How To Trust Your Intuition And Build An Aligned Business With Grace Emmons

Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, where grit, grace, and joy connect you to unstoppable success. Hey there, and welcome to the Amberly Lago Show. I am so excited that you tuned in, especially if you're an entrepreneur, but also if you've ever faced burnout, felt like you weren't in alignment, feel like you lost your purpose. I don't know, feel like throwing in the towel, because I think that's part of being an entrepreneur. If you're not feeling like you want to just throw in the towel like every every week, then maybe, maybe you're not doing big enough dreams. I don't know. But today's guest is Grace Emmons, and she is incredible, y'all. She is an entrepreneur, intuitive coach, and energy healer who empowers female leaders to thrive in both life and business. Not only that, she's got a master's in clinical psychology from Columbia. She studied with incredible mentors and does Reiki. And I just can't wait to get into it. We were talking before we started recording, and I already told her, we're gonna be friends for life. You're not getting rid of me. And so, Grace, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for having me.

Oh, well, I'm so excited to meet you. I just can't believe that we've met now because we were neighbors, basically, in California with you being in Topanga. Well, now you're in Laguna, but— and I was right off of Topanga Canyon. But I think I think we were just destined to meet. And so here we are. And I have a lot of listeners that are entrepreneurs and actually, I love you fellas, but most of the listeners are female. And I love that you empower females, entrepreneurs to go after their dreams, but also guide people on how to listen to their intuition and basically lead with their heart and live the life they've always imagined.

Yeah.

So let's talk about, you know, facing burnout. So how did you get into the line of work that you're doing now and create this methodology? Because you've transformed your business. And I also want to share how many times you have burned a business to the ground and started over and wasted money, because, hello, I've done that too. But how did you get into the healing work and learn about astrology and Reiki? And psychology and business. How did you change your life?

Well, like most people, I had my own rock bottom moment. Well, I should say most healers and coaches and guides, I had my own rock bottom moment where I had to figure it out for myself. And then once I had, I realized, oh my gosh, I can help so many other people, hopefully prevent them from having to go the hard route that I went, hopefully help them, you know, give them the guidance that I wish I had along my way. But I started my career out in consulting and pharma and biotech. I actually have an undergrad degree in bioengineering of all things. And I was working in the pharmaceutical industry with like high-paying job, high-powered, you know, in rooms with execs making multimillion-dollar deals. And on the outside, things looked really good. It looked like I was successful, like I should be fulfilled, like I should like my life. But on the inside, everything was crumbling down. I was addicted to Adderall to even get through my days.

Wow.

I was super uninspired. I felt stuck and depressed, and my life started to really deteriorate. And that was because I was not aligned with a deeper sense of purpose. And I was living by all of these external rules and following roadmaps that I thought I was supposed to follow and had kind of lost touch with the deepest parts of myself. So I ended up trying a Reiki session on a whim. I actually thought I was going in for a shoulder pain that I had. And what I didn't realize was stepping out of that session, I had reawoken something that had been lying so dormant, which was my inner guidance system. My intuition turned back on. And I started to follow it in little ways. And at first that was studying Reiki and astrology and going back to school for psychology and just like trusting the pull that I was feeling to things and what I felt passionate about. And then eventually trusted that pull all the way to starting my own business as a healer, a coach, a guide, and really manifesting a life and businesses beyond my wildest dreams. Things that I, you know, 7 years before had said like, maybe in another life I could just be, you know, a healer and work with people in Topanga. And like, you know, ended up actually manifesting just that within 5 years of trusting myself. And being willing to follow that. So I help people circumvent the long journey it took me to do it a little bit quicker.

How long did that journey of healing— so after that first session in Reiki where you went in for your shoulder and came out like, oh, something like clicked. How long did it take you to get through that healing? I want people to know because, I mean, a lot of people think that I had my motorcycle accident and went through 34 surgeries. And then all of a sudden, I was just healed and posting on social media. And I literally was just in and out of depression, overcame addiction. And it was like 6 years of a lot of healing work. And a lot of my healing actually was in Topanga. I don't know if you know Melanie, who teaches belly dancing in Topanga. But that was actually one thing that really helped me, were all those times I went in and I didn't know if I would be able to dance again. And just her love and her energy is one of the things. But I think too that you're definitely in the right place to start that business because Topanga is such a magical, spiritual, transformative place. But how long did it take you to get from going in for that session to going, you know what, I'm doing this, I'm going to start a new business?

