We were lucky to catch up with Kristina Nikolaj recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristina, thanks for joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

I remember a day I was guiding an in person one-on-one breathwork journey and I was helping my client heal her relationship with her dad. Through a form of hypnotherapy, I helped guide her in a way that allowed her to see her dad from a perspective she’d never seen him in before. A compassionate, human-like perspective to which she responded mid-session with tears streaming down her face saying “Omg Kristina, I’ve never seen my dad in this way before” and thanking me over and over again. It’s these moments that remind me what I was born to do every time.

Kristina, 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?

What led me to this role as a breathwork guide was my own experience overcoming debilitating anxiety. The worst time of my life became the catalyst to discovering my life purpose of helping people learn how to use their mind and body to heal from the past and become the best version of themselves they can be.

Through my own healing journey, I tested as many modalities of healing I could think of and picked the ones that resonated with me most, thus my business was born through a mix of breathwork, hypnotherapy and coaching. Although I am a huge advocate for talk therapy, I’ve learned that addressing the body and the subconscious mind are extremely powerful and necessary approaches to deeper healing work. As one the leading experts on trauma, Bessel Van Der Kolk, says “the body keeps the score”.

Throughout the years, what has come to matter most to me is integrity and being ethical in my practice. I focus heavily on educating myself on safety and trauma-informed approaches in the techniques I use with my clients as I’ve seen the damage that can be done with practitioners who don’t.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think the biggest lesson within this practice I’ve learned is the importance of self-care when helping others release and work through heavy emotions. If you don’t have support and guidance yourself, you can easily become drained or burnt out in a field of work like this. So, essentially what I had to unlearn was this hyper-independent tendency to do everything myself and not ask for help. There’s no shame in asking for help or having a someone to help you heal while you do the same for others.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective in growing my clientele has been a combination of a few things. 1. Being genuine in my work. Truly caring for my clients and helping them feel supported. Showing up the way you promise is what leads to word of mouth. 2. Sharing testimonials. Real ones. Especially video. Seeing the face and hearing the voice of a person who’s life has changed because of your work is way more moving than words on a screen. 3. Enjoying my work. Being in alignment and flow is when I attract the most clients. If I’m forcing or giving off any desperate energy, I run into blocks.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kristinanikolaj.com
• Instagram: Kristina Nikolaj

Image Credits
Lena Nikolaj