Influencer Allan Carolina: conscious and passionate
Interview February 16, 2020
Allan, could you share with us some information of your family life? And were you born in Curaçao?
I was born in Curaçao and only recently, December 2019, returned back to Curaçao from Holland. I am 26 years old and I have one brother that I am very close to, he is 23 years old and we always have wonderful conversations and we have an unique connection. My parents are still alive and they were a determining factor in whom I am now. My father is a very patient man, with lots of self-control and he is also very reflective. My mother is the complete opposite of that, she is “fire”, has lots of drive, determination and ambition. And both have formed me as I am right now.
I have got your name form Jordan Lourens and he showed me a video of you? How are you related?
Well both of us were personal trainers at Urban Gym. And as trainers we are like brothers you know. We are very connected with one another during and after our work hours and all trainers are very dedicated persons with lots of focus, they believe in personal development and personal growth and I feel very at ease in that environment as we can relate very well with one another. So Jordan was one of the personal trainers. He is younger than me, but we can have great discussions with each other.
Could you share with us some of your educational background and past professional experiences as we know that you are an entrepreneur?
I studied at the University of Curaçao to be an English teacher. Almost simultaneously, I also studied massage therapy at Sports care Curaçao and also energetic healing, in this case reiki.
How did this interest for massage came from?
I can recall when I was very young, I discovered my good “hands” to give people massages. My mother used to ask me to give her massages, even though at the beginning, I didn’t even know what I was doing. She had a car accident and one day she just asked me to give her a massage directed on a trigger point in her back and that is how it all started, in the beginning a little bit intuitively. But this most probably sparked in my subconscious mind this passion in me for massaging. So I became so passionate about this that I left my job as an English teacher to study massage therapy, personal training and nutrition locally and in Holland.
How long have you been an entrepreneur as you are young of age?
I have been an entrepreneur for 3 years now.
Where did this drive to become an entrepreneur come from?
Well this originates according to me from different sources.
In the first place, my mother’s strong inner drive;
Secondly I have done and still do lots of self-reflection and meditation. There are certain periods in my life where I am complete focused within and after this period I act out on what I have learned from this reflection within myself;
Thirdly, I surround myself with people whom are determined and passionate about achieving anything they put their minds on. We share books and videos with each other. All these factors triggered a spark in me and I started a personal journey aimed at continuously developing myself and deciding that I would become an entrepreneur.
What kind of business are you exactly in and what is your companies name?
The companies name is “The life center”. I offer everything that has to do with the physical body. I offer fitness to strengthen the bones muscles and joints, massages to help the body recover and I offer people nutrition advice on what to provide the body with. I am a vegan so I don’t eat any meat. I do eat fish at times but no eggs and no dairy products. As a vegan I am very aware of the organic nutrition that your body needs, as every cell needs this type of energy.
When do you consider that you have been successful in your personal and business/professional life, let us say 5 years from now?
Generally I would say that being successful means for me, reaching more people and make them become more aware of their body and their health in general. My vision includes a wellness/holistic center where I will be offering under one roof fitness, massage, nutrition, meditation, reflection opportunities and holistic remedies such as natural herbs and oils.
Are you involved in other business ventures?
Right now I am completely focused on fitness, massage and nutrition and as part of my hobby I also help starters of their own businesses.
What is your BIG WHY or driving motivation to be whom you are right now?
I have a vision of how an ideal community would look like. Where everybody would be living their purpose in life, whatever that would be and they would be doing that for 100 %. The community would be completely different especially in the educational sector. I always told my students when I was working in the educational sector to choose for that what you love to do, otherwise you would never give it your 100 % effort. That is my vision and that is my BIG WHY.
This is very idealistic, where does this come from?
I believe there is a deep source within. There is a Creator, a Source, the Universal Intelligence whatever you might call it, and I can’t describe, but if you seek it you will know that it is there. I know it exists and we can all tap into it. Around age 16 I was having a difficult time and I was very quiet and shy, because I thought I was odd and strange. As I grew up and met other people with great knowledge and wisdom I developed this inner knowledge and connection with the Source, developed it and I am now letting it bloom.
What are the challenges that you are dealing with? And how are you dealing with these different challenges you confront?
I am recently back on the island since December 2019, and the challenge is how to connect with like-minded people, not only connect but also to collaborate to take real actions. Knowledge is not power, the application of knowledge is power. So I am attending arts and vegan events and events where I assume that people whom are also high in frequency will attend.
Do you use your inner voice to evaluate when dilemma’s show up? How does that work for you?
Yes! by tuning in and aligning with the Universe, by quieting the mind and listening to what the next step should be. Usually it is a feeling or an intuition. I don’t exactly know where it comes from. The other day on Sunday I was at home and I suddenly felt the urge to go someplace and there I met someone that I really needed. That how it works for me.
How are you trying also to keep up with your personal knowledge and skills levels?