Yeah, it took probably 5 years from when I had that initial Reiki awakening. And that really I see as a turning point in my life of starting me down this path. But it took me about 5 years of self-study, of healing, of— and I was really piecing things together by studying under all these different coaches and healers and guides and trying to, you know, I did this deep spiritual study and rediscovery of self and reawakening my gifts and finding my purpose that was fully self-guided. So yeah, it took some time. And it was, yeah, I think about 5 years later that I launched the first iteration of my business, which was called Spirit Forward Healing. And it was Reiki and sharing the evidence base of Reiki, 'cause I had studied that in my master's. And at first that was just me like, You know, I actually launched that on the side while I still had my full-time job and I was still in my master's degree. And, you know, it was not much more than like an Instagram account where I could share a little bit about Reiki, and I did a few sessions with people here or there. But the universe had other plans for me and kept pushing me to go bigger. First, you know, it was actually I got pregnant unexpectedly, and once I was pregnant with my daughter, I had this like come-to-Jesus moment of like, wow, I can't— I have so many things to juggle. Something has to— I have to let go of something. And it was very clear then, I gotta let go of the job I don't even care about. I gotta let go of what I know I'm leaving and step into what I know I'm being called into. So that was a huge point where I went bigger, I went all in. And then as I mentioned, I burned my business to the ground a couple different times. to create what I now am building and scaling at Forward With Grace. And that's really been my willingness to time and time again trust when I feel, yeah, if I feel burnt out, if I feel stuck, that there's something more for me to evolve into. And yeah, and so now I'm super passionate about helping women hopefully get through that process a little bit quicker and just feel more supported through that process, feel like they have somebody in their corner. You know, I mentioned I was learning from all these different schools of thoughts and all these different teachers, and I always just wished I had somebody that got me and saw me, and it would help me forge my own path. And that's what I really love to help women with, is like, you know, it's not about following my path, it's about helping them uncover their own path. But to feel empowered, to feel supported, to feel validated, so that hopefully, they can make those leaps a little bit faster, and maybe circumvent some of the trouble that I found myself in all along that way.

Well, thank you for sharing that it took 5 years. I wanted to bring that up because I think sometimes social media or even listening to a podcast, it makes things look easy. And a lot of times, I like to describe it as like a duck on water. Like a duck on top, it looks all smooth, but underneath, like, just going a mile a minute, paddling and paddling and paddling. And it does take so much confidence in yourself to start something new. How scary was that to start something new, to say, okay, I am getting rid of this security of this great-paying job and gonna do— I'm going for it. How did you— did you end up having support through that process?

Terrifying. It's terrifying. I did it mostly without support. I mean, I had my husband who's always in my corner, and both, you know, from the emotional, mental, and financial support to be able to know, okay, we have both of us. So, if I'm under-earning for a little while, You know, that does honestly help a lot. And so he was huge, but I didn't really have like a coach or somebody to guide me at that time. It was terrifying because I was really afraid of being visible. And a lot of— I meet a lot of women, especially those healers, coaches, guides, those spiritual entrepreneurs who have a big message to share and a voice that they're meant to, you know, share with the world. But So often we have so much visibility wounding that comes from not just our programming as children and our childhood and, you know, being told like, you're too much, quiet down, be less, be like, you know, all the things we're told as kids. But also going back, you want to talk about generational trauma and how women have been suppressed and told to just like, you know, be subservient and be good girls and just, you know, and And then let alone, if you want to get spiritual with it, about like the witch wound that we have so much fear as women of being seen in all of our gifts and the intuitive gifts and our power and our magic. You know, for so long, women were literally burned at the stake for like showing all of their magic to the world. So there was a lot of that that I had to overcome. The first iteration of my business was like kind of like a faceless account and I would just share things. And then I had a big uplevel. I think it was 2022 that I received very clearly a download, you know, from God, from the divine, that was like, you have to go bigger with your mission. This is what the world needs. You need to guide in a bigger way, and it will require you to be the face of it, to show your face, to use your voice.

Oh my goodness. Yeah. And you know, I was just— Talking to— well, I have a group chat for my mastermind members. We were just discussing this. And I would love, I would love for you to meet all of them. You would love these ladies. They're incredible. Just because they've got the biggest hearts and they're so passionate about making an impact in the world. And we were just talking about this, about that visibility part. And And I had a good mentor of mine tell me one time, because I was nervous about posting. I remember the first time I posted a picture of myself. And I literally was in bed and I pulled the— I was in my daughter's bed with her and I pulled the covers over my head like, oh my gosh, everybody's gonna see my face now, you know. And I remember talking to a mentor and he said, when I told him, I was like, oh, I'm worried about posting. I don't know. I don't— who wants to see my face or might hear about me and my story and who cares? Like, who could I possibly help? And he said, well, that's selfish of you. He goes, it's selfish of you and inconsiderate not to share your message. There is somebody out there that needs to hear your message. And that kind of clicked for me. And I will never forget that because there are still times when I'm like, actually, I'm supposed to record a video today, I just remembered. And it's like, I still get like, a little self-conscious and uncomfortable when I have to hold the camera up in front of me and talk.

Yeah.

