Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cinnamon “smee” Mckinley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Cinnamon “Smee” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My mission in life has always been to spread Joy and Love – I have always wanted to make others happy – I’ve been a People Pleaser since childhood. It wasn’t until I reached my 40s, however, that I realized Love of Self was the highest calling. Just like most women, I struggled with loving myself for years. I was too busy being of service to others to pay any mind to myself, to take care of myself, let alone to cherish myself the way we all deserve to be cherished.
Then I started learning about how your own words and emotions can affect your very body. I read Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work regarding changes in the structure of water molecules after exposure to different words, thoughts, and emotions. I read books by Eileen Day McKusick regarding sound waves and the benefits they have on our body and energy field. I fell in love with Sound Healing, be it with crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, or Solfeggio Frequencies. I was completely enamored.
From there, I started paying closer attention to how I spoke to myself and about myself. I started trying to actively love myself. I started by just taking time out of each day for me – just me – do I want to meditate? Do I want a bubble bath? Do I just need 15 minutes to read quietly? I noticed that my outlook changed on everything. I started living in the present. I stopped ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. I found myself happier in my own body and my own mind than I had been in a long time. So my mission changed. I not only want to spread Love, but I want to spread Love of Self – I want to help other women love themselves the way they deserve to be loved.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have always skirted the line between art and science. My day job is as an x-ray technologist, and I absolutely love what I do. There’s an art to getting the perfect x-ray image, especially when there’s a fracture present. How can I get the anatomy in the right position without causing pain to the patient? That’s not just science – that’s art as well.
It was my history as a pediatric cancer patient that led me to Radiology. But cancer also led me to energy work. It was the practice of Chi-Gong, Tai Chi and Reiki that got me through that part of my life, that helped me heal from my multiple surgeries and radiation treatments at a rate previously unseen by the doctors and surgeons on my case. Once cancer free, I pursued my black sash in Kung-Fu and certifications in different areas of energy work, specifically Reiki and Reflexology. I still use Reiki to this day in everything that I do. Energy is constantly flowing, in us, around us, between us. And Reiki is just one way to tap into it. Sound Healing is another.
Sound Healing is the use of different vibrations, or sound waves to enact change in the body, thereby reducing stress and improving well-being. Sound vibrations resonate with the water molecules in your body, lightening the mood, balancing and opening chakras, and even healing dis-ease. I use a set of seven Crystal Singing Bowls, which are each attuned to a different chakra in the body. One service I offer is called a Sound Bath, where you sit or lay in a comfortable position and just bathe in the sound waves produced by my singing bowls.
I am also a Green Forest Witch, using the abundant energy of Nature Herself to produce spells and potions that can help you in your quest to love yourself. I use essential oils in different combinations to produce scents that will help you remain calm in the face of anxiety, to sleep, or to relieve symptoms of migraines, menses, or even perimenopause. I also sell Tiny Spell Vials, that can be worn, carried, prayed with, or placed on your altar, combining crystals and herbs to enact changes in your life – to protect you from and clear out negativity, to attract abundance, or to help you communicate clearly.
My favorite service, the one I enjoy the most, is Divination. I use a combination of Tarot and Oracle cards, as well as a Pendulum and occasionally Runes to provide you with any guidance you may need. But be forewarned, my readings rarely tell you what you want to hear. They more focus on what you need to hear to get you unstuck, to help you move forward in your Self Love quest.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past forty-some-odd years, it’s that you have to be adaptable, you have to be willing to pivot. If you’re unhappy in an area of your life – pivot. The grass will not always be greener, but if you want to find out, you have to take the leap. I’ve done it multiple times in my life, and every time, it was scary, for sure. But I’d rather lean into the fear and see what’s on the other end then stagnate in the same place for years wondering what if.
I grew up not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was that I loved to read, and to learn. If college meant four or more years of that, I was all for it. I pursued a degree in English Literature – a major that assured I’d be reading every waking moment. I graduated four years later, and still not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I moved to NYC. I got a job with an architecture/interior design firm in Midtown and an apartment in the heart of Astoria, Queens. I loved it there. I loved the city, I loved the anonymity, and the pace. But five years later, I realized the job I took out of college no longer suited me. I was spending more time working than not, and I was only helping a wealthy man become even more wealthy. It was time to pivot in a big way.
I spent a good deal of time meditating on what I wanted. I knew I wanted to help people. So, I thought back to times I had been helped. I remembered back to when I was a cancer patient – how happy and fulfilled the people in radiology seemed. I planned on going back to school for X-Ray in NYC, where I thought I would live out my days as a single woman with too many cats. But then another major pivot came my way – I fell in love with Kevin – a guy from back home in New Jersey – and he charmed me into marrying him and moving back to our hometown. Big pivot, right? But it paid off.
A more recent pivot was our decision to move nearly 500 miles west to Columbus, OH. Kevin and I have to two sons, both of them neurodivergent. New Jersey was a difficult place to raise children with special needs – not enough resources or services to go around. I have a brother here in Columbus who also has children on the spectrum, who could vouch for Columbus as a great place to raise a family like ours. We discussed it for years before finally putting our words into action. We sold our home in Trenton and moved here to Columbus. Another big pivot that paid off – we couldn’t be happier. We absolutely love this town, and we feel blessed to finally be here.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I had a nervous breakdown a few years back. I was working for a company that no longer made me happy, under new management that saw us as numbers and bodies instead of valuable team members. I was miserable. But I forgot my rule – I forgot to pivot. Instead, I tried to tough it out, to make do in my situation, even as unhappy as I was. It didn’t work. My mind broke and pivoted for me. I spent the next two months in intensive outpatient therapy. I’m proud to say that I worked my ass off in those therapy sessions, and I am a better version of myself for having had that experience. I am thankful that my mind knew when my soul had had enough. I’m much better off having left that awful employer, even under those circumstances. The lesson has been relearned however, to pivot when unhappiness sets in.
I thank you kindly for this opportunity. I hope my story reaches at least one person that needs to hear it. I hope I can help you, dear reader, on your Self Love journey. Please visit my website for more information about what it is that I do: www.smeesreadings.com or reach out to me via email at [email protected]. Thank you and Blessed Be!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smeesreadings.com
Image Credits
Cinnamon “Smee” McKinley
Latosha Jones