Meet Nicole Buddin

We recently connected with Nicole Buddin and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Burnout has been a huge obstacle I’ve had to overcome since becoming a mother 7 years ago. Growing up my parents worked multiple jobs in order to make ends meet for our family of 6, and so working hard and taking care of your family was all that was modeled to me. I took that model and applied it to everything in my life – going to school and having a part-time job while also playing sports, working into the nights in my 20s when I first started my career, then working full-time and getting my MBA part-time up until I got pregnant with my first child. In a lot of ways this model really served me, as I was able to rise to a level of success financially and in the corporate world that my parents could only have ever dreamed of. The signs of burnout were present as I moved through my 20s and into my early 30s. Anxiety, chronic pain in my shoulders and neck, grinding my teeth to the point of cracking my tooth all were signs that my body was sending me to slow down, to take care of myself. I was able to ignore the signs, manage the symptoms for many years. Until I found myself at the age of 31, with a 1-year old and the realization that I couldn’t keep going the way I was AND be the mother I wanted to be to my daughter.

This led me down a path of inner-exploration. Diving into all of the parts that no longer served me, all of the limiting beliefs, the shadow, the inner child parts that were operating on an old mainframe. I spent years excavating my inner world, in order to re-arrange my outer reality. A reality now where I choose more space in my calendar, and more time connecting with those that I love. The biggest support tool for me for doing this work, that I now lean on daily, is working with divine feminine archetypes. The archetypes that I’ve trained in represent the 13 faces of the divine feminine. They are aspects of each of us as women, that show us where we are being called into more of our unique wholeness. In becoming more whole, I am able to show up to my life from a place of self-sovereignty, and knowing what is best for me and my family and honoring that.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a Sacred Feminine Sound Healer, which means that I use sound to transmute energy and provide spaces for women to deepen into their wholeness. I am obsessed with the magic of it all – to know that we are all energy, and that anything that is keeping us stuck or holding us back is simply an energetic part of us that hasn’t been integrated into the whole yet. And knowing that I can support women to do this, but also that the feminine archetypes are available to all of us, to do this for ourselves. My mission is to bring these archetypes to the light, so that more women can be the fullest versions of themselves. I offer Sound Healing circles in the Chicagoland area, and also collaborate with retreat hosts to create sacred space via sound. A great way to experience what I do is through my Self-Compassion Sound Healing Meditation, which is available for download through my social media @nhbstrategy.

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 spent so many years trying to “fix” myself, and the most pivotal piece of information that changed everything for me is knowing that there is actually nothing to fix. That I am actually whole exactly as I am, and that anything that is “wrong” with me is actually just a part of me that I haven’t fully known yet. A part of me that is asking to be brought into the light, and either transmuted or accepted by ME. The best advice I could give to someone who is intrigued by this idea, is to learn more about the Sacred Feminine. Specifically, a book that was transformational for me was “Mary Magdalene Revealed” by Meggan Watterson. Also, the works of Sarah Jenks: @sarahjenks on Instagram.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I love collaborating with retreat hosts, by creating sacred space at their events. It is my deepest honor to sit in ceremony with women who are open-minded, and willing to look at all of the parts of them that need love and attention. If anyone is looking for a sound healer for their retreat, the best place to reach me is via Instagram DM @nhbstrategy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nhbstrategy

Image Credits

Stacey Espinosa