And so, I love that you talk about that witch wound. The first time I ever heard about that was from a good friend of mine. She actually lives in Woodland Hills. And She has left her corporate job and is doing all this healing work, like you. And she told me about the witch wound, and she was so afraid to be seen. And there's little things— you said something so awesome. Well, everything that you've said is awesome. But I mean, about the connection, or a mentor, or a community. I feel like sometimes all we need is like, even one person to believe in us before we can believe in ourself, and really to pour into us. And this friend of mine, she actually even showed me a video today. And I said, yeah, that's great. But where are you in that video? Like, we want to see you in that video. Do you still, or do you ever get nervous before you're doing a video or a photo shoot or anything like that?

Of course. And I think that's where, you know, growth happens when you notice your fears and realize that it's just your ego trying to keep you small.

Yes.

So fear is not a reason to not do something. It's actually, if anything, sometimes a reason to do it, because the fear is almost like an indicator that there's a growth opportunity for you, that there's a moment where you can, you know, you're surpassing what you're comfortable with and you're stepping into the unknown, which is where all growth happens, right? All expansion happens. So, I still come up to that fear plenty of times, but now I know to not let it stop me. And I know to, you know, regulate myself and then choose what I need to choose for my highest and good and for the highest of all, right? Not just what's going to feel the comfiest in that given moment.

Well, take me through that, a little bit of that process for you. Okay, so let's say that you are like, Oh, man, I gotta record this video and I'm not sure exactly what to say. And, you know, my hair, I'm having a bad hair day and I— oh, I look this way or that way because, man, I can be my own worst critic. But I know there are a lot of people listening and I know there's one of you listening right now and you've got that desire to— you've got big dreams and there's something holding you back where you're not Pushing the publish button or the post button. Can you walk us through something that they can do today? So, after they hear this, they're gonna go, okay, Grace told me this is what I need to do when that fear pops up, when my ego gets in the way. Because I always say ego means edging God out. So, can you walk us through something really quickly on how you get past Through that fear and do it anyway?

Yeah. I mean, a really easy practice is like, okay, we hear the ego voice and what it's telling us, oh, you're gonna look stupid. Don't do it. You're gonna— you know, they're gonna judge you. So, like, that's present, right? So, what if you note that down? So, write, you know, write down, ego says, and just write down what the ego's saying. Great. We accept it. We hear it. We hear you. But then, the trick is pass the mic over to your higher self. So after you've heard from the ego, ask, okay, what does my higher self tell me? Because that's where the higher self is quiet. The higher self— the ego is gonna take the mic and say, you're so stupid and you don't know anything and why are you even trying, right? But the higher self, it won't grab the mic back. It needs to be— we— it needs to be invited. It's like so kind and nice and likes to wait its turn. So we can do, you know, you can you can intentionally ask for your higher self to guide you. What would my higher self tell me? And I wouldn't be surprised if it'll have some very important reasons of why you're supposed to be recording that video, hitting post, right? Whether it's there's one person out there who needs to hear this message today.

Yeah.

And they're only gonna receive it from you, right? Like it's gonna land from you or whatever, you know, whatever it is. But I actually invite you to hear from your own higher self rather than, Rather than from me, but we don't always do that step.

Okay, I get real, you know, I don't have a degree in psychology. Actually, I don't have any degrees other than I have a PhD in grit, is what I always used to say. Now I have—

The most important PhD you can have.

But I'm working on my PhD in grace, actually. So that's one of the reasons I was like, oh, her name is Grace. Yeah. Explain to us your higher self. If there's somebody listening, okay, I know you're listening going, Amberly, you don't know what higher self is? No, I want to know for someone who's listening that's like, well, what is your higher— what does that mean? How can I find my higher self? I don't— all I hear is my ego. How do they find their higher self?

So energy work is great for this. This is why I love of Reiki and energetic work because I think it quiets that inner critic, that ego voice, and it helps amplify the voice of your higher self. But the way I see it, it's like you can think about it almost as, you know, we have, you know, when you have those cartoons and there's the devil on your shoulder and the angel on the other shoulder, right? We really have this within us. And you can conceptualize your higher self as your true self, your authentic self. It's like your soul, right? The ego is the mind. the human mind that's developed and evolved to keep us from killing ourselves, like keep us safe and keep us, you know, but the higher self is that which transcends the body, the mind. It's the soul, it's the spirit, it's that connection to all that is beyond the self. So whether you believe in God, angels, divine energy, or you just believe that there's an access that you have to a part of you that is transcendent, that is, you know, lives on beyond this lifetime, however you want to conceptualize it. Or you can just think of it as like your light and your shadow, right? We all get that there's like a dark side we have, and we know there's like our ability to be good, right? Our ability to be good. So what I find is people are always listening to the voice of the ego, the inner critic. It gets really, really, really loud, and we have to train ourselves to hear from the higher self. We have to train that. So energy healing is great to just reset the system. That's why I'm such a fan of Reiki. That's why I blend it into all the work I do with my clients and my groups and my programs, because it's really good at turning down the volume on the inner critic, turning up the volume on the higher self. But journaling, like, with yourself, right? When you can first— I think it's actually really helpful to do that 2-part, like, clear out the gunk. Okay, just what is my monkey mind saying? What is the ego saying? Just get it out on paper, rip it up, throw it away. And then once you, like, once you've gotten past all that, can you get to a point of just a little more clarity, stream of consciousness? And then, like, when that true stream of consciousness comes through from the higher self, it's like that.

