Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Harvey.
Hi Christy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’m an alchemist, author, counselor, and life coach devoted to helping people move beyond the soul-numbing daily grind so they can reawaken to their genius, reclaim their life energy & fall back in love with their lives.
I have the credentials and letters behind my name you might expect after pouring myself into this work since childhood. I earned a master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University in 1995. I’m a national board-certified mental health counselor and a national board-certified life coach. But no certifications or degrees can tell the real story about my soul’s calling as an alchemist.
I’m a former newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, and belly dance teacher.
If you want to fire up my creative problem-solving powers, tell me something probably can’t be done.
I earned a B.A. in Humanities at Seattle University when people said I was “too young” at age 18. I dove into life coaching certification many years after grad school because, despite conventional wisdom, I didn’t think I should have to choose between being a mental health counselor or a life coach.
Why NOT have the largest available treasure chest for creating change?
I taught belly dance for transformation and wrote The Belly Dance Prescription: Shake Your Hips and Depression – partly out of the joy of sharing, partly because people told me I “couldn’t be taken seriously as a mental health counselor and a belly dancer at the same time.”
Sometimes the marrying of apparent opposites in our lives can lead to a much richer experience than either can provide individually.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m tenacious about helping my clients feel more alive, motivated, connected, supported, and creative again – even when they’ve almost given up.
I know what it is to almost give up. I’ve been there. Multiple times.
I had a knock-down, drag-out struggle with Postpartum Depression, then used my recovery to fuel outreach to other new moms in need.
I’ve made enormously difficult changes in order to be true to my soul’s calling.
Most recently, I moved from my life as a frontier healthcare provider in a remote county with 2,200 square miles and only 8000 people into Cleveland to follow my dreams. Although I maintain counseling licensure in both Washington State and Ohio so I can continue to serve longstanding clients, my primary focus is now on life coaching.
Every time I emerge from intensely soul-testing experiences, I do so with a fierce determination to distill the alchemy that allowed safe passage through the journey and offer it with open hands to ease the paths of the next travelers.
I know what it takes to survive the dark times and come out the other side. I’ve learned how to feel strong, motivated, and energized. I’ve figured out how to feel congruent with my inner reality and outer experience – so my insides match my outsides – and how to work with the magical potential that is here, underneath everything. And I adore teaching people to do the same.
We’ve been impressed with The Alchemist’s Heart, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am passionate about providing custom career alchemy to help people move beyond the soul-numbing daily grind into deeply nourishing work.
When we don’t experience a sense of satisfaction within our careers, every aspect of our life suffers.
I’ve helped amazing women make changes in their careers for over 10 years. It’s an honor to celebrate the difference this makes in their lives, knowing their “new normal” is waking up in the morning feeling ALIVE, energized, and in alignment with their work.
I encourage anyone who wakes up dreading the day’s work, knowing they’re likely to have another soul-sucking day, to download a copy of my free e-book: The Top 5 Myths Keeping Bright, Intuitive, Creative Women Stuck in the Wrong Jobs (available at pages.thealchemistsheart.com/5-Myths)
It’s packed with information on the surprising reasons the best and brightest women stop themselves from creating enriching careers and the secret pitfall masquerading as “positive thinking” that stands in the way of engaging with a delicious job.
I believe EVERY bright, intuitive, creative woman deserves to have work that lights them up from the inside out and benefits the world at large!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I love Big Magic by Liz Gilbert and Unbound by Kasia Urbaniak and recommend them to all my clients! Chelan Harkin’s mystical poetry at www.ChelanHarkin.com regularly enriches my life – I especially enjoy choosing one of her poems at random to soak up right before going to sleep.
Currently, I’m reading and appreciating The Grind Culture Detox by Heather Archer.
For anyone interested in co-creating with the subtle realms, I recommend nourishment from www.FairyCongress.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheAlchemistsHeart.com
- Instagram: @alchemistsheart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alchemistsheart/
- Linkedin: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-alchemists-heart-sharing-secrets-of-soul/id1035010338
- Other: pages.thealchemistsheart.com/5-Myths
Image Credits
Tim Berard
Kwai Lam
