We recently connected with Alexandra Toma and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandra, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The defining moment in my professional career was when I was working at a FinTech start-up in London in my late twenties. I wasn’t particularly interested in finance, but as an Account Manager, you can work in a variety of industries – I’d previously worked in business rates and jewellery.

I started getting strange symptoms after around 6-8 months of working in a very competitive environment. I noticed my hands would get sweaty, my heart would be pounding really hard, and I’d feel shaky and almost claustrophobic at work. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was having a panic attack!

I was becoming increasingly unhappy and felt I lacked purpose. I had always been interested in psychology and human behaviour and used to read books and watch TedTalks frequently on such topics. One day after work, I had a total breakdown and was praying for a way out of my unfulfilling 9-5, when I came across Marisa Peer.

She talked about how the mind works and how modern day psychology only addressed the symptoms and not the root cause, which usually has its origins in childhood. I knew this to be true, since I myself didn’t grow up in the best of environments. She talked with so much logic and common sense, that I was soon hooked and started devouring any material I could find of hers.

Not long after, I took a leap of faith and decided to train with her in person in late 2019. After that, my life was never the same.

Alexandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The reason I chose to become a hypnotherapist was because I’d always been fascinated to understand why we do the things we do and what are the deciding factors behind the decisions we make and our behaviours. There truly is no better place to search for answers, than our subconscious mind. Our subconscious runs 95% (!) of our daily lives and is a repository of all of our memories, thoughts and beliefs. So if you want to change a behaviour, habit, thought or belief, then that’s where you need to look.

Through hypnotherapy I’m able to help my clients with a vast array of presenting problems. From weight loss, to setting boundaries, to even physiological symptoms like acne or chronic conditions – the answer is all within the mind!

But where my passion truly lies, is helping women find their inner confidence and overcome self doubt and limiting beliefs. A lot of us women walk around with very faulty ‘programming’ that was passed down to us from our mothers and instilled in us from a very young age. We are thought to be silent, to put others first, to people please and always compromise on our wants and needs. It’s not our fault for being like this, these are learned behaviours, but it is our duty to change these beliefs so that we can have the freedom to truly express who we are inside, to stand up for ourselves and to allow the most authentic version of ourselves to finally be known.

My clients feel a tremendous sense of relief and peace after a session. They’re able to let go of the burden of the past and truly allow themselves to be who they are inside. To speak up for themselves and have the confidence to go after what they want. Whether it’s their personal or professional lives, my clients see huge benefits after usually only 1-2 sessions.

That’s what I love about the method that I use, it’s simple and it’s rapid! You don’t need years of therapy and to go round and round in circles and repeat the negative stories from the past. Conventional talk therapy only addressed the beliefs about an issue at a conscious level and it’s actually been proven it’s detrimental to keep focusing on the bad things that happened to us.

My approach is very solution oriented. I’m interested in getting to the root cause of why you feel the way you do about yourself.
We go deep into the subconscious mind where we find the root cause of your issue. And once we understand how, why, when and where these beliefs originated from, we can then begin by reframing these core beliefs and by doing that, massive powerful shifts are attained.

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

Passion!

If you truly love what you do and you do it for the right reasons, you will eventually succeed. I’m still working on building up my practice, even years later. Some months are busy, some are slow and consistency isn’t promised. But I’ll never lose the motivation to help someone if I can. There is absolutely nothing better than seeing someone transform in front of your eyes and let go of years of pain and struggle. I love helping people, it gives me great joy and fulfilment.

The satisfaction I get from the positive feedback and kind messages from my clients is priceless, and always makes me feel alive and energised. It gives me meaning and purpose seeing I’m able to help transform someone’s life for the better.

Having a business and being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, so when things get tough, focus on your ‘why’. That’s the best advice I can give myself and others.

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

I had finished my training as a Hypnotherapist and RTT Therapist in March 2020 – not the ideal timing! I was initially planning on seeing clients face to face, but due to the lockdowns and covid restrictions, I had to pivot and see clients online. This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

Online hypnotherapy is just as effective as in person. In fact, I noticed people are able to relax deeper and feel more comfortable in the comfort of their own homes. Commuting to and from a hypnotherapy session isn’t ideal, as you want to be as relaxed as possible, especially after a session.

I now see clients exclusively online and this has allowed me to work with clients from all over the world! From Turkey, Russia, Oman, Canada and many more. My practice is not limited to London or my immediate surroundings. I’m able to connect with clients from across the world and make an impact reaching way further than I’d ever thought.

So if you find that things aren’t going according to plan in your business, maybe there’s a silver lining to be found. Be prepared to be adaptable and flexible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://updateyourbeliefs.com/