Episode 53: From Burnout to Inner Glow with Lauren Courtney

Lauren Courtney shares her journey from pain and burnout to healing through Reiki, chakra work, and self-discovery—guiding listeners to reconnect, heal, and glow from within.

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Hello world, and welcome to Choices. Where you always have Choices. My name is Jay Paulo, and I'm the owner of Choices, Books, and Gifts. And, we've been the stores dedicated to helping people in wellness and community for over 30 years. The host of the podcast, You Always Have Choices, where we dive deep into stories of transformation, healing, and personal growth.

Today, I'm happy again to introduce Lauren Courtney, a Holy Fire World Peace Reiki Master and Sound healer and spiritual mentor, helping people transform pain into power through energy, work, and self-discovery. A New York native turned Miami mystic. She blends Reiki, breathwork, and chakra healing into grounded, approachable ways. In Glow Up Your Chakras, Lauren shares the wisdom that guided her from burnout and heartbreak to alignment and inner light, helping readers trust their intuition and truly Glow. I'm sorry. Glow from within. A glow. Grow. You know, same love. That's fantastic. So I usually put together some questions and things of that nature, and I did that for you. Of course. And, I'm so interested in hearing what you have to say about all these things we put together.

So, first and foremost, what first inspired you to write glow up your chakras? What made you do that?

So, it started originally as an idea of writing a cookbook. I used to be a private chef working in high-end recovery homes in Manhattan. And when I went through my spiritual awakening around ten years ago, after the death of my best friend, I went on a journey and left being a chef full-time to discover holy fire, Reiki, sound healing, and all the other things that I've studied over the years. And it was about four years ago that I had the intuitive hits. It's time to write a book. It's time to write your book. So I went back into my Google documents and pulled out this old manuscript I had started for a cookbook, and realized that's part of the book, but it's not the whole book. And from there, I realized it was time for me to really release some of the weight I was still carrying within myself, some of my own trauma, some of the stories that I had held onto that I was ready to let go of. And really, you know, the thing I love about a book is I don't have to tell my story anymore because it's written now, and I don't have to hide from parts of myself because I've told the stories and I've gotten them out of myself. So it really was this cross between like, hey, I know I'm supposed to write something, what is it?

And it evolved from being this cookbook into a memoir meets chakra healing with recipes as well. That allowed me and allowed the reader to transmute their own stories, essentially. You know, the things that are holding us back from really living in our authenticity and truth. It's really a permission slip to, hey, I've been there. Like, I get it, and you don't have to carry this pain or weight that you're carrying.

We've all had our lives, journeys. Now, you said something interesting, and I'm not sure if I misunderstood it, but you said you were working as a personal chef. Was it for people in recovery? Did you say what they are actually in recovery? So, tell me more? Outpost recovery, like a halfway house type of thing in high school. I see, okay. It was higher and in the spectrum.

Gotcha, gotcha. That's interesting. That must have been wonderful. You know, dealing with people in recovery and helping them. That was. That sounds fantastic. So, which chakra challenges you the most to bring into balance? Is there a certain one that was more difficult than the others? I think listen, all of the chakras play into one another. So there will be days where maybe it's the root chakra, and then there will be days where it's the heart chakra.

And I think it's just, like, what am I working on right now? Instead of it being like, how do I fix it all at once. Like. What can I focus on today? Right? Like they say in recovery, just for today. So for me, it's like, just for today. This is where I'm going to focus. This is what I'm going to work to manage, because this is what is ultimately really affecting me in my life.

Excellent, excellent. When did you realize that the energy work was truly your calling? Am I guessing it is? I think really early on in my awakening to my spiritual gifts, I'd say about a year into learning Reiki, I reconnected with a friend that I had known. We knew each other in childhood, went to the same college, and we were reconnected through a mutual friend, and she came and received Reiki from me. I was living in L.A. at the time, and after the session, she said to me.

