We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Loren (lo) Clifford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Loren (Lo) , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I stepped into a yoga studio. I know that sounds cliche, but there’s more to this story!
Prior to ever having the concept that one day I could have my own business (let alone one in yoga and energy healing), I was an art student turned PR Executive following the well-worn path of “what you should do.” I got the big corporate job with a renowned public relations agency where for years I tried to put myself into a box that I never really belonged in. I was no stranger to long work hours, pressures of a high-demand career and the stress that accumulated from it, but as many of us do, we make it our norm. It wasn’t until one day as I was sitting in my cubicle tackling my growing to-do list, an unrecognizable, persistent sharp pain in my abdomen sent me to the ER. This was my true wake up call.
After a full month of being poked, scanned and surveyed by various doctors, the consensus was clear: I was a completely, physically well 27-year-old though I didn’t feel that way. Depression, anxiety and panic attacks began to make their home within me making it extremely difficult to work or do much of anything. It wasn’t until one doctor finally said, “Loren, I think this is all stemming from your mind, meaning all the stress and overwhelm that you have been dealing with is manifesting physically in your body.” With the loving support of my family, I packed up the apartment in the big city leaving the coveted job and I moved back home for a year of healing.
I discovered yoga and various other holistic practices early on when I was in college, but I often found myself exploring them alone in the comfort of my four walls. It wasn’t until I was desperate for anything that would help me feel like myself again that I decided to step foot inside an actual studio. I was holding my mom’s phone when an email popped up for a free “108 sun salutation” offering in honor of the summer solstice. I remember walking up the stairs of this beautiful cabin, known as the Wren’s Nest, through a breeze-way into the garden where everything would change. There I was welcomed by people from all walks of life each celebrating the solstice in their own ways. An older woman sitting in meditation, a little girl counting the stones for every round of salutation, some doing the full 108 while others took their time in between.
There was something about all of us collectively trying to understand our uniquely beautiful, messy humanness through this practice that offered me a soft space to remember the fullness of myself and all that life has to offer. And after a year of healing, I knew that I wanted to share this feeling more widely with others and started my first of many yoga teacher trainings which forever changed the trajectory of my life.
Loren (Lo) , 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 think that the work that I do now has always been a part of me, but it took that full year of stripping away everything that I once knew to more fully step into it as my journey. As I began to heal and felt ready to work again, my first job was serving as director for a mindfulness center. It was there that I witnessed so many amazing yoga teachers, healers and mindfulness coaches doing what they loved and supporting others everyday. It sparked the idea that maybe, I too, could do this work full-time.
In 2021, unusuallyfree was created to share the modalities that supported me on my unique, unusual path to freedom from within. Named after my anonymous blog from my early 20s, it symbolizes how there is another way of being in this world and it begins by remembering who you are beneath the noise. I offer a mix of modalities – yoga, reiki and poetry – all with the hope that those who are called to work with me find a soft space to land back into the true essence of themselves, and the knowing that they are not alone.
My poetry was actually the first connection point for many. It is my way to express my experiences, and in turn, allow others to be seen through them. I weave my poetry in all of my yoga classes in the way I guide others, but my favorite way is to offer poetic meditations. I often share them at the beginning of my classes, but I have also recorded a few for Insight Timer so more people can enjoy them. I even have had other yoga teachers around the world use them in their classes which is so beautiful to know.
I’ve found myself creating my own signature yoga style based on my students’ experiences as well as my own personal yoga practice. I like to call it “chill yoga” because it’s a mix of yin / restorative poses with gentle intuitive movement, nourishing breaths and pockets of stillness to steep in. I often describe it as the antithesis of how we live our lives and how most of us engage with the practice of yoga. It is the antidote to the hurried ways we rush about, though not always easy! Whether a workshop, retreat / event, private or weekly session, my yoga offerings truly are a way to let go of what we think yoga should look like, and remember what it can be for who we are moment to moment. A space for community in all of our beautiful, messy human selves to come together.
