We were lucky to catch up with Lana Elco recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Taking a risk is my life theme. Choosing to be an entrepreneur is a path full of different risks. I feel deeply grateful for my mother role-modeling taking risks and bold entrepreneurship for me since my early years. I grew up in post-Soviet Ukraine, a chaotic and free environment full of opportunities and risks. My mother was made to run businesses and collaborate with people to grow and thrive. This is how I learned about the entrepreneurial journey.
I followed her example and started my own venture at 19 after gaining some experience through my freelancing work. My first business was an online dating agency – a complete innovation at the time. I remember when I considered ” a job” I realized it wouldn’t work for me anyway. Ukraine was going through a rebirth then. Endless opportunities for entrepreneurs and low-paying jobs… I had no hesitation in starting my own business.
At the age of 20, I discovered the deepest passion of my youth: skydiving. I was drawn to challenge my limits through extreme sports and intense experiences. I believe I am wired that way. I find taking risks and exploring intense activities invigorating and awakening.
Besides taking risks in my own life, I have always been encouraging others to live a bolder and brighter life. I remember when my sister felt stuck in her marriage I invited her to skydive with me. The experience she had helped her break free from the limiting perception of herself and her circumstances. She got divorced, changed jobs, and moved to a different city. Now, she is a skydiving instructor besides other things she does professionally.
Later on, I discovered Tantra as a spiritual path and daily practice. Tantra suggests a deep connection to our body and senses while exploring the edge of our physical existence. This is the path when we reconnect with the Spirit through exploring embodiment. When I look back, I realize skydiving and other extreme sports I explored are deeply Tantric by nature.
I would say taking risks is like breathing air for me. Following my heart and constantly reinventing myself is an ongoing risk-taking. Immigration to a different country, leaving my marriage when my daughter was only 2 years old, moving to California without having a plan, starting my new healing and intimate arts business from scratch… All my decisions required taking risks, trusting my inner guidance, and relaxing into the unknown…
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My current business is fully aligned with my soul purpose, my mission, and who I truly am. In my 20s I had a lot of success with different businesses and ventures, yet I was questioning what was my true purpose and my best gift to share with humanity. I have been seeking the answers for a few years. The answers were revealed to me during my first Holotropic Breathwork session in expanded states of consciousness. This is when I received a message to move to California, and study transpersonal psychology, Tantra, Yoga, NVC ( nonviolent communication ), tribal technology, and other similar modalities designed to help us heal, self-explore, transform, and grow.
Over the years I have created a sustainable Healing & Intimate Arts business focused on healing consciousness work, self-exploration, spirituality, and intimacy. I have weaved the modalities I learned on my educational journey with my own downloads and creations. My work includes such transformational tools as Tantra, Holotropic Breathwork, Breath of Remembrance, Yoga, NVC ( nonviolent communication), somatic and emotional release work, couples work, archetypal work, Zegg psychodrama, tribal technology, and more.
My brand Intimate Universe is all about intimacy, sustainable relationships, new ascended ways of relating, Tantric work, and customized relationship models. I believe people are wired differently and have different personality types. Yet, our society offers very limited opportunities for self-actualization and relating. From my own experience and the experience of my clients and friends, I know that traditional marriage can become a prison for our souls especially for those who are born to be free spirits: artists, creative people, near-divergent folks, and many more.
That is why I dedicated many years of work to developing, testing, and offering a diversity of relationship models and containers for those who don’t fit in and crave something different. Because of my alternative exploration, people often think that the only alternative to traditional marriage is polyamory. This is a common mistake.
My work has proven that each couple deserves a creative and customized relationship model that works uniquely for them so they don’t need to give in, compromise, and sacrifice their true nature and identity.
Recently, I have launched Ascension of Intimacy School of Tantra where I teach new ascended ways of intimacy and life partnership. In my world, Sacred Union is an alternative to traditional marriage where conscious couples can experience the deepest level of intimacy and transform their relationships into a work of Art.
Besides Intimate Universe I am also the founder of Breath of Remembrance healing modality where we explore our deepest truth and spiritual connection in expanded states of consciousness.
