#194: How to Build A Spiritually Aligned Brand with Eva Bautista-Fung
Has finding a way to turn your passion and spirituality into an impactful, profitable and joyful brand been a bit of an elusive journey? Perhaps you're feeling called to lean into starting a business that is driven by your authenticity, passion and soul but haven't quite found the right pathway forward yet...you're not alone.
Today, we're talking with Eva Bautista-Fung, Creator and Founder of CosmicPop and Reiki Master about her journey in redefining spirituality and what it means to be successful.
Along that journey, after many expressions of brands and businesses that were picked up and then put down when they no longer served their purpose - Eva found the lightness and joy she was seeking in a business and brand expression that connected her spirituality and natural desire to help people and incorporate intentionality into their daily lives - because that is exactly what she found for herself.
Listen in as Eva opens up about the hardship that transformed everything after losing her father at the age of 27 and what steps she took along the way to rediscover herself, her soul and the light she wanted to experience and express in this lifetime.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to reconnect with your authentic self
Permission to pivot, shift, and realign your business and creative vision as you evolve
Healing your relationship with money and charging for your energy, creativity, and services with confidence
The magic in building offerings and businesses based on intentionality, authenticity, and love
00:00 Finding Fulfillment Beyond Success
03:49 Discovering Creativity in Business
07:47 Confidence Shattered at age 27
15:19 Choosing Passion Over Productivity
21:06 Failed Ventures
28:59 Seeking Spiritual Guidance
30:14 Discovering Reiki Through Connection
35:46 CosmicPop is born
44:19 Healing Money Mindset for Creatives
48:31 Turning Inward Transforms Everything
Read the Full Transcript
Christina Barsi [00:00:56]:
Hi, welcome back, this is Christina Barsi, your host, and I'm very excited to introduce my guest who is going to talk to us today, all things healing and entrepreneurship and her journey that brought it all together. I have with me today Eva Bautista-Fung. Welcome, Eva.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:01:13]:
Hello. Hello. Thank you so much for having me.
Christina Barsi [00:01:16]:
I'm so happy to have you here. I'm really excited to just get into it with you about all of these things because they all resonate with me and I know they're going to resonate with everyone listening as well.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:01:25]:
I hope so.
Christina Barsi [00:01:27]:
It will. I kind of just want to get into it. Are you okay with that?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:01:31]:
Let's do it. I'm excited. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.
Christina Barsi [00:01:36]:
That's the good stuff right there. That's the fun energy when it's a little bit of both.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:01:40]:
Exactly, exactly.
Christina Barsi [00:01:42]:
So, like, a lot of us who I think lean into this space or lean into ourselves, I should say, and then find these types of healing and creative spaces often have a moment of pivot or shift in their lives that where we're faced with that opportunity to lean into ourselves. And I know that your journey with Reiki is sort of at the core of that story, so we will get into that. But before all of that, you had went to business school, you worked in corporate, you started some other business businesses, you got married, you had kids, you basically created what most people would deem a pretty full life. And you shared with me that, you know, despite all of that, that you'd built, you still felt like something was missing or that there was just more that should be there or, you know, that feeling we get. We're like, well, I have everything I want, but why do I still feel like this? So I'm going to ask you to just help us learn more about you, Tell us a little bit about your journey leading up to that point and how life was for you before you started to seek those new answers.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:02:40]:
All right, we could sit here for, like, five hours, but I'll cut to the chase. So I grew up. I was born in the Philippines. I grew up in sort of this healthcare family. Both of my parents were doctors. My dad was an anesthesiologist. My mom was a neonatologist. And that was sort of the expectation of me and my brother is to kind of follow that path.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:03:05]:
Growing up, I had always been into more creative things. I was. I considered myself artistic, and I just had no outlet or I had no way to, you know, follow my passion. So the only thing left to do after I graduated college with an international studies major because I dropped out of biology was to pursue either law or business school. So I chose something that I thought would maybe assist me in my future. So I picked business school also because my brother did it, and I was like, oh, cool, I could do that too. So I wanted to prove everybody wrong and got into business school. I met our mutual friend Jesse.
Christina Barsi [00:03:48]:
Yes.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:03:49]:
And I took a course there. Even though my focus was on finance, I took a course there, focused on marketing, and we worked with a clothing line based out of Orange County. And I was just so taken aback. I was like, wait a minute. I could go to business school, I could do finance, I could be creative all at the same time. So that kind of propelled me into the. I think I talked to you about this. The clothing line, Function Apparel, that me and one of my partners decided to kind of start after that.
Christina Barsi [00:04:21]:
So did you start that company after school, or were you already kind of dabbling in starting businesses when you were still going through getting your mba?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:04:29]:
We started the idea during maybe the first year into business school, and then we made it happen after we graduated in 2007. I'm just, like, aging myself. We just decided to get together. She knew people, I knew people, and we made it happen.
Christina Barsi [00:04:47]:
So you mentioned you chose finance. What was it about finance that you switched from biology, you went into international studies, and then you chose finance. To me, that feels also, as a creative person, like, oh, my God, like, one hard thing to the next hard thing to the next hard thing. So what attracted you to finance? I find that fascinating when people are attracted to things like that. I get it now as an older person, but as a young person, I struggle with understanding those choices.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:05:16]:
No, totally. So I did take a little bit of a windy Turn. After I graduated, I had a short stint in advertising. So I was like in the spot buying role and I was living at home and I was like, this is not going to work for my social life. I need to find a better means to be able to live on my own. So from there I got into an investment role out in Santa Monica. And that.
Christina Barsi [00:05:41]:
Whoa, wait, wait, wait. How did people just get into investment first? How did that happen?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:05:46]:
It was just this entry level opportunity. I mean, you know, going into one of those roles, it's mainly like data entry and research. And I was like, well, I can do that. You know, I can read. I have my Bachelor of arts in social sciences, international studies. I can do this. One of my friends was working there that I graduated from college and he turned in my resume. And I think for me it's, you know, I'm fun, I have a personality.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:06:16]:
So I think it was more the conversation that I had with the hiring leaders versus my background in essentially nothing.
Christina Barsi [00:06:25]:
That's great. Yeah, that makes sense. And it's true, like, from a perspective of having a business, I know that I'm more interested in hiring people that know enough that I can train skills with, but I want to hear their eagerness, I want their excitement, I want their ability to be, you know, motivated and start up. That makes a lot of sense to me when you say it that way.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:06:44]:
So, I mean, that's basically what started my journey into finance. And from there I worked at an aerospace company as a senior financial analyst. Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But leading up to just all those different stints and the various facets of finance, and this is sort of where my. My whole life turned around. My dad passed away in 2005, right when I was starting business school. And up until then, you know, I was like that spoiled little girl.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:07:15]:
If, you know, I needed help financially, if I needed to do anything, I just turned to mommy and daddy and, you know, they would be there to kind of just push me back into whatever I needed to do, get me in the right direction. So from there, after I got into that initial role in investment finance, I needed to figure out a way to pay for my MBA, because right there that was like 100,000. And I was like, holy shit, what am I going to do now?
Christina Barsi [00:07:44]:
So everything changed, totally changed.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:07:47]:
My world turned upside down. You know, up until then, you know, I was just that confident girl, like, oh, you think I can't get that job? Well, watch me, you know, like, watch me do it. I had just the support, the energy, everything that my parents kind of laid out for me, my foundation. And so that was just taken out right from under me at the age of 27. And I like to tell people, like, I was 27, but I really think I was born 10 years too soon. So my mentality, my maturity level at 27 was that of maybe somebody that just graduated high school. Because I just cruised through college, you know, just took the classes that interested me. And because I wasn't going into biology anymore, because I wasn't going to be a doctor, I felt a little more cush, like, cushiness.
Christina Barsi [00:08:36]:
Do you feel like that was the first real hardship in your life at that point?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:08:41]:
100%, yeah. I literally felt that shift. Like, my confidence, all the energy, everything that I invested my heart, my soul into, it just, you know, I was daddy's girl. So that was the first time where I was like, holy shit. Like, I really need to grow up. You know, it's only my mom, my brother, my older brother, he was out on his Ono already, and I was just starting, you know, my career.
Christina Barsi [00:09:09]:
Yeah, that must have been really lonely. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I. I'm also a daddy's girl, and I can feel the loneliness I would have experienced if that occurred in my life at that point.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:09:19]:
Oh, yeah. It was a heavy, heavy period in my life. And I think that's sort of what piqued my interest in healing energy, you know, all of that. And I think I talked to you about this is I was just kind of cruising through Barnes and Nobles, because that's what you kind of did back then, right? We didn't have the Internet and stuff. And I was, you know, I was just going through the aisles, and the one book that just caught my attention was that book that I told you about, the Art of Happiness, based on sort of the Dalai Lama's life. So that kind of propelled me into my journey. I was raised Catholic. My mom was like, okay, cool.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:09:57]:
Like, whatever helps you heal, but you're not converting. Are you, like, super conservative, super Catholic, you know, church every Sunday, kind of family. And that's kind of what I mean. My dad's death. Yeah. Finding Buddhism. There's a bunch of things that kind of.
Christina Barsi [00:10:16]:
What was it about that book, other than the title, feels resonant. What was it about Buddhism and about that book that really resonated with you at that time and maybe still.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:10:26]:
Still? Yeah. I mean, I think at that time, I was just kind of aiming, like, looking to find that light being in such a dark place. I mean this was 15 years ago. Barsi it was like 2005. So I was still finding myself. I was trying to find where I belonged in my career, how I could potentially merge my passion in, you know, the arts, like being creative, fashion and all these like fun ideas that I got along the way and being able to utilize that with my MBA that, you know, that cost, I don't know, it was like $80,000, $100,000 at the time.
Christina Barsi [00:11:05]:
So it's almost like a guide. Like start here is what it feels like the way you describe it, simply put.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:11:11]:
Yeah, it was just like, oh my gosh, like there's like this light beaming around the book and I was like, ah, like maybe I'll find the answer here. And not that it told me what to do, but it definitely put me in a certain direction and from there it just, you know, I just was hungry. I was hungry to find a tribe that could feel, you know, that compassion, that eagerness, the hunger to be happy. I was looking for a home for myself and you know, as great of a family that I have, friends that I have. Like, nobody could really understand what I was going through and what I was experiencing and feeling because, I mean, who can, right?
