Francesca Ferreira is a strong woman who wants to empower others. And that’s why she founded Bloom Holistic Wellness to inspire others to eat right and Selva Brazil (formerly Selva Beauty), a natural skincare line.
Ferreira’s foray into entrepreneurship stems from her Brazilian upbringing and the cultural shift of coming to the United States.
Growing up in Acre — a state in the Amazon Legal region of Brazil, rich in rubber — Ferreira led a farm-to-table life, with her mother using plant-based remedies. She was close to her father, “like his right arm,” she says.
Initially, Ferreira studied to be a diplomat, arriving in Washington, D.C. in 2007 as a diplomat’s assistant. It was the year after her father died.
“He said to me, ‘I want you to go, but I know if you go, you’re not coming back.’” Indeed, she remained in Washington, D.C. until 2014 when she headed to New York City.
“I decided I wanted to be an actress.” But casting directors told her, “You are pretty, but we don’t like your accent. You should be a model.”
She found modeling to be “a very dirty business, all about sex and drugs.” Perhaps it was the stress of the fashion industry, and losing her father, too, but Ferreira began to develop problems with the skincare products she was using. She was also eating a lot of fast food. And while she didn’t gain weight, her bad cholesterol shot up. It was time for a change.
Entrepreneurship was always an interest. But the real catalyst for change was her marriage to Val Morano Sagliocco — president and CEO of the Mamaroneck-based Morano Group LLC of landscape and hardscape businesses and subject of WAG’s April cover — and her pregnancy with their first child, Sofia, now 4. (Second daughter Isabella is 2.) So concerned was she about the chemicals in skincare products during her first pregnancy that she used none. Realizing there had to be a better way, she created the Selva Brazil line of vegan products. (“Selva” is a tract of forested land in the Amazon.)
The products are cruelty-, sulfate-, paraben-, silicone- and gluten-free. They include the Perfect 10 Oil Cleanser, made with plant oils; the Cucumber Daily Cleanser, with vitamin A and white willow; the Vitamin C CC Serum, with citrus stem cells; the Protein Lift Serum, with peptides and botanicals; the Advanced Eye Serum, with protein and fruit extracts; the Enhancing Lip Plumper; the Nighttime Ageless Complex, with vitamin A and jojoba; the Detox Nighttime Miracle, with lavender and peony flower; and the Detoxifying Charcoal Mask with three earth clays as well as charcoal. Ferreira says she made these products for everyone but especially pregnant women.
And it was with them in mind that this mompreneur became an INN (Institute for Integrated Nutrition) certified health coach to help clients discover ways to improve their mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Indeed, she is hoping to host a couples’ retreat in Mexico to focus on communication in marriage and to find a home for products in local boutiques.
In whatever she does, her goal is the same: “I always wanted to help people get out of their comfort zone and be the best that they can be.”
For more, visit bloomholisticwellnesscoach.com and selvabeauty.nyc.