Yeah.

those words that you— that like, your biggest cheerleader would tell you, right? Like, the words that you would tell somebody that you loved. Like, haven't you ever, you know, like, if your best friend is struggling with something, and she's like, I don't know, I don't think I'm good enough, whatever. And you just can see their light and be like, oh my God, girl, like, you are amazing. You are gifted. You are perfect. You like— You have so much to give to the world, right? And like, what would it sound like to turn that same voice onto yourself? Like, what does that have to say for yourself? And sometimes we're so good at giving it out to others and we don't actually allow ourselves to receive it for ourselves. So I actually have an exercise that leads you through this. It's called like an empowerment mindset exercise. It's something I've taught to thousands. I've actually taught this with hundreds of companies. I've gone in with this seminar to teach people about how to feel more empowered in their mindset. And I have a guided exercise that I made as like a little freebie because it was so popular. So, we can actually link that for your—

Okay. Well, yeah. Can you tell us the link?

Yeah. Can I send it to you? Yeah.

Okay. Thank you. And so, you guys, I will have that link in the show notes. But yeah, I so love everything that you just shared. I actually picture like a little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. And I seriously, Like, flick that devil off. Yes, I love it. I'm a very visual person.

I love that. That's a great ritual. That's a great ritual. You know, and I like to share that in Kabbalah, which is Jewish mysticism, which is one of the schools of thought that I like to study. And in Kabbalah, like, they teach— and this is part of, you know, the Bible, if you're religious at all— or is, you know, Lucifer, Satan, was a fallen angel. And the idea, the whole point of that ego, that devil on the shoulder, it's actually there for a reason. It's there for us as free-willed human beings to choose the light, right? Like, it's that if everything was so easy, if we came in and all we had was the voice of the higher self, right, that can— that part that's connected to God, the part of us that is, you know, a direct extension of God, if we just came in as that and we're walking through the world, like, we wouldn't even have the free will Like, everything would just be perfect, right? So, it's actually part of our human experience that we are tempted, that we have the devil voice, that we have these, like, this part of us that we have to overcome to spiritually evolve. That's our duty as humans, to overcome the voice of the devil with the voice of the angel. So, I like to share that as well, just in case that resonates for anybody.

That totally resonates. And You know what, when I always remind myself to HALT, which means never get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. In fact, I just bought myself this little necklace with a pause symbol on it to remind me to pause and take care. You know, it's so important to take care of your health. But I know that that voice, that ego voice, that whether you want to call it the dark side or the devil, whatever, it gets really loud. And it'll be the only thing that I'm listening to if I ever get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. And so, I know that sounds so basic, but that really helps me to have a check-in with myself. And I've had to get really, really strategic on resting and taking care of my health mentally, spiritually, and physically. What's something that you do on a daily basis that keeps you listening to your higher self or that little angel or that keeps you grounded? Do you have like a morning ritual or something throughout the day that you do that you can share with us to help others?

So one of my biggest tips, and it almost sounds too basic, but it's, it's so simple, is spending time outside in nature, moving my body. That can be going for a walk down to the beach or out in the mountains or just around the block. But there is nothing like being outside, moving your body in nature. That is a full mind-body-spirit reset right there. It's available to pretty much everybody. And so I like to share that because it's like so simple but so effective. Like, I have had some of my best downloads and ideas and intuitive hits after like a really good hike out in nature or like down, you know, swimming in the ocean or something. Because talk about, you know, I mentioned I like Reiki and energy healing to clear out the voice of the ego, but nature is a natural energy healer. Nature is our natural element and it resets us mind, body, spirit. You know, people talk about grounding, and now it's like this whole— I don't know, like one of those trends. But like, quite literally, I studied electrical engineering. Quite literally, the ground, the earth, grounds the circuit. We are electromagnetic beings, and we get quite literally haywire when we're separated from the earth, which now we are all the time. We're wearing shoes, we're inside, we're in houses, we're on concrete. But when we evolved As humans, we were connected to the earth all the time. It was part of— we evolved, you know, synergistically, like we were like co— what do you call it? What is it when it's like, I'm gonna lose the word, but you know, when like the bird that lives on the hippo and they like have a symbiotic relationship, is that it? Okay. So we have like a symbiotic relationship with the earth and right now we're very disconnected. So I do like to share just nature, the earth, grounding, because it's free, it's instant, it's so easy, and it will clear your mind. It'll clear those voices if you let it, if you go into it with the intention. And part of that is also not always having a podcast on and on your phone and trying to multitask. It's like disconnecting a little bit, you know, so that you can reconnect to your channel within.