Christina Barsi [00:11:50]:
Yeah.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:11:51]:
And then again, you know, I think I talked to you about this before. Being a female person of color and in the finance industry, there's just so many layers and hurdles to have to get through, to be seen, to be heard, to be able to even add value or make a difference.
Christina Barsi [00:12:08]:
Wow. So, okay, let's talk about that because you're right, that experience is very unique and you're going through an experience, timing wise in your life that was extremely unique to those around you and you're seeking answers that were unique to you. So going through that and then continuing to pursue finance at the time, you know, how did you find the, I want to say, the power inside yourself to keep pursuing that, knowing that the barriers were so, like deep and high, you know, the ceiling is there.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:12:38]:
Oh yeah. Again, it was just, I wanted to prove people wrong. That was just the one thing that my dad instilled in me. He was just like, who cares what people think? If you want to do it, you're going to do it, just go for it. And at that point it's just for me, it was like me having to prove myself to the world and not letting his legacy kind of, you know, like I didn't want him to look at me from heaven, from the sky, wherever he was, and be Disappointed in me. So I feel like at that point, again, it was just this dark, heavy period. I had to prove myself to myself, had to prove myself to my mom to make sure that she didn't have to worry about me, you know, allow her to kind of look at me like, hey, you know, Ava's grown up like I am, I'm good going solo. Like, I didn't want my brother to have to worry about me.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:13:25]:
And then, you know, my relationships back then, I wanted people to think, hey, she's got this, you know, she is that strong, independent, you know, Filipino American girl, and she can do it all on her own without any help. And at that point, I feel like I became a people pleaser. And so, yeah, that's kind of also what kind of led me into reading a little bit more self help books, understanding, like, am I an empath or is there like something more to this world? Like, why am I feeling everybody's energy?
Christina Barsi [00:13:57]:
So all of that happened and you wanted to prove to yourself and everyone, you know, that you could do this thing you set out to do that has a lot of barriers for many reasons. The space itself and then being a POC woman, going into the space was this moment in your life wanting to like pick everything up and carry everything with you, it sounds like. And did it feel like it was happening? And then you were like, oh, were you losing yourself in that? And you're like, how did I get here? Or how did you come to this? Because you started to feel it and go, wait, something's wrong. Like now I'm people pleasing. What's going on here?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:14:29]:
Yes, yes. And I continued on because, you know, every time I actually sat and thought about my life, my career, I mean, by then I was like, what, 30 years old? 31 years old.
Christina Barsi [00:14:41]:
That's really young, by the way. I just want to point that out because the journey you're describing to me right now of all this discovery to me is like really wise and really intuitive. And I found my first book was called Creating Joy. So it's similar, interesting. And that was pivotal for me. And I didn't find that till much later in my life than my 20s. Like I'd say 10 years later than 25, probably around 35, I'd say. And that's when things started to really shift for me.
Christina Barsi [00:15:08]:
But I just want to give you that credit.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:15:10]:
Well, thanks.
Christina Barsi [00:15:12]:
Yeah, it's difficult as things felt you were still knowledge seeking and paying attention and listening to yourself through all of that kind of.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:15:19]:
But also because I was like, well, shit, I only have one life to live, and I've wasted all of this energy and, you know, like, my blood, sweat and tears into proving people wrong when at the end of the day I look back and I'm just like, I'm so unhappy. This sucks. Like, I. I hate working for the big man. I hate, you know, having to turn in these spreadsheets and these reports. Like, I could do it, but do I feel any, like, passion or, like, anything like, inside my soul that's gonna, you know, when I die, am I gonna look back and say, oh, yeah, close that month out, like, you know, in four days versus, like the two weeks. It did nothing for me. But what did do something for me was, you know, the healing, the spirituality.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:16:06]:
And I didn't know how to define that or I didn't know what it was. And, you know, I recently started vocalizing this. I would have dreams, you know, I would have crazy dreams and I would have these out of body experiences. And I was like, that's weird, but maybe I just, like, ate too much before I went to sleep or something.
Christina Barsi [00:16:26]:
Wow.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:16:27]:
But it's a thing, and I'm reading that now that it's truly, you know, your connection to source, you know, being connected to the other side, spirits. And I ignored all of that. And, you know, when my dad, again, I like to think of him as being ascended into heaven and he's just, you know, our angel and looking down at us and smiling at us and, you know, being there as sort of my angel or my spirit guide. But at that time, I was just like, what the hell is going on here? Like, I'm having these thoughts, these, like, these images in my brain when I'm sleeping. So I feel like I needed to seek more answers. I didn't know how to define it or how to verbalize what I was experiencing and feeling and seeing.
Christina Barsi [00:17:12]:
Wow. So when this was all going on, just for the timeline, were you still working in finance and you were starting to have dreams and things were starting to click for you differently?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:17:21]:
Yes.
