Meet Lumalia Armstrong

We recently connected with Lumalia Armstrong and have shared our conversation below.

Lumalia, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Being in my body has always been the secret to my self-confidence. The moment I’m drawn into my mind, overthinking, imagining a future that isn’t working out for my good, or thinking I live in a world that is against me, is the moment I slip out of confidence.

Growing up, I was a gymnast and dancer. I loved choreographing and even choreographed some student productions in middle and high school. So it’s no surprise that now I’m a women’s empowerment movement facilitator and photographer. I’ve loved creating spaces for others to feel good in their bodies ever since I realized how good I could feel in mine, even when I was battling chronic illnesses and depression. The moment I went to flow on my yoga mat, took some self-portraits, or went deep into the sensations in my body was when I always felt at home and ready to take on anything, including healing from the incurable diagnosis I was getting in my late twenties, which is something I talk about in my memoir, Blooming Upside Down.

Often, we think self-confidence is an external job that changes how we look or view the world, but it’s a feeling we can train ourselves to access more regularly. It helps to be surrounded by people and environments always cheering you on.

This has been my biggest secret. If someone cannot be my biggest cheerleader, they don’t spend much time with me. Because I’ll always do the same, and those closest to me know this. I will always be their biggest fan. We need more of this in the world: people cheering for each other more than tearing each other down.

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?

All of my work can be summed up as a beauty hunter or connection architect. In this wild, beautiful, and sometimes difficult world we live in, I like to believe that we get to choose how we respond to it. We can choose to stay in the paradigm of suffering, or we can step into states of awe, curiosity, and beauty. It’s the latter that I’ve always chosen to dwell in and the one I’m here to inspire people to drop back into.

However, this does not mean spiritually bypassing our emotional experiences; it’s the exact opposite. As a survivor of sexual abuse and previously diagnosed with PTSD along with multiple chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases, I knew the reality of when things get tough and became one to sit face to face with every last ounce of it and turn it into absolute beauty. This, I believe, is our greatest gift as humans. We get to become the alchemist of our lives. And while I wish we all didn’t come into this world with generational trauma, I do believe we don’t have to continue to carry it into future generations.

Through my life experiences, I’ve incorporated everything I’ve learned into my creations as an artist, from my women’s retreats and empowerment boudoir photography photoshoots to the writing, inspirational talks, yoga, and somatic movement facilitation work I do in my online offerings for women and couples.

Currently, you can find my first memoir, Blooming Upside Down, everywhere books are sold, and in 2026, you’ll find my second memoir coming.

Right now, you can join my women’s retreats in Oregon and photography experiences in person.

For folks across the world, you can join my online membership library at https://celebrateagainyoga.org, where I have a 30-day self-care challenge and five different roadmaps to heal everything from mental health issues, confidence, inner childhood wounds, reparenting work, and so much more through the chakra system using meditation, journaling, somatic work, yoga, and what I call creative experiences. I occasionally offer group experience containers online, so keep an eye out for those!

At the heart of what I do is to draw you into the beauty of yourself and the world around you, including other humans. I’m here to empower individuals to remember their power lies in the presence and awareness they have in their bodies. To then use that as the catalyst to create the life and expressions they desire in this world. No matter what that means, I see it as someone stepping into their own creativity, whether that is being an author themselves, more present as a mother, or more impactful in their career. I hope that with the embodiment and confidence they build in working with me, they ultimately experience transformation in all aspects of their lives.

I believe we live in a world that draws us out of our bodies and into our mind only. I’m here to help us remember this is where our power lies in this holy land called our bodies. Our bodies have a magnificent connection to this beautiful planet we live on. We are always in harmony with it and each other. We’ve just forgotten how to stay connected. And so, we go through so many trials, traumas, and beliefs in our world. But I think they can be slipped off just as they slipped in. This sounds simple, but I’m walking proof it’s possible and surrounded by so many other people who experience the same reality. It’s rare in our world right now, sometimes making it seem impossible, but it’s just the beginning of a new way of being.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Resilience is the most significant skill I’ve cultivated over the years; honestly, this is always about a mindset. The belief that you can get through anything, no matter what is happening, is not the whole picture. This is a practice of not always being in the present moment but also in the collection of moments where, in the past, you are resilient, no matter how small or big. For example, knowing I could climb the face of a mountain with my bare hands as a rock climber in my early twenties has given me confidence that I can do hard things even before I got sick and overcame that, too. Let your past experiences build your confidence and imagine a version of yourself that can get you through what you are. If you don’t have any, try doing some “hard things” that aren’t “big.” Start weight training with someone who can support you. Try a 30-day yoga program, anything where you can look back and say, “Yeah, I did that.”

Then, do things that a new version of yourself would do, especially if it’s an edge for you. However, we must also do this with the support of the environment and our people. So, if you don’t have that, work on building your cheerleaders to support you in building resiliency. People who won’t tell you how awful something is but people who will tell you you can get through this and that they see you in your suffering and are here to support you, not carry you but be your cheerleader. You still have to do the heavy lifting.

Being aware of my mindset has been a game changer. I inherited many “I cannot” mindsets. The moment I can confront those with a similar practice, as I shared above, is when I can become unstoppable.

I always see beauty, and no matter how hard something might be, I can find a way to see how this can work out for my good or my mission in life. This doesn’t mean I skip ahead to this when I’m in the heat of an emotional experience, but it does help me have perspective when I’m in the depths of grief, anger, or sadness. This has been cultivated in me from a young age, but it can also be nurtured in yourself. Being in nature and noticing its beauty is a great way to start.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

“Women Who Run with the Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

This book was this radical invitation for me to be the wild woman I’ve always been, but I grew up in a very different environment from the one my soul’s always wanted to be. It felt like this book spoke a language I didn’t know women could speak. It invited me deeper into rewilding myself instead of following social norms for who I was supposed to be as a woman.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://celebrateagain.org/womens-retreat-in-oregon-wellness-experiences/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebrateagain
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lumalia