Interview with Rachel from Rooted Strategy
Rooted Strategy features Emilah Dawn DeToro.
What type(s) of holistic medicine or wellness have you studied and what do you specialize in?
I’m an energy medicine geek! I’ve studied homeopathy, flower essences, and began healing people with the energy that came through my hands after a 2004 car accident (Energy Body Alignment).
I am a long-time student and practitioner of yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, and am fascinated by all things Vedic. I have completed some formal studies – I was a certified yoga teacher in the Anusara tradition and attended the Ayurvedic Institute as a part of my own healing journey.
My spiritual growth has also been influenced by Unity, a New Thought Church/Movement, Fr. Richard Rohr, Adyashanti, and several guides no longer in form (Sanat Kumar, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, and Swami Sivananda). I received coaching certification through Coaching for Transformation and also trained in Presence-Based Coaching.
I am an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Certified Sparketype® Advisor (CSA). Brené Brown, Nonviolent Communication, and 12-step programs related to codependency influence my orientation to personal development and psychological healing. Intuitive Life Coaching, my specialty, is a blend of coaching, intuitive work (readings and development), and Energy Body Alignment.
I especially enjoy helping millennials and mid-life highly sensitive people (HSPs), empaths, seekers, and introverts navigate career, relationship, and health transitions. I also serve as a coach and guide to those curious and ready to engage their own intuitive and energy-healing capacities and spiritual gifts.
Tell us a little about you. What’s your backstory, and how did you get into holistic wellness?
In 1998, when I was 30, I moved to Tucson, AZ to attend graduate school at the University of Arizona. I had been a student affairs professional for many years and this seemed like the next step.
I had been curious about yoga for years and began practicing Anusara yoga which opened the doors to Ayurveda, meditation, and spirituality in general. I spent some time at an Ashram in New York diving more deeply into these practices.
While in Tucson, I was hired by the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona as an administrative assistant which, over time, led to being a qualitative researcher on an NCCAM study exploring “Patient and Provider Perspectives on Homeopathic Treatment”.
In that role, I interviewed 40 practitioners and their clients who had experienced miraculous recoveries from classical homeopathy.
After my young dog was completely healed of urinary incontinence, I was hooked on energy medicine. Around the same time, I entered 12-step to recover from the ingrained habits of codependency. During this time, I discovered I was an introvert, empath, and highly sensitive person (HSP).
Then, in 2004, a rollover car accident cracked open intuitive, psychic, and energy-healing capacities that really rocked my world. It took several years to heal the head injury and understand and integrate these gifts with my personality and life on earth. In 2010 I integrated them with coaching to create Intuitive Life Coaching – a blend of coaching, intuitive work, and energy healing. I’ve been in practice ever since.
What’s your preferred style of work?
I enjoy 1:1 and small group work the most and have optimized my business for that. I offer:
1:1 Intuitive Life Coaching through the Whole Shebang 2.0 coaching subscription.
1:1 Intuitive Readings, Energy Body Alignment, Healing for Pets and their People, and Sparked Conversations (based on the Sparketype Assessment).
A paid membership, The Dragonfly Collective, where I offer weekly group intuitive readings, a monthly New Moon Intention Circle, and a monthly Full Moon Guided Meditation/Energy Body Alignment Circle.
What is something you’re most proud of in your work?
These last few years I have overcome significant mindset challenges in order to grow my business – marketing, underpricing, etc. I am proud of the work I did to make these shifts as well as the ways in which I integrate intuitive guidance and good business practices to create a thriving business.
I am also proud of my clients. They dive deep to engage their intuition and transform their lives. It’s humbling and rewarding to hold space for their growth.
Where do you get most of your health info from (outside of your traditional study.) Are there any podcasts you love, books you’d recommend, or newsletters you enjoy getting?
I enjoy The Good Life Project podcast. Jonathan Fields covers a range of topics, including health and wellness.
I’m currently reading Energy Medicine by Jill Blakeway* and am enjoying it.
I read and listen to everything Brene Brown puts out and read many of the books of the people she interviews on her podcast.
Most of my health info comes from my Acupuncturist, Amanda Brown, and my good friend Kimberly Guinta who has studied Ayurveda for years.
Where do you meet most of your clients?
Most of my clients come from referrals. But many also heard me on a podcast or stumbled across my work via social media. I am pretty active on Facebook, Instagram, and more recently I am loving LinkedIn.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new holistic practitioner, what would it be?
Entrepreneurship is a spiritual and personal growth practice. It will push all your buttons and ask you to grow in ways you cannot even imagine. But it can also be incredibly rewarding. Do “the work”. Let your faith in something larger guide you. Cultivate your intuition and follow it – even when it’s counter-cultural!
*There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you subscribe or purchase something through the links provided that are signaled with *. Emilah Dawn DeToro is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other websites that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program.
Thanks for reading!
