Our Story
Our story is layered. The good ones always are!
Vida Plena was built on the incredible foundation laid by 2nd Mile Missions. Established in 2006 in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, 2nd Mile Missions began as a beacon of hope, offering educational, nutritional, and spiritual support to children and families caught in the relentless cycle of poverty in the El Hoyo & Monte Verde neighborhoods.
Meeting a Need.
In 2018, a realization sparked a new initiative: the need to create employment opportunities for the women of Bavaro, many of whom were navigating the challenges of single parenthood. This led to the creation of Vida Plena. Vida Plena, meaning “Full Life”, became a studio focused on empowering women by harnessing their skills and creativity.
Josh & Erin Porter, together with their three children, answered God’s call to the Dominican Republic.
We had the idea. The building. Women ready to work. But needed a product.
As Josh Porter prepared to relocate from Warsaw, Indiana, he crossed paths with Luke Wright, the founder of MudLOVE, a local art studio and brand. Their meeting sparked a shared mission: to create something simple yet meaningful that could simply be brought to life, by hand, while changing lives.
Luke had envisioned bringing the woven bracelet to life—a craft he first fell in love with in elementary school. Turning that vision into a viable product within his U.S.-based studio proved to be a challenging journey. Together, they saw an opportunity to transform this idea into a reality, blending creativity with purpose.
The Viona Bracelet.
In 2018, Luke Wright, founder of MudLOVE flew to the Dominican Republic to train 25 women to weave Viona bracelets.
Fast forward to 2020. The community of Monte Verde, near the resort town of Punta Cana, depends almost exclusively on tourists to run the economy. As the pandemic locked up the country, and unemployment soared. In fact, unemployment is still above 50% in many areas. Thanks to the continued growth of MudLOVE in 2020, we were able to help provide steady work for the women at Vida Plena. And it gave us an idea.
A Deepening Relationship + A New Partnership
If the women at Vida Plena could expertly craft Viona bracelets, the question arose—what other beautiful handmade products could they learn to create? Inspired by this idea, Luke dedicated months to brainstorming new clay designs and teaching himself 3D printing, while his wife, the founder of Bel Kai, refined resin-pouring techniques from her own jewelry-making expertise.
In 2021, with a detailed plan, they organized three days of hands-on training, booked their flights, and packed their supplies.
The challenge was ambitious: to train women to craft 6 new clay products and 4 unique jewelry styles, mastering countless techniques in just three days. It was a bold goal, fueled by creativity, determination, and the shared excitement of bringing new possibilities to life.
Vida Plena, an Entity of Sea Change Studios
In January 2022, a new chapter began as Vida Plena joined forces with MudLOVE and Bel Kai under the leadership of Caleb France—a devoted husband, father, businessman, and serial entrepreneur. Together, these three ventures united to form Sea Change Studio, a collective driven by creativity, purpose, and the power to make a lasting impact.
Today and Everyday
Today, and every day, we are employing 25 women at Vida Plena. We invest in our team emotionally, spiritually, physically, and economically with the intention of seeing women and families flourish. As a Vida Plena team member, we supply daily language classes, counseling, loans/grants for health care & documentation, and full educational scholarships for team member's children. We provide full-time work at over double the market rate and support them in becoming legal residents of the Dominican Republic.
Meet the Team
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Caleb France
CEO
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Alberto Vargas
Production Manager
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Camila Zender
Product Manager
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Gina Hannah
Accountant
