Alessandra Ambrosio On The Power Of Women And Celebrating Her Brazilian Roots With Nespresso

Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio is no stranger to clearing a path that is all her own. For 17 years, she reigned over the runway as a coveted Angel for Victoria’s Secret. These days, however, Ambrosio, 41, has her sights set on expanding her opportunities in the business world.

Ambrosio has teamed up with Nespresso for the coffee giant’s summer 2022 collection, which includes a new flavor called Liminha Over Ice, a coffee creation inspired by her native country of Brazil with a marketing campaign that appropriately matches Ambrosio’s healthy lifestyle.

“I was really happy when they chose me to be their face for the campaign and we shot it in Brazil. The whole campaign, it’s about doing yoga, taking time for yourself, feeling good, the inhale and exhale. Usually for me when I drink coffee, I’m taking the little time for myself to just re-think what’s happening in my life or what’s going through my day.”

Ambrosio goes on to tell me that she has always been a big fan of Nespresso, saying that Brazilians love their coffee. For many like Ambrosio, a morning coffee is more than just a daily sipping routine, but a moment of much-needed reflection. As the world becomes more and more embracing of productive mental health conversations, I wondered how Ambrosio looks out for her own overall health in 2022.

“It’s not easy, but I have my tricks,” Ambrosio says with a laugh. “I like waking up in the morning, doing my coffee, and then I have my diary next to my bed. It’s a 5-minute diary – like a gratitude book. I just write a little bit about what I expect out of my day, what I’m grateful for, so just to start the day in a positive vibe. I have some things that I know how to calm me down, how to center, and how to be present in the moment that I do.”

The Brazilian-born businesswoman has actively taken on an even greater role in fashion since her Victoria’s Secret modeling days, founding in 2019 her own swimwear line, GAL Floripa. So between her partnership with Nespresso and her ongoing commitment with apparel, I wondered what Ambrosio’s mindset toward business is like today.

“Well I think for me, it’s trying to do things like from when I started modeling – I wanted to do things that make me happy. I’m not going to promote or create something that I don’t identify with. So for me, coffee is like a very natural fit. And swimsuit, being from Brazil, I grew up in a swimsuit, so that’s what I like to do and that’s what I like to create.”

In late 2017, Ambrosio took her final runway walk as a longtime Angel in the former Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. These five years later, I asked the supermodel-turned-entrepreneur what memories come to mind most from her larger-than-life experiences and if she would change anything about her time working alongside the clothing & beauty retailer.

“Victoria’s Secret was like a family for me and I learned so much with them and it was a brand that I admired,” Ambrosio continues. “It was a school for me of modeling because I was working every day. We got to go to so many different places, so it just really made me really comfortable in front of the camera. I don’t know if I would change anything. I guess everything is about learning and when you’re young – I started with Victoria’s Secret when I was 19, so I was still kind of young, even if I thought I knew everything in the world (laughs). I was learning and if I did mistakes, even the mistakes, I think it counts to learn and not to do it again.”

In the middle of her long career with Victoria’s Secret, Ambrosio gave birth in 2008 to her first child, a daughter Anja Louise, followed by her son Noah Phoenix in 2012. Now with well-over a decade of motherhood under her belt, I wondered how her life today in California beside her two kids has affected her outlook on other areas of her life.

“I think that everything I do, my concern and I try to keep in mind that I have my kids. I want to give a good example to them. I want to show them a healthy and happy life because growing up in Brazil was so easy and simple. Now, I’m like exposed to this world and my kids, too. We’re here in the big city. I grew up in a small town, so for me, it’s just preparing them for the world but still trying to bring simplicity and do what you want, you know? Don’t try to be something you’re not.”

As Ambrosio continues on as a mom, a supermodel, and an entrepreneur, I was curious if she has any advice for other business professionals, especially women, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her evolving career.

“I think especially for women, women can do it all. We can take care of the house, we can take care of the kids. Having a business is definitely something, if it fulfills you and if you’re doing something with love and passion. I have this motto which is ‘forever on vacation’ so whatever I do, I want to feel like I’m on vacation. I want to feel like I love what I’m doing and I’m in the moment doing something for others to feel better, but also for me to feel good and feel complete. That’s what I think for women out there or business people – do something that you believe in and that you enjoy because life is happening now, so if you don’t enjoy it now, when are you going to enjoy?”