What you do is not regular Reiki. You do something else, and it's really powerful. And hearing that from her was really impactful because she worked in the heat, and she continues to work in the healing space as well. She's an incredible body worker, incredible with energy; her awareness is top-notch. So having her say that to me was really something. I was like, okay, I'm not just making this up, like, there's something here because I was still working more as an advisor and a coach and figuring out what the energy piece was going to look like at that time.

That's great. Maybe the two of you moving forward would do something together.

You never know. We have done quite a few things together, so. Okay, good good. Excellent. So this is interesting. So, from medicated to meditated, what does that phrase mean to you?

So, for me, it looked like I was medicated early in life. Although I had been prescribed Adderall for ADHD when I was in ninth grade, going into my senior year of high school, I was dealing with really bad pain from TMJ and needed what ended up being a series of three surgeries. So for about nine years of my life, I was on painkillers, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatories. At the same time, I was medicating with cannabis to balance out the emotions. And really, what I've gotten to realize now is I was trying to stabilize a dysregulated nervous system. Just help us. What's TMJ? So it's the joint in the jaw, the, the temporal mandibular joint. So I have it in my jaw when I would open and close my mouth; there was chronic pain. I had misalignment in my jaw,  Understood, which understand all the work that I've done. I actually last, about two years ago, I finally got the proper diagnosis that I had a tongue tie. And about nine months ago, I finally had that released.

 So I've been working to figure out what was going on, and that led me on my journey from being medicated to ultimately studying all that I studied, becoming a Kundalini yoga instructor, and really diving into meditation to, you know, be able to sit with myself. Excellent. It's just great stuff. How was writing this? Has writing this book influenced your own? I would imagine it has influenced your own practice and helped grow what you do each and every day.

You know, it's interesting. I was thinking about it a few days ago that it's going to be in May. It will be a year since I published this book. And since that moment, you know, you write a book, and there's so much within the writing Process and you put it out in the world, and it's sharing the book and talking about the book, but there's integrating it just like any other experience. And I feel like I've been in this integration of, wow, now my baby's out in the world. And how do I know that these stories are no longer inside of me and don't define me, and instead now they're experiences that I get to teach and I get to share from and get to live and breathe their own journey. And I think that's been a beautiful process for me, integrating the wisdom of having written a book, because I never even imagined that I would write a book.

Righ. It's great. It's a great book. I sell a lot of them in my store, so that's fantastic. Why don't we take a look at it? It's right behind you. Can you show everyone the book? And you can get this at Choices Books and Gifts. And you can also get it. I'll let you tell us. Lauren. Where else can we get it?

You could order it online. It's available on Amazon. You could head to my website and purchase it as well. LaurenCourtneyheels and I could do a little signed copy for you. And if people wanted to work with you, how would they go about it? You know, how would they reach out to you through your website? Through my website, I have two main programs that I work with people on. It's either one-on-one for a full month. We spent 16 weeks diving into, really, what I call, it is rewiring your root. We figure out what is lodged in the subconscious mind that's ready to be released. And then I have a 16-week group coaching program that begins the next round begins in May, and that is called Glow Up Recovery. And it's all about diving into the same type of stuff. And within that, we go through the chakras. We're healing the chakras with energy work. And I've also layered bodywork and somatic practices through Kundalini Yoga because our issues are stored in our tissues. To get to the root cause, sometimes we really need to excavate what's going on, not just emotionally or energetically, but also getting into the physical body, as well as the mental.

Yes. And I have a few more questions leaning towards what you just mentioned. So that's great.

What do you hope readers feel after they finish either one of your programs or the book you know? What do you hope they themselves would achieve in a glow up your chakras?

I think a real sense of number one is being seen, feeling less alone in this world, because I think so often we feel like we're going through life alone and that no one understands us.

So I think that's one of my biggest things: whether it's working with clients one-on-one, in a group, or through the book, you deserve to be seen. Your stories are important, you are valuable, and you, your soul, came here to experience life. And I want you to feel that freedom to really experience the life that you're here to live.