My clients consider me a pioneer in the area of intimacy and ascended ways of relating. I believe I offer a radical shift in their perception of what their intimate relationships and life partnerships “should” be and open new possibilities for intimate exploration and connection. It might feel “risky” for most people, yet the relationship models I offer in this transformational space are highly sustainable and deeply authentic. Once the initial rewiring is complete, most people feel very safe and fully supported in these innovative relationship containers.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
What I needed to unlearn was approaching business as a masculine project and activity. We’ve been conditioned that the only way to succeed in business was a very linear and strategic method. I remember when I was just starting I felt overwhelmed with the idea of “a business plan”. I couldn’t quite feel it. I couldn’t grasp how I can have a clear step-by-step plan when I am starting something completely new. That overwhelming feeling used to hold me back from taking action and being more courageous with my business activities. I felt like I was under pressure to succeed with something I had no prior experience with.
Later on, I learned that we didn’t need to know “how” we were going to succeed. We can just start it and figure it out on the way. The path will appear while we are walking it. That was one of the most important business insights I received on my entrepreneurial journey.
The second myth I allowed myself to let go of was following a specific business instruction provided by the authority – someone who has already achieved great success with a similar type of business. Following the instruction of the business coach without adapting it to your own personality, who you are, and how you are wired is a guarantee for failure.
If one business model works for one type of personality it doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. This realization saved me from lots of heavy emotions and self-criticism. I realized the coach who was teaching me to create my online business was a different type of person. She is wired differently. What worked for her might not work for me. I did a lot of business shadow work and finally accepted who I was. I am a Mystic archetype. Massive group programs and hundreds of students would never work for me. I had to create my own business model and take some time to define and craft it.
I love working 1;1 and with small groups of highly dedicated people. I love deep emotionally intimate and lasting relationships with my clients. I love to take each person I work with really deep and help discover new layers of their being, desires, and gifts.
One of the biggest pivots I had to initiate was to step away from mainstream marketing and become a pioneer who works with a few private clients but creates true innovation in the entire industry. I had to work on my relationship with money and give myself permission to work on the premium and luxury levels of the market. My 1;1 offers are expensive. But nobody else offers the same experience. I truly feel I am beyond any kind of competition.
To help other people benefit from my pioneering work I created self-study online courses, wrote articles, and essays, participated in book projects, and numerous interviews.
At this point, I only focus on what I love to do and what works for me in this business. I stopped trying to build a massive following and organize big group programs. Instead, I invite other women leaders to organize their own groups so I can show up and share my gifts and skills. All my group experiences are organized by my clients or community leaders.
The magic of modern times is the diversity of business models that can be customized for any kind of personality type or any kind of personal preference. There is no cookie-cutter in the ways we do business today. Each entrepreneur can be very creative and innovative.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
I believe when we find our soul gift and start building a business around this gift we have to go through a period of trials. We are tested if we are truly committed to walking our path and sharing our creations and innovations with the world. Most of the time everyone who discovers their genius has to go through challenges and hardship before their discovery, creation, or innovation is recognized by the rest of the world. Following your soul path and not giving up on your projects can truly become your personal hero’s journey.
I remember I had to go through the hardest and darkest times of my life and my healing business. My best friend and business colleague passed away and I had no new clients coming in. I was running out of resources, and I was struggling with depression. I started to think about quitting.
I remember I went climbing in the mountains of Utah where I used to live for a few years. I always felt like nature and extreme sports bring me back to my body and my true self.
While preparing to climb I was about to put on my helmet. But suddenly something unexpected happened…
I was hit by a falling rock. It hit the top of my head, just that spot that is associated with the Crown Chakra. It was unexpectedly painful. I started to bleed. But it was not life-threatening.
When my climbing friend asked me what I was thinking about at the moment when the rock hit my head, I said: ” I was thinking of quitting doing healing work…”
That was my greatest epiphany during “the dark night of the soul”… I remembered hearing the voice of my dead friend: “Don’t bullshit me, Lana”.
The proof of a higher power and spirit world was obvious to me. I had a moment of weakness and doubt, and that was ok. Yet, I am supported and guided through the invisible channels of the Universal consciousness. So I re-committed to my work and my soul path once again…
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theintimateuniverse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lana.elco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lana.elco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elco-5a2a6215/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMmas-LeUtkTfeB3Vy2H1OQ
Image Credits
Olga Danchenko