We recently connected with Rachel Gossett and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Yes — there was a defining moment that completely shifted the trajectory of my life and career. In truth, it was more than a moment — it was a reckoning, a release, a rebirth. And it came after thirty-three years of struggling with eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

I spent most of my life living in a body that I felt disconnected from — criticized for, ashamed of, and at war with. I was bullied in middle school. I’ll never forget one day in seventh grade when I sat down at my desk and saw the words, “You are so fat. So ugly. And you will never have a boyfriend” scrawled across it. I remember erasing the message as quickly as I could, my heart pounding in fear and shame, hoping no one else would see it. I told no one. Not my parents, not my friends. I didn’t feel safe. My father was physically and emotionally abusive, and critical of everything I did, and my mother was caught in her own battles with mental health and eating disorders. I carried all of it silently — the bullying, the shame, the sense that I was never enough.

For over three decades, I rode the exhausting roller coaster of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and body dysmorphia. I tried traditional therapy, psychiatric care, diets, treatments — all the things society tells us to do — and while they may have helped temporarily, they didn’t reach the deep parts of me that were hurting. I was just “dealing” with my pain, not healing it.

In 2015, I was introduced to holistic modalities — reiki, yoga, somatic movement, mindfulness, meditation — and they began to open a door. But it wasn’t until 2023, as a mother of four, that I made a soul-level decision: I didn’t want to just cope anymore. I wanted to be a healthy, whole example for my children — especially my three daughters. I wanted them to love themselves, feel confident in their bodies, and know they were enough, just as they are. To do that, I had to heal the wounded little girl inside of me who never got to feel that for herself.

That’s when I found breathwork. It came into my life through a mentor, and during one of our first sessions, I released a decades-old energetic block from my heart center. What I experienced in those sessions was unlike anything I had ever felt — I wasn’t just managing symptoms, I was releasing trauma. My thoughts and emotions shifted. I felt freedom. I felt safe in my own body — maybe for the first time in my life.

That moment — that breakthrough — is what changed my path forever.

I dove into breathwork wholeheartedly. I found Adrienne Rivera from Breath of Gold, and her story mirrored mine in so many ways. I signed up for her facilitator training program and started regularly attending sessions. I knew I had to share this gift with others.

There were two breathwork journeys in particular that changed me on a cellular level. I set the intention to understand the root of my eating disorders and body dysmorphia. What came through was a vivid and visceral story — memories of childhood abuse, verbal attacks, being slapped, belittled, told I wasn’t good enough, that I was fat and unlovable. I saw myself as a child again, and I felt it all. The pain, the rage, the confusion, the grief. But instead of pushing it away or numbing it like I used to, I breathed through it. I danced with it. I allowed it to move through me.

I saw visions of my ancestors, of the Taínos of Puerto Rico. They invited me to embrace my curves, to feel my body’s power, to stop hiding. I saw my parents enter a vortex — I was finally able to energetically release their grip on my self-worth. I sobbed. I screamed. I shivered. And then… I felt free. My body burned, was buried, and was reborn. I was not the same woman after that.

I wish I could explain the moment I looked in the mirror and didn’t see distortion anymore. When I saw beauty — my beauty — inside and out. I cried. I laughed. I felt peace in my skin for the first time.
Three weeks later, I wrote in my journal: “Wait a second. Did I just heal from my eating disorders and body dysmorphia in two breathwork sessions?” And honestly… yes. It sure felt that way. The grip was gone. The war was over.

This was the defining moment that made everything clear. My entire life had been leading up to this work. I became a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and Reiki Master to help others experience the same liberation. My niche came into focus. I now support people — especially women — who feel trapped in their bodies, weighed down by shame, and disconnected from their truth. I hold space for them to come home to themselves. To release what’s no longer theirs. To reclaim their light.
My business, Reiki by Rae, isn’t just a job — it’s a sacred mission. It was born from my own pain, and it’s fueled by a passion to make sure no one has to suffer in silence the way I did. I combine breathwork, reiki, somatic movement, coaching, and intuitive guidance to support people on their healing journeys — from body image struggles, eating disorders, and perfectionism to deep trauma and nervous system regulation.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is this: Your breath can lead you home. Healing is possible. You are not broken. You are not too far gone. Everything you need to heal already lives inside you. Sometimes you just need someone to walk with you as you remember how to breathe again.

