Today we’d like to introduce you to Mica Winegarden

Hi Mica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I’m sitting on a plane, finally flying home after a series of canceled flights. I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept in weeks. My whole body hurts and I just want everything to stop. I close my eyes and silently pray for the plane to fall out of the sky. I didn’t want to live anymore.

Being the descendant of war refugees, I learned the importance of hard work that comes from the need to assimilate to a foreign culture. Nothing worthwhile came without suffering. Everything I had in life I had to be grateful for, even if it brought with it a lot of pain.

Through my parents I learned that love came through achievement. As a young girl, I had to get perfect grades, have perfect attendance, and be successful at everything that I did. I had to receive constant accolades and awards.

But what I really wanted to be was one of those mystical creatures that I read about in the many fantasy books I would lose myself in. Sometimes I even imagined being one with the wind as I raced around my backyard.

I became the perfect over-achiever: saying yes to every challenge, being prepared for every obstacle, pushing myself just as hard as my parents and society demanded. I worked to be the shining beacon of success in my lifetime that my family could be proud of.

My family placed a huge emphasis on money. One couldn’t be considered successful if they didn’t have money. I was provided three acceptable career options: become a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer.

I ended up in a career in software engineering. Being an expert problem solver, coding came easily to me. Being a woman in a male-dominated profession meant I had to double my efforts beyond what others did to be noticed, to be decorated, to be advanced in this career path. Nine hour days became 10. Ten hour days became 12. Twelve hour days became 14. I arrived in the office before anyone and I left after everyone. I worked weekends and vacations.

I did not know rest. I did not know joy. All I knew is that pain and suffering are required to succeed.

So I’m on a plane flying home, burned out, tired, full of pain and suffering, questioning: “What the hell is all this for?”

Apparently not much, because soon after a corporate accountant looked at a list of names and decided that I was essential to their cost-saving agenda. I was handed notice that my position had been eliminated.

I cried.

And then I laughed.

I mourned the loss of the job I worked so hard and sacrificed so much to keep. I laughed because it wasn’t enough to keep my position.

The weeks and months of spaciousness after my termination meant I could rise with the sun and dance under the moon like I did as a child. It meant I could play in my garden, get lost in the woods, and run into the ocean with no one to tell me no. I discovered that joy and pleasure and all those things that were supposed to be only obtainable after a lifetime of hard work and suffering were actually free, easy, and totally available NOW. I re-discovered myself.

Now I wake up every morning and make finding my joy my first priority. I get to go to work everyday joyfully engaging with clients and speaking to audiences who have also experienced burnout and teach them how to find their joy through breath, play, and curiosity.

Back on that plane, I believed I wanted life to just stop.

But I discovered that what I really desired was to begin fully living.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Looking back on my journey, I lacked agendaless mentorship. Every so-called mentor in my life held a position of authority that demanded I execute on my life according to their prescription. If I didn’t do it their way I was held back from promotions, held back from stepping into leadership, or abandoned altogether. Intentions may have been honorable, but not having a voice that raised up my own voice held me back from learning about myself.

It took me a long time to find my way.

I rarely take the easy path, and there’s so much value in “taking the road less traveled by.” In taking time for self-discovery, I’m constantly being challenged as I take each step towards living a life that I truly want to live. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow, to share my experience that it may serve another human being.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

I am a Burnout Recovery Coach helping overworked high-achievers come back from the brink of overwhelm through the magic of nervous system regulation. My passion is empowering my clients to uncover their magic powers so they can manifest the life of their dreams.

My purpose is to empower and uplift people, to support them in their quest to find the safety they need to conquer their fears, to overcome overwhelm and anxiety, so they can experience freedom to live a life they love.

I do this through somatic coaching using several healing modalities such as yoga, energy healing, breathwork, and a variety of somatic techniques. Mostly, I accomplish this by meeting my clients exactly where they are at, with so much love and understanding. For one-on-one support, I serve clients through my Burnout Recovery Coaching package. For group support, I host a live monthly breathwork club that provides an hour of relief and self-care.

The three qualities I embody are part of my core values: curiosity, whimsy, and authenticity. Above all, having a curious nature has allowed me to be adaptable to changing situations and open to the others’ experiences. This means I’m able to create a container of safety for those who come into my spaces.

Having a love for whimsy has allowed me to be in a constant state of wonder. Do you remember how magical everything was when you entered a new and beautiful space as a child? I’ve never lost that, which means I can see possibility and opportunity the first time and the 100th time. Keeping a positive and open mind has allowed me to experience more grace in life.

Part of why I experienced burnout is due to the fact that I tried to fit into someone else’s mold. I ignored everything about what made me “me” and I suffered for it. The world needs me as I am and even more needs you as you are. Everyone has a gift to share with this world and it can only be shared by being your true authentic self.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?

Cera Byer of Intuitive Edge Coaching was the mirror I needed when I decided to step into business to help raise up others and be of service in this world.

Samantha Skelly, the Pause Breathwork community, and my LIFE mastermind have supported me through so much transformation over the last two years.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without either of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.micawinegarden.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micawinegarden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micawinegarden
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@micawinegarden
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnoutfairy