We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jigna Patel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jigna, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I didn’t find my purpose in a single moment of clarity. It arrived slowly, revealed through one of the darkest chapters of my life — a period that stripped away everything familiar and asked me to meet myself in a completely new way.
In 2018, my life went through a major upheaval. The identity I had built — the marriage, the stability, the future I believed I was moving toward — suddenly dissolved. I wasn’t just navigating logistics; I was navigating the emotional aftermath. I felt lost. Overwhelmed. In deep grief for the life I thought I had, and the one I thought I was supposed to have. There were many days when getting up felt like a negotiation with myself. Days when hopelessness sat in my chest like a weight. I genuinely didn’t know how to move forward.
That season became my initiation.
Mindfulness, nervous system work, and somatic practices weren’t professional tools back then — they were my lifelines. They helped me slowly rebuild from the inside out, rewiring my inner world from fear to trust, from despair to gratitude, and eventually from gripping for control to surrendering to what wanted to emerge. These practices gave me a way to anchor myself when everything else felt unsteady.
And as I softened into that surrender, life began guiding me in surprisingly gentle, intuitive ways. Conversations arrived at the exact right time. Opportunities that felt serendipitously aligned showed up. I followed my curiosity — exploring modalities, attending workshops, saying yes to things that sparked something in me even if I didn’t fully understand why.
Coaching didn’t appear as a lightning bolt moment. It appeared as a doorway. A stepping stone that allowed me to support others in the same ways I had been learning to support myself. The more I leaned into it, the more I realized I had been quietly searching for deeper meaning for most of my adult life — even during my tech career, even when I was checking all the societal boxes of “success.” I would look at my life and think: I’ve done everything I was told to do — so why do I still feel like something is missing?
That question stayed with me until I finally allowed myself to stop forcing a path that no longer felt true, and instead trust the one that was unfolding.
Today, I’m deeply grateful for every part of that journey — even the painful pieces. They cracked me open. They grew me. They taught me who I was beyond roles, expectations, and identities. And they prepared me to do the work I do now with a depth of compassion and presence I didn’t have before.
My purpose revealed itself the moment I surrendered to life’s flow, trusted my own inner unfolding, and allowed curiosity to lead the way.
And now the very tools that helped me rebuild — mindfulness, somatics, nervous system work, movement, ritual, community — are the tools I offer others so they can find their way back home to themselves.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I work as a Mindful Life Transition Coach, facilitator, and founder of Shakti Sisters, a women’s wellness and retreat brand rooted in embodiment, intentional rest, and community healing. My work centers on helping people — especially high-achieving individuals and those moving through major life transitions — reconnect with inner steadiness when life feels overwhelming, chaotic, or emotionally tender.
My approach blends mindfulness, nervous system regulation, somatic practices, ritual, and embodied movement. What feels most meaningful about this work is witnessing those quiet, powerful moments when someone softens back into themselves — when clarity returns, when the breath deepens, or when they finally feel a sense of groundedness they haven’t accessed in a long time. Those moments are the heartbeat of what I do.
I support clients one-on-one and in group settings, both locally and globally. Because my work is virtual-friendly, I’ve had the privilege of working with people from all over the world. I also lead in-person workshops, movement sessions, and somatic exploration experiences for various groups, and I host restorative retreats through Shakti Sisters. These retreats are designed around the idea that pausing isn’t optional — it’s part of our strategy for living well. They offer women a space to breathe, rest, reconnect, and remember who they are beneath the noise of everyday life.
I also create guided meditations, which are available for free on Insight Timer, YouTube, and Spotify. Those meditations have been played tens of thousands of times, which continues to remind me how many people are searching for simple, accessible tools to support their nervous systems and emotional wellbeing.
This year, I’m continuing to expand my in-person offerings in Seattle and throughout Washington State, including retreats and movement-and-sound experiences in collaboration with local healers. My focus is on creating spaces — both virtual and in person — where people can land, exhale, and return to themselves.
More than anything, I want readers to know that my work isn’t about fixing anyone. It’s about helping people remember their own inner wisdom, resilience, and capacity for renewal. Whether through a single coaching session, a meditation, or a retreat weekend, my intention is always the same: to help people come home to themselves.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When I look back at my journey, three qualities were absolutely essential — not because I mastered them quickly, but because I allowed myself to grow into them, especially when life felt the most uncertain. ⸻
<b>1. Curiosity
</b>Curiosity is what kept me moving when everything felt dark and unfamiliar. It nudged me toward new practices, new conversations, and new possibilities at a time when I didn’t know what my “next chapter” would be. Following those small sparks — even when they didn’t make logical sense — is what eventually led me to the work I do today.
<i><u>Advice:
</u></i>Start where there is even the tiniest pull. Explore what feels interesting, nourishing, or expansive — without needing it to become something right away. Curiosity often leads you toward the life that’s trying to emerge.
⸻
<b>2. Surrender
</b>There came a point when forcing my life back into its old shape no longer worked. Surrender wasn’t about giving up; it was about softening, trusting, and allowing myself to be guided rather than gripping for control. The more I surrendered, the more aligned opportunities began to appear.
<i><u>Advice:
</u></i>Practice small acts of letting go. Notice where you’re pushing or forcing, and ask, What would it feel like to release this just a little? Surrender creates space for clarity to find you.
⸻
<b>3. Self-Compassion</b>
In my most difficult season, I realized I couldn’t heal through self-judgment. Self-compassion became my anchor. It allowed me to meet myself in grief, in confusion, and in rebuilding — without rushing the process or turning away from the hard parts.
<i><u>Advice:
</u></i>Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend in a tender moment. Speak gently. Honor your pace. Ask yourself, What do I need right now? Self-compassion isn’t a luxury; it’s the foundation that makes transformation possible.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
If I knew I only had a decade left, I would spend it exactly the way I encourage others to live now: with intention, depth, and a commitment to what truly matters.
I would pour my energy into two things — presence and connection.
I would spend more unhurried time with my children, my loved ones, and the people who bring meaning to my life. I’d say yes to experiences that awaken joy and aliveness, and no to anything that pulls me away from who I truly am. I would travel to places that feel sacred to me, spend long stretches in nature, and create memories that feel like medicine — not just for myself, but for the people I love.
Professionally, I wouldn’t chase more productivity or growth for the sake of growth. I would focus on offering work that feels like legacy — the kind of workshops, retreats, and teachings that help people reconnect with themselves long after I’m gone. I’d keep writing, keep teaching, keep guiding — not from ambition, but from devotion.
And most of all, I would protect spaciousness. I would make rest part of my strategy. I would savor slow mornings, meaningful conversations, ritual, movement, creativity, and the small sacred moments we often rush past.
Because if I only had ten years left, I wouldn’t want more accomplishments —
I’d want more life in my life.
More presence. More love. More truth. More alignment.
And I’d hope that the way I lived would give my children and the people I serve permission to live that way too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mindfullifetransition.coach/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfullifetransitioncoach/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulLifeTransitionCoach
- Other: https://shaktisisters.love/, https://insighttimer.com/mindfullifetransitioncoach, https://open.spotify.com/show/30vEtsodUpfD4X6SLmZMc3
