We recently connected with Safrianna Lughna and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Safrianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I quit my stable career with no money in savings because my higher self said it was time…
By far, the most significant risk I’ve taken in my life was retiring from my “successful” (by societal standards) private therapy practice to embrace my true calling without a cushion to fall on.
I had no real backup plan–I was deeply burnt out, in a lot of debt, and with less than $1,000 left in savings. But, I knew there was more to life than throwing away my health for that career, or any career for that matter.
Like many others in my generation, I’ve spent the majority of my life caring for others while pushing myself academically and professionally in pursuit of a dream others placed on me. I was raised on the story that if I got good grades and applied myself, I would have a happy, financially secure, and successful future.
So I did it all! I got straight A’s in almost every semester of my academic career. I won awards and accolades in every program I participated in. I was highly prized as an exemplary employee in every job for my natural mediation skills and tech knowledge, and willingness to go well beyond the roles I was paid to do.
I did the most. I was a “rock star.”
Yet, decades and many burnout-related illnesses later, I recognized that the rewards I was promised weren’t true for this generation: outdated stories and ideas passed down without accounting for the fact that the ladder had been pulled up behind our parents.
My reward for my hard work was more work.
My reward for pursuing higher education was more debt.
All I found on the road to traditional “success” was more disappointment, greater fear of failure, and soul-level exhaustion.
I was so used to the pattern of over-giving that I gave completely of myself to the point of emptiness in every relationship and job. I developed chronic pain and fatigue disorders and began the process of burning out early.
Once I had my first degree, my professional journey began in public education and after my second degree, I transitioned to mental health–both fields rich with purpose and possibility but fraught with challenges. Neither of these “soft skill,” traditionally women-predominated, careers pay wages proportional to the amount of work put in. These careers are highly emotionally, intellectually, and/or spiritually demanding, which represents “invisible” labor, typically undervalued and underpaid.
While I cherished the impact I could have as both a teacher and a therapist, the toll on my own well-being was unsustainable. I was constantly “on” for work, striving not only to meet the needs of hundreds of students or dozens of therapy clients, my own personal life, and continual need for more advanced education to maintain licensure in these careers. With my own symptoms from C-PTSD, ADHD, and Fibromyalgia, I found my chronic pain and fatigue only worsened as I tried to persevere through the never-ending demand for my time and meet the impossibly high “standards” set by those who don’t even follow them.
I then transitioned into a hybrid private practice model, working for another company that, unfortunately, took more than a fair share of my profit. While I was hoping to find balance, and initially, this move seemed promising, it wasn’t long before the harsh realities of working with predatory private agencies set in.
Bit by bit, I realized the cards were stacked against me. In the eyes of profit-first systems, I was just another soft-skilled laborer being undervalued and asked to throw myself away to make the profit line go up forever.
So, I decided to go into full private practice as a therapist, trying to take some more control in my hands. My genius plan, or so I thought, was to panel with only one insurance company and otherwise take private-pay clients.
The thing is, when you’re onboarded with an insurance company, you are beholden to taking their clients, whatever wage they set for all sessions and the possibility of them deciding not to pay at all for some barely communicated reason. During some very terrifying months when the insurance company simply stopped mailing me checks without explanation, our family had to get by on my partner’s at the time minimal pay job they were holding while also in grad school and my small number of private pay clients. Because my insurance caseload exploded immediately, my only choice to make enough money was to take more private pay clients and hope the machine would start paying out again.
By the time I hit a decent living wage where I could pay off a little debt or invest in some holistic self-care, I had no mental or emotional resources to connect with my own loved ones and my chronic illnesses were still flaring constantly.
I had dozens of clients, and due to the unending demand for my services as an insured provider, I routinely had to refer potential incoming clients to my network.
Despite the outward appearance of success, I found myself continually trapped in a cycle of servicing a high volume of clients to meet my economic and medical needs and insurance companies’ expectations. This was while dealing with insurance’s lack of support, pay disparity and tons of paperwork. Ultimately, this system was neither sustainable nor fulfilling, stifling my ability to connect authentically with those I aimed to help.
Through it all, I found myself considering the possibility I would need hospitalization for my own mental and physical health. I knew something would have to give. The scream of truth within my soul wouldn’t stop. I knew I had more to give the world by first giving more to myself. This was not really meaningful living.
Still, I was terrified to be abandoned, destitute, or unable to afford medical services if I stopped working, especially since I was conditioned to always sacrifice myself first. The idea of me stopping and letting others care for me in any capacity terrified me—I was genuinely convinced that asking others to provide for me in the ways I had provided for them would be the end of life as I knew it.
But, my soul was there, leading the way. Spirit was clear: if I allowed myself to live my dreams of being an author, guide, and visionary leader in my own way rather than continuing to push towards society’s version of “success,” I would inspire people far more than I ever could in a traditional career. It would work out, somehow. I just needed to surrender.
My desire was to impact the world on a grander scale, beyond the therapy couch or the controlled classroom. And I would never be able to help others if I pushed myself so hard that my chronic pain turned to permanent incapacitation.