I used to do a whole lot reading. I would read a book a week. Books where everything for me in those days. That was what I called my reflective period. Now, I am in my action based period. Now I want to connect and interact with other people, like I am doing now with Jordan, and my brother, whose name is also Jordan. I need more practical and real life experiences that reflects the mentality and mental energy of Curaçao. An American author that lives in America would write a book based on that specific environment with the mentality of that country and that would represent a different energy and mentality than what we have in Curaçao. I want to experience more down to earth experiences in Curaçao, that is what I want to experience and thus learn.
What are your strengths?
I am very ambitious, I have a very strong inner drive. If I didn’t have the self-control that my father taught me, I would be a restless person. That is how much energy I have, energy that needs an outlet. I have to be a 100 % focused on something, if not I wouldn’t do it at all. That is why I left the educational sector. I wanted to work with students that have an 100 % intrinsic motivation. I don’t want to work with students and people that are not there yet.
Do you have other hobbies or interests that you are also passionate about?
I love travelling, getting to know new cultures, new points of view, new mentalities, for me getting a 360 degrees view of the world in my lifetime is very important.
If you as Allan would meet a stranger in the bus (let say in Holland or the US) and they would ask you to introduce yourself what would you answer?
My name is Allan, I am 26 years old and I am a very passionate physical therapist with the goal to empower each and every one that I meet. This could mean empower people with ideas, working with them physically and sometimes I might be just listening, be present and by doing this helping them emotionally a great deal.
How would you describe Allan in one word or one sentence?
Conscious and passionate. Conscious about what I listen to, speak and do and say.
Whom are the persons that have inspired you the most in your business?
My teacher Charles Fermina. I started learning massage at Sports Care Curaçao in SDK. The first lesson he asked us to start giving a massage to a client. After our original surprise, later on we realized that he was checking whom had a natural flow that is needed to give massages and whom didn’t have it. With technique only you can’t learn the vocation. I had an immediate click with Fermina.
My parents as I have explained before and my younger brother, as I can have these wonderful conversations with him. He is also a very passionate and energetic person that although younger than me, is very mature in his thinking.
What is a trait that is still work in progress?
Connecting deeply and emotionally with others. For so long I have been so focused on myself, that in relationships. I fear to be really open and vulnerable with a partner.
What was a defining moment in your life?
Me moving to Holland for the first time, as I assumed that if I would move to somewhere else, I would feel happier. But Holland helped me become aware of the fact, that moving somewhere else didn’t offer me the thing that I was looking for. What I was looking for was within me, it was not something external. That was a defining moment for me.
Where do you want to be 15 to 20 years from now with your career?
By that time I will have a Wellness center build on Curaçao and I would have expanded this center also in the Caribbean region. I am of the opinion that our people as a collective need so much inner healing and improved structures for self-development, as the old beliefs and ideologies we have had and still have, do not serve us well, we are still stuck in a slavery and fear mentality.
What would you want your Loved Ones, family, friends and others to say about you let’s say 20 years from now?
A man that inspires all those around him to be a better version of themselves in whatever way possible, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is my gift to the world, my bucket is so full that it will spill over to other people.
What makes you stay optimistic about the future of Curaçao?
Curaçao is a paradise in different ways, geographically, biologically, strategically. That is why I am optimistic about the future. Yes, we need to work on an upgrade of our mentality to maintain or even improve it further, but it is a paradise. When I was in Holland as I am very sensitive for feeling the energy of people, I would feel it in my head. I could feel lots of stress, frustration and loneliness as this is the collective lifestyle of lots of people in Holland. Being here in Curaçao I feel warmth, a less upbeat tempo and passion in Curaçao. We need to grow to the next level here but in Holland the energy is an intellectual energy, in Curaçao and the Caribbean it is more emotional and a little bit raw. Another way to explain the difference is the language. The Dutch language is a very structured, organized and intellectual language while Papiamentu is an emotional language. When I express myself I can sense the rawness and the emotions, meaning also that I can really connect with other people.
I have been a teacher for two years at SGO Otrobanda. In Holland I studied fitness, personal trainer, nutrition, coaching and gained experiences in massages. In that sense Holland was good for my intellectual development and Curaçao is according to me a good place to settle and build Curaçao and from here also the Caribbean.
Connect with Allan Carolina
Instagram: @allan_carolina
Phone: +5999688-0155
Spa Location: Ansinghstraat 76, Julianaplein
One of the 250 Influencers of Curaçao
Allan is a young conscious and passionate entrepreneur, who follows his heart. After studying to become a teacher and teaching for 2 years, he chose to follow his heart and started his own business and now offers massage therapy, personal training and nutritional advices, but also energetic healing. By following his heart, he chose recently to come back to work and live in Curaçao. He is a very passionate physical therapist with the goal to empower each and every one that he meets. This could mean empower people with ideas, working with them physically and sometimes just listening, be present and by doing this helping them emotionally a great deal. Appreciative of the education he got in Holland, Allan is now focusing all his energy to build his business in Curaçao with a clear vision, that is: “Enabling people to be living their purpose”, Allan aims to expand his business beyond the boundaries of Curaçao and aims at also serving the Caribbean market. With his energy, dedication and his motivation we sincerely believe that Allan will play an increasingly important role in Curaçao, enabling others to become their best versions. As a representative of the Business sector we definitely consider him one of the 250 Influencers of Curaçao.