Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Madsen

Hi Lisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

This question is hard to answer. Like many people, my life has been more zigzag, circular, and crisscross than linear. My story is probably best summed up by the stereotype of the academically gifted, driven, oldest daughter who spends adulthood working through depression and anxiety before finally being diagnosed with ADHD in midlife and embarking on a spiritual healing journey.

I spent much of my life trying to fit into boxes others expected of me while always knowing there was more to life. I became driven to find meaning in each curve ball thrown at me to avoid it happening again. As I began to heal, opportunities arose to share the lessons I learned with others experiencing difficulties in their own lives.

My career started briefly in public relations before taking a hard right into nursing. As a registered nurse, I worked in emergency rooms and leadership roles before landing in nursing education. I’ve had the opportunity to teach in the academic and hospital settings.

When I experienced my midlife shake-up, I dove head first into anything that could offer relief – Reiki, breathwork, yoga, and meditation before becoming a certified spiritual life coach. It didn’t stop there. I then began reading tarot cards and performing energy clearings.

I still work in nursing education while building my woo-woo side hustle. As I’ve healed, my creativity has bloomed leading me to spend time rekindling my love for writing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It’s been a bumpy ride! Probably the biggest struggle I’m still learning to overcome is maintaining relationships. I get excited when meeting new people and starting relationships with friends and colleagues. I often feel like a bad friend because building and nurturing those relationships does not come naturally.

Learning more about the neuroscience of ADHD helped me realize that my difficulty with object permanence extends to people. When I don’t see someone regularly, that relationship fades into the background and is replaced by whatever is currently happening in my life.

This doesn’t mean that I care any less about those people. It is usually the exact opposite. When something reminds me of a friend, family member, or colleague, I feel overwhelmed with emotion – usually shame, regret, anger, or fear. I am ashamed that I forgot their birthday. I regret the time I’ve missed with them. I am angry with myself for messing up another relationship. I am afraid they no longer care about me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

In my last interview, we talked about my energy work practice – coaching, energy clearing, etc. Today, I want to share about the creative branch of my life.

I have loved books since I was old enough to read (at age 2 according to Mom). Writing also came easily to me from a young age. However, self-criticism and external influences shoved that creative urge down. Part of my healing journey was starting a Morning Pages practice, inspired by Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way.

Scrawling those three pages every morning sparked my writing passion. I’m currently publishing my first novel, a cozy mystery, on Kindle Vella.

I love creating characters with whom the readers can identify. Then, when I put that character in situations where they learn and heal, the reader can apply those lessons to their own healing journey.

Cozy mystery tropes align with the lessons I’m often called to teach – a middle-aged woman healing from divorce and rebuilding relationships with family. And, of course, I get to figure out why something happened and make sense of it so it doesn’t happen again!

My goal as a writer is to evoke emotions and support healing in the container of entertainment. Some of the biggest leaps in my healing journey happened while reading a novel, not a self-help book.

What makes you happy?

I really love this question. It leads me to reflect on the differences between happiness and contentment. For me, happiness is fleeting and temporary. – a bellyache from laughing with my son, hitting my writing word count, or watching a butterfly explore a field of dandelions.

Contentment is deeper – enjoying a good book in my hammock with a perfect iced coffee and smelling the grass I freshly cut. Contentment is knowing that I can handle whatever life throws at me next. It is seeing my words or actions help to ease another’s suffering.

In this stage of life, I’m drawn to creating contentment rather than chasing happiness. And the wild part of this is that the more content I’ve become, the more happiness finds me.

Pricing:

• Space Clearing (remote) – starting at $300
• Personal Energy Clearing (remote) – starting at $200
• Distance Reiki Treatment (30 minutes) – $50
• Tarot for Transformation (45 minutes) – $100

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lisamadsen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislisamadsen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.madsen.524934/
• Other: https://lisamadsen.com/books

Image Credits

personal photo credit LS Photography Co.
all other images taken by the author