A Huila Psychologist Builds a Wellness Business, One Problem at a Time

In the small department of Huila, southern Colombia, a psychologist named Luz Elena Narvaez Cardenas has turned her passion for wellness into a thriving business called Sanacion y Vida S.A.S. Narvaez, 44, has spent over a decade working with people through various wellness processes, and she uses this experience to create a company that offers spa services, complementary therapies, and medical care under one roof.

Narvaez's approach to health is holistic, viewing the body, emotions, and mind as interconnected. Her treatments include massages, facial treatments, yoga classes, and consultations with internal medicine and functional medicine doctors who focus on finding the root causes of health issues rather than just treating symptoms. The company employs 14 people and has contracts with both public and private clients in Huila, including the Chamber of Commerce, regional government, and local businesses.

Sanacion y Vida started as a partnership, but Narvaez took over when her original partners chose different paths. She financed the business with her own money, reinvested all earnings, and accepted that growth would require patience and financial discipline. Narvaez also took on credit to expand the company, even using personal assets during difficult times. In addition to financial challenges, she had to learn sales strategies, management skills, and finance—areas she wasn't trained in—through Huila's Chamber of Commerce.

Her family joined the business, with Narvaez's daughters now working in marketing, customer service, protocols, and care processes. The company has become a family project, inspired by her mother's example of entrepreneurship. Narvaez's biggest lesson in entrepreneurship is that keeping a business alive is harder than creating it.

She learned the importance of clear processes, responsibilities, and agreements to protect her company. Narvaez's ultimate goal is to make Sanacion y Vida a national reference for comprehensive wellness. She plans to develop memberships and a corporate wellness line to help organizations support their employees and improve productivity.

Over the next 10 years, she aims to open new branches, partner with hotels, and expand internationally. Narvaez remains open to outside investors who share her human-centered values but does not plan to sell the company. Her advice to other entrepreneurs is to keep learning, share knowledge, and treat every difficulty as the next problem to solve.