We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Eng recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

My first full-time job after college was recruiting architects and engineers for an agency. This particular employer was known in the industry as being pretty cut-throat, and, as a recent graduate trying to make it in this world, I was putting in an unhealthy amount of my time and energy.

At the end of a day when I had already come into the office at 6:30 a.m., I was heading out of the door at 6:30 p.m. when a manager jokingly (but kind of not) said, “Nicole, taking a half day?” and proceeded to laugh. That was a wake up call. I had neglected to set boundaries and found myself in a place where I was anxious, unhappy and completely burnt out.

In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environments, it’s all too easy to find ourselves constantly connected, always available and feeling overwhelmed. Without clear boundaries, work can seep into our personal lives, eroding the precious time we need to recharge and take care of ourselves.

This experience extends beyond the workspace and has helped me realize that setting clear boundaries is an act of self-preservation and empowerment. I’m human and lose sight of this lesson from time-to-time, but being conscious of this has significantly improved my ability to relax and be present with loved ones and engage in activities that rejuvenate my mind and spirit.

When we set boundaries, prioritize self-care and engage in activities that bring us joy, we regain a sense of balance and autonomy. It’s not about being selfish or avoiding responsibility. It’s about taking care of yourself so you can show up as your best self in all aspects of your life. By setting boundaries, you are protecting your wellbeing, fostering a positive balance and, ultimately, enabling yourself to flourish both personally and professionally.

Nicole, 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?

My name is Nicole Eng, and I am a Ritual and Ceremony Facilitator, Mindfulness Guide, Reiki Practitioner and creator of Westerly Wellbeing. I curate soulful, lovingly-delivered offerings that celebrate and support conscious living. As a healer and spiritual entrepreneur, my intention is to help people bring the sacred back to their daily lives through mindful, practical, simple practices. Through my work, I hope to inspire and empower people to tune into their inner wisdom and rediscover their power as they ground in connection, flow with intention and resonate with expansion.

My offerings include in-person and virtual sacred circles, ceremonies and workshops; guided meditation; 1:1 and group Reiki healing; and conscious celebrations where I work with clients to help curate a bespoke experience that brings magic to their special events (e.g., birthdays, house warming, mother blessings, rites of passage, bridal showers and memorials).

Since launching Westerly Wellbeing, I’ve had the incredible privilege of guiding my clients through mindful meditations, sacred circles, emotional explorations, alongside offering them the healing benefits of Reiki.

It has been awe-inspiring to witness the profound impact of tapping into our inner wisdom and embracing mindfulness in our lives. Observing individuals connecting in community and supporting one another on their journeys, has been truly heartwarming. The power of these practices lies in their ability to nurture self-awareness, foster deep healing, and unlock the potential for growth and empowerment. It’s a beautiful reminder that when we tune into our inner selves and embrace the collective energy of like-minded souls, we discover an abundance of strength and wisdom to carry us through life’s challenges.

By increasing our consciousness, we can find happiness, purpose and feel whole. When we raise our own vibrations, we are contributing to the enhancement of the collective and making the world a better place.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It was my own healing journey that led me to creating Westerly Wellbeing. I had a difficult childhood, and in my 20s, I found myself still operating in survival mode. I finally sought help to face the trauma that threatened my happiness and sanity. I went to therapy for many years and managed my chemical imbalance with western medicines. Beyond these tools, I had no guidance of alternative approaches to healing, so that’s how I coped for years. I believe that there is a time and place for these tools, but, unfortunately, in our western civilization, medical experts are all-too-quick to prescribe medication as the only solution.

Though I was seeing progress with these methods, I began to notice that my life felt as though it were on autopilot. Everyday was the dreaded hamster wheel – wake up, coffee, work grind, crappy food and even crappier sleep to simply wake up and do it all over again. I was fed up and started searching for books, blogs, groups and events to bring more consciousness to my life.

I noticed a major shift nearly five years ago when I began a daily gratitude and meditation practice. I welcomed the sacred back into my life through mindful, practical, daily practices such as grounding meditations, breath work, gratitude and yoga to reconnect with myself and my intuition. When the pandemic hit, I regularly attended virtual women’s circles and found such comfort in knowing I wasn’t alone.

This was the missing piece – consciously living in a way that felt authentic and aligned with my soul. In addition to these holistic practices, I found confidence to more effectively incorporate tactics I had learned during therapy. I eventually graduated from therapy and weaned off of ALL of my medication.

This journey hasn’t been easy, and it’s taken real commitment, courage and compassion, but I emerged from the pandemic a new person. In conversations with friends, family and even strangers, I heard the same thing over and over. People feel disconnected, lost and are just running on autopilot to survive, but they want more. That’s when I knew it was time to share my story and the simple, yet effective, practices that helped create profound shifts in my life. Thus, Westerly Wellbeing was born.

I chose “Westerly” – meaning of or towards the cardinal direction West – for its ancient and indigenous symbolism. The West is associated with the element of Water, the element of our emotions and psyche. It represents the culmination of all of our experiences that make us who we are but do not define us. The West is a place of introspection that helps us find divine transformation and, like Water, is reflective of the human capacity for change.

Through my work, I hope to provide the guidance I wish I had during those times in my life when I felt disconnected and alone. Alternative options exist, it’s a matter of identifying, exploring and embracing them.

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

Many times over the years, I‘ve had to rewrite the narrative others and myself had made me believe. I had an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age – from neighborhood lemonade stands to negotiations at my parents’ garage sales to running a small business. I have a vivid memory from the fifth grade when gel pens were all the rage, and I absolutely had to have them. At the time, we couldn’t afford the coveted gel pens, so I decided to start a business selling handmade bookmarks to save up for the pens myself.

My “order form” required my customers to write down their name, three favorite colors and three favorite things (e.g., basketball, puppies, polka dots, stars, etc.). I then drew their name in bubble letters on the index card and decorated it according to their favorites using abandoned gel pens I found in the halls of my elementary school. I charged fifty cents and was well on my way to purchasing the gel pens of my dreams when my teacher called a meeting with my parents and me. I was forced to shut down my business because other kids’ parents were concerned that their children were spending their lunch money on my bookmarks instead of eating.

I remember this being an incredibly frustrating experience and, as I grew older, I felt the message was reinforced by most of the adults around me. I was constantly told that my path was to do well in school, pursue higher education and, ultimately, work really really hard at a corporate 9 – 5 to hopefully get ahead in life. So, that’s what I did. With an undergraduate and masters degree, I stepped into adulthood and the standard cubicle all at once.

Though I was praised for my creativity and autonomy, it still had boundaries and had to fit within the confines of a cubicle. Through my own healing journey, I have been able to change the story I have been taught to believe as truth. Ambition and success is not synonymous with climbing the corporate ladder. Despite the box society tried to put me in, I’m forging my own path and reviving the vigor I once had as a child. Though I still have a day job, I am passionately pursuing my business, Westerly Wellbeing, because I know it is my true purpose. As the well known Tony Robbins coined and my holistic transformation coach, Stephanie Weber, always reminds me “where focus goes, energy flows.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.westerlywellbeing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westerlywellbeing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westerlywell
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westerlywellbeing/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/westerlywell
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@WesterlyWellbeing
• Other: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@westerlywellbeing TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@westerlywellbeing
• LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/westerlywellbeing?fbclid=PAAaZZDBUEXt6Anf5Ana1sI1cbWnb5kW1uPVZnuyfeK5JW15iddGIyr3Tz_P0