Christina Barsi [00:17:23]:
So go ahead. I want to get back to, like, what happened after that. So you looked for answers around the dreams and, like, you kept searching. So did you pivot into a new position, a different job, or, like, what happened after that?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:17:34]:
So I ignored all of that. Those feelings, those thoughts, those ideas. Just because, you know, the people that are that were around me, it just didn't resonate with them. Like, I couldn't have a deep conversation with anyone about those ideas and those thoughts. So I continued on from aerospace, Obviously, I wasn't interested in M and A or mergers and acquisitions or any type of aerospace Y type analysis. So my idea was like, okay, well, I'm doing finance. I finally have my mba. Let me try to pivot into a new industry, but using the same skill set and information that I've worked professionally with.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:18:17]:
So I found myself at an entertainment company. I was hired on as a senior financial analyst at another major studio here in Burbank.
Christina Barsi [00:18:26]:
Wow.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:18:27]:
Having no entertainment experience, again, it was just me saying, oh, yeah, you don't think I can do that? Well, watch me. So there I did it.
Christina Barsi [00:18:37]:
How was that experience like moving out of the finance world and into this other role that's now at an entertainment company? Did you feel like you're accomplishing more when you make that move or were you like, oh, I still feel the same way?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:18:51]:
I think at first I was like, oh, okay, well, awesome. You know, another, you know, notch on my belt and another kind of win for my ego for me. And I got into the role and I was like, okay, well, I'm doing finance. And I'm doing finance for something interesting that I really like. I love the movies. Right. I love, you know, at the time it was, I worked in international home video. So I was like, oh, cool.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:19:16]:
So I took my bachelor's degree in international studies and my mba. I merged it together, and I'm finally where I need to be. And again, after three years, it just, it didn't feel right to me. And that's sort of where I decided to take a break from doing the analysis, the finance. And I quit my job with no backup.
Christina Barsi [00:19:42]:
Hey, I did that. I get that.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:19:47]:
So I mean, and that's sort of around the same time where I just finished business school. We had this awesome. Of starting that organic men's loungewear line. So.
Christina Barsi [00:19:59]:
Right, okay, so what's the overlap with the business? Did that happen at the same time in the background?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:20:04]:
So we were, yeah, we're kind of talking about it. I was just graduating and we're like, oh, yeah, we could do this as a side gig. You know, we all have our full time jobs. Like, let's just work on it along the way.
Christina Barsi [00:20:15]:
That's a lot. You were in school and working full time in corporate finance positions and starting this company. I didn't realize that that's a lot.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:20:24]:
Kind of is, but that's kind of my personality. Like, if I'm not doing more than three things at the same time, then I'm like, what's going on? With me. Why am I, like, why am I stagnant?
Christina Barsi [00:20:33]:
That's so lazy. I relate to that. I'm perfectionist, overachiever as well. But that's still. I just want to acknowledge that because it's a lot and it's great. Yeah.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:20:43]:
Yeah. So go on, say it out loud. Yeah. So I quit that job, and I was like, forget this. I don't want to do finance anymore. I'm going to pursue my pass to be this fashion designer with no experience in fashion merchandising, and I'm going to be successful at it. Watch. I did all that before, and I can do this, too.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:21:06]:
So I did that for about a year and a half, and then at the end of that stint, we ran out of money. And as amazing as my partners were, it just didn't make sense for all of us to continue on. Like, we got to the point where we had all of our patterns set, we had everything made. You know, we had the photo shoots going, we had everything ready to go, and we were ready for sales, and we ran out of money and, oh, wow. My partner's interest kind of veered off to other projects, other things, and it was essentially my baby. So, I mean, to this day, it's still kind of like. It's kind of a thorn in my side.
Christina Barsi [00:21:48]:
Do you view that time like it was a failure? How's that resonate with you?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:21:52]:
Definitely. Definitely a failure that I'm still trying to shed, still trying to release that energy just sits with me so heavily. But I also think it's one of those experiences that pushed me to get something else going, to try to bury that experience and say, hey, well, I fucked up at that point. But watch this. Let me show you this. So by that time we ran out of money. I put in a ton of my savings along with my partners. So we called that kind of like a wash kind of a failure.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:22:25]:
And that's why I was like, shit, I gotta go back into finance again. So back into finance I went as a business planner this time, but again for an entertainment electronics company. Still working in the movies, still working in, you know, entertainment. And that was awesome. I actually had a great time doing that because we were able to go to some of those conventions, right?
Christina Barsi [00:22:46]:
Comic Con.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:22:47]:
It was Comic Con. And then there was another convention. Oh, my gosh. In Las Vegas. Yeah. So all entertainment. And so I was like, oh, I could do this. And that lasted about almost four years.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:22:57]:
Three and a half. Four years. And then I got married. And so I do have to back Up. So right after Function Apparel, I was doing everything on my own and I was like, I'm not gonna let this fail. I'm not gonna let this fail. Let me see if I can network, Let me see if I can meet people that can help me push this passion, this baby along. So along the way, I met a friend who's now like, she's literally one of my sisters.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:23:23]:
She helped me. Well, actually we partnered and we created another sort of e commerce accessories like streetwear line called Concrete Violet.
Christina Barsi [00:23:32]:
Great names.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:23:33]:
Thanks. Thanks. Yeah, I was really passionate about that too. But that gave me the opportunity to kind of explore another side of my creative kind of passions. From there, you know, we were selling a, like jewelry and talking to vendors to be able to provide this type of streetwear and like jewelry line to sort of that market. And that lasted for a while and then that's when I got married. I had my first child. And that's sort of where my interest in that partnership kind of dwindled because I wanted to focus on my full time job that was paying the bills that could get us a new house.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:24:14]:
Right. That would allow for, I guess, the financial freedom to raise a kid in.
