Faith Restored: My Path from Burnout to Spiritual Healing and Purpose

I Pushed God Out of My Life, and It Didn’t Turn Out Great...

In 2013, my world shifted dramatically. I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and Lyme’s disease, and from that moment, my life wasn’t the same. What seemed like the start of a spiritual journey was really an awakening to the fact that I had always been on this path.

Growing up, I had a deep connection to God. From my earliest memories of praying as a 5-year-old to being saved in a Southern Baptist church choir during elementary school, my faith was a central part of my life. It carried me through high school, where I played saxophone for a non-denominational church praise band, and later into college, though my relationship with God became more distant.

Rediscovering Faith in My Early 30s

After college and grad school, I drifted from spiritual practices, though I still believed in something greater. My focus was on building a life with my husband, Ryan—getting married, buying a home, and starting a career. But in my early 30s, I found my faith again and wrote a gospel song called River of My Soul, which was all about how prayer brought me peace and helped heal old wounds.

Then came 2013, and everything changed.

Feeling Like My Body Had Failed Me

When I became sick, I carried a deep sense of shame. Ryan and I had been talking about starting a family, and suddenly, I felt like my body had betrayed me. But this crisis opened up a new door—a way for me to leave a career I had outgrown and step into something that felt more aligned.

I started a sound healing business in 2014, which naturally evolved into a life-purpose coaching practice by 2015. My spiritual gifts and intuition were guiding me, though I didn’t fully recognize how much I needed to lean into my faith at the time.

Pushing God Away and Losing Myself

My business grew, but so did my challenges. After losing a few key client relationships and then my mother, I pushed God out. I pushed my gifts away, convinced that to be successful in my sales career, I had to hide my spiritual side.

The lockdown only deepened this disconnection, and I lost myself in the pursuit of success, striving for something that felt empty. I was making great money, working with big-name clients, but inside, I was lost.

My Sabbatical: Rediscovering MySelf

This summer, I took a sabbatical from client work. The years of pushing my spiritual side away had led to a success without purpose, and I knew something had to change. I tried running workshops, experimented with niching, and even thought about reviving my pre-pandemic business, but none of it felt right.

In the stillness, my faith was restored. I healed deep wounds, and I began to see how my ego had been running the show. I learned to feel my emotions instead of running from them, realizing that emotional disconnect had kept me from God all along.

Where I Am Now: Aligned and Connected

Now that my faith is stronger than ever, I’ve let go of the need to strive, achieve, and push. I’m relaxed, trusting in Divine timing and order. My life has taken on a new direction, one that feels fully aligned.

I’ve shifted away from coaching for the moment and followed paths that resonate deeply with me. I’ve taken a part-time role in a medical coaching offer that helps people struggling with health issues, just as I was 10 years ago. I’m also co-founding a Conversational AI agency, blending technology with heart. And I’m stepping into my true calling as a spiritual guide and teacher, helping others heal deep wounds and reconnect with the love and light within them.

A Message for You

Whether you’ve known me since my early coaching days or met me during my corporate sales consultant phase, I trust that those who resonate with this message will stick around. And for those who don’t, I wish you well on your journey.

No matter what’s going on in your life or how chaotic your thoughts may feel, know this: there is power and beauty within you. The inner chaos may be blocking it for now, but when you feel safe to let it in, that beauty will reign.

Big love,
Celia