And just in case, because I do want, you know, this is going to be launched pretty soon after we have this, this, this conversation. You say the new session for the group begins on May 1st. Was it? May 4th. May 4th. Very good. So, folks here that sign up for it, it'll be great. All right. For someone new to chakra healing, what's a good start? Where do we start with all of this?

Well, I think start with purchasing a copy of the book, of course. Agreed. You know, chakras can seem really overwhelming. And that's why I a part of why I was guided to write this book. Because it can seem really esoteric, and it can seem really daunting. So first and foremost is just understanding that shoppers are energy centers. So, if you think about where I am feeling often? My life. Right. Maybe I'm not feeling creative. Okay, so creativity is connected to your sacral chakra. So I would say you just start thinking about, okay, I'm feeling off creativity, what may have me blocked here from creation. And then how can I start to do exercises that will bring me more creativity? Whether that's simply creating some art. You don't have to be an artist to create art. Pull out some colored pencils and just start drawing because it's going to let your body know, hey, it's okay for me to create. I also work with food, of course, so eating foods that are going to fuel your chakras. The sacral chakra is orange, so the chakras are actually the spectrum of the rainbow running from the root up to the crown.

So with the sacral being orange, I would mention to someone to have some wild salmon,

have some sweet potatoes, have some butternut squash, and really just starting to connect with the different colors, the different frequencies. And in that sort of way, So there's really a lot you cover. I mean, food, health, healing, there's so much, and that's all in the chakras because, you know, it's sort of new to me that, you know, you're dealing with food as well. I know I can use all the help with food. Always been about 30 pounds overweight. And let me tell you, I run marathons. I'm in the gym all the time, and I know more. It's more, and I'm sure there's some emotional thing going on, but I'm sure it's more about, you know, what you put in your mouth. Because if it were exercise, I should be a tadpole.

Well, it's interesting, and it's something I've even, you know, continue to get to think about as I evolve and grow in my own journey. And since writing the book is when we're eating for our emotions, there are so many of us who are emotional eaters. A lot of it is because we write worthy souls having this human experience. So sometimes it feels easy to be out here and floating and in this higher frequency. But we need to be grounded in our bodies, and sometimes that feels safer, and we feel more secure when we're grounded. So we eat heavier foods, which keep us more in touch with the earth. And I find, you know, the days where I'm like, oh, you know, I just like, want water and to connect with the sun and have some broth. It's because I'm working more with my crown and connecting more with God and higher consciousness, and that feels really good. But then some days, oh, it doesn't feel safe. So now I'm eating pasta and cheese and things that are heavier, and we're gonna, I just need to say you explained me. So at night it usually happens at night, before bed.

So I get ready for bed, and I feel like I'm a child. I need to eat something for comfort. And then I'm. I'm actually. It's easier for me to fall asleep. So, you know, you describe to me to the T, you know, to this day, I haven't figured out something else I can do rather than eat to get that comfortable feeling, to fall asleep.

And that reason probably is, and I've been reading about this a bit more, because that's typically when I would eat. And I think a lot of people, it's because when we go to sleep, we're almost having this like mini death, right? Because we're, we're closing out this day and entering into this new day tomorrow. So there is sometimes this level of fear of death.

Perhaps there is also, like, I'm someone who vividly dreams, and I have very active dreams, and that in itself can sometimes be really overwhelming because the subconscious mind is out here doing all these things, and I'm like, no, no, no, I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to be that active. So I've learned to do things like using magnesium oil and rubbing on my feet at night, taking a magnesium pill to help me just kind of wind down instead of having bright lights on at night. You know, you could dim the lights or use candles. Taking a bath with Epsom salts can be really helpful. Just doing the things that are going to be more naturally. Grounding. Taking care of yourself, yeah. You know, when you go to eat that thing, you can also ask yourself without judgment, why am I reaching for this right now? What do I really need?

And then be open to listening to what may come through? Okay, so yeah, I love it. I love the advice. Thank you so much. Let me ask you something. Have your views on Western medicine changed since you, you know, you've experienced this other way of doing things and healing? Yeah. I mean, I think I've gone back and forth on this spectrum, and I've landed somewhere in the middle because I believe that we need Eastern and Western medicine.

