Meet Laura Tulumbas

We were lucky to catch up with Laura Tulumbas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

Self-care is an act of self-love. When we actually care for ourselves we give ourselves the opportunity to receive our own time, attention and love. On some level it is an act of boundary setting, saying yes to the things that really nourish us and no to the things that are draining our energy and our life force. Of course sometimes being able to say “no” is a privilege. Most people can’t just say I am not going to work because it is draining my life force energy. We still may have to say yes to things that we have to do. This offers us the opportunity to make the mundane sacred and use time wisely so that you can be effective. Time often gets swallowed by distraction and if we stay true to our self-care and then we are more effective because we feel more taken care of and we are prioritizing things that matter over avoidance.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My own story is one of deep transformation, beginning in the bustling world of New York’s restaurant scene and evolving into a dedicated pursuit of healing and self-discovery when the world shifted on 9/11/2001, I lived a block away. Through my life journey, marriage, kids, the death of my Dad, divorce, remarriage, moving away from my NYC existence after 44 years of life, starting over in a new city, dealing with my Mom’s dementia, navigating my relationship with my kids as they grow, and another marriage ending, there have been so many new beginnings, deaths and rebirths in this one life. I have had to grow and adapt, I found solace in yoga, wisdom in Ayurveda, energy and transformative shifts in Reiki, depth and real access to myself in therapy. Each step has brought me closer to the intricate balance of body, mind, and heart. I truly respect the healing process and acknowledge how difficult it can be.

I am a Reiki Master, an Intuitive Healer, a Certified E-RYT 500/YACEP yoga teacher, and an Ayurvedic Holistic Health Counselor, AADP. I offer safe space to my clients and their healing process, my approach is holistic, weaving together the gentle power of Reiki, the clear guidance of intuitive coaching, drawing from the many years studying yoga, Ayurveda and nutrition. I believe in the interconnectedness of our physical, emotional, and mental health and offer sessions that work on the multi-layered reality of being human and mirror this comprehensive perspective to my clients in session.

If you’re looking to heal from physical mental or emotional challenges, navigate life’s changes with grace, or simply enhance your overall well-being, my sessions provide a safe and nurturing environment for exploration, healing, and growth. I combine a wide range of skills with a deeply empathetic approach, ensuring that each session is uniquely tailored to your personal journey. I empower you to unlock your own healing capabilities, guiding you towards a life of balance, health, and vitality.

I am presently working on relaunching my website and marketing. I also started a Youtube channel that will focus on offering brief meditations. I often encourage my clients to meditate and then realized I send them home without much guidance, so this channel is born out of the desire to support my clients when they are on their own. I am excited about the growth and future possibilities.

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?

I think everyone should have to wait tables or work in the service industry in some capacity. It provides and invaluable life skill of having to stay present, meet needs in the moment, and adapt, often in the midst of chaos. Even though stakes are not particularly high, ensuring the people you are serving are having a good experience and taking their needs to heart is a good lesson that will serve you in many ways throughout your life. It is also a direct reflection of how you are taking care of your own needs. Waiting tables and opening restaurants in NYC and LA brought me to my yoga practice. I was so burnt out, I knew I needed something to recalibrate my nervous system. I found yoga and I found a way to heal and take care of myself so I had the capacity to take care of everyone else.

Work hard now, don’t wait. You have the luxury of time, and create some urgency around what you want your life to be, being present and showing up for your life in a way that makes you feel like you truly matter to yourself. You matter, what you do matters, how you spend your time and what you focus your attention on matters, and ultimately this creates your life. Be mindful of where your energy, time and attention are going and where they are leaking. Also be patient, we aren’t always ready for what we think we want.

I have been on a healing journey for what feels like my whole life, starting when I was 13 and had to figure out how to feed, nourish myself and exercise so that I felt good in my body. It has evolved since then through dance, yoga, coaching, ayurveda, reiki, and therapy. Each component was valuable, I wish I had gone to therapy when I was in college although honestly I’m not sure I would have been ready to see what I needed to unpack at that time. If we remember that we are the only one coming to save us, we take ourselves to heart in a different way. I wish I would have learned to value myself more when I was young but I do believe wisdom comes with experience. I am grateful to know what I know now. Everyone has their own path and process, no one gets to decide what that looks like. We can create boundaries around things that don’t serve us but we don’t get to tell anyone what to do. We don’t get to control the outer world and our inner world is debatable depending on our triggers and life experience. It is multi-leveled and nuanced, and each person is unique in what they are navigating. When we create meaningful boundaries, this is self-care, this is how we show up for ourselves.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

I have been fortunate to grow up in a very big Greek, Italian and Irish family so I always felt loved. I have come to realize that some of that love was really enmeshment and co-depence but I am still so grateful for all of them because I felt safe, which allowed me to exist. I learned to work, be confident and to speak my mind from my Dad, I learned to be loving, helpful and reliable from my Mom. I learned to be in relationship with other humans from my best friend, that I have known my whole life, and my brother. Through self-study, coaching with Mama Gena, Regena Thomashauer, yoga, yoga philosophy, the tantric teachings offered by Dr. Douglas Brooks, Dr. Naina and Cate Stillman’s Ayurveda education, Brenda Rose’s guidance in energy healing and being attuned for Reiki, I have found more of my authentic voice.
I would have to say what and who has helped me most to develop the essential qualities to be successful has been my life experience, pain and grief, and my genius therapist Jorja Rivero who has been walking me through the impact of those life experiences for years now. I don’t think anything I have done has had a bigger impact on my life but when I look back it has been a process that required all of the steps.

Contact Info:

• Website: lauratulumbas.com (old site) reikiwithlauratulumbas.com (my relaunched site going live in January)
• Instagram: @lauratulumbas @reikiwithlauratulumbas
• Facebook: Laura Tulumbas
• Linkedin: Laura Tulumbas
• Youtube: @lauratulumbas @reikiwithlauratulumbas

Image Credits

Hillary Bridgman