Compelled by a soul-level need for change, I took the daunting leap away from the security of my established career to pursue a path aligned with my broader vision. I announced to my clients that I would be retiring from my therapy career in four months and transitioned to helping my partner, Ikenna, build their fully private pay therapy practice in a more manageable and soul-aligned way.
I was terrified for several reasons!
One—This meant stepping into the unknown with no personal safety net, no money in savings as a young couple barely getting by.
Two—I was essentially aiming to apply the knowledge I’d amassed along my own overworking trajectory in real-time, trying to help build my partner’s caseload from 0% to 100% at the same moment I was dropping mine completely. Talk about trusting the process!
Three—I was still struggling with my own recovering people-pleasing journey of releasing codependency, and I didn’t want my clients to feel abandoned or unsupported as I had felt in my own history.
I trusted profoundly in my spouse’s ability to build a more sustainable career based on the hard lessons I’d learned. I asked them if they would be willing to be the leader of the therapy side of the business we were establishing, allowing me to step into my place as a visionary leader with time for my writing career.
Ultimately, I challenged the societal norms that equate perpetual work with success. I moved away from codependency and toward a life where my professional activities genuinely reflect my values and desires.
Now, as I reflect on this ongoing journey, it’s clear that the risk was as much about personal liberation as it was about professional transformation and trusting in my own spiritual guidance. I’ve since embraced my gifts not just in writing and speaking but in guiding others through collaborative transformational experiences like rituals and retreats. I’m able to put more effort into creating. I’ve published two books already, and am actively working on projects that resonate more deeply with who I am.
Each day is a lesson in setting and honoring boundaries that protect and nurture my well-being. This decision to shift paths was fundamentally an act of defiance—a rejection of a system that dictates a single path to success that requires nonstop work from those not privileged enough to be born into wealth. My mission is now to craft a life and career that are not just sustainable but also empowering and fulfilling, and to help others do the same. My story is still unfolding, and every step reaffirms my commitment to live according to my truths, supporting others to discover their own ways to foster genuine connection and collective growth.
These days, I’m writing poetry, working on getting my next book into readers’ hands, recording podcasts, providing private rituals for one-on-one clients, hosting moon circles, and spending more time in nature.
I’m proud I was brave enough to take this risk. I feel more alive and myself than ever before!
Safrianna, 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’m Safrianna Lughna, also known as The Queer-Spirit Guide. I am an international best-selling author, speaker, and the CEO of Living LUNA, a brand centered around “Uplifting the Others.” My goal is to help each of us live a more authentic, attuned life and nurture peaceful harmony in our community. I truly believe community and collaboration is where humanity and the planet thrive. In my 1-on-1 work, I specialize in working with fellow visionary leaders, healers, and creatives to help them bridge the gap between dissatisfaction and the life of their dreams.
My journey into transformational work and leadership began after years of working in public education, nonprofit sectors, and as a clinical mental health counselor. In those fields, I discovered my deep passion for guiding, inspiring, and promoting communal healing from the many traumas we have faced. Faced with the limitations and burnout associated with those traditional roles and careers, I ventured into the worlds of private practice therapy and later, fully embraced my calling as a soul-led leader, author, speaker, and transformational guide.
Living LUNA represents a collective of service providers who specialize in offering a range of services designed to empower and uplift. I provide one-on-one guidance, writing and creative coaching, and workshops that facilitate personal and professional growth. Our approach is centered around helping individuals—particularly those who are marginalized or have experienced ‘othering’—embrace their authentic selves and design lives filled with purpose and joy.
What sets Living LUNA apart is our commitment to creating spaces that foster joy, compassion, and curiosity. Our community is inclusive, welcoming LGBTQ individuals, neurodivergent persons, polyamorous families, and anyone else who feels outside the mainstream societal norms. We also welcome our completely “vanilla,” cis gender and/or heterosexual, monogamous, neurotypical, and Christian allies: all are welcome who share a progressive stance on Love Thy Neighbor. We prioritize trauma-informed practices and emphasize the healing power of self-awareness, curiosity, compassion, and universal love.
I am most proud of the community and welcoming spaces we’ve cultivated since Living LUNAs inception. Our podcasts, workshops, and written content are crafted to inspire and provoke thought, helping people to shift from merely surviving to thriving by their own design. Our approach is holistic, and we very much consider the interconnectedness of personal well-being and broader societal change. Repairing the planet and the trajectory of humanity starts within each of us.
The problems we solve for our clients are multifaceted—from helping them overcome personal traumas to empowering them to express their unique voices in the world boldly. Our clients learn to unhook from detrimental societal norms and reframe their lives around their deepest values and aspirations.
But, our work at Living LUNA is not just about individual transformation. We aim to ripple out change into the community and the world at large by advocating for healthier, more sustainable ways of living and working. We are passionate about connecting like-minded individuals and leaders, expanding our collective capacity for incredible impact. We believe in collaboration over competition, because we rise together.