Absolutely. I believe that they can really meet each other in beautiful ways. When you're working with doctors who also believe that, because a lot of doctors don't necessarily believe that and want to go in one direction. So I really believe in a holistic approach to everything. And when I found out I had this tongue tie, which is the frenulum of the tongue, is tied down.

And when I learned this, the only way that it can actually be fixed is through a procedure where they use a laser to cut it. And I, I've been writing about it on social media, and someone commented, well, you don't need to have surgery. Just ask Jesus to heal this. And I laughed because Jesus, God, angels, guides, loved ones.

My healing journey is what guided me ultimately to getting the diagnosis Absolutely, and wrong, so I can sit in my bed and pray every night to have Jesus heal this. But it's like you. God showed me what was wrong. Now, am I being? Am I willing to do what I need to do to actually have it fixed? And rightfully, you can bring the horse to water, but am I just going to dehydrate at the water, or am I going to take care of it?

Right. And that's wonderful. You got the help you needed to, you know, be able to fix your tongue. It's so funny. It's like that old story. The guy, you know, the flood, and he runs up to his rooftop and says, God will save me. And they send him, first the lifeboat and then they send them, you know, a helicopter, and then they send them a plane and, you know, no, God will help me. He tried four times, and he didn't listen.

Exactly. And that's exactly what it reminds me of. It's like God's helping you. But what do you do? What do you do? You help? I was going to pray that I wake up one night and it's not tied. It's been 40 years, and it hasn't untied itself. And I also think what you said was also, I believe, a lot of doctors today are, you know, medical doctors are becoming more spiritual. You hear them say to pray or do other types of meditation a lot. They'll say they'll talk about anxiety and looking within yourself to heal yourself, along with the doctor self. So I think a lot more of the doctors are feeling and doing it that way today. Was there any part of your story that was difficult for you to tell, or were you pretty much an open book, or was something harder than some of the other things?

You know, some of the stories are very personal. So one of the stories was a little difficult to tell because, like, my family and friends didn't really know about it. I talk about going to visit an ex-boyfriend who had been arrested in my home. I talk about visiting him in jail. That experience, and the part I think that was the hardest to tell about, was that I needed to essentially relive it and go back there. But sometimes that's what we need to do to release it, because I still had some trauma that I was holding on to for. Sure. So, you know, after I wrote it, it was actually really therapeutic. I cried, I shared it prior to sharing the actual book. And yeah, like I'm very much an open book within the book, and my continued writing is very open.

Just by speaking with you, I can tell how open you are, which is a wonderful trait. Is there a reader message or story that's touched you deeply?  One of the people you've worked with or someone you know, and that may not be an appropriate question because you're talking about somebody else, or if you don't want to answer it, that's fine, and we can move on.

Yeah. I think just in general, hearing from people with all different backgrounds from me. I grew up in New York, in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, you know, very Upper East Side, I'm guessing, Long Island. Well, not okay. Yeah. It was just like a very, like, white picket fence from the outside. That's how people would view it. What's really going on that's inside the book is really messy. What's actually going on? So it's really interesting. Someone I'm friends with as she is now out as a lesbian. She's from Louisiana originally and went through a lot of her own shit with her family. Coming out and having that story, and she read the book, and she was like, Lauren, I related just so many of your stories, and that was so interesting to me.

And she was surprised, too. I wasn't, you know, I, I believe it relates to anyone who has gone through a journey because we've all had a journey in some way. Hearing the stories that touch different people and how they affect them, and things in their own life that it reminds them of, has been really beautiful to hear. And also, the way that it is, a client who came to me a few months ago started working with me one-on-one. She came to me because she was dealing with her relationship with alcohol. She didn't feel that the traditional recovery model was correct for her. And she really related to my path. I haven't taken a traditional approach to recovery. For me, it's been more.