Christina Barsi [00:24:20]:
Los Angeles, which is extremely difficult to achieve in the ways that many other people in the country get to achieve.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:24:29]:
Yes.
Christina Barsi [00:24:29]:
In terms of standard of living and all of that. So that makes sense. It's kind of a practical choice at that point.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:24:35]:
It sounds like, yeah, I mean, I was able to sort of maintain that, you know, the creative side and the marketing piece and you know, the E commerce stuff, but it just wasn't enough. But at that point I was just kind of going through the motions life. Right. I was like, okay, well now I have a family and I have my first child, so I better just drop those ideas and that crazy idea of maybe getting Function Apparel back on track. So from there I continued on in finance, became a consultant, working hideous, like ridiculous hours till 10 o' clock at night. That was when my second child was born. And I came home one night and I was like, what am I doing? Like, I don't even get to see my children because I'm trying to maintain this lifestyle. Like, what good is this paycheck if my beautiful two boys if I can't like, like enjoy it, enjoy the time with them? Right.
Christina Barsi [00:25:40]:
How long did that last for you? Did you kind of wait it out or try to think about it a bit, or was it another jumping off point where you're like, well, screw this, I'm quitting.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:25:50]:
Yeah, it was, screw this, screw this, I'm quitting. But I was a little smarter this time because I did have the mortgage to pay, you know, not that my partner couldn't, you know, take care of us, but for myself, for my. Again, for my ego, I had to be equal in providing for the family. So I was interviewing, and that's sort of where I made my pivot from finance consulting into recruitment. And that's sort of where that pivot happened, where I wanted to get a better work life balance. And I thought, okay, well, I'm depressed as fuck and I'm not doing anything that I love, so might as well focus my energy and my love and my attention to my children. And so I thought recruiting was the end all. Like, this is the final pivot in my life and I'm going to be where I need to be.
Christina Barsi [00:26:43]:
And.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:26:44]:
And I learned.
Christina Barsi [00:26:45]:
How'd that go?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:26:47]:
I learned the hard way because little did I know that agency recruiting, there's a whole lot of. There's just a lot of heartbreak in sales. I mean, at the end of the day, it is a sales organization, it is a business. You're basically selling consultants to clients. And I think that's what really, really pushed me deeper into this, like, darker abyss of, like, depression.
Christina Barsi [00:27:20]:
Wow. Do you feel like it's so heartbreaking because you're empathetic, you're an empath, or it's also the nature of the gig, but. But I don't know that everyone handles it the same way. And I think for me, I would probably feel the heartbreak too. I get very involved in how people are doing, so that was my problem.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:27:40]:
That was definitely my problem. In recruiting, you meet hundreds of people and you get to know them, you know, you get to understand their background, where they are in life. Why are you consult? Well, I just need to get by right now, you know, or I was just laid off or I was fired from this last role. And you just build these relationships and.
Christina Barsi [00:28:01]:
Your role sounds like you're trying to connect, to help people. And I imagine when that doesn't work out, it's heartbreaking.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:28:08]:
It's so heartbreaking. It's so hard not to. Not to attach yourself. So at that point I was like, okay, well, I do have a little bit of a balance. I'm able to go home, see my kids off to bed, pick them up from school and such. But. But yeah, it just. It didn't feel good anymore.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:28:29]:
Like, I didn't feel good about. I mean, even though I'm pretty sure I helped, like, A good amount of people, you know, find some good roles that they're probably still in now. I won and I lost some deals and clients, but at the end of it all, I didn't feel good.
Christina Barsi [00:28:43]:
Just quickly, I'm curious, do you feel like helping people feels like a theme and wanting to, you know, either live up to someone's standards or help someone or do you feel like that's, that's always been at the core of your mission really in life. I hear that in a lot of your decision making.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:28:59]:
Yes. Putting people in front of me, above me, that's definitely what I've come to terms with. And I didn't know if there was an answer, if there was a way out of this deep, dark hole that I was in. And so that's another turning point in my journey is where I needed help. I wasn't like suicidal or anything, but I was just like a zombie. Like nothing made me happy. I was more sad than I was happy. And it made me feel like such a jerk because I had, you know, I have an amazing husband.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:29:34]:
I have these two beautiful boys who do nothing but make me smile, make me happy. And I still couldn't get myself to feel that zest for life. And so social media, it's funny, I reconnected with who is now my Reiki master teacher. I reconnected with her. She actually is my husband's very good friend's ex girlfriend. So we did not stay in touch, but we finally reconnected because I saw one of her posts and she was about to have a Reiki session and I was like, what, what is this?
Christina Barsi [00:30:09]:
Like, have you heard of it before at that time or did you seek her out or how did you know?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:30:14]:
I had no idea. I had no idea that there was even a thing called Reiki. I followed the philosophies of Buddhism, I read books, self help books, but I never experienced or I never seeked out Reiki. And so I was like, oh cool, I guess that's what she's been up to the past 10 years, that we've lost touch. So I continued to follow her and I'd see some of her posts and none of them were actually her in the middle of the of healing anyone. But she would just post these quotes and just certain things that she would say that would just resonate with me and it just really struck a chord in my heart and I was like, what is this? Like, I need to talk to her. So I actually scheduled a session with her. And I remember that day too.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:31:03]:
I Just released and released and released. And she was just like, this is what you should have been doing for the past however long. And I was. I was still in that miserable job, and I was still unhappy. So it became sort of like a once a month thing. I would go back, you know, kind of have the sessions, and she would give me the tools and give me the ideas on how to help myself, how to perform Reiki on myself. And then.
