We’re looking forward to introducing you to April Petasek . Check out our conversation below.
Hi April , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Of course, it’s an honor to share.
For me it’s Being in nature. Nature is my most favorite place to be because it puts me back into my natural state of being. Calm. My nervous system regulates. Everything gets quiet and suddenly seems so unimportant and yet significant at the same time. Taking time to disconnect from my phone, from the world, from people, from the noise and the chaos that surrounds me is the best thing that I can do to find myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
For those who are new here I’m April. I’m a divine healer and spiritual leader in the wellness field. I have been a massage therapist for almost 17 years now and through my journey of self discovery, growth and learning I have acquired a unique set of knowledge, tools and gifts to help individuals in the way they need.
From helping athletes, dancers, performers and leaders relax from their high power and high stress jobs with body work, to helping couples reconnect and relax in the time they have in between things, to being a coach and mentor for women and their divine feminine energy, I really enjoy every aspect of helping people relax and find their inner peace. It is a privilege to be the person they trust to help them unwind, take their amor off whether it’s through massage, energy work, yoga, meditation or mentorship.
Right now I am collaborating with an amazing woman, colleague and friend to bring wellness retreats to the women of the world. We aspire to help women heal their divine feminine and energy and come back into their softness through connection, community and feeling through vulnerability.
We believe healing our nervous systems and prioritizing mental health with each other can be the most powerful tool to help women relax into their bodies and feel more peace.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Honestly, My relationship with myself.
Stepping into my full confidence and power has been a lifelong journey and it didn’t come easily. But it has shaped the way I see myself in a huge way and this has made the biggest impact on my life.
Diving deep into myself, doing introspection, inner work and questioning everything I had been taught and learned growing up has been some of the toughest work I have ever done.
It’s easy to go along with the crowd. It’s far more difficult to break yourself apart, redefine yourself and come out on the other side a better version of who you are. It’s far more difficult to stand up for yourself and this new version of you.
For me, my relationship with myself will always be the most important relationship I will ever have.
No one speaks to me more than myself. I have a duty to make sure that my mind is feeding me the best possible thoughts to receive the best possible outcome.
How I see myself has directly correlated to how I see the world and what the world has reflected back.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
How incredibly resilient I am, How strong I am when I put my mind to something and how much I can handle on my own.
My suffering has taught me that I’ve got me. And I’m the only one who’s got me to the degree that I do. I’m the only one who knows my internal struggle and pains. I’m also the only one who truly knows deep down what I need.
I have to love myself and take care of myself to the best of my ability. No one else can take care of me as well as I can care for myself. And therefore I have to put myself, my safety and my peace above all else and all others no matter what.
I am the only one who can truly advocate for myself.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, I truly live by being authentic and genuine. What you see is what you get and you will never get a fake version of me.
I believe in being whole heartedly authentic all of the time. I don’t have a poker face and I don’t believe in hiding behind masks.
I find being truly myself allows others and gives them the permission to be themselves as well.
A lot of us have been taught to hide certain emotions or parts of ourselves because they are shameful, not acceptable or “too much”.
But I believe the human experience is duality. You can’t have one without the other. Good bad, happy sad, bliss anger. Humans are meant to be complex. And we are especially here to feel a wide range of emotions.
Now I get to help people feel safe to express themselves where they have been stifled before.
That being said, one thing about me that a lot of people don’t see is how passionate I can be about certain topics and especially about protecting others.
When you really get to know me you’ll find there’s a lot more depth to me than the gentle, kind and loving side.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think people assume my path has been easy because I make it look that way. When the truth is, if people knew the amount of darkness that I had to crawl my way out of in order to be this lighthearted and loving they would probably be shocked.
In order to truly become the empathic and intuitive healer I am, it took trauma and darkness that tore my soul apart.
I’ve been my own protector, mentor, coach, parent, big sister, best friend and confidant.
I’ve had to fight battles silently, alone that most people couldn’t fathom. And I’ve had to keep my own boat afloat while handling it all.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned through everything is not to hide or shy away from my emotions.
Now I get to help people through compassion and empathy to a level they have ever experienced before. Unconditional love is something that unfortunately has to be learned in our society.
I truly hope my legacy makes people feel seen, heard, validated and like they are safe to be an authentic human being.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Livinggaiaconnection.com
- Instagram: @livinggaiaconnection
- Linkedin: April Petasek
- Facebook: Livinggaiaconnection
Image Credits
Keely Lattanzio
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