Nervous system regulation-based, and understanding that I used substances to work to essentially balance out the dysregulation. And that client has now been sober for about six months since we started working together. She doesn't have a desire to drink anymore, but what we were able to uncover was where the dysfunction in her childhood came from, the relationship her father won all, and why she was using alcohol at this point to deal with her own emotions. So that's been a really huge thing for me, because I think I believe recovery is similar to Eastern and Western medicine. Right. The traditional AA and NA, MA OA, all of that is amazing and beautiful and works for so many people. And then there are also people like me who don't fully relate to that category. So it's been really incredible to be able to pave this other path for people who see that within themselves.

Yes, I do agree with you. I mean, a lot of people in 12-step programs would say, you know, that's the only thing that works. But I think it is an amazing program, or, you know, all the programs. But I do believe there are other ways to get sober. Yeah. And they're out there. And you just have to, you know, if it's not working for you, keep searching. You will find your way. When life gets heavy, how do you personally glow?

Thankfully, I have a great dog, so when life gets heavy, I look at him. But really, I use my own practices. Whether it be I just recorded this free offer for people called Before You Reach, and it's a 15-minute guided experience where we do a few minutes of this breath called B breath to just relax the parasympathetic nervous system.

We do a little bit of somatic movement to connect to the body, and then I die to short meditation with one of my sound goals to help you replant your roots into the earth, because that's wonderful. Can we also get that on your website? We can get that free. You heard that. Everybody go there and check that out. Try to do it. I know for me, every day, I have a formula to follow, and I depend on it more if days are tougher. But I get up, and I pray, meditate, and I do some readings, and that really helps keep me grounded. They're fantastic.

What do you think most people misunderstand about the chakras?

I think people just get overwhelmed. I think we're just living in a time, even more so now with so much information that we have, like information overload. Right? Like you can type into ChatGPT, and these things, like how do I heal my root chakra, and it's going to give you 100 different things. And now you're sitting eating ice cream at night because you're so overwhelmed by what's actually going on, and you like, No, there's something really wrong with me, right? It's like, it's like if you go to WebMD. So I think it's just misunderstood that there's so much you need to do to fix yourself when it's like, no, no, no. Pause. First of all, you are perfect as you are right now, and don't judge yourself so harshly. We all have patterns; we all have programming. We all have been going through this human experience. Take a deep breath, one step at a time. You will figure it out.

Love it, love it. So, with that, is there anything? What's next for you after you know, glow up your chakras? Are you going to be writing more books or doing anything different?

Any collaboration with anybody? What can we look forward to? So right now, my glow-up recovery program is my newest baby, which is the 16-week program we mentioned that starts May 4th. And I believe within that time I'll also start writing what will be my second book. Excellent. Do we have a time limit, or is that a secret for now? For now, I'm sure it will change.

I'm sure it will change. I don't want to do what it is now. I joked it would probably be from blunts to breathwork, if I wanted to keep with that same theme. But aside from that, I'm starting to cook a little bit again. I have been helping out on a retreat this month. Actually, we're already in April, so I'll be cooking a dinner at a retreat that has recipes from Glow Up Your chakras.

So starting to collaborate with people in that way, bringing energy healing, bringing some meals to retreats, and just, just having fun. Do you do retreats yourself, like where on your website people could sign up for retreats and go on retreats with you? Not at the moment. I do more in-person one-on-one experiences. If someone had something they wanted me to create for them. I do that as well, but I don't have any upcoming retreats just yet.

That's excellent. Maybe something in the future, I want to have that. But let me tell you, I just really enjoy talking to you. I enjoyed this; it was wonderful. And, let me just say, these few things. So in closing, we wrap up this episode of the Choices podcast. I hope our time together was inspiring and motivating, and I want you to stay empowered and stay well. You can watch this episode and all episodes on our website. Choices gifts.com. I wish you well. I want to thank Lauren for giving us great information. I employ you to go to her website. Check her out. She's an amazing lady. May God bless you and look after you always. Thanks, Lauren. Thank you.