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

Hi Julie, thanks for joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

My defining moment was learning the power of surrender. I was racked with an eating disorder..totally obsessed with what I was eating, how much I was exercising and monitoring my body’s every change.
I was at my family’s cabin where I grew up as a child fishing, swimming and catching frogs. It had historically been a magical place for me and on this particular day, I was swimming laps to burn calories. I looked up at the mountain that rose above the lake and I wondered if I could ever climb a mountain again without the heavy thoughts of calories or the shape of my bottom. This thought terrified me…was this what I was going to contribute to the world? My precious life solely focused on the shape of my body?
I flipped over on my back. I hit my rock bottom. I decided I was done. I willed myself to give it all up, to totally surrender this mind numbing and soul sucking obsession. I knew I couldn’t be totally free without help from a higher power. Universe, Wisdom, God….they had to carry it and show me the way to healing.
This moment not only cut the tethers that bound me so tightly…it informed the way I live with everything that I feel like I need help with. It’s what I teach my clients as well. We all want freedom, and the first step for me has always been surrender.

Julie, 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 live in the Pacific Northwest on a small hobby farm with u-pick Christmas trees and blueberries. I was a busy mom of three young children when I decided to become a certified life coach through Martha Beck’s Wayfinders program. I knew well the hell a disordered relationship with food caused, and I wanted the absolute freedom I had around food to be felt by all. My practice has now transformed into helping clients that are emotionally blocked and numb out to avoid feelings. I call this their pain portal. The place where blocked emotions cause people to turn to alcohol, food, shopping, etc. Pain portals are invitations to face our pain…to heal and release it.
I help clients to build their new life filled with joy and possibility instead of avoidance behaviors. I provide one on one coaching for clients who are ready to stop yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. I use cognitive behavior tools, spiritual tools as well as guided meditations in each session.
I think what sets me apart are my intuitive gifts and my ability to go to the places in people’s hearts that they have been protecting and hiding from and excavate the lessons and the path forward out of the pain. Human’s natural tendencies (in the Western world) are to put up all sorts of walls to avoid pain and suffering. I teach clients to sit in the pain, face it and release it. The spiritual heaviness we carry is mirrored in the physical body. As painful as it is to struggle with over eating and over drinking the trapped emotions inside of us are even more painful.
I am most proud of the amazing clients I have served and how many times they have told me their lives are transformed. I am also proud of the fact that I help them lay the healthy foundations of how to work with emotions, how to grow their own Wisdom and intuition and to live in their integrity. I want my clients to feel FREEDOM!

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

Yes! The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin has shifted my entrepreneurial mindset. The book is written in short chapter form, so one can pick it up and read a one minute chapter to reinvigorate the heart and mind. It will reminds me that my art is too important not to do today. He says, ” A process without regard for today’s outcome, a commitment to the journey.” As a solopreneur it can be a lonely journey and you don’t get accolades and high fives from co-workers for finishing the blog or landing a speaking event. The day to day has to be about you believing in your “medicine” and wanting to genuinely serve others.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started my coaching career working with hospice patients. I kept trying to move forward, but it was difficult for me to have discussions about payment and money when people were facing death. I decided to stick with volunteering instead of making it about business. It was one of those decisions that felt very freeing. I realized I felt a deeper calling to work with women struggling with emotional eating and body image.

Contact Info:

• Website: juliegmast.com