Christina Barsi [00:31:30]:
Oh, wow.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:31:31]:
Yeah. And so she's like, everything I'm doing right now, Eva, it's in your power. You just have to step into your light. And I was like, oh, I still get the chills when I think about that conversation. Yes. And that's what I tell all my clients now, which is so crazy.
Christina Barsi [00:31:50]:
That's beautiful.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:31:51]:
So it's come full circle. Like, my relationship with my master teacher, my relationship with myself, everything from that day on, it just. It clicked like a light bulb. And I knew for myself I needed to move in a different direction.
Christina Barsi [00:32:07]:
And what did that look like for you?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:32:09]:
So I stayed in that job for a little longer than I wanted to. But practicing Reiki, studying, reading the books and such, it gave me that. I felt like it empowered me to finally cut the cord and just leave. And again, it's kind of a pattern in my life, right? Like, when something like, stops, I guess, doing anything. How do I say this?
Christina Barsi [00:32:32]:
Serving its purpose.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:32:32]:
Serving its purpose. There you go. And that's another thing she told me. If it no longer serves you, why are you allowing yourself? It's just gonna come back as another reminder, as another lesson, until you truly see the light. So I quit without a job again.
Christina Barsi [00:32:52]:
What was it like the second time? The third time?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:32:55]:
That was like, yeah, maybe fourth. Third. Fourth time. Chris, my partner, he was just like, nah, dude, you cannot. Nah.
Christina Barsi [00:33:07]:
I love it. Okay, so how did you win that battle?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:33:11]:
So I sent my resume out, and I was like, look, I'm sending my resume out. I'm also studying. And I was also simultaneously in my master teacher's Reiki classes. So I.
Christina Barsi [00:33:24]:
Was he embracing that, or what was the experience from the family with you leaning into things that may or may not have made sense to them?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:33:32]:
Well, I kind of eased it into the family kind of lifestyle. I had my master teacher bless our house. So she Reiki blessed our house. And then Chris was like, oh, okay, so this is what you've been doing, you know, the past, however long year or so, two years or so. And he knew her from back in the day. Like, they were all like, we all used to party together and you know, in that life in the past. And so he was just like, okay. He actually told me that one day he's like, I really feel like this shift in your approach to life.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:34:05]:
But that also eased his mind when I decided to leave that last job. But luckily for me, I got a bite right away. It's also with the help of my network, the network that I built from the past. A former recruiter that I was friends with actually knew one of the hiring leaders at the current company that I'm working for now. So he helped push my resume along. So I got a job right away.
Christina Barsi [00:34:31]:
Interesting. And was it a job that you are like energetically happy?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:34:36]:
I am. So it's like 180 degree change and maybe I had to go through that journey, go through that experience to be where I am now. Because I'm an in house recruiter now for a major studio out here. And rather than fighting for my candidates, fighting for the clients, like I am provided to the hiring leaders and my expertise is appreciated and I am able to truly hunt and, you know, vet and interview people that I feel that are great for the role versus having to put them into this box to be able to, I guess, I don't know, to fit within a budget or a range for that old company.
Christina Barsi [00:35:22]:
Yes, that makes sense. Wow. Thank you for sharing all of that. I do want to, I want to shift just a little bit into how you started Cosmic Pop, which is just a really cool company that attracted me to you again in this new way. And yeah, just tell me a little bit about how that came into your life and entrepreneurship and coming back to that part of your life too.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:35:46]:
Yeah. So Cosmic Pop, so going from function apparel to Concrete Violet Cosmic Pop, it still was in me. Like I still needed that outlet, that creative outlet. So this was started. I started this actually with my brother during one of his layoff stints. He's a marketing director, so he's got that side of the house kind of covered. And I never know how to just kind of get my ideas all prettied up. So he helped me because he knew, I mean, I was like, I was full into Reiki at this point and I was finding ways of just therapeutic ways for myself to get through my heavy days at my old job.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:36:29]:
So I started making bracelets and I was like, hey, this, like, I love just popping into those little, little, you know, those crystal stores or you know, those little energy stores and I wear all of that and it just, they really do just serve As a reminder, like, hey, you're okay. Everything's gonna be good. So incorporating my Reiki studies and experience with Reiki into the jewelry making Cosmic Pop is essentially that it's combining mind, body, soul. Right? All the crystals that I use in the jewelry, in the pieces, they all symbolize parts of the chakra or something that the client is looking to cleanse or clear or to work with. So really, they are just gentle reminders that you are gonna be okay. You need to put you first.
Christina Barsi [00:37:19]:
Oh, that's beautiful. They're like self care. Intentional.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:37:23]:
All intentional. Yes, Yes. I tell people, I'm like, well, if you want to just get, like, a cute purple bracelet, go on Etsy. Because that's not. I mean, it could be if we incorporate, like, the third eye, but you know what I mean? It's just. It's all based off of intention, so.
