In a world filled with “coaches” – sports coach, life coach, job coach, relationship coach, etc. – is there room for one more? The answer is ‘yes’, according to soul empowerment coach Birgitta Visser.
Digital Journal spoke recently with the model-turned-author of “BE-com-ing Authentically Me” to find out what exactly is a soul empowerment coach, and how can they help everyday people.
Digital Journal: What is a Soul Empowerment Coach?
Birgitta Visser: I help empower people to deal with life’s traumas, having gone through a slew of them myself. My goal is to inspire individuals to live according to the resonance of their own soul, living their most authentic lives, rather than according to ho-hums of this created societal paradigm.
Our senses are constantly being bombarded by noise from myriad sources, influencing how we live our lives. This prevents us from realizing our true potential and deviates us from our authentic nature. My role is to help people align the inner spiritual essence of life with the outer life so that the two are in balance.
As Norman Cousins quoted, “The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live.”
DJ: Why is it important to have a coach for this?
Visser: Many people have a fear of the unknown, preventing them from self-exploration. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional. A soul empowerment coach can help people see the broader spiritual perspective. They can help people reframe challenges and difficulties as potential doors to transformation and healing. We give people permission to feel comfortable in their own skin, and for many, this begins a life-changing journey of self-awareness and personal authenticity.
DJ: What is a Soul Empowerment Coach typical session like?
Visser: No two sessions are alike because no two souls are the same.
I work with what is known as alchemy & cosmic sound bowls. The whole experience is aimed at healing someone on a deeper soul level. This process is aimed at eradicating physical ailments and blockages, even releasing trauma, by removing negative energy. The goal is to help expand a person’s awareness and release the heaviness they feel within.
It is powerful and very transformational, and I have seen some amazing results.
DJ: Was there one particular person or event thing that inspired you to become a Soul Empowerment Coach?
Visser: It wasn’t one particular thing that happened to me. There were many traumatic experiences I accumulated over the years that I needed to heal from. One bit of ‘trauma’ creates another bit of trauma and, if left unhealed, it causes a domino effect.
There were two steep tipping points in my life. Those experiences forced me to look deep within myself, healing the broken and fragmented person I was. I realized I couldn’t go on the way I had. I started living life, rather than just existing, and finally commenced learning to walk in my own truth.
Becoming a soul empowerment coach has allowed me to share my experience and help others heal in the same way.
DJ: What inspired you to write a book about being your “authentic” self?
Visser: I went through much trauma due to the abuse I endured as child. I lost my dad at the age of 14. I was bullied in high school because I was skinny and horribly insecure. I was abused in the modeling industry. When I lost my stepdad at the age of 25, I subsequently lost myself, tumbling through the rabbit hole of the not-so-wonderland of drugs. I was knee-deep in several toxic relationships. I was a people-pleaser and had regimented coping mechanisms in place, emotionally starving myself.
But in all my misadventures, my resilience was never compromised. I am thankful for my mum’s immense strength throughout life because she taught me to be a fighter and never to bow down to defeat. My book is my story, and I simply needed to share it.
DJ: Why is being “authentic,” or true to yourself, a good quality to have in business?
Visser: I brought up this same topic at a recent team-building event. If you cannot be authentic with yourself, how can you ever truly be authentic with others? Since every business has some element of personal connection – even if just sharing cubicle space (or Zoom screen) – it is critical that we be authentic with one another.
Too many people allow themselves to be conformed to “fit into” the society built around them, but they lose their own sense of self. The truth is, we do better when we feel aligned within ourselves, when we can be ourselves and are valued and respected for who we are, and we are able to value and respect other authentic people.
DJ: What advice would you give people who are trying to become their “authentic” selves?
Visser: Change your mind and live a heart-centered life, rather than a self-centered one.
We all have a powerful energy within, and that energy attracts similar energy. Positive attracts positive, and negative attracts negative. Always be you, not who the world wants you to be. Finally, eliminate fear. Fear is a roadblock we have engrained within our mindset through our constant (external) human conditioning. It can be overcome.
