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

Evie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I have had a few defining moments both personal and professional. If I look back at them they were all related to times in my life where I had to really step into me! By that I mean I had to let go of outside voices, images and what I thought was needed of me and actually embrace what I could feel and connect with inside. We often get lost in the “I should”. I had to ask myself what did I want for myself in that moment and what felt right. Sometimes it was hard to move through but ultimately it was the right step and the direction I needed to go. Defining moments show you who you are and what you are capable of.

An example of a big defining movement for me was leaving my corporate job and going out on my own. It was a big step. I can remember the calm my body and soul had once I did it and I chose me.

Evie, 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?

I am a graduate of the College of Charleston. Go Cougars! I love the sciences and am a Biology Major. I have always loved helping people and wellness and soon became a nurse. Along the way as I began to work more with people and how the body works, I obtained my certifications in yoga and reflexology. I am currently a Director on the American Reflexology Certification Board (ARCB).

I have my own reflexology practice here in Georgia-Tree Evolution. I mainly see clients in the office for foot reflexology. We are gathering so much information about our environment through our feet and we have lost our connection to that. I help my clients to get back into their bodies and listen to the messages it may be sending. How that small discomfort in their hips can be related to how they are walking, what shoes they are wearing or even deeper to some emotion they may be holding on to. We are constantly processing things and we start from the ground up – our feet!

My clients often start with “my feet hurt!” We work to discover the why.

Then with my knowledge of yoga, I encourage them in ways to move the body. Some homework of sorts to take home so they can continue to stay connect to themselves. I also teach online classes so I am a quick resource for them. And of course after working in the field of nursing for over 30 years if I hear anything that I feel needs further investigation, I can ask them to revisit their providers.

My hope is that when people see me they think wellness and have a moment of calm. I have started to further promote this by going live every Sunday on Facebook for what I call Mindset Sundays. I have been doing this for 3 years. I come on for just a few minutes and ask my followers to just set an intention for the week. We sit quietly and resonate together. Keeping good reflexology/yoga tips on social media has become apart of my work and the feed back from followers lets me know I am on the right track and it is much needed.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Being present and allowing my clients a safe space to allow the system to restore and release. We often have so many layers piled on over what is really actually upsetting the system. If we can have a moment to expand and let go, we can listen and speak what is not being said. Stress can cause dis-ease in the body. I think being able to hold for someone is something that is gain with experience and a deep desire to support them. This can’t be taught or learned.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I first finished my yoga training, I accepted a job at a local fitness center. I took over the position of one of my favorite yoga teachers. I was so excited to teach and nervous too of course. Well after a few classes, the enrollment started to drop. Also, one of the students begin to give me tips on how to teach and offered to give me videos. Well, of course my ego was crushed. I had spent months learning yoga and sequences and now things were tumbling like a game of Jenga.

After a conversation with my spouse and just really examining why would the universe let this happen, I realized something that made me shift. Perhaps the students were challenging me to develop my own style and listen for what they needed. Yes I had trained but now it was time to go outside that box and create. I did just that! I really worked on the themes and sequences and I developed more challenging classes to create variety and fun for my students. After a few weeks there was no room in my classes. You had to come early to get a good spot! It was a turning point and I have learned that I have inspired people to become teachers themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tree-evolution.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evie_flem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evie.livermanfleming/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evie-fleming-reflexologist-529b2718/