Christina Barsi [00:37:40]:
Eva, I love the name Cosmic Pop. Actually, that's what kind of caught my attention the first time I realized you had a business like this on Instagram. But I'm really curious about how you came up with it. How did you come up with the name Cosmic Pop?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:37:55]:
That is a great question. So basically, Cosmic Pop, so coming full circle, it was a redo from all my previous business ventures, and it was really the first time I had complete control of the business. So I had function, apparel, concrete, Violet, and really this one. Cosmic Pop was the first time I could actually call it my own. So I kind of circled around the ideas of all my passions. So fashion, my passion in healing, Reiki, jewelry, accessories, and even pop culture. And it was finally my own business. I could call it my own.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:38:35]:
And it was really, you know, being able to offer my followers a glimpse into my world, into my healing and the tools that I used to heal myself. And it was the first time I actually didn't have partners to have to, like, confer with and, like, I could actually call it my own. I was running the show. So really, it was a culmination of my journey, my awakening. I was recently, at that time, I just started really focusing on Reiki healing and energy. And it was finally that time, that point in my life, where I was able to finally step into my light, which I realize now was always there.
Christina Barsi [00:39:13]:
That's really beautiful. Thank you for that. I love that. I know that Reiki's been at the core of a lot of your journey and your shifting and sort of finding the path to step into your light. I think you mentioned to me that you're a practitioner as well, so.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:39:27]:
Yes, I went through Reiki 1 and 2 fairly quickly earlier, but I was recently attuned to master teacher in August of 2019. So since then, yeah, it's been an amazing journey, and I'm still walking it. I always tell my clients, my Cosmic Pop clients, and they always ask the question, like, you know, how did you get into this? What did you have to do? And it's like I had to just finally open my eyes and realize I'm good. Like, it's you that needs to be able to. It's yourself that needs to be able to find that light, to step into the light light, to empower yourself. You can't count on anybody. It has to come from within.
Christina Barsi [00:40:11]:
Totally, totally. And I agree. I think Reiki helped me find more of that sort of inside journey as well. It helped me really go deep into myself and listen. Like, listen to the parts of myself that felt really quiet before. Yeah, I relate to that quite a bit. You mentioned empowerment. Ava, I'm curious because I think this is different for everyone, but how would you define empowerment?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:40:37]:
I was a people pleaser. I felt like I had to, like, everything was good. I could check the box after I got the validation from people. And for me, you know, making that 180 degree turn, I feel like empowerment is being able to just be happy, just be. To be. Be yourself, to be your authentic self and to be able to walk that path without caring what the next person approves of. And that's sort of. I like to push that message in my pieces as well.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:41:13]:
Like I said, you know, somebody can call me, I can schedule some time with the client to, you know, custom make, custom create a jewelry piece based on certain areas or certain chakras that they're working on. On. If they don't like it, then I'm fine that they walk away. But at the end of the day, I know it's my energy, my peace, and it's what's, you know, what I've put into that piece to help them kind of remind themselves that, hey, this is about you, and this is my energy and my peace, my heart, my love going into this reminder for you.
Christina Barsi [00:41:53]:
And that's enough, right?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:41:55]:
You're always, always going to be enough, right? Yes.
Christina Barsi [00:42:00]:
Oh, love that 100%. Thank you for that. So you started making these bracelets for.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:42:04]:
Yourself first for myself. And then my brother was just like, dude, you could totally like. I mean, I'm sure this would resonate with other people too. So I was like, all right, cool. Like, let's start something and we were just, like, kicking words around, and then he's always good with that stuff, So I was like, cosmic, you know? He's like, yeah, it's like pop culture. But I was like, but I don't want it to be like, this, like, fad thing. I want it to, like, really, you know, I wanted to stand the test of time. Like, I really want people to look at these pieces as a reminder that they're loved, that they are loved.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:42:42]:
They're made from love. It's all love.
Christina Barsi [00:42:44]:
Resonate.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:42:44]:
Exactly.
Christina Barsi [00:42:45]:
Yeah. Oh, that's beautiful. So your brother came up with the name.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:42:49]:
It was kind of like a partnership thing, because I wanted the word cosmic in there. And then he was just like, we're just, like, kicking ideas around. So he came up with the pop, and.
Christina Barsi [00:43:01]:
It popped.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:43:02]:
It popped, Exactly. I was like, that's it. That's it.
Christina Barsi [00:43:06]:
That's so cool. I mean, I love the name, and I also love the logo. It's crescent moons and stars, seas and the stars. And I was like, oh, my God, what is this?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:43:14]:
I love it.
Christina Barsi [00:43:14]:
Think I. I love it. So it's working. Good marketing. Good job, Ro.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:43:17]:
Thanks. I'll let them know.
Christina Barsi [00:43:20]:
Yeah, I mean, good job to you as well, because this is your baby. And I love that you just keep circling back to entrepreneurship, and it feels like entrepreneurship and creativity go hand in hand for you. Do you feel like there's. Is that what draws you to it, or is there something else? You just have this entrepreneurial spirit.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:43:36]:
I think a little bit of both. Again, like, I'm really trying to let go of my ego through my life and this whole thing. So I do what I do because I want to, but at the same time, it's like I still have that thorn in my side with Function Apparel. Oh, I did want to circle back, though. The artist who created my logo was the same artist that created Function Apparel's logo. Yeah, we're all kind of circling back to each other.