My work with reiki, an ancient Japanese “hands-on” healing technique, has to be one of my favorites because energy is so subtle, yet profound. You truly never know how it will work for someone though because it always supports what is needed to be healed in that moment and for your greatest good. I’ve witnessed everything from deep peaceful sleep, to big emotional release, to intuitive insights being revealed. It’s a gift to help others remember that we are more than just our physical body and the ruminations of our minds. There is a whole other part of our overall wellness we can tap into even as simply as engaging with our breath (our daily point of connection to energy).
I enjoy blending it with my yoga offerings as a way to make energy healing more accessible and familiar to those curious. And the best part is I can offer reiki (and yoga!) to you no matter where you are in the world. Distance reiki is just as powerful as in-person because energy isn’t bound by time or space. I’m also so excited to launch my first iteration of reiki trainings soon so that others have the ability for self-healing and to support others.
These are just a few ways I bring my work to life. I find myself constantly evolving as I grow on my own healing path, so who knows what else I will offer in the future!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
For me, it was when I began to more fully trust in myself, my gifts and the timing of the path I was always meant to follow. I’ll share a little story of what I mean.
Though already certified in reiki energy healing when I began my business four years ago, I didn’t actually start widely sharing it as an offering until last year. I know I’m not alone as a business owner in grappling with that little question that lingers in the back of many of our minds – “Who am I to do this work?” So I focused on all the other things I knew that I could do with my business – yoga sessions, special events, mentoring, etc. – until the whispers of my heart grew louder telling me – “it’s time.”
A story of trust in itself, I decided to host my very first yoga retreat right in the living room of my home last spring. I had a rough outline of the day’s event, but left space to usher in the magic of what needed to be present for those who attended. As I began to settle everyone into an afternoon of restorative yoga, there it was again – the knowing that it was time to share energy healing with this particular group. And so I did. Despite never offering it publicly before, I trusted that it was time to be of service in this way. The responses from the mini treatments were not only beautiful, but also validating of the work I was meant to do in this world.
The seed had been planted and grew from there, all with trust as my guiding light. Despite not having a legit reiki table yet, I still began with offering discounted reiki infused restorative yoga sessions in my home studio. The first month, two people came. The next month, six people. Then a very high quality reiki table was gifted to me for the same discounted price I was offering my sessions at. In the third month all my available slots were booked. When referrals became a large part of business, I knew it was time to expand further. I believed a healing space of my own outside of my home would arrive, and soon enough it did in its own magical way.
All of this happened because of one reason: unwavering trust. And here is the thing, allowing this ability to trust in yourself and your business holds you steady despite the ebbs and flows. Some months, I’m completely booked, others are slow, but I’m never without work, which is the greatest reminder that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
There are a few things I believed helped my journey in building this. I was already pretty well-known in the mindfulness and wellness community due to my previous role as director of the Center for Mindful Living. This connection really allowed it to be a less intimidating jump into my own business within a similar space. I think it’s a great reminder for those who are in transition that sometimes finding a role in between within the field you are interested in can help with a career pivot.
Additionally, in the first year of my business, I said yes to so many things. While I have the ability to be a bit more discerning now, this allowed me to get different experiences that not only informed the directions that I truly wanted to go in my business, but also strengthened my connection with the community overall. Whether to be a part of an event or retreat, co-facilitate a teacher training or take on a new private session, saying yes to opportunities as they came really got me out of my comfort zone and out into the world more.
Last, yet most importantly, being myself. It’s easy to get trapped in comparison; however, when you can fully show up as yourself in your own ways that’s when the magic happens. That’s when the ones who you are meant to work with and the specific opportunities that are made for you come into your life. Infusing your business and offerings with what makes you unique even if it’s not what everyone else is doing is the key. You can’t replicate authenticity. You can’t mimic another’s gifts. Make it your own without worrying what others think. This creates a true resonance I believe. It’s not only freeing, but essential more than ever right now. I guess the name “unusuallyfree” says it all!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unusuallyfree.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unusuallyfree/
- Other: Insight Timer: https://insig.ht/NqxRDRXeVLb
Image Credits
1-3 Jorden Jackson, Smokestack
4 & 5 – SMA Wedding Photography
6 – Matt Reiter
7 & 8 – Friends