Looking to the future, I aim to lead the Living LUNA brand to expand our reach and deepen our lasting impact. We have just scratched the surface of the potential in what uplifting others can do. With books published and more in development, along with our podcasts, online courses, events, and retreats, we are continually finding new ways to serve our community and inspire change.
I’m here to help others celebrate the full spectrum of human experience—helping each person to recognize the universe of potential within themselves and to act on it, transforming not just their lives but also the world around them.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Reflecting on my journey, I would still choose the path of therapy and healing—but with a few key adjustments. My entry into the field was driven by a genuine desire to support and empower others, which is a core value that remains true at the heart of all I do.
From my early days in public education to my time in the nonprofit sector of healthcare, and eventually into therapy, each phase of my career was essential in shaping my understanding of the profound impact one can have on individual lives. Seriously. I have been saved by others, and told by others that I helped them stay anchored to this Earth.
Yet, each step also revealed the limitations imposed by external systems and unaligned practices. From forced lesson plans to prescriptive treatment plans, insurance paperwork, and guidelines that did not support my fullest capacity as a healer, I found my creativity and passion for my work drowned under heaps of red tape.
However, now I know firsthand the constraints and challenges present in traditional settings: those defined by patriarchal, capitalistic ideals. These profit-driven structures and systems demand conformity to the system and require constant productivity to function, ignoring that there is more than one way to exist. They often drive us towards working to live, sacrificing our health and balance to succeed.
If I could go back, I would have worked to heal my relationship with these unaligned influences sooner so I could carve my own way. I would have accelerated my transition into private practice and been fully autonomous from the beginning, even though that comes with judgment from people who deem private pay clinicians, coaches, or healers of any kind “selfish” for charging a liveable wage.
This leads me to the last thing I would have changed–I would engage more deeply in advocacy and policy work from the outset, fighting for everything from fair pay to more well-rounded education. The fields of mental health and education, much like many other areas of public interest, are in dire need of reform. By influencing policies and advocating for systemic change, I believe I could have amplified my impact, shaping the industries to serve both practitioners and clients better. I know I can do the same now, but one thing at a time!
Ultimately, while I would choose the same profession again, I’d be more revolutionary and vocal from the start. Looking back, I see true healing and transformation occur when we step outside one-size-fits-all frameworks and cultivate soul-aligned ways of being and serving. I strive to create spaces where individuals can heal and thrive on their own terms.
I am committed to the craft of healing and to the broader mission of fostering a world where communication is open, relationships are healthy, and every individual can manifest their vision and potential. This is the work I was meant to do, and I am grateful for every step that has led me here.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the most profound lessons I had to unlearn was the pervasive and damaging push towards hustle culture—the belief that constant busyness and overwork are prerequisites for success.
I was raised on the idea that hard work and constant giving would pan out to wealth, happiness, and my place in the American Dream. Thus, my journey into hustle culture was seeded from the time I was a child. I studied nonstop, got A’s and did as many extracurricular activities as I could in any given school year. Once I graduated and joined the public education system as a teacher, the expectation was to always be “on” for students, parents, and administrators — continuously working, planning, and executing without pause.
This mindset followed me as I found myself juggling my education career, grad school, and an internship, and later as I branched into running a private therapy practice and being an entrepreneur without assistance. In each of these roles, the demand to give incessantly and fill every hour with productive work was overwhelming and seemed non-negotiable.
With such early seeds of codependency, people pleasing, and overworking planted, it was no wonder these themes were showing up in my work and relationships!
Unfortunately, the consequences of this unsustainable pace were dire. It led not only to professional burnout but also to severe impacts on my physical and mental health. I was grappling with chronic illnesses that were exacerbated by stress and exhaustion. This was the paradox I lived: as a professional committed to healing and helping others, I was myself becoming profoundly unwell.
The turning point came when I recognized that this relentless giving was not helping me or my clients; it was just a chain designed to keep us ‘productive’ at all times. Unlearning this lesson meant redefining what success looked like for me. It meant establishing boundaries that prioritized my health and well-being and creating a professional life that allowed for rest, creativity, and personal growth.
Today, I teach and practice the philosophy that living a fulfilled life involves balance and Self-alignment. Rest is not only a right but a necessary part of our offering in the world. This shift has not only improved my own life but has also allowed me to better serve and guide others in creating lives that honor their well-being alongside their ambitions.
In unlearning hustle culture, I have learned the deeper value of presence over mindless grinding. As I spend more time and energy doing what I want, writing, painting, rituals, and resting, I understand the importance of living fully. Life isn’t about working endlessly to fill my schedule and someone else’s pockets. I now enthusiastically share this lesson with my community through my work at Living LUNA and in every space I influence.
We can all achieve more—and more joyfully—when we give ourselves the permission to step back, breathe, and approach our lives and work with intention, alignment, and soul-nourishing care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://safrianna.com and https://LivingLUNAs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_jade_moon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safi.lughna
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safrianna/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivingLUNA
Image Credits
All photos are taken by a member of the Living LUNA team and do not need crediting.