We recently connected with Abby Riley and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Abby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Of course! Anyone who knows me would agree that I knew at a very young age that my first love was performing. This electric love escalated from directing and assembling skits at family gatherings to taking to the stage at 10 years old. I felt seen and safe for the first time in my life performing on stage with others. After many years of practicing and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree later, I realized that my actual love affair was with the permission I had to feel and connect with others while performing. Despite the fact that at the time, I was so removed from my own feelings and sense of self that I wasn’t actually able to give myself permission to go deep into the work as I wanted.

Every time I’ve shared art I have been taught so many valuable lessons. However, the most important was the realization that for much of my life, I was sacrificing my own sense of self and authenticity in exchange for the grind towards meeting the standards that were set by an industry that I so desperately wanted to “fit into”. This lesson is important because it became a catalyst in the next chapter of my personal unfoldment and my career. After graduating college, I finally had the opportunity to catch my breath and begin my journey of self-discovery and liberating my own identity. I was able to begin to chip away at the woman who lived underneath all the years of built-up unworthiness and not-enoughness that was intensified by performing for so many years. These lessons still serve me today as I continue to follow my own authentic path and inspire others to give themselves permission to honor and feel all of their emotions and fully embody their own authenticity.

Abby, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! I am an Akron, OH native who loves all things creative, metaphysical, and thought-pre-evoking. I started working at 15 years old and immediately began collecting part-time jobs to fund my dream of performing professionally. These jobs varied from overnight home health aid, city recycling crew, performing at children’s birthday parties, serving tables, social media management, etc.

While pursuing a career in the arts for almost two decades, I realized in college that I was unsure of who I was and questioned whether performing was all that I had to offer the world. In the spring of 2019, I graduated from college with my BFA and was simultaneously grieving the loss of my Father who had passed a few weeks prior. I realized in this whirlwind of a time that I didn’t possess the emotional awareness to be able to fully navigate all the emotions and changes that I was experiencing in this intense transition period of my life.

A few months later, I was on a plane to Liberia, Costa Rica completely alone in search of the awareness that I craved. During this trip, I was lit up by metaphysical teachings, plant medicine therapies, and many modalities of self-exploration. This trip was like learning how to breathe for the first time, and beyond that, I saw a glimpse of my future and how I could be so much more in service to those on their own journey back to their whole embodied authentic self. Today I am a Spiritual Alignment Coach, inspiring others to turn their own power into fantasy-level attraction through embodiment and spiritual principles. My work is built on seeing the healing journey as saying “yes” to making actionable daily commitments to ourselves. This is done by willingly choosing the qualities of what we want our future to have in it tomorrow, today. We do this when we make decisions about our relationships, wellness, hobbies, careers, and most importantly where we place our attention and what we give our time to. When we choose a life of alignment, we begin to see the magic presently within ourselves, and that is constantly emerging around us. A life of peace and prosperity begins to emerge shifting our perspective. Those who work with me play in the brain, body, and being, with the intention of aligning with their truest desires, cultivating presence with self, and creating evolution that continues to ripple long-term. The practices used incorporate subconscious play, somatics, and spiritual principles. Those who commit to their own growth complete the mentorship with a deep connection to self, spiritual practices, and a changed relationship with their own fear and suffering. In the healing industry today, an unspoken narrative has been set that coaches and mentors will be your ticket to healing. When in reality, you are the catalyst in your own journey… you are the medicine you seek. A mentor is simply a tool, the magic happens when you show up for yourself day and day out to love and hold space for your own growth. My mentorships are held with the intention that those who leave the container will have practices and principles to continue growing in their own self-healing and magnetize greater inner peace and abundance as time goes on. Abby shares her heart and guidance through workshops, private mentorships, group meditations, and speaking engagements. Her work is strongly influenced by her beloved mentors, The Agape International Spiritual Center, and ancient spiritual principles. Today she still wears many hats but is proud to have many creative endeavors that are in alignment with her purpose and her love of helping others discover their authenticity. She calls herself a “creative alchemist”, as a spiritual alignment coach, meditation facilitator, speaker, writer, recording artist, and soon-to-be Certified Transformational Breath Facilitator. You can find Abby on Instagram @abby_mriley, TikTok @abby_mriley, and you can stream her album Divine Timing on all streaming platforms.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the story of not-enoughness and unworthiness. A huge catalyst in my journey of starting my business was learning that I am worthy of anything I desire. I struggled with the idea of seriously starting my business for a year and a half because of financial fear and imposter syndrome that I wasn’t good enough.

Spiritual teacher, Bob Proctor says that “Abundance is your birthright”. This sentence was a game-changer for me in my evolution. It is everyone’s birthright to hold the greatest amount of whatever they desire. Whether that is success, financial wealth, love, peace, freedom, etc. For myself, growing up as a woman and being raised low-income household, the feelings of being held down by lack-mentality and unworthiness were a subconscious battle for me and my own success for the majority of my life. I also think that it is important to note that, I’m not on the other side of this mental battle. Like our grief, subconscious beliefs can still sneak up on us when we least expect it. However, I have learned that I can do my due diligence to catch myself before I let the creeping belief affect me and my success.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe the most important quality in any field is vulnerability. Brene Brown says that this is the strongest leadership skill, however, I believe it to be the most helpful skill for humanity. Vulnerability and the willingness to share your humanity with those you’ve just met is the greatest superpower you can possess. When you are able to relate to others and admit that you are also imperfect and still learning, this is magic. Sharing your vulnerability and your heart with others automatically builds trust and respect.

The secondary lesson in this is to honor your own boundaries as a human. We as space holders can only give to others the excess of our energy that we have left once we have given to ourselves. This is how we share clean energy and our most authentic selves. If this means that you have to start small to learn this balance, do it. The more of the authentic self that you can offer, the more success you will attract.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=26468848
• Instagram: @abby_mriley
• Other: Tiktok- @abby_mriley

Image Credits
Brooke Frasier Photography Soul House Photography Rachel Schneider Photography Pexels