We were lucky to catch up with Safia Pulliam recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Safia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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.

COVID! I was already starting to feel burnout from doing nails. I had been working as a nail artist for 7 years. I was no longer excited about the work I was doing. The conversations were becoming more and more superficial and redundant, the environment more and more toxic and I wasn’t inspired to create the art clients were asking for. So when our Governor Gavin Newsome made the announcement to go home until further notice I left the salon with all my things and knew deep down inside that I was never going back. I had already begun my meditation teacher training at the DEN in Los Angeles so now I had more time to devote my mental energy to that.
I’ve always been good at knowing when it’s time for me to leave a job but this time it was more than just leaving a job I needed a change in my career, my physical space, and most of all in spirit. That time sitting at home during COVID was how I would figure that out what would be my next move.

Safia , 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 own life experiences led me to this industry. Like most people I’ve been through my fair share of difficult experiences growing up and in my early adult years. I wanted to find ways to let the past go. I’ve always been into spirituality and personal development so I started getting serious and consistent with my practices. At that time it was still considered “new age” and really woo woo so I love that there’s now more education and science to support the benefits of all of it now.

I guide/teach mindfulness practices in the areas of
-Breathwork
-Movement
-Sound Healing
-Self-development

I guide people in coming back to themselves, there’s a lot of “noise” in this world, and life is happening to all of us and that can be overwhelming and stressful. So when I guide a mediation or sound bath for a movement class I’m constantly reminding people that it’s ok to go at their own pace, to feel their movements not think them and most of all know that stillness and peace is always available to them. they just have to take the time to be present with it. I help people realize that the noise they hear can and does get quiet when they become present with their stillness.

Being myself-From doing my own work and sharing this work with others I have come to realize more and more that I can only do this work wholeheartedly if I am myself. Being Myself looks like a person who shows up everyday in every way authentically so whether I’m having a great day or a shitty one I allow myself to feel that and express that. I think when others see me be real in that way it inspires them to be that for themselves.

I’m most proud of where I am now, I’ve done a lot of work and continue to do so to heal past traumas, and work through character traits I don’t enjoy living with. When situations arise and I’m able to show up in a way that I didn’t before that lets me know that the work I’m doing is actually working. Being able to show up in a new way lets me know that I can indeed be the person I want to be.

When people see me and my work I want them to be able to see parts of themselves. Especially black women because we can oftentimes be treated like we’re a monolith and that’s not true, not for us, not for anyone.
I want people to feel seen and heard when they experience me especially in person. Social media creates a barrier to our realities so I want to be as much as myself as I possibly can on and offline. I want people to know that they can come take my classes or have a one on one session with me in order to unpack some of the things that keep us caught in these societal constructs and loops of heaviness.
I want people to know I may not have gone through exactly what they’ve gone through but we as humans are all going through something so I’d like to show them some empathy and support them on their path to remembering who they are.

I had to unlearn and release the shame I have around asking for help. Growing up I was taught that what goes on in this house stays in this house. Although I get it to certain degree because you really don’t want all your business out in the streets but it can also be very stifling.
That mindset made me be someone that felt I had to do everything for myself by myself. I thought that if I asked people to help me they would judge me for not knowing something or having it “all together”
I’ve come to realize not asking for help is a detriment to my growth and will keep my world small. I no longer want that for my life.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

A few things Self-Awareness, Clarity, Compassion, Courage, Empathy, Detachment,

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy I’ve found is being being authentic, letting go of a need to be liked by everyone, and word of mouth referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: Coming soon
• Instagram: @safia.pulliam
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safia-pulliam-b1183714/
• Other: Tik Tok @safia.pulliam

Image Credits
Khavory Lee photos Lauren Cheek