Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chechi (Tsvetelina) Mitseva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chechi (Tsvetelina), appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
It may sound crazy, but my first experience with breathwork inspired me to pursue it as my career path. In 2019, I was feeling lost and unsettled, prompting me to embark on a personal healing journey. Over the course of a year, I challenged my limiting beliefs by attending retreats, ceremonies, trainings, and reading books. A friend of mine remarked, “You are really on a mission!” and I truly felt like I was. Then one day I coincidently heard about Breathwork and decided to sign up for a workshop without any expectations. The experience was so profound that I got up with tears in my eyes, knowing that this was the path for me.
At that time I was living in New Orleans and was already planning to move out, but I wasn’t sure where to go. I tried Hawaii, but it didn’t work out, so I eventually relocated to San Diego. The first year after moving to San Diego was tough. Being new to the area and relying on word-of-mouth to promote my work, was needless to say-challenging. As someone who had never owned a business, I felt like I had been thrown into the deep end. There were moments where I felt so hopeless that I even contemplated moving back to New Orleans. What helped me to overcome self-doubt and not get discouraged by all the “no” responses I heard was to continually remind myself of my belief in the power of Breathwork and my mission to share it with others in order to improve their lives. With this guiding principle and a strong sense of purpose, things eventually began to turn around for me.
Currently, I am in a position where I have a high volume of work offers, and I have to make decisions about which ones to accept and which ones to decline. Looking back, I wish I had educated myself more not only about my practice but also about how to run a business. Proper marketing, presentation, and creating a regular flow of clients are all essential components of success in this field. It’s a steep learning curve, and hearing “no” hundreds of times can be discouraging, but it helped me become clear about why this work is so important to me. After all, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and statistics show that 90% of businesses fail.
My advice for anyone starting out is to find their “why,” just as Simon Sinek wrote about in his book “Start with Why.” Your “why” should give you a sense of purpose and make you feel alive. Then, distinguish yourself from others in the field by identifying what makes you unique and special. Finally, learn from those who have already succeeded through books, podcasts, and seminars. It’s worth the effort!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a holistic therapy practitioner dedicated to empowering individuals to break free from trauma symptoms, reconnect with their wholeness, and find meaning and fulfillment in their lives. My primary focus is on Therapeutic Breathwork, which I infuse with other holistic modalities such as Yoga, Reiki, and other trauma-informed practices to support my clients with a comprehensive blend of holistic and clinical-based approaches. By emphasizing the connection between mind, body, and spirit, I help clients achieve deep healing and transformation on all levels.
Sadly, many people are unaware of the root causes of their mental and physical “conditions”, and this often leads to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments. Unprocessed trauma can impact almost every aspect of an individual’s life, including relationships, behaviors, beliefs, thought patterns, and physical and mental health. Trauma is often the driving force behind overdrinking, smoking, recurring physical conditions, hormonal imbalances, inability to sustain healthy relationships, low self-esteem, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, inability to say NO, overworking, pornography, perfectionism, and many other challenges we face on a daily basis.
Addressing trauma can be life-changing because it has the potential to resolve deep-buried emotional and physical issues that have been hindering an individual’s overall well-being on so many levels. Throughout breathwork treatment, individuals have the opportunity to discover their personal limitations that inhibit their health and relationships, and work on ways to overcome them to better their mental and emotional well-being.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is seeing clients become truly alive, reconnect with themselves, and those around them after years of pain and a suffering. Witnessing individuals overcome severe PTSD and embrace life again is truly inspiring, and it is why I am committed to sharing the power of breathwork and other holistic modalities with as many individuals as possible.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I was 23, I took the leap of faith to leave my home country, Bulgaria, and emigrate to Malta to expand my horizons. I was drawn in by the promise of a warm, exotic island and a job as a cocktail server at a prestigious nightclub, a field in which I had years of experience. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse as the job was nothing like what was promised, and the owner was harsh and treated us with disrespect. Money became tight, and I was living on cheap snacks because eating out was expansive and I couldn’t cook at the room provided by the company because it only had a single bed and a TV.
Despite the challenges, I was determined to make it on my own, and I refused to ask my family or friends for help. However, when I finally confronted the owner about his failure to provide what was promised, he responded arrogantly, saying “I can teach you how to do your job” or “you’re free to leave.” That was the breaking point for me. I quit on the spot, which meant that I had to leave the accommodation that was provided by the company and ended up on the street with my suitcase, little money, and no one I truly knew in a foreign country.
It’s an understatement to say that hitting rock bottom was an incredibly difficult experience, but at the same time, it was a turning point for me. Despite feeling overwhelmed, I was not quite desperate, and I contacted my sister, the only person who knew to some extent what I was going through. But then, things took an unexpected turn. My sister had a friend who knew someone who worked in the same city as me, which was coincidentally just across the street from my old job. That night, I spent hours chatting with him at his bar, and we even found out that we were from the same hometown, which helped us bond. He offered me a spare room in his house and eventually got me a job at the same restaurant.In just one day, I went from quitting my old job to becoming homeless, but I was lucky enough to meet a kind soul who helped me find a place to stay and even landed me a job at a new restaurant. It was a rollercoaster of a day, but it taught me that life can change in an instant, and it’s up to us to adapt and make the best of the situation. You can either be crushed on the bottom or chose to ride the wave. This experience taught me to be adaptable and to always be open to new opportunities, even when things seem impossible.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
In the breathwork community, the practice has been used for decades as a powerful tool for connecting to our spirituality, healing, and inner guidance. However, when I started working in the mental health field, I quickly realized that there is more to be learned in order to support people in their full recovery. As breathwork can bring up old unresolved trauma to the surface, I felt the need to put more emphasis on trauma training.
That’s when I found my niche. I created a “health cocktail” that combines therapeutic breathwork with other modalities, both clinical and holistic, to address trauma in a well-rounded way. I work with a number of veterans who are my most valuable teachers in understanding complex PTSD and how to tailor my approach to meet each individual’s needs.
Clients come to me looking for a holistic approach, yet they need someone who understands the complexity of mental and physical health, and I take pride in being able to deliver that. My approach has helped many people find healing and empowerment in their lives, and I continue to learn and grow as a practitioner every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bendisbreathwork.com
- Instagram: @bendisbreathwork
- Facebook: Bendis Breathwork
Image Credits:
Eliza Krajewska – POV photography