We recently connected with Zipporah Banyay and have shared our conversation below.

Zipporah , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

First of all, thanks for the question. This is a thought provoking question and I love it!. I was raised by a single mom, I knew my father and had a relationship with him too, but my mother was the supreme example for me. My mother was the epitome of an independent, strong and courageous woman. I watched her single-handedly take us from poverty to upper middle class. She went from working three jobs and being on state assistance just for us three kids to have the necessities of life, to moving into a new income bracket and being one of the First and her family to buy a home and she did it by herself. My mother worked hard in the car factories and worked her way up to management. It took me some years to recognize the impact that would have over my life. Today I realize what a magnificent woman she is and how hard that must’ve been to raise three children that turned out OK and provide us a better life. My mother worked hard so that I could have opportunities and options in my life. This is the ultimate sacrifice but sometimes we don’t recognize until we become older and wiser. I’m grateful to have a mother like her. And there’s no doubt I get my strength from her. One of the biggest gifts I received from my mother is she taught me how to read at an early age and that peaked my intellectual curiosity. I’ve been a reader ever since, and I’ve learned so many amazing things simply by being an avid reader.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Zipporah Banyay and I go by Goddess Zee. I’m an intuitive energy healer, meditation facilitator, author of The Five Stages of Shadow Work, and host of the Holistic and Spiritual AF podcast. I walk with the guidance of my ancestors and channel their wisdom into everything I do whether it’s through healing sessions, sacred teachings, or the spaces I hold for deep transformation.

My journey into this work began through my own pain. I am a survivor, and for years I carried wounds that were burdens passed down through generations of silence, survival, and suppression. I knew there had to be more to life than just surviving. That’s when I began walking the path of holistic healing 20 years ago, later I began diving into ancestral practices, energy work, and the sacred art of shadow work. That’s how Holistic and Spiritual AF was born from the guidance of my ancestors. This is way more than just as a podcast, it’s a movement for people ready to heal out loud and live aligned lives.

My work is for those who are ready to reconnect with their truth, clear energetic blocks, and live in alignment with their highest self and live soul led lives regardless of your past experience. Through intuitive healing, shadow work, and ancestral practices, I help people come home to themselves grounded, empowered, and spiritually aligned.

In addition to private sessions, I offer classes and workshops for the collective that center healing, spiritual development, and soul-level growth. Everything I offer is rooted in truth, love, and the deep knowing that we don’t heal alone we heal with our ancestors, our spirit guides, and the divine energy within each of us.

This is sacred work but it’s also real, raw, and transformative.

What sets me apart?
I don’t just talk about healing I embody it. My work is rooted in lived experience, cultural reclamation, and spiritual truth. I walk beside my clients as they do the work, not above them. I create brave, nonjudgmental spaces where people can bring all of themselves grief, rage, magic, and joy and be held in love and accountability. I honor both the science and the spirit of healing, combining practical tools with ancient wisdom.

I’m most proud of
Seeing people reconnect with their ancestors and began to activate their spiritual gifts. It truly is a beautiful experience to watch. This gives me confirmation that I’m walking in purpose and doing my part and helping to raise the consciousness of the planet.

What I want you to know:
Healing isn’t about perfection or pretending. It’s about remembering your power, loving yourself through your mess, and choosing to do the work anyway. This is sacred work, and you don’t have to do it alone.

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

Another great question! In the soul led business that I’m in outside of training and knowledge the most important part is experience. I often say you gotta do the work you have to apply what it is that you’ve learned and life is a great teacher. It constantly offers us opportunities to grow, evolve, and integrate what we’ve learned in real time. For me as a facilitator experience allows me to connect with my clients, more authentically, and empathically.

It’s been through walking my own healing journey, facing my shadows, and applying the tools I now teach that I’ve become the guide I am today. That lived experience allows me to show up with authenticity, depth, and compassion. It helps me connect with my clients not just from a place of knowledge, but from empathy. I see them, because I’ve been them.

In this field, alignment and integrity matter. Your energy, your embodiment, your ability to hold space they’re all shaped by the inner work you commit to. And that’s something no certification can replace.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot for me was choosing to be unapologetically true to myself. I spent years working as a social media and marketing specialist, helping others grow their brands online. I was good at it, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t the fullest expression of who I am. It wasn’t until I turned inward committing to my own healing, connecting consistently with my ancestors, and trusting my spiritual guidance that everything began to shift.

I remember clearly hearing from my ancestors that marketing wasn’t wrong, I was just meant to use those skills for my own divine purpose. And once I surrendered to that truth, things began to align in ways I couldn’t have planned. I stopped leading with logic alone and started moving in spirit. In 2022 I was called to start Holistic and Spiritual AF Podcast and all sorts of amazing things started to happen. That’s when the flow came. Classes, books, private sessions, and more certifications came out of that shift. That’s when I stopped chasing clients and started attracting aligned souls who were meant to work with me.

This pivot wasn’t just a career change it was a soul activation. I’ve realized that when we trust God, our ancestors, and our intuition, we are guided exactly where we’re meant to go. Now I live and serve from that flow. And the message I continue to receive from my ancestors is simple but powerful “just keep doing what you’re doing”

That’s what I inspire others to do, tap into their spirit realm, listen to their divine guidance, and remember that they each have a unique path and a sacred purpose. When you move in alignment with your soul, the universe moves with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/holisticandspiritualaf
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/holisticandspiritualaf
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/holisticandspiritualaf
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@holisticandspiritualafpodcast