Life is a tapestry of rich experiences; some we embrace and LOVE, and others we can’t connect with and reject—but they’re all part of this profound journey of healing, growing and transcending.
I wanted to share some more about the magical experiences I’ve had, what I’ve been through, and what has led me to the place I am today.
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Part one of my story starts when I headed to NYC at 20 to study writing and acting, taking with me a koala 🐨 as a gift, of course, to remind me of home. ❤️💫
I would go on to live in the USA on and off for the next 15 years.
I lived in Soho on Greene Street and became friends with another actress who went on to star in the L Word. We would recite our lines for auditions on the steps up to my loft apartment.
I worked on many shows and movies … just small parts, and I got over it pretty quickly. I hated speaking someone else’s words, of course. 😅
I got into Groundlings Improv, one of the leading acting schools in LA, where comedian Kristen Wiig and Lisa Kudrow trained. I loved it because I was free to fully express myself and wasn’t tied to the words on the page.
But with the enormous amount of unreleased crapola I was carrying, I ended up with a tumor. So I left my beloved NYC, came home, and had three surgeries.
That wasn’t the worst of it … I almost died from blood poisoning and was misdiagnosed by three female gynos. It was the doctor that had delivered me 20 years prior, Dr Bear, who was the only doctor {male doctor} who listened to me when I was literally turning yellow from infection!
With great effort and much time, I healed and returned to work as an ad executive at 28.
I created a TV show with supermodel Carre Otis—called What is sexy?—which redefined what it meant to be a powerful woman. I scored a huge agent at ICM, but the show never sold because it wasn’t drama and was ahead of its time. Drama sells even at networks like Harpo and OWN. I’ve pitched them all.
I then went on to raise capital for my startup apparel line, Bodylove. The size range celebrated all sizes and ethnicities and was endorsed by Kate Winslet who I met at the gym! The sizes were precious for petite, scrumptious for small, marvelous for medium, luscious for large, extra luscious and voluptuous.
Bodylove was also a proud sponsor at Salma Hayek’s homeless butterfly ball.
Through this profound journey, I uncovered the following 3 core teachings.
- Never build a business from a position of fear because you’ll make really stupid choices.
I was ripped off by a dodgy lawyer who stole my corporate kit. He said to me, ‘You’re a Russian with a chip on your shoulder, and I’m going to take you down’. It was like something out of a movie. He’d been planning it all along. The Universe had already given me cause for concern when he wasn’t doing his job properly, but I could’ve dissolved the agreement at that point so in my mind I tried to reassure myself by repeating a mantra of ‘it’s okay’. I carried on out of fear and, well, I lost it all. That was part two of my story. - Listen to your body and your own intuitive guidance.
I was bleeding from my uterus for 3 months, turning yellow, and I knew I was sick. I kept going back to the doctors telling them that something wasn’t right. I should’ve pressed for further examinations with those female gynecologists, but they wrote me off because I was a 26-year-old ‘girl’. In the end, it was my insistence and strong intuitive guidance to get things checked out further that literally saved my life. OMG. - I uncovered profound wisdom about who I am and how I wanted to operate in the world.
From the experience of working for advertising corporations, I realised that I was constantly giving my power away to others, waiting for someone else—a network or an individual—to give me the green light on a project. I started to examine my feelings and discovered that I didn’t like someone else telling me whether my work could go ahead or not. That’s when I took back my power and went out and created capital myself to shoot the What is Sexy series.
And now, with the internet and where we are ten years later technologically, it feels so empowering to be in a position where we can create our visions ourselves and inexpensively. The days of having to pitch my projects have given me a greater level of clarity around why I love being an entrepreneur and, as most of you know, I’ve gone on to create one of the leading online business schools on the planet, High-End Empire, which is growing at a rapid rate.
So through this whole journey—the trauma with my family, the deep illness I went through, losing my company, working in advertising, producing at A Current Affair in Australia, editing for a magazine, the good, the bad and the ugly—have all contributed to forming my intellectual property, and the knowledge, wisdom and teachings that I am able to present to the world and offer my clients today.
And this is something I would love you to realise and claim for yourself: that all your experiences and wisdom are your intellectual property and a gift for the world.
I invite you to write down 10 of the biggest life-changing experiences you’ve had in your life, whether positive or negative. For example, it might have been having a child that was either a traumatic experience or the most beautiful time in your life. There may have been a huge ongoing issue with money for you; you may have experienced abuse, health issues or heartache. For each experience, ask yourself:
- What did this experience teach me?
- How did it transform my life?
- What is the essence of this story?
- From what I’ve learnt through this experience, what can I teach others?
If you look at the gift in the experience, you can turn trauma into your greatest teachings. And it is then, you have a soul shift and transmute darkness to light. – Ingrid Arna
So, let’s continue the conversation, divine woman! I would love to know more about you: what has led you into the work you’re doing now and to committing to bringing your message to the planet?
I invite you to come and share with me, diva, over on my FREE High-End Empire Facebook group. I know you have a wealth of wisdom ready to be unleashed and I look so forward to meeting you there.
For a seamless experience, diva, login to your Facebook account first, then click the link below to join the group.
Fixated by your divine success,