So yes — there was a moment that changed everything. It was the moment I finally chose myself. The moment I reclaimed my body, my breath, my voice, and my light.

And now, it’s my life’s work to help others do the same.

Rachel, 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?

Hi, I’m Rachel Gossett — trauma-informed breathwork facilitator, Reiki Master, and founder of Reiki by Rae, where I guide people on a journey of healing, self-compassion, and liberation from the inside out. I specialize in helping individuals, especially those struggling with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, come home to their bodies and reclaim their light.

For most of my life, I struggled with what I now help others heal. I lived with eating disorders and body dysmorphia for thirty-three years. From middle school bullying and childhood trauma to toxic beauty standards and family dynamics that constantly told me I wasn’t good enough — I carried deep shame about my body and my worth. I tried everything from traditional therapy to psychiatry to different forms of self-help. But nothing touched the deep-rooted pain and patterns I carried — until I found breathwork and energy healing.

In 2023, I had a series of powerful breathwork sessions that became the turning point of my life. During one session, I experienced an emotional, spiritual, and energetic release so profound, it felt like I had finally freed myself from a lifetime of shame, control, and self-hatred. For the first time, I felt safe in my body. I saw my curves as sacred. I cried for the little girl who just wanted to be loved for who she was — and I began to love her myself. I stopped seeing my body as a problem and started seeing it as a miracle. As mine.

That moment changed everything. My pain became my purpose. I knew I had to share these tools with others who were suffering in silence, just like I had for so long.

I became certified through the Breath of Gold Breathwork Facilitator Training and deepened my mastery in Usui Reiki. My work now integrates breathwork, energy healing, intuitive guidance, inner child work, and somatic practices. I hold compassionate, judgment-free spaces where clients can release stored trauma, regulate their nervous systems, heal their relationships with their bodies, and begin to see themselves through the lens of love — not shame.

The services I offer include:
• 1:1 Breathwork & Reiki Sessions — deeply personalized healing journeys that combine somatic breathing, energy work, and intuitive messages to support emotional, energetic, and physical release.
• My Signature Program: Reclaiming Your Light — a 3-month healing experience for individuals struggling with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and body image issues. This includes guided breathwork, reiki, coaching, integration support, and a Telegram space for ongoing connection.
• Group Breathwork Sessions & Workshops — themed sessions each month that explore topics like body liberation, shame release, inner child healing, self-trust, and more.
• Children’s Energy Support — inspired by my own children and their sensitivities, I’m also creating a children’s book, My Magic Bubble, to help sensitive kids protect their energy and navigate overwhelm.

What sets me apart isn’t just the modalities I use — it’s the lived experience I bring. I’ve walked the path. I know what it feels like to cry in a dressing room, to obsess over food, to hate the body you’re in, and to hide behind a mask of perfection while silently falling apart. And I also know what it feels like to come out the other side — free, whole, embodied, and alive. I don’t just teach healing. I live it. And I show up with authenticity, warmth, and deep compassion for everyone I work with.

What I’m most proud of is the ripple effect. I see my healing reflected in my children — in the way they speak about their bodies, their confidence, their ability to express their emotions. I see it in the clients who tell me they looked in the mirror for the first time and didn’t hate themselves. I see it in the people who show up to breathe, to feel, to finally let go of what’s not theirs.

I want potential clients and followers to know this: You are not broken. You are not too far gone. You are not alone. Healing is possible — even if you’ve felt stuck for years. Even if you’ve tried everything. There is power in your breath. There is wisdom in your body. And there is light within you that the world needs. My work is here to help you remember that.

