GOTM: Cristina Sosa, Founder and CEO of RAW Residency

August 10, 2018
Posted by Clara Lago
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Our August Girl of The Month is Cristina Sosa, founder, and CEO of yNESS Connect and RAW Residency We sat down with her on one of our Pitusa showroom couches and got to talking– she brought in a friend to “Pitusafy” for an upcoming vacation abroad. We immediately felt the inviting spirit of Cristina as we met with her, shopped with her (and her sweet friend), and chatted about life, love, and business. It was major girl-time, in the best way, as she has a way of making anyone feel right at home. Throughout our moments with Cristina, we felt that we were able to get a broader gauge of who she is as a friend, shopper, professional, and overall rad woman. Her energy matches her words and action- she is powerful, balanced, kind, and dynamic.

Cristina dancing in one of her fav looks, the Salsa Top and Skirt (with the amazing PIÑATA BAG peeking through!).

On Raw Residency

Cristina recently founded a membership-based tribe for women called RAW Residency, which is a group of forward-thinking seekers who empower one another to become the best versions of themselves through curated events, perks, programming, and above all, connecting with one another! They are based in Miami but are coming to New York and Latin America very soon (YAY for spreadin’ that RAW love!). After spending time with Cristina, we gained clarity into the RAW lifestyle. It was exciting to see her embodying and manifesting what the lifestyle is all about while remaining committed to continually growing in all areas of her life. After learning more about our August GOTM and RAW, we couldn’t help but share with you what they’re all about, as we feel the ways in which RAW Residency moves is so in-step with Cristina’s aura and everyday life posture.

The “RAW Lifestyle” operates from 5 pillars:

Beauty and Fashion
Health and Mindfulness
Sex and Relationships
Finance and Entrepreneurship
Social Impact

The ways in which the RAW Residency tribe engages these pillars:

TRIBE: “Your vibe attracts your tribe. Surround yourself with the most diverse and brilliant leaders of our society.”

ROUNDTABLE MEET-UPS: “Once a month meetings to support each other and explore different tools to continue to expand and succeed.”

SOCIAL IMPACT: “Opportunities to become agents of change in our community by giving back to those who need it most.”

BOOK CLUB: “We select a new book each month to read and discuss with each other, in order to integrate what has been read into our daily lives.”

TALKS: “Get RAW and intimate in discussions with the most influential thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and masterminds of our generation.”

PERKS ON PERKS: “Exclusive ‘ins’ with the brands you know or should know about.”

EXPERIENCES: “Multi-sensory experiences to evolve into different states and achieve our best potential.”

GETTING ACTIVE: “Those who train together, stick together, therefore, our members get the best movement classes that the city has to offer.”

Cristina in the Tassel Slit Dress with her *must-have* arm cuffs.

On Pitusa and Beauty

Cristina describes her style as “chic with an edge,” which is why she loves Pitusa because “it’s statement, but ready-to-go; it’s practical but edgy.” The brand resonates with her because she’s all about effortless beauty and hates thinking about what she has to wear. Being that she’s really into the holistic and natural look, she says that her biggest beauty tip is “being comfortable in your own skin whatever that means to you and accepting yourself for all that you are.”

Current Pitusa Favorites: THE ENTIRE COLLECTION, but if I have to pick then I would go with…The Clara Dress, Inca Ottoman Dress, Eve Summer Dress!

Always-wear items: Rings, Arm Cuff, and Pitusa dresses

Cristina styling the Pima Throw as a dress/coverup.

Career Talk

Cristina danced professionally, with numerous touring artists, in her 20s (she seriously has freedom and dancing in her soul). She talked about dancing and how it helped her with discipline, movement, and entrepreneurship; the very tools she uses every day in her career! “Through dancing, I was given the tools and experience to know that it will all play out. That I could trust and let go of control and ultimately accept the outcomes. It taught me to always do my best, regardless.”

She explained that starting out in her career, she was part of things professionally that were already well-acclaimed. And though she expressed gratitude for those opportunities and experiences, she said, “I wanted to be me, express freely, and attract people with that; I wanted to be respected for my expressions and my ability to connect with people.” We love this, as we believe it’s an enlighted person who can be presently thankful for everything they’ve been given, while still seeking more. Cristina is the ultimate example of someone who wastes no opportunity to become and to be fully-herself while impactfully making waves for herself and the world surrounding her.

Cristina emphasized the importance of understanding her self-worth through the process of starting her own business by saying, “If I don’t believe that I have value and that my product is valuable, then who would want to be part of it? It’s important that I love my business and all it has to offer.”

We asked for some career advice and here’s what she said:

“Believe in yourself and don’t be influenced by the negative chatter.”
“Surround yourself with encouraging people who will remind you of your RAW self AKA the true YOU.”
“Learn from your failures, don’t indulge in them; what defines you after a failure is how you get back up. You must learn from your failures and your successes.”
“Acknowledge your strength and put that forward.”

On Spirituality

After our ‘Pitusa couch time chat’, visiting her home, and spending an afternoon together, we picked up on a strong good energy. She engaged every person we encountered with honest kindness, warmth, and hospitality. Intentionality never fell through the cracks in our moments with Cristina. Her home was filled with books from spiritual leaders, crystals, and amazing “dancing” zones as she likes to call them. She lives out what she takes in and speaks.

Her message is to “let go of limitations.” We asked her how she practically does this in her personal life. Here’s what she said:

Dancing (her medicine)- She believes that motion creates emotion and also releases anything that doesn’t truly belong to you.
Family Constellations
Mentoring- “You cannot keep anything if you do not give it back.” (how good is that quote?!!)

The Pitusa Quiz

Star sign?
Libra

Preferred workout?
A good boot camp, freestyle dance sessions at home or going out dancing

Favorite vacation destination?
Any new destination

Any morning rituals?

Getting up, saying my intentions, and writing my morning pages

Coffee, tea or smoothie?
Soy Latte

Any guilty pleasures?
A pint of halo top ice cream with almonds

Favorite charity?
Lotus House

Favorite cocktail?
Don’t drink, but I love a good ginger beer mocktail

And quote?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

By Marianne Williamson

Shop Cristina’s looks and receive 25% off! Use discount code CRISTINA25!