We were lucky to catch up with Terra Lew recently and have shared our conversation below.

Terra , 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?

Every aspect of my life changed about five years ago when my grandmother passed away. Her death was sudden and tragic. She played a huge part in raising my brother, me, and my two young children. Soon after her passing, I began to feel constant burning pains from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Despite extensive evaluations by various doctors and intaking multiple medications, the pain did not improve. Waking up each day covered in tears and pain, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and decided to take a deep dive into more holistic ways of healing.

Through my personal wellness journey, I learned how intertwined our emotions are to our physical bodies, and the amount of agency we have over the way our life experiences affect how we show up in the world. I did a complete reset of the nourishment I was offering to myself on and off the plate. Not only did I change what I ate, I had to change my mindset, the way I did and didn’t process emotions, and learn to genuinely love myself. With daily practice, I began to feel less and less pain, and by a year, I was pain-free.

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.

My mission is to remind people of all ages how to love themselves by listening to their bodies and hearts, and surrounding themselves with experiences that feel warm, safe, and supportive. True embodiment and self-love can help steer us away from potentially unnecessary medical interventions. This is not to say that I don’t believe in the power of modern medicine — however, I am a strong believer in the human body’s ability to find its way back to wellness. As my grandmother would always say, “You have to heal yourself.”

I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to share my ever-growing life experiences in the classroom and with my clients. In a virtual school setting for TK through 12th graders, I create and teach lessons centered around whole-person wellness. Some of my favorite topics include self-love, self-management skills, self-awareness, setting boundaries, empathy, and processing difficult emotions. Whenever I can, I incorporate journaling as a form of self-expression and self-discovery. I never use a red pen and always encourage my students to write without the concern for restrictive rules around spelling and grammar. With my health coaching and Reiki clients, we work together to better understand the messages their bodies are telling them. Through a new sense of clarity, I can further support my clients in discovering what aligns with who they are, who they want to be, and how they want to feel.

What I’m proud of are the honest and reflective conversations I get to facilitate with my students and clients, and the connections to themselves and others that spark as a result of the interactions in class or during sessions. One of the most exciting programs I’ve recently had the great honor of being a part of is Homeboy Industries’ quest to bring wellness to their entire community, including their dedicated staff members. With the power of touch through Reiki, I assist members of the Homeboy family in bringing awareness to their bodies so they can learn to reset and rejuvenate on their own.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Absolutely not! I love teaching and coaching! After teaching the core subjects (English, math, social studies, and science) in a traditional school setting, there were a couple of years when I felt disconnected from the idea of going back into the same environment — I feared I had lost my desire to teach. Eventually, with the help of my dear friend, Sofiya Turin, I realized that I just wasn’t thrilled about teaching the topics I had in the past! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel immense gratitude for being able to teach what I’m truly passionate about: WELLNESS!

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

From as early as I can remember, I was criticized for almost everything I did: the way I held my fork, the way I sat, the type of earrings I chose, etc. Although presented from a place of love, these messages taught me that my authentic self was not to be accepted or trusted. My thoughts and actions were never near “good.” I learned to hold others’ opinions closer to my heart than my own.

I was conditioned to ignore my intuition and ignore my body’s messages. My heart and body were “too sensitive.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.terralew.com
• Instagram: @nourished.with.teacherterra