Whether you’re new to somatic healing or just looking for a safe space to exhale, I’m here to walk with you. This isn’t about becoming someone else — it’s about coming home to who you’ve always been.

Let’s reclaim your light together.

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

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that I had to be perfect in order to be loved — that I had to earn love, acceptance, and safety by shrinking, achieving, pleasing, or hiding parts of myself.

This belief was wired into me from a very young age. I grew up in a home where love felt conditional. My father was extremely critical — of my appearance, my weight, my behavior, my voice — everything. I vividly remember being punished or humiliated for small things, like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the “wrong” way. There were moments of physical and verbal abuse that left deep scars on my nervous system and sense of self-worth. My mother, who struggled with her own eating disorders and mental health, would often shame me about my body, commenting on how my clothes fit or telling me I was too big, too loud, too much.

And then there was the bullying at school. I remember one day in seventh grade, I sat down at my desk and saw the words “You are so fat. So ugly. You’ll never have a boyfriend” scribbled across it. I erased it quickly, hoping no one saw, and buried the pain. I didn’t tell anyone. Not my teachers. Not my parents. Not my friends. I didn’t feel safe enough to.

So I learned how to survive by blending in. I learned to perform. To achieve. To stay quiet. To look like I had it all together while inside I was falling apart. I internalized the belief that if I could just be better — prettier, thinner, smarter, quieter — then maybe I would finally be good enough. Maybe then I would be loved, protected, chosen.

That belief stayed with me for over thirty years. It fueled decades of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. I spent so long trying to prove my worth — and I never felt like I could exhale.

The unlearning began when I found breathwork and energy healing. For the first time, I had a space to feel the pain instead of numb it. To listen to the younger versions of me who never got to speak. In one breathwork session, I released childhood memories I hadn’t thought about in years — memories of being slapped, choked, shamed, ignored. But I also saw myself dancing, moving freely, surrounded by ancestral love. I began to hear new messages. You are magic. You are worthy. You are already enough.

It’s taken time — and a lot of breath, tears, and grace — but I’ve slowly been unlearning the lie that I have to perform or perfect myself to be loved. I’m learning to take up space. To be seen, even when it’s messy. To speak my truth. To soften. To receive love, not just give it. And to know that my worth is not up for debate — it’s inherent.

Now, in my work as a breathwork facilitator and Reiki practitioner, I hold space for others to unlearn their own painful beliefs. I guide them back to themselves — their truth, their body, their voice — so they can stop performing and start being. That’s the gift I’ve received. And it’s the one I now pass on.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training and knowledge, I believe the most important factor for succeeding in my field is lived experience. You can be certified in all the modalities — and I absolutely value and honor my training as a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and Reiki Master — but what creates deep, lasting transformation for my clients is the fact that I’ve walked the path myself.

I know what it feels like to hate your reflection. I know what it feels like to try every diet, every treatment, every form of control — and still feel lost in your own body. I know what it’s like to appear “high functioning” on the outside while silently suffering inside. My story includes decades of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, trauma, and perfectionism. But my story also includes healing. My story includes rising.

That’s what makes my business successful — I don’t just teach healing. I embody it. I bring a deep level of compassion, understanding, and authenticity to my work because I’ve lived it. I don’t meet my clients with judgment or surface-level tools. I meet them with empathy, presence, and somatic practices that I know work — because they’ve helped me reclaim my own life.

Clients can feel when you get it. When you’re not just reciting something from a textbook but actually holding space from a place of knowing. That’s what creates safety. That’s what allows people to go deeper. That’s what allows them to finally exhale and say, “I don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”

So yes — training is important. But in my experience, what really creates success in this field is showing up with your whole heart. Being real. Being human. Being someone who’s been to the depths and can hold others through theirs — with love, grace, and the unwavering belief that healing is possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reikibyrae.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikibyrae/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rae.goss.967/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-gossett-20a915274?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@reclaimingyourlight?si=avgVqJy5VaIDAu8n

Image Credits

Emily Thompson of Light Chaser Photography, LLC