We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tatiana Szulc a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tatiana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I became a Mental Health Counselor in 2016 and entered the world of community mental health as my first job as a therapist. There, I worked with children, adolescents, and occasionally adults who had Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Community mental health work is one of the toughest jobs as a professional in the mental health field and although the job came with many obstacles, I absolutely loved what I did. I worked there for 4 years and I was recognized as a “high achiever” – always working with the highest risk clients, always asking for more work to do, and always needing to stay active. In hindsight, I realize that I was living in a state of survival mode and could not slow down.

In 2020, where everything was shut down and we had no choice but to slow down, I started to feel unfulfilled with my personal and professional life. I had been working in community mental health for 4.5 years at this point and everything had changed. We were working from home. Things were much slower and because of my nervous system did not have the capacity to cope with the slower pace, my body fell into a state of Freeze. At this point, I contemplated leaving my job. I spoke to my supervisor about how I was feeling and she suggested getting trained in another healing modality for some “inspiration”.

So, I did. I started to Google trainings that had a mind/body focuses, considering I had recently become a Certified Meditation Instructor and knew I wanted to incorporate more of the mind/body connection with my therapy clients. I stumbled upon Somatic Experiencing. I had no idea what this was. I had never heard of it before and I applied to be a student. I started the Somatic Experiencing training in October 2020 and my life completely changed.

After living in survival mode my entire life, I started to notice a shift in my whole body and nervous system. I no longer felt this overwhelming sense of anxiety, dissociation, and disconnection. I started to feel whole again. I started to think outside of the box and no longer felt stuck. After starting Somatic Experiencing, I left my community mental health job to start my own private practice at the end of 2020 and the rest is history.

Since then, I’ve grown my career in a number of ways including, becoming an Ear Acupuncture Technician, offering somatic healing workshops, guest speaking on podcasts, facilitating public speaking events in both Spanish & English, and continuing my passion of supporting women to heal their trauma & nervous systems in the same way that I did – through Somatic Experiencing.

Enrolling into the Somatic Experiencing training completely changed my life both personally and professionally and I feel beyond grateful for my supervisor at the time who gave me the nudge to “find inspiration”. Little did I know it would be way more than inspiration, it would be a full transformation.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a First Generation Latina, born to Colombian & Guatemalan parents. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor as well as a Holistic Coach and I specialize in helping women heal trauma and their nervous systems through holistic practices and a method called Somatic Experiencing where you don’t need to talk about or even remember your trauma to heal from it because we are working directly with your nervous system.

I entered the field of Mental Health because I am a complex trauma survivor and I wanted to make it my life’s mission to support those who have experienced childhood trauma. My journey started with studying Psychology at the University of Rhode Island where I earned my undergraduate degrees. I fell in love with the world of psychology and studying the human body & brain that I ended up double majoring in Psychology & Human Development & Family Studies. By my senior year of undergrad, I knew that I wanted to become a therapist and continue the path of mental health. I then, earned my Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College.

Since graduating with my Master’s Degree, I’ve earned additional certifications including becoming a Certified Meditation Instructor, Auricular (Ear) Acupuncture Technician, and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. I’ve also completed numerous trainings in the field such as, Integrative Somatic Parts Work, Mindful Nutrition: A Mind & Body Approach to Healing, and Sexual & Domestic Violence trainings, to name a few.

My mission in life is truly to heal as many nervous systems as I possibly can in this lifetime. I am passionate about spreading awareness around trauma and the significant role that the nervous system plays in our daily lives. I believe that every single person on this earth needs to know the importance of healing their nervous system and how it will change their lives if they prioritize nervous system health.

In my practice, I work with women who have experienced sexual assault, childhood abuse & neglect, and complex trauma. I also work with women who are struggling with boundary setting, issues of self-esteem, trauma flashbacks, dissociation, depression and anxiety, migraines/headaches, IBS, muscle & jaw tension, and additional psychosomatic symptoms.​​

The women that I typically work with are those that are all talked out and ready to take their healing to the next level. This is usually the women who have been in therapy for years and are still wondering why they continue to feel the way they do. They feel like something is missing.

I offer three services:

1. 90 minute Drop-In Somatic Experiencing Sessions where we work directly with your nervous system to discharge survival energy (trauma) and rewire/heal the nervous system so that you can live a life outside of survival mode. This is a drop-in service that you can book weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or as needed to make it easier for scheduling.

2. Holistic Group Coaching – Embodied Healing Collective is for the woman who wants to heal their nervous system through a holistic approach. This is where we get to the ROOT of your nervous system dysregulation. The program includes Somatic Experiencing Sessions, Mineral Lab Testing, weekly group coaching, unlimited text support through our communication app and unlimited community support from the women in the collective. This is a 4 month program that starts in February and ends in June. It is only run once a year. Our current cohort starts in February 2025. The next cohort will start February 2026.

3. Ear Acupuncture to local clients (Franklin, Massachusetts)

Additionally, I have many free resources:
My Instagram is the primary way you can connect with me: @tatiana.holistic.coach

I also have a Free Community that welcomes all women. We meet on the third Tuesday of every month via Zoom at 7PM EST.

I have a Free Nervous System Guide where I walk you through the first 6 steps to healing your nervous system holistically.

And lastly, I have a Podcast where I talk all things holistic living, trauma, somatic, and nervous system healing.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Aside from training and knowledge, I truly believe that the most helpful thing in succeeding in my field is doing your own healing. It’s practicing what your preach. I always give the example of: Would you trust or listen to a doctor who told you stop smoking but then you see them smoking a cigarette outside? Probably not. If you are in the mental health/ coaching field, it’s critical that you’re doing your own inner work. Not only does this prevent you from projecting your own wounds onto your client, but it also helps you have a deeper level of understanding and empathy. One of the many reasons I believe I’m great at what I do is because I’ve done the deep healing, I’ve been the client, and I know what it’s like to live in survival mode but I also now know what it’s like to be on the other side of healing. I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I can hold on to the hope when my clients feel hopeless. How can I possibly help others with something that I’m struggling with myself? I’m sure to some level I can but not nearly as much as I can when I’m coming from a healed space. Healing your nervous system is your superpower. It will help you access your most authentic self as a professional and helps you show up with a full tank.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2023, I was struggling financially in a significant way. I was in the negatives in my bank account. This was during a time where I was in the midst of going from accepting insurance to private pay only, increasing my rates, and starting my holistic online coaching journey. There were too many changes happening at once and my bank account was paying for it (in the worst way).

I remember my spouse was trying to convince me to go back to accepting insurance so that we can make more income and I said no. I trust my skills, my drive, and my body so much that I knew I was going to make it work. There was no plan B. There was only plan A and that was to increase my clientele. So I did something wild.

While struggling financially, I invested in a $4k business coaching program that changed my life. I learned sales, marketing, and how to show up consistently to attract more leads. And I can confidently say that I am no longer in the same position I was 2 years ago. All because I was able to trust myself and know that I could make it happen.

I often get comments and questions around my “abundance mindset” and I always tell people that my ability to have an abundance mindset is a direct result of healing my nervous system. Without my body having the capacity, I would never be able to take those risks in my business. Trusting that things will work out comes from a healed nervous system that has the flexibility and capacity to think in that way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tatianaszulclmhc.com
• Instagram: @tatiana.holistic.coach
• Other: Spotify/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IYq4svBcp1CR0t0jt8OUq?si=8a02277d20224840