We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Hawkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was lucky enough to be born into a family with 2 open hearted and open minded leaders, my parents. At a young age, I was able to witness a variety of ambitious career paths, entrepreneurship, and a healthy work life balance. They showed me that there is not just 1 path, that its never too late to change careers or start something new, and that you can truly be the artist of your own life.

My mom worked her way from being a secretary at a doctors office to an unofficial physicians assistant, all while starting her own business selling skincare products on the side. When this job no longer served her, she changed careers and worked to educate herself in the real estate industry. She was successful at investing in properties and flipping homes. At the time, it was a male dominated industry. The evolution of her path made me feel like I could be anything when I grew up.
My dad also showed my brothers and I what it was like to be dedicated to your career, the strong community that is built through having life long friends and coworkers, and the rewards and expertise that come from continuing on a focused path.

Looking back, I am grateful to my parents for expanding my realm of possibilities at a young age.

AMBER, 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?

I am an Align Coach and a yoga instructor! As a coach, I work with clients to elevate their mental and spiritual wellness to create the aligned lifestyle and relationships they desire. I do this by helping clients become crystal clear on who they are authentically, so they can more rapidly attract their dreams and desires.

I also host Wellness Retreats in beautiful locations to support a balanced state of mind body and soul. These retreats are greatly influenced by my work as a coach, offering clients an immersive space to uncover their aligned state of being.

Inspired by my training at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I use an integrative wellness approach in all of my sessions. Taking into consideration every aspect of a balanced life. Some examples include
Relationship wellness (love, dating, friends), mental wellness (stress management, anxiety, control)
and financial wellness (calling in abundance, limiting beliefs, etc.).

I work with clients who are seeking clarity, looking for a fulfilling and secure relationship, want to increase their self worth, or just generally want to feel better.

Online, I offer weekly yoga classes. My signature class is titled “Morning Ritual” where we open with breath and meditation, transition to a vinyasa flow, and save time at the end for personal reflection.

I am proud that my journey has led me down this path, and I look forward to connecting and collaborating with more healers along the way!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After almost a decade of working for 3 startups in the educational technology field with an amazing mentor and team, I came to the realization that it was time to switch careers. This wasn’t an easy decision. And it was hard to decipher at first. I often thought I was living the dream! I had a job with a boss who had become family, who allowed my Sagittarius soul to travel and work remotely, with a generous salary.

But after a while, my body was starting to shut down. I felt fatigued, depressed, and heavy. It felt like my soul was starting to scream at me.
The same workouts, healthy eating, travels, and good times weren’t enough to balance out the physical changes and emotional feelings inside of me. Something was missing.
I was burned out.

But without clarity on what to do next, I kept along the same path as friends and family would reassure me that I would never land another career as cushy as this one. But every time I sat with this feeling, I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.

Then, in 2018, I took a yoga teacher training. Almost immediately, I started to feel better. It’s like my soul was giving me a sign that I had opened the door to an illuminated path. I joined a meditation group, and I started meeting more new connections in the healing industry. I have always been spiritually minded, but after being immersed in a group of inspiring individuals, I was reminded that I had been neglecting my spiritual practices while wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of life.

My soul was asking to experience something different. To explore, expand, and to grow in a new way. I was being invited to live more intentionally, clean up my habits, and continue to listen to my inner voice. To become comfortable with stillness, and connect to my intuition. This all felt like a direct pathway to my soul. The soul that was screaming at me to listen.
So the more I connected to myself, the better I felt. This also allowed me to connect more deeply to my surroundings, and to the people in my life.

Feelings of joy, self love, confidence. Serendipitous moments would find me often, and I felt like I was radiating.
I started to call this state of being feeling “aligned”.

One of the greatest happenings in my aligned state was the purchase of my camper bus, Honey B. A long time dream of mine that finally came to fruition. I was able to continue to work remotely… spending more time in nature, traveling and hiking between meetings. Now THIS was it, I thought.

As I spent more time with this aligned version of myself, everything became so simple, and clear. I was able to continue to tune into my truth, my deepest dreams and desires. My purpose. This is when I gained immense clarity on what I wanted to do next. And this is when I gained the courage to leave my job to become an “Align Coach”.

Now, as an Align Coach, I work with clients to elevate their mental and spiritual wellness to create the aligned lifestyle and aligned relationships they desire. I do this by helping clients become crystal clear on who they are authentically, so they can more rapidly attract their dreams and desires.

To get started, I studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a wellness counselor after leaving my job. This was an intensive program, and I knew immediately I picked the right path.
This program helped me understand the true integrative approach to balancing our overall wellness (or “alignment”), something that I was struggling with personally when I was unfulfilled at my job. I also worked with a human connection coach, and a nervous system regulation coach, to dial in on helpful modalities to help support the clients I work with now.

This integrative approach takes into consideration every aspect of someone’s life, to balance someone’s overall wellness and reach a state of alignment. Some examples include
Relationship wellness (love, dating, friends), mental wellness (stress management, anxiety, control)
and financial wellness (calling in abundance, limiting beliefs, etc.).

I couldn’t be more thrilled that I made this pivot, and I am beyond grateful for the journey that led me here!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Learning more about my Human Design has greatly inspired me to be able to manage my energy while running my own business. If unfamiliar, Human Design is a spiritual technique created by a man named Alan Krakower that helps you understand how you exert energy and make decisions.

After learning more about my chart, I am able to channel my energy more effectively to be more productive, support my clients, and avoid feelings of burn out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.align-here.com
• Instagram: @align.here and @amberlhawkins
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-hawkins-85712031/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkienDyrgpuMlqNNCjYUgSg