We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lily McNamara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lily below.

Lily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I finally took the plunge and started an LLC after years of seeing clients and loving my profession. I wanted to make it “official.” I was young and totally oblivious on how to run a business. It was essential that I had time to experiment and grow my client base/business. I did this by becoming a practitioner at a fancy wellness center in a fancy city. I was hungry for knowledge and took everyone’s advice. Some of the pointers were priceless and others not so much. Such as, change my clothes, style, vibe, how I speak and what services I offer or I would never be taken seriously or succeed in business. I slowly started losing myself in the vibe of the wellness center. I ended up conforming to everything they told me I Should be, and nothing I actually was.

I realized I wasn’t able to grow and flourish there, so I left. I finally had the confidence to branch out on my own. I was so nervous I wouldn’t make it on my own and none of my clients would stay with me. It blew my mind when All of my clients followed me to the new place and supported me leaving. Every single one said they loved the new space, it felt safer, less judgmental, and like the Real me. From the new space I was able to grow my business, get exposure, and build an amazing client base.

I learned many lessons while at the wellness center. The two biggest ones were to give yourself a secure space to learn something new and to always have the confidence in being your authentic self, in every aspect of your life, including business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was born with my gifts, I actually connected with spirits before people. It came naturally to me like breathing. Because of my natural abilities I discovered and started training for my life’s purpose at 10 years old.

However you can’t just rely on natural abilities and talent alone. When I started training I learned discernment to tell what is actually my soul and what I am feeling from others, this is called being an empath. I also learned boundaries, ethics and how to control my gifts like a dimmer switch. Those are the foundations everyone needs at any age. Once I mastered those I was able to build upon my natural abilities and strengthen them. I believe that every soul is different and needs different tools to heal. I wanted to have the most in my toolbox to help people heal, by the age of 30 I was trained in 15 different modalities and techniques from around the world. This ensures no matter who comes to see me, I can help in some way.

Through spiritual modalities such as tarot, psychic mediumship, reiki and many others I assist people in reigniting the spark in their life, to accept their natural awesomeness and thrive through their life’s purpose. There is no judgment ever, in my work safe and supportive space is guaranteed. This allows my clients to embrace their authentic selves no matter what that looks like as well as create a self care routine that fits them and is sustainable. Both crucial pieces to the happy life puzzle.

My clients are amazingly committed to living their best lives. I offer retainers where clients get customized sessions every month. I love seeing them grow and flourish, I couldn’t be prouder of all they have achieved.

People want to go to someone who knows what they are going through, who’s been there. And I have, my life was colorful to say the least and I’m open about having PTSD. I tell my clients, “I walked through hell barefoot, and I have no problem taking you by the hand and leading you out. I know the way.” I’m 100% committed to my clients having the best lives possible, which is what they deserve.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In the spiritual/self improvement industry reputation is everything. The product is You, your talents and expertise to get the results your client is seeking. There is no overnight success, to build a reputation takes time and commitment. I focused on this much more when I was older, keep in mind I started training at 10 years old, so reputation wasn’t a priority until my early twenties.
Because a main part of my business and brand is authenticity it was easier for me than say a health coach who had to be on point exercising and eating healthy 24/7 to gain credibility. All I had to do was be unapologetically me. Building a reputation isn’t about making money, it’s about building a foundation of trust with the general public. It’s not only a commitment it’s about consistency, you have to do this over and over to get a solid reputation. I did this in a few different ways, it started with vending and presenting workshops at local expos and conferences. My busiest year I vended at events more than 25 weekends out of the year. I networked with the metaphysical stores in my area, where my ideal client would shop, cultivating and maintaining these relationships for years. If I wasn’t working an event I would volunteer and give back to the community I love, I’d also attend gatherings and discussion. Lastly social media, I currently post daily on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Tiktok. I’m consistent with my content and authentically represent myself. All of this gave me a rock solid reputation to then grow from. Through this I was actually able to single handedly host an all day conference that was a smashing success. Because I already had the reputation and the community trusted me to serve them.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A well run business is able to make small pivots all the time to achieve success. However the big pivots can really kick you in the teeth. I’ve had a few of those.

I’ve had chronic illnesses since I was a teenager that prevent me from living a “normal” life. My health and therefore what I’m able to do is constantly changing. Pivots large and small are done, honestly weekly depending on health. I choose to look at it like a dance, fun and unexpected instead of a crippling hassle to hold me back. I’ve had dozens of doctors, hundreds of procedures and thousands of tests. For me pivoting is all about patience with yourself and your current reality no matter what that is. Good or bad nothing is permanent, it taught me to prioritize myself (which is what I teach my clients, always practice what you preach!) It also enforces to be gentle not only with yourself but with others as well, you never know what someone is going through. On the outside I look perfectly healthy, people are in disbelief when I tell them I can’t do something. Before I embark on a new endeavor I see at least 2 doctors, they tell me if the goal is even doable. A few times this has become a comical haggling process. A doctor said I couldn’t do an event where I walked the whole weekend. I countered with what if I taped my feet, wore old man shoes, and had a walker with a seat to sit on, promising to call a doctor if anything went wrong. SOLD! Find happiness wherever you can, even at the doctor.
The silver lining in all these pivots, I know more about self care than most and I’m able to use my experience and knowledge to help my clients better. Which is my life’s purpose, so no regrets!

Contact Info:

• Website: lilyofthelight.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyofthelight/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilyofthelight
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lilyofthelight5416
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lilyofthelight?lang=en