You can’t mess with this CEO

There is so much more to Valeria Cavalcante than just beauty and skincare. The 44-year-old CEO of Vagheggi, an Italian phytocosmetic brand that has been launched in Mumbai, is the mother of two kids, a trained ballet dancer and surprise, surprise, a dedicated Karate Shotokan student. “My family’s first reaction was to laugh at my desire to learn martial arts, but I said I’m going ahead anyway. They were supportive and when they saw me in class for the first time, they were amazed,” says Cavalcante.

Sweating it out at martial arts also helps Cavalcante focus at work. “Karate is all about discipline and being focussed and calm. These are also essential qualities to succeed in one’s professional life,” she says.



Having been a ballet dancer for 20 years, Cavalcante says that the dance form helped her find her foothold in martial arts. “Ballet requires strong core muscles and great upper and lower body strength to perform the lifts and other moves. Holding a ballet dance position for even a minute or two requires a lot of practice and this sort of prepared me for karate. It was a smooth transition.”

Though she hasn’t had the opportunity to use her karate moves on anyone yet, she insists that a big part of her training is in knowing how to avert danger. “If I’m sitting in a restaurant, I’ll make sure I’m facing the door and even angle my body in a way that I can reach it easily. I also spend extra time hunting for perfect parking spots — one that is close to an exit,” explains Italy-based Cavalcante.

Admittedly, her friends think she’s crazy, but Cavalcante says these traits are now ingrained in her, and she wouldn’t want to undo her learning at any cost.