Elevator Pitch: Coco Alexandra, Self-made Soul Coach and Mystic Teacher
Studies on happiness inequality have grown at an incredibly rapid pace in the last two decades, revealing troubling statistics around the world. In Asia, mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression carry a strong cultural stigma – leading to a large majority of the population living in a constant ‘sad state of happiness’. While East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea are performing exceptionally well economically – studies find that these countries tend to report lower levels of satisfaction and happiness across the board.
According to iPEC Coaching, 1.5 million internet searches are made each month by people and companies looking for coaches. Life coaching has received high demand from people who feel a pained dissonance with who they are, and who they want to be.
Coco Alexandra had experienced this dissonance first-hand, and found a way to overcome her trials. Years later, Coco works as a guide for others, sharing her personal experiences to awaken others out of their darkest moments. The Beat Asia spoke to Coco about her venture, how she was inspired to start her soul coaching business, and what lessons she’s learned along the way.
What’s your ‘backstory’? What led to your Soul Coaