Issa Vásquez Biography

Issabela Vásquez Perdomo (January 14, 1997), better known to internet users as Issa Vásquez, is an influencer and entrepreneur from Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. She is widely acknowledged for her fitness-focused content, through which she imparts to her followers a healthy lifestyle.

 

Who is Issa Vásquez?

Issa Vásquez is a Colombian fitness influencer, born in Ibagué, Tolima. She is the daughter of María Clemencia Perdomo. While little is known about her biological father, she has been fortunate to have Carlos G Pinzón as her stepfather, whom she considers a second father in her life.

In her youth, Issa wasn’t someone who regularly engaged in physical exercise. However, she didn’t feel completely satisfied with her body, particularly her legs. A moment that left a profound mark on the influencer was a heated argument with her group of friends, during which she received hurtful comments about her body. These derogatory words had a significant impact on her and marked a turning point in her life.

“In my school, my friends were always very slim, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable, but I did notice the difference. It didn’t affect me until sixth grade when I had a fight with my friends, and they bullied me for a few months, calling me ‘Willy the whale.’ This affected me a bit and stayed with me”.

She studied at the San Bonifacio de las Lanzas School Corporation, from which she graduated in 2014.

 

Early years

At the age of 17, Issa embarked on an exchange journey to Boston, United States, to study business communication and English. Over the course of six months residing in Boston and the following six in Madrid, she underwent a significant lifestyle transformation, partly driven by a period of emotional post-breakup turmoil. During this time, Vásquez unknowingly gained 15 kilograms without realizing the physical changes she was going through.

It was upon her return to Colombia that her family and friends were surprised to see her.

Back in her home country, the influencer chose to undergo a cosmetic procedure to remove fat from her legs, as this area was one of her main sources of insecurity. This step motivated her to take a greater interest in her diet and physical fitness.

Unfortunately, Issa couldn’t find a balance and went from not taking care of herself to becoming obsessed with diets, fitness enthusiasts, and workouts. Over time and through experience, she came to understand that this world and lifestyle should be maintained in a healthy balance.

“I began restricting myself so much that I didn’t want to go out to eat with my friends. I would eat beforehand to avoid doing it there, or I would bring my salmon to the cinema, and it’s not that it’s wrong, but if it starts to affect your social life, then it’s no longer healthy”.

She pursued her studies in business administration in the city of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

 

Beginnings

Her initial foray into content creation wasn’t at the forefront of her focus. During that time, she was a young individual passionate about personal care, crafting recipes and diet plans that she shared on an Instagram account called “Be Choices”, created for that specific purpose. Initially, her profile was private, but she switched it to public settings when she began to notice changes in her own body.

During that time, Issa was conducting her internship at a technology multinational company. Managing her time became a real challenge as she would wake up at 4 in the morning to go to the gym, then attend university, and afterwards head to work. During her free time, she dedicated herself to recording recipes for her Instagram page, although at that time, she didn’t generate income through this activity.

Before the pandemic hit, her boss at the multinational company offered her a significant position and a hard-to-refuse salary. Despite giving it careful thought, Vásquez chose to decline the offer as she wanted to focus on her social media and her career as a content creator.

 

Career

Issabela Vásquez took her first steps by observing fashion influencers, carefully analyzing their strategies and collaborations. One of the aspects she noticed was that many of them had representatives, so she decided to contact the person she considered the most prominent in this field. She wrote a letter to Lina Cáceres, outlining her desire to have her as a representative, despite not having a large number of followers at that time. Lina’s response was straightforward: “Keep working on it”.

In addition to that initiative, Issa began reaching out to various sports brands in an effort to become their ambassador. Despite facing initial rejections, she didn’t give up and kept seeking opportunities. Within a month, Reebok gave her a chance, making it the first company she worked with. Later, other collaborations followed, such as Tosh, which compensated her for her advertising.

During the quarantine imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Issa decided to host live streams to entertain her audience. During these live sessions, she shared her own workout routines, which gradually attracted a growing audience. Her viewership went from 120 spectators to 16,000 people tuning into her live streams. Over time, her content diversified, encompassing recipes, exercise routines, and a close connection with her expanding organic community on Instagram.

Currently, Issa Vásquez has established herself as a charismatic influential figure on social media, amassing a strong following across various platforms. On TikTok, she has over 925 thousand followers, while on Instagram, she has reached 808 thousand followers. Additionally, her YouTube channel boasts more than 50 thousand subscribers.

 

Entrepreneur: Natif

Taking advantage of her fame and success, Issa Vásquez decided to embark on an entrepreneurial venture. Initially, the idea was to open a restaurant with her partner, but both aimed to go beyond just one city. A close friend, who owned a supermarket, revealed that one of the most popular products in his store was bread. This information was of vital importance to this visionary couple, who gave life to their brand of healthy baked goods, Natif. Nowadays, Natif is present in more than 70 cities nationwide, distributing its products in over 250 stores.

 

Personal life

The influencer has been in a romantic relationship with Juan Javier since 2011, and together, they have become one of the most beloved couples on social media. Over the years, numerous followers, internet users, and friends have eagerly awaited their engagement due to the enduring love story they share.

Finally, during a romantic trip through Europe, specifically in Greece, on August 30, 2023, the long-awaited marriage proposal took place.