1&hl=es_MX), now that we can go out he has created a group of great women in the park near my town.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
CRH: Transcendental meditation. I learned from a great teacher and close friend, Tom Cronin. This has truly changed my life.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
CRH: Arianna Huffington´s The Sleep Revolution (http://ariannahuffington.com/books/the-sleep-revolution-tr/the-sleep-revolution-hc) really resonated with me. Arianna herself sent it as a gift for a book review I did, and once it fell into my hands, my sleeping habits changed for the better. She shows that sleep is not just vital for our health but also critical in helping us achieve our goals. I dare to read this book, it worth it.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
CRH: My cell phone is my best friend. It’s my lifeline to the outside world, as Carrie Underwood has said, but it has been difficult for me to have a good relationship and to set hours so as not to relapse into a toxic relationship. Because today we depend on this little gadget for everything. I had to put schedules so as not to go over the limit and not affect my daily life. Checking your phone stimulates the brain so we are more active and awake, If you’re really struggling with limiting screen time before bed, try putting your phone in a different room and investing in a clock radio for your bedside table. There are also options within your phone (like setting it on ‘night mode’) to minimize distractions and notifications that can help get you in the mood to snooze. It cost me a lot, but I have achieved it with discipline and I wake up renewed.
TG: How do you deal with email?
CRH: I usually reply immediately to short emails. Longer detailed messages, I will leave unread, and respond later, once I have had time to read through fully. I have a personal assistant who helps me with it. Because being honest being a mother, and in my last semester in the career of Administration in Social Responsibility there are days that are not enough for everything.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
CRH: I like to be in my small garden which with family help we harvested vegetables for family consumption, I like to go for a walk with Gaia my cocker spaniel while my daughter invites her friends, they play in the park and these fifteen minutes, I use them to clear my mind of continuous online activity.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
CRH: Recently, I have had to say goodbye to toxic people who take away my inner peace and do not let me vibrate in high frequency. Sometimes no matter how much you love someone, healthy is detoxifying from negative energy. Being a student, a single mother and trying to run a business you should have everything under control, and doing the housework are daily tasks that you should do but at the same time not overwhelm yourself.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
CRH: “Do not judge me until you have spent a day seeing life as I do, until you experience as I do, until you understand my pain and joys ” by Leo Brown, never judge someone character based on the words of another, instead study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad.