We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Caroline Paradis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Caroline below.
Caroline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
I started my Reiki business when I was 38 years old. That may seem young to some, but by that point I had already spent what felt like a lifetime in another career.
I’d spent the previous 15 years working for various nonprofit organizations, and at age 33 I became the President of a regional nonprofit. I had what most people considered an ideal life at that point: a rewarding job serving people in my community, a supportive husband, and a vibrant volunteer and social life outside of work.
But the stress of the job was profound, and I was unable to find the appropriate amount of work/life balance, throwing myself into my career and leaving little time for anything else. I stopped exercising and eating well, I never even took lunch breaks, and my self-care practices were non-existent.
Although I achieved significant success in the position according to traditional metrics, I lost myself in the process. As a result, my health and my relationships began to suffer. My immune system was compromised so I became sick a lot, I gained a significant amount of weight, and by the time I got home I had nothing left to offer my husband, even when it came to deciding what to make for dinner. Furthermore, I felt a sense of constant anxiety, which grew increasingly difficult to manage as the years went on.
I knew I needed to make a big change but I’d been on this career path for so long that I had no idea where to start. After attending a weekend-long retreat in 2016, I began meditating. It was the first time in my life I’d actually allowed myself to get quiet, typically choosing noise or distraction over the discomfort of silence. Three weeks after I began my practice, I was meditating one morning and all of the sudden I heard the word, “Reiki”, three times in my head, as if someone had placed the thought there. I was desperate for any kind of direction at that point, so I followed the breadcrumbs and signed up for a Reiki Level I training. Weeks later as I entered the training room and the session began, I had the immediate realization that I was home. That THIS was the thing I’d been searching for.
Six months and many trainings and practice sessions later, I Ieft my job and started my own business as as Reiki practitioner. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
I truly believe that everything in my life prior to that point was preparing me for this path. The business acumen and professionalism that I learned running a nonprofit has been crucial to my success as a business owner. Furthermore, I don’t know that I would have appreciated the freedom and alignment I now enjoy unless I had been in a situation where those things didn’t exist.
I believe the inspiration for my business came at just the right time, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my journey or the timing of it all.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a heart-based energy healing practitioner, specializing in offering Reiki, full spectrum energy work, sound healing, crystal healing, and meditation & visualization to help people align with the highest version of themselves. After spending a decade working in and serving as the President of a nonprofit organization, I began to explore alternative healing methods in search of inner peace and clarity due to gripping anxiety and a lack of balance in my life. These modalities allowed me to gain more self-awareness and to discover new parts of myself.
I now offer integrative energy sessions — which are a combination of Reiki, full spectrum energy work, sound healing, crystal healing, and mindfulness techniques — to help people discover their own inner guidance and peace. These sessions help to release energetic blockages that the client may be holding, re-establishing balance and flow and offering the body the support it needs to heal. Time-honored, gentle, and completely natural, these modalities offer incredible restorative and healing benefits when practiced regularly.
I have experienced, both personally and in countless sessions with my clients, the healing and growth that can come from understanding and harnessing the mind / body / spirit connection. I am also a spiritual seeker and someone who is actively participating in her own healing journey, constantly making space to learn, shift and evolve. As that process brings new perspectives, I am able to share those with my clients and students to offer them new tools and insights.
I am so grateful to have aligned with my life’s purpose and passion offering a safe, sacred healing space where others can discover their true and authentic selves.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I was working in the nonprofit sector, I would often say in job interviews that I was a “perfectionist” when asked to describe a weakness.
It’s how I viewed myself and how I approached my work; always needing to do everything perfectly, often staying late and hyperfocusing on every last detail. I would berate myself over any mistakes that may have been made once the project had been completed, judging myself harshly over any missteps or missed opportunities. At the time, I considered it a personality trait that had served me well.
After becoming a business owner and doing a significant amount of inner work, I realized that my perfectionism was more detrimental than helpful. It often kept me from getting started in a project because I was overwhelmed at the idea of it, and I knew I might not get everything exactly right. So instead, I procrastinated and let things pile up. And because I didn’t have a strong sense of self, I also tied my self-worth to the quality of my work or how others perceived it.
Over time, I have learned that while striving to do your best is never a bad thing, there really is no such thing as “perfect.” I’ve worked to let go of the notion that I am only worthy of success, love or abundance if I do everything perfectly.
If I were to go on a job interview today, I would tell them that I am “perfectly imperfect.” And that is more than enough for me.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I wouldn’t consider myself the most media-savvy person, so it took me a while to cultivate a presence within my market.
When I started my business, Reiki was not as well-known as it is today. So I started with my acquaintances, offering free talks about Reiki wherever I could get them, hosting tables and giving Reiki at wellness events, and having coffee with people I knew to explain what my services were about.
Over time, my business grew and I developed a small but steady group of clients. However, what took me from about 40% booked to now having a full client schedule was building a solid reputation as an energy healer and a Reiki teacher. I attribute this to my style of being incredibly client-focused. Although my sessions are typically 60 minutes, I set aside additional time for each client so we can chat briefly before the session and then have time to integrate afterwards. This helps folks process their experience and walk away with some real Aha! moments that they can take back into their everyday lives. I also check in with clients after most sessions to see how they’re feeling and will often provide follow up information like book recommendations, articles or meditations that will help them continue the work on their own. At one point, I had some fellow energy healers tell me I shouldn’t spend so much time with clients, but I believe taking the time for authentic connection is what makes them feel valued and helps them take meaning away from their session.
I also strive to treat clients, students and co-facilitators with a high degree of professionalism, which isn’t always a given in the ever-expanding field of alternative healing and wellness.
It’s these touches that have allowed me to build my reputation and develop real, authentic relationships with my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.claritysouthcoast.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarity.wellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claritysouthcoast