We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsea Horton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsea below.

Alright, Chelsea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

After receiving my Master’s Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy in 2017, I followed the traditional path of working full time in the mental health system. I worked at an inpatient behavioral health hospital, doing dance/movement therapy with patients every day. I loved the work I got to do when I was in session. But the system was burning me out. As a therapist, I was doing very emotional work with people in crisis. The system expects the same level of productivity as someone working at a desk job. The burnout was rampant among therapists and medical staff alike. I received little pay for the level of education I had, and I was living and working in Los Angeles County. It’s certainly not cheap to live there.
I was only two years into my professional career, and I could already feel how unsustainable it was for me to work in the system. I was getting random mysterious illnesses that would send me into urgent care or the ER. I would cry on Sunday evenings as I prepared to do the grueling work week. I was feeling uninspired in my work due to the lack of care I was able to do for myself as a human.
I knew something needed to change, but I didn’t know if there was another option. I wanted to keep doing the work I loved, but in a way that would also honor my health and wellbeing.
In 2019, I decided to start my own online business. At first, I was doing it after my full time job. After several months of increased exhaustion, I dropped to part time at the mental health hospital. I wasn’t sure if I would actually succeed in my own business. Then, in January 2020, I quit completely. I was terrified. I sobbed after sending the resignation letter. Was I going to fall flat on my face? Could this actually work?
I leapt from the safety net of my stable job and went completely out on my own.
That year, I made my first 6 figures. I doubled the income I was making working 40 hours a week at the hospital. I work half those hours. I am able to take care of myself: rest when I need to, create a schedule that feels best for me, and nourish my creativity and passion for the work I do.
I now have 3 employees, and the company is continuing to grow, while impacting hundreds of people.
I don’t know where or how I’d be today if I didn’t take that risk. I’m so grateful to past me who deviated from the traditional path and blazed her own trail. It was terrifying at the time, and so worth the risk.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founder of Healing Embodied. We are an online company that works with people around the world. We help people create thriving relationships with themselves and their partners. Our clients come to us having difficulty trusting in relationships. They overthink their loving relationship, and just want to be able to enjoy the amazing person that’s right in front of them. We help our clients process the fears and patterns that are stored in their bodies, so that they feel safe to open their hearts to love. What sets us apart is our expertise in working with their emotions that are stuck in the body. The majority of our clients come to us after years of talk therapy or other traditional approaches, yet they still feel stuck in their fears. They work with us for a short time (3 months to a year) and they are able to experience results that they didn’t experience elsewhere. After working with us, our clients feel confident to take the next step with their partner.
I’ve even gone to 3 of my clients’ weddings!
I feel so proud that we do work that literally saves worthwhile relationships. It is my greatest joy to see our clients thrive in their relationships and feel more love than they ever thought possible.

Our work has impacted so many people, that last year we created our own accredited certification program for those who want to become a somatic practitioner and help others process their emotions. This is a year-long training program that is the first of its kind. We specialize in somatic work, creative expression, parts work, inner child work, trauma-processing, and shadow work. We also train our students to be the living embodiment of the work they do with others. You can only take your clients as far as you are willing to go yourself. We want our practitioners to live that they teach.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My authenticity and vulnerability. Throughout this process, I have openly shared my story. I want my audience to know that I am human. I am not trying to “sell” perfection. Being who I am and having integrity is what has helped our work stand the test of time, through the ebbs and flows of business and the ever-changing market. I am not interested in success as the cost of my authenticity. Bringing the wholeness of who I am is what creates sustainable success that stands out.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I absolutely would. I feel like this work chose me, and I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do as a career. My work is an extension of who I am, and I get to interact with such incredible people every day. I get to be creative, sensitive, and empathic. I don’t have to put on a rigid professional mask. I get to witness profound transformation and hold the most sacred space for people’s most vulnerable emotions. There are many days where I say to myself, “I can’t believe I get to do this for a living.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.healingembodied.com
• Instagram: @healing.embodied
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healing.embodied
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-horton
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@healingembodied