I couldn't agree more. I did not realize, Grace, how much I would miss the mountains and the ocean until I moved to Dallas. And literally, the first couple of months when I got here, I was like, is there even a hill that I can climb? Because I feel the most spiritually connected and talk to God when I'm on a hike or I'm in nature. And that was really hard for me. But I don't think that's basic at all. I think we need to be reminded that get outside. I mean, it does reset yourself. And so even in my studio here, you should see I've got plants everywhere because I feel like at least I can bring nature in here.

Yeah.

But in between coaching calls or podcast interviews or events, whatever, even if it's 5 minutes, I make a point to go outside, get barefoot, and even walk through the grass or sit and just lay there and soak up some sun. And I think nowadays, you know, with everybody saying, oh, well, not everybody, but lots of people saying, stay out of the sun, wear your sunscreen. I'm like, no, we need some vitamin D. But so, I love that. I couldn't agree more. There's something magical also about the ocean.

Yeah.

I know we're just diving into the ocean, but one of the things that I— when I was stalking you for this interview, basically, is you have a— do you still have a place where you do retreats in Topanga or did you— you do?

Yeah. So one of my businesses, Topanga Canyon Oasis, is a small event and retreat space in Topanga. We used to live just next door to it. We have a bit of a compound we've created there. We bought the property next to us. There's 2 different little like bungalow homes that guests can stay in this beautiful outdoor event space. So I was leading a lot of events and retreats and things. It was a little bit, we've had to pivot a little bit after the fire. The road into Topanga was shut down for 6 months.

Wow.

And so we have sort of pivoted it to focus on Airbnb. And I mean, it's always been a place that people can come just do like a staycation, get out in nature. And that was a lot of the ethos of it was like Topanga, those mountains, the energy of it being by the ocean. It was so healing for me, for my husband. You know, we had both been in LA for years and like the energy in Topanga, we just felt like that it was healing being there.

Yeah.

So that was sort of the idea of the Topanga Canyon Oasis was like, let's share this with more people. Let's like create a space where people can come out and receive this healing energy that's available to us just by stepping out, just by like disconnecting and getting out of the busyness. So, it is still there and people can book a stay on Airbnb. And we do—

What's the Instagram handle again? Because people will be able to see a visual of it.

@topangacanyonoasis.

Okay. I'll put that in the link too because there is something magical about Topanga. There really is. And Some of my best friends live there. And there were times when I literally had an hour and I would drive through Topanga, just go stand and look at the ocean for a little bit and drive back because— and I'd roll the windows down, you know, and just— there's just something magical. I've had to find— and if you're listening and you're like, well, good for y'all for getting a place like that, I get it because now I live I live in a place where it's just flat. But you know what? I have a beautiful backyard and working in the yard and getting my hands dirty. And I've also got like a waterfall right outside, not a huge one, but like a little waterfall. And then we got a puppy and her name's Nugget. And she is a little— she's something else.

She's adorable.

Something else. That's all I'll say. She chews up a lot, that's for sure. But one of the good things about having Nugget is it has forced me to get out in nature and take her for walks. And I actually don't listen to a podcast or check my phone, or I'm like, you know what? I just need to get out and just breathe for a little bit. So, that's— I highly suggest—

Being in the present, like the present moment where we never are. These days when we're constantly in a computer, and a phone, and whatever, you know?

Yes, yes. And Grace, I have written down— you should see, I've got 3 pages of questions. I haven't even looked at them because I just love talking with you. I'm so on the same page. And, you know, I believe in the Reiki healing. And actually, one of my friends, Krista, is a healer, and she's coming over tomorrow. And she's so sweet. She's like, Amberly, can— 'cause I just actually just got out of some health stuff going on, and I'm doing much better. But she's like, she knows me well. And she's like, Amberly, can I come over and use some oil on you and do some healing? And I mean, like, the essential oils, and all of them have their purpose, and she knows all about that. And then, I have another friend, She's actually a doctor, Dr. Romina. She left her job as a doctor. She had a job as a doctor and has pursued this, her own path as a functional doctor and healer. And she's coming over to the house Wednesday night to do a sound bath healing with me. Lovely.

I love that.

Do you do sound bath healings?

That is not part of my personal practice, but I work with a lot of sound healers. So sometimes for retreats and And things like, I'll bring them in. And then, I'll, you know, I've done lots of combinations. I mean, I have a sound bowl or 2 that I play for myself, but it's not really something that I've, like, you know, I don't know, made part of my offerings. But it's super powerful.

It's so powerful.

It is.

I just have to tell you something funny. So, my friend, Pamela Robbins, she actually lives in Topanga. And I used to do go to— she had a teepee, and I think she still does, but I miss being in that. But we would go and do breathwork, which is powerful. And I went in and did my first, very first sound bowl healing. And afterwards, I was talking to her and she goes, wow, that changed your whole accent. Like, you even talk different now. And I was like, well, I guess maybe I just felt really super relaxed. But I think it's great. And so back to what you do, like walking in nature, being in nature. Do you journal every morning? Do you have a gratitude practice?

Do you pray? I love journaling. Yes, I pray. So I think what I've— a lot of my personal practices have become so intuitive now. So like, I love— Reiki is something that of all of the modalities I've learned and the modalities I've tried. And believe me, living in LA, living in Topanga, I've done a lot of things. I've tried all the things and they all are so powerful. Like there's so many modalities that are super healing. For me, I always resonated with Reiki because it was— excuse me. I always resonated with Reiki because—

Hey, keep it real here. It's okay.

I know. I like love how I told my husband, I'm going to take a podcast in here. So for the— is that cool? Can you go somewhere else? And then he just like comes on in, making lunch next door where I can hear him. Well, you know, that's my fault for being in the living room.

My husband will sometimes— he'll be outside my window and he'll start posing and stuff with his shirt off. So I get it. I just— I've been—

that would be more fun. I actually wish he was in front of the window posing with his shirt off. Maybe you should do that. Oh, sorry. So what I was gonna say was that Reiki I really resonated with because I am someone who, you know, I grew up, my parents were both religious, but actually my dad is Jewish, my mom is Christian. I grew up learning about both, and I always felt like I had this personal connection with God where like, I know God, I— me and God are good, and I don't like I know there's these different religions and rules and all this stuff, but like I had this very deep personal connection. And that was something my parents did a really good job of instilling and saying like, look, there's these different ways to think about it. You know, my mom's Christian, believes in Jesus, all that. My dad's Jewish, doesn't. And they're like, but it's God. God is God. God is— there's one God. And you know, however you find your path to it, that's great. And I loved that openness because when I found Reiki, what I honestly feel like the practice is for me is, you know, you learn it, and when you learn level 1 and level 2 and all this, you learn how to energy heal with your hands. And it's a Japanese form of energy healing, and you lay your hands on somebody and you're channeling in this high vibrational healing energy. And that's how they teach it. And they teach it as non-denominational, and they teach it as, you know, it's, it's, um, it's not part of religion at all, but But how I, like, what I personally intimately know is I'm channeling energy directly from God into the person, myself, the space, what have you. It's literally like blessing with this divine healing source energy directly in. And so my practices are so intuitive because it's about Yeah. Now, like, once you kind of learn that through the, you know, certifications and the levels, and once you get to like Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher, it's kind of like, oh, this is just a way of connecting to the divine, to source, to the purest light creative force energy. It's a way of tapping into it and letting it flow through us and work through us. And that's how I really, you know, like that. So, so when I think of my practices, it's like, oh, do I pray? Do I whatever? Like, I'm always like tapping in energetically. But that to me is— it's energetic, it's a prayer, it's, it's all of it. Like, I connect directly to God and ask to be guided, ask to be shown what I'm meant to do, ask for guidance on the next steps. And for me, it's God speaks through my intuition. So my intuitive knowing when I tap in intuitively, it's like, that's actually tapping into my direct line to God. So, I am really passionate about, you know, like, I don't know that it like looks a certain way, but that's really at the end of the day what I'm doing and what I like to help teach people to do.

Well, I love how you explained that so well, and that God is God. You know, and I have to remind myself actually to fully rely on— I say fully rely on God all the time. I say it so much that my daughter made me a frog that symbolizes fully rely on God. And I keep it on my desk. I have a lot of things to remind me because I can get in my own way, especially When I get into ego about, well, I have to do this and achieve this and do all these things, and it has to look this way or that way. And it's like, I— so I, I really have to start my day with God. And the last thing I do before I go to sleep is I talk to God too. So I love that you explained that so well. Do you ever do Reiki? With people, like on Zoom sessions?

Yeah, I do. I mean, I, I had a part— I had one of the iterations of my business. So I mentioned I've, I've built businesses and then burned my business model to the ground a couple times. I had a period of time where I had a Reiki studio in Topanga at the Topanga Canyon Oasis. I saw clients in person for Reiki, I did Zoom Reiki sessions, and that was a whole phase of my business business, and it was also something that was not fully scalable and wasn't allowing me to make the bigger impact that I wanted to make in the world. So it's something I've largely stepped away from. However, I still do one-on-one Reiki with my highest level clients who are like my VIP level clients who are usually in my group containers and wanting to do private mentorship. And there I I'll, you know, it's like we'll do whatever is needed. So if it's, you know, coaching is needed, I go in that route. If healing is needed, I go into the Reiki route. And I bring it into all of my courses and all of my containers. It's how I, you know, I'll lead like an activation. You know, I just was just in my membership, um, uh, we did a session for the eclipse moon and I led us through some energy work because actually what I like to do when it's Zoom style is a little less of like, okay, you're laying down, I'm working on you distance, even though you can do that because Reiki and energy healing, it's non-local. It doesn't abide by the laws of like Newtonian physics where I need to be touching you. It's operating through consciousness and intention. But I really love to guide people on like on a Zoom to tap in and experience for themselves. So I'm kind of teaching them as we go through rather than just like, oh, I'm healing you. It's like, no, let me teach you. We're gonna— I'm gonna guide you into experiencing, you know, this connection to the energy, and I'm gonna guide you to experiencing what it feels like to open up your heart. What do we have there, right? So it's like I bring in the teacher element that I have very strongly, um, because I think it's really powerful to empower women to know how to do this work themselves, right? Not just, okay, go see your healer, even though that's nice. And I also have healers that I see, and every once in a while it's really great. But it's more about like, how do you tap in day to day? You don't see your healer every day. So how can we get you connected and get you into the energy? of what it feels like to be tapped in. Um, and, and again, one of the biggest gifts that Reiki gave me was honestly awakening my intuition and my inner guidance. And so I like to help women realize, because— and again, speaking of like big picture, you know, centuries of programming and, and everything, we talked a little bit about the witch wound. But, you know, intuition, it's a superpower that women have, but it's the one that we have been taught not to trust, not to believe is real. You know, for centuries, thousands of years, you know, people said, like, you know, if you can't— like, whatever. We've exalted all of the other forms of knowing, which is logic, empirical knowing, authoritative knowing, And we took away this power to just know from within. And there's no coincidence that that's because it's like under the grand feminine and the way that women know how to know and something that men had a little more trouble with. And they're like, wait, but we can't prove it. We don't understand it. So we can't, it can't be real. And, but I, yeah, I think energy work is a great way to turn back up that inner guidance system. And that is really, I think, the biggest takeaway for Reiki and energy healing for me. So I, I really like to teach all of my clients, whether it's, you know, using Reiki directly or other means, of like, let's tap you back into your inner guidance. How do you know what's right for you? What's the next step for you? Again, that's God. It's actually God's guidance coming Right. And we have a direct line to God. We don't need an intermediary. We don't need the intercessor. We have a direct line that they— it's been trying to, you know, people have tried to take away from us. But anyway, I, I digress. I think I went down a rabbit hole of— I don't remember what your original question was, but—

Oh no, well, I love one of the things you brought up was, you know, you were doing the Reiki one-on-ones And it wasn't scalable because that's— you're basically trading time for money and there's only so much time. And so I kind of want to shift gears for the entrepreneurs listening, especially those spiritual entrepreneurs that might have a hard time charging for their gifts because it's a spiritual practice. So have you ever been like, oh, I don't know, I don't want to charge? Or what can you say to someone out there who might be struggling with maybe that it's okay to charge for their gift? How do you coach them to align with their purpose and with prosperity without guilt or fear?

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is remembering that scalability, it's not just about making more money for yourself. It's actually about scaling your impact to the world. So what was a really big driver for me was realizing that I had big visions of reaching a lot of people and having a platform where I could share the messages that I have and share my voice and share this, you know, what I'm so passionate about— awakening the inner guidance in women. And like, there's just only so much you can do when you trade your time for money. So if you have a big mission, if you have a big vision, you know, to find a way to have a scalable offering is the only way you're going to reach the masses. And it doesn't mean that you can't still work with people one-on-one. You absolutely can. But it's about bringing like a little bit of strategy into building a, you know, a business model, an offering suite, like a tiered system where it's like different levels at which you get to make the transformation you want to make. And that was like a big unlock for me because I love the transformation I could make with a client one-on-one. And I, you know, I have clients that I've worked with in, you know, one-on-one containers, and they're, you know, expensive, and we spend a lot of time together, and we get to make a lot of big transformation. And that's amazing for the right type of person. And then there's the people that truly will never be able to afford that. So it's also like, how do I then open up what I have to share and give it out to the masses in these different levels where there's something at every accessibility level, right? So it's less about— we got to flip it around. It's not about like, because none of this is for me about how do I make more money and I need to make more money. And no, it's like, I want to make a lasting impact. I have a big legacy to leave. I got big visions of like who I'm meant to be in the world because of the change I want to make in the world. So we got to change it around to like, how do you reach more people? How do you make the impact, you know, beyond just the few people that you can fit in your schedule per day? Like, you know, so that's how I like to think of it. And I think is a good reframe for other healers, coaches, guides who love what they do, have purpose in it. And then they're like, well, what does that even mean? Like, I don't know, should I want to to grow? Should I want to scale? Is that—

Yeah.