Christina Barsi [00:44:04]:
That's pretty cool.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:44:05]:
It's awesome. Yeah.
Christina Barsi [00:44:06]:
Do you feel like. Like, it is so connected. And the. The hearing your story told in this way, to me, feels like a journey. That makes a lot of sense. Like you said, it's. It's all serving the next part of the journey.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:44:18]:
Yes.
Christina Barsi [00:44:19]:
It's great to hear that the artwork was connected to the other company as well. And the way that it's serving you now, it's this interesting. Like, just the way that things hook up and connect is, I think, is really beautiful. So just thank you for sharing all of that, I am curious, like, what your thoughts are on. You work in finance or you did, and you seek entrepreneurship and going out on your own, and those concepts can be really difficult when it comes to the money part. So I think for creatives and empaths especially, we attach guilt to asking for a trade of dollars for our work. So for me especially, it was important for me to start venturing, entering into the healing relationship I had with money. And it was just a big part of my journey.
Christina Barsi [00:45:09]:
And I'm curious if that came in for you or if you have any advice or any ideas of how we can create healthy relationships with that exchange and that energy. To me, it's energetic too.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:45:19]:
Definitely. It's an energy exchange. So, I mean, that's always been a topic of conversation with my Reiki circle, but my master teacher says it's an energy exchange. So, I mean, if you think about it as like. Like an object, like, you're paying for this healing, this energy, this thing. So again, depending on, you know, where your client's at, where they are in life, you know, we've. We've offered sliding scales, but at the end of the day, this is your time, this is your energy. You're using, you know, yourself as a vessel to source from source to your client.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:45:56]:
So you should never feel guilty or bad because this is your time and you're providing them a healing service. And so that's kind of the way we've looked at it.
Christina Barsi [00:46:07]:
I love that. Thank you for sharing that perspective. And I do want to connect that idea with people who maybe don't think of themselves as healers and maybe aren't working in that space, but that what they're offering the world, I think if it's intentional and coming from, like, heart and coming from love, like you mentioned earlier with the jewelry making, it's all from love. I think when we do things like that, that. That serve others and our own purposes, that that is a healing exchange as well, and that that money exchange is a part of that.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:46:38]:
I think that's the easiest way to kind of explain it.
Christina Barsi [00:46:41]:
Yeah. Okay, so you make bracelets. Is there any other items that you create in Cosmic Pop that you can tell us about?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:46:48]:
I mean, I'm kind of dabbling here and there. I've got necklaces going, but all of them are sort of. They gravitate towards the energy and the seven chakras. So, you know, I make everything based off of, you know, the crystal properties. You know, we could go through all the chakras. Right. I Do offer palm stones and crystals and some of. Basically all of the tools that I use for myself that I think might resonate with the clients or people looking at the site.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:47:18]:
That's basically what I seek. When I'm talking to vendors, I don't. I don't get this entire lot of crystals because I think they'll sell. Like, I don't give a shit if they sell. I wanted to help people. I wanted to heal people. So, yeah, I mean, I have the jewelry, I make the custom jewelry, custom necklaces, but I also offer crystals.
Christina Barsi [00:47:38]:
Ah, okay, cool. Well, that's good to know because I'm always looking for crystals, honestly. So how do we find you? How do we find Cosmic Pop? And how do we find you?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:47:47]:
So right now, my website has been under construction for about two years now, so best way to find me would be on Instagram. My handles shopcosmicpop, and I am on Facebook as well under Cosmic Pop.
Christina Barsi [00:48:03]:
Cool. Okay. So for someone who may be going through something like this in terms of they're feeling down, they're feeling unfulfilled, they're not sure why they thought they made good choices, and they're smart people, and, you know, all of that, and. And, you know, they're listening for a reason, and maybe they haven't gone through this shift yet. Do you have any advice as to, you know, how they can lean into that or how they can listen a little closer to the messages that their heart's probably telling them?
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:48:31]:
Yeah, I mean, for me, it was ignoring all of the white noise and truly going within. Once I was able to do that, once I was able to put myself first, like I said, step into my light, that's when everything changed for me. It's that mind, that small shift, that small tweak in your perspective is what will change things. You have to do it on your own. You have to experience that on your own. And I learned the hard way, what, 14 years, 15 years of just dabbling and trying things out. But also, at the end of the day, it's practice. Right.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:49:10]:
You have to learn to set your ego aside, because it starts with you. It starts with, you know, with yourself and loving yourself. It sounds so cliche, but truly, when you truly feel that you come first in your life and in your partnerships and, like, you know, your family, things will change and you will see that light, guaranteed.
Christina Barsi [00:49:35]:
That was beautiful. I felt that in my heart. So thank you. Yeah, thank you, Ava. This was so lovely to hear your story and thank you for sharing so openly.
Eva Bautista-Fung [00:49:48]:
Thanks for your journey. Wow. I'm so honored to be on this podcast with you.
Christina Barsi [00:49:52]:
Oh, I'm so glad you came. So glad we did this.
