We were lucky to catch up with Romana Cottee recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Romana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
When I was 13 years old, I was advised by my primary school teachers to sit an exam which would gain me entry into a more elite, all-girls school for my high school education years. My parents asked me whether I wanted to take the exam and, providing I passed the exam, go to this ‘higher education’ establishment, or not take the exam and go to the regular, mixed gender school in my local area.
The idea of an all-girls school didn’t appeal to me, and I felt that I wanted to receive an education with people of mixed capacities and different expressions of intelligence. So I told my parents that I didn’t want to take the exam or go to this school. My primary school teachers were surprised that I refused this opportunity of ‘better’ education, but being given the agency by my parents to make this decision for myself, was a huge moment of empowerment. I always remember this moment, and I believe that it filled me with the confidence and trust that I could always make the right decisions for myself, even if they seemed strange to other people and even not ‘logical’ on paper. I am really happy I made that decision about my high school education. I had a really good time during those years, and I see that I have been able to make many other ‘brave’ decisions since then, and still do.
Romana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am originally from Essex, England, currently living in Berlin, Germany, and I offer my services in-person and online. Primarily, I work as a Reiki Master Teacher. This means that I have the capacity to give Reiki treatments and also teach Reiki courses. I have also developed an online business course for conscious & spiritually inclined entrepreneurs, which covers many essential tools and learnings for turning your passion project or hobby into your full-time career.
Reiki is an energy practice of healing using the hands, which was first developed in Japan, and has spread around the globe over the past 100 years. I offer treatments to clients 1:1, and also teach the practice to anybody who wants to learn this technique themselves, either in a group setting or also 1:1, in-person or online. Anybody can learn this amazing tool for self-healing or healing others!
Whilst being a very spiritual person, who works in energy healing, I also consider myself to be very grounded. I have a passion for fashion and communication – I worked for over 8 years in fashion retail management, before switching to become an English language teacher for over 3 years, then eventually making the move into doing Reiki full-time.
I consider myself to be relatable for many different types of people, and I strive to provide an accessible entrance into alternative health practices for those who are not so familiar with those fields. Additionally, through my business course, I support more spiritually-inclined individuals with the framework and foundations for solid business acumen.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up, there were quite a lot of money worries at home. We were a big family of six, and my parents struggled with covering all our costs as a family and household. I remember a lot of situations of financial stress and feelings of ‘not enough’. This deeply affected my attitude towards money as an adult. I have had to heal from this early imprint around money topics, and work a lot on my general thoughts, feelings and beliefs about having, earning, and spending money. I can highly recommend Amanda Frances, who wrote the book ‘Rich as F*ck’ for a deep, spiritual and empowering take on our relationships to money, beliefs around money, the link with self-worth, and how to overcome these issues. The quote ‘your net worth equals your self-worth’ really rings true to me, and unpacking and re-writing my personal money story has been incredibly beneficial for my growth as a spiritual entrepreneur.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Honestly, for me it has always been primarily having an aesthetically appealing, well optimised website with strong SEO (search engine optimisation) and UX (user experience), plus reviews on different platforms, and then via word-of-mouth. Instagram for me is secondary, and I see it more as a deep-dive into understanding who I am on a more personal level, as well as also attracting some clients. But primarily, people find me via my website through Google searches (or other search engines), and also Google Maps.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.withromana.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romana.reiki
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reikiwithromana
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/romana.biz
Image Credits
Photo credits: Luisa Orduño Cázares