We recently connected with Karina Cienega Allison and have shared our conversation below.
Karina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
This urging precipitated the biggest risk I had taken yet. I bought a one-way ticket to the Big Island with no plan, no contacts, no idea what was next, and very little money – only listening to the burning desire within me to “meet Pele” and ask for her help in putting my life back together.
This ended up being the number one thing that ultimately led me to me leaving academia and building my business as it is now (though that was a process which took many years). Less than 3 weeks after landing on the Big Island during that trip, I was literally struck by lighting on the slopes of Kilauea, an event that changed my life.
Something happened to me in that moment, as Earth’s electricity travelled between my right ear to exit my right hip – I felt as if a channel opened within me that “burned away” lifetimes of karma and pain. In the days that followed, I discovered that I had a new (literal) ability to “hear” the voice of molten Earth, the voice of the volcanoes, of the life force of our planet.
After meeting the Earth as a being of consciousness and intelligence, the world of traditional Geology no longer was a good fit for me. This event more-or-less forced me into the path of entrepreneurship and I’ve been forging a brand-new path ever since. I now work as a Priestess of Isis helping women work with their “inner volcanoes” by connecting directly with the life-force of the Earth.
Isis is also known as the Goddess of 10,000 Names, one of which is “Gaia” or “Earth”. I’m the only classically trained volcanologist I know who now serves the holistic, living being of Earth in this way. If there are others out there reading this, I would love to meet you!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
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I’m a volcano scientist of 25 years, a somatic trauma-integration coach, an ordained Reverend Priestess, and facilitator of Obsidian Womb wisdom. I live on the Western Slope of Colorado, with my dog, in an amazing community of like-minded souls. Fire and water have been the guideposts throughout my professional and entrepreneurship journeys, all of which have been woven together for two decades. In my 20s, I studied what happens when lava encounters groundwater, which ultimately led to companies hiring me as a research consultant for a variety of projects. In my 30s, I started a photography business called Fire and Water, which danced from weddings to fine-art lifestyle and branding. Now, in my 40s, my primary business has evolved within this elemental calling to become an evolutionary coaching company, primarily for women. My goal is to empower my clients in harmonizing their inner volcanoes (their Fire) with their inner emotional landscapes (their Water). The pathway from academia to entrepreneurship was blazened by my own healing journey, and a desire to share the tools and breakthroughs I was experiencing with others. My company is called UpLight Ventures, bridging mysticism and science through courses, online group journeys, in-person workshops and retreats, and private coaching to help others holistically heal and transform limiting beliefs and intergenerational trauma patterns, so that they feel more confident in fully shining their unique brilliance into the world! My ethos is shaped by an animistic world view and a devotion to the divine. I believe that when we learn to still our minds, we begin to attune with the more subtle energetics of engagement with life. I believe – as so many indigenous cultures around the world believe – that we are connected to the planet in a very real way, and that this relationship is fundamental to our thriving, both personally and as a collective in these rapidly changing times. Our biology is wired for this connection. And simple shifts in daily lifestyle can yield huge outcomes in health, overall well-being, sense of safety an resilience and inner trust – when they’re grounded in the understanding of ourselves as energetic, electromagnetic beings, who need to “plug in” to the Earth for optimal potential. I’m a lifelong learner who believes the more we lean into the uncomfortable places and conversatons, into just how much we don’t know – with curiosity and compassion – the easier things seem to get. I’m proud that I’ve cultivated a big capacity to trust the impulses of my inspiration, my heart’s guidance, to take risks and make leaps even when I couldn’t see the net or when they might not make sense to others. It’s been a winding path, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! |
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
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Just before Covid, I launched UpLight as a new business to take groups of women on life-changing adventures to meet volcanoes around the world. Our first trip was planned for April, 2020 in Italy – where and when the first global lock-downs occurred…. So, needless to say, that trip did not happen and a pivot was necessary. At that same time, the volcanic mystery schools of obsidian found me. I dove straight in and didn’t look back, learnings and blessings that have helped me synthesize and compile my decades of work and experience into truly transformational online-based group coaching containers. Now that travel restrictions have eased, I am also excited to circle back around to my original business idea and create one-of-a-kind travel experiences for women to experience the incredible, life-changing power of erupting volcanoes! |
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Word of mouth! About half of my new clients find their way to me directly from testimonials from previous clients. It’s affirming and uplifting to serve knowing that this work makes a difference and is valued.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.uplightyourlife.com
- Instagram: @uplightyourlife
- Facebook: @karinacallison
- Youtube: @moltenroots
Image Credits
Karina Allison