Yeah, there's a lot of reprogramming we have to do around that. And I've been on the pendulum, you know, the first iteration of my business, I said things like, I don't even care about money. I don't even care about being successful. 'Cause I had just left a business. I had just left a career where I was making, you know, $300,000 under 30. And with benefits and all the things and opportunity for growth. And I walked away from that because I knew purpose was more important. But then the next level was when I realized, wait, these aren't at odds.

Mm-hmm.

Purpose, my highest purpose is my path to the highest abundance. And those are not at odds with each other. They're keys to one another. And when I can find that highest path where I'm making the biggest impact in the world and getting to, you know, share my passions and be in my joy create the life and business that's of highest good to me, it's of highest good to all. And, and it's, you know, of like you— I think you said something earlier, it's like a disservice not to share. Like, to me, it's like I'm doing the world a disservice not to want to share this light work, this healing work.

I think the world needs it more than ever. And, and yeah, you know, I used to say things like that as well. It's like, I never got into speaking for the money, which is— that was my truth then. But now, I'm like, I had to reframe my whole relationship with money because I feel so— I mean, I feel so blessed I get to do what I love. And I always say, don't chase money, chase purpose, and the money will come. I had to reframe it, my mindset around money, and realize that it's okay to make money. It's more than okay because the more money I make, the more I can help other people. And when I looked at it like that, everything just shifted. But I also think it's about knowing your worth, like knowing that you're worthy of accepting something. And I also like that you shared that, yeah, looking at different tiers because I want I wanna give and serve to everybody. And Malik, who's on my team, is always like, Amberly, I know you love to give, but we gotta figure something out. We gotta figure something out. He reels me back in. And so now, we have come up with something. Exactly what you were kind of describing is, I do have a system where people can get stuff for free. People can get stuff at a very low cost. They can buy a book to learn, listen to the podcast, but they can also join my mastermind or work one-on-one with me, which I know is a lot of what you do is, is you have events and you've got courses, a new one that has just come out. So I can't believe how fast this time has gone. Before we go, I want to ask you, How can people learn more about what you do? Let's say there is someone who is a healer especially, and who wants to leave their corporate job and they want to live in their purpose. How can they reach you? What's the best way somebody can work with you? And I'll also put that link in the show notes for you if you're listening, if you're jogging or running or out and about driving, don't worry, these links will be in the show notes for you. So yeah, Grace, how can people— what's the best way for people to reach you?

Well, speaking of, maybe I'll just give a couple of those levels because you— we were just talking about it. So an easiest way to start off, if you're like, love this, Grace, you're speaking my language, I want to learn more from you, the easiest place to start is my membership called Overflow. And it's for women that want to live in more alignment and more purposeful career in life. So that, we'll drop the link for that. And then if you want to go further, I have high—

What is that link? So people who are listening right now, do you know? Do you have a website?

Oh, do I even know it? I do. No, I mean, there is a link. Hold on, let me make sure I'm—

Okay. I'll make sure that the links are there.

It's forwardwithgrace.com/the—

Okay. Well, you know what? If you go Forward With Grace, but it's forwardwgrace.com.

If you can—

if you just go to that, you can find out all about what she does. And you can also follow her on Instagram and follow her beautiful oasis in Topanga if you're looking for a place that's magical and transformative and you just want to take a pause and breathe. But what is next for you, Grace? I'm just curious, what is your next big thing that you're excited about?

I'm really excited about— I mentioned a course. So, I am— I don't know if it's gonna even be launched by the time this goes live, but look out for it because I'm very excited. It's an exciting project I'm working on. But it's about how to make intuitive decisions and finally stop second-guessing yourself and start trusting yourself. And it's a course for women who, you know, feel stuck in indecision and feeling like they don't know what path to take and being able to actually go from feeling like that to having a decision made, feeling confident about it, feeling ready to go in a matter of days. So, look out for that. Yeah, a great place to follow along is at Instagram, @forwardwgrace. And you'll see all my latest— all the latest things coming along that we're cooking up.

Thank you. I mean, yes, I will put the Forward W Grace or forwardgrace.com in the show notes, or it's pretty easy to remember if you just like, go check her out right now. And if you found value in this episode, please take a screenshot. And share it on your social media and tag us, Amberly Lago Motivation and Forward with Grace on Instagram. I love when you let me know your feedback on even how I can improve because I always love to grow and learn. But Grace, thank you for sharing your wisdom in so many ways and reminders that we can connect to our intuition, how we can To God and how that empowers us to move forward. And it's the ripple effect and how we can, you know, empower others. And it just goes on and on and on. And I just wanna thank y'all for tuning in. Thank you for being here. It's because of you that you have made this show a top 1% podcast, and I couldn't do it without you. So, thank you for listening. Share it with a friend and make sure that you tag us again if you're sharing it. And Grace, thank you again for being here.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.

Oh, thank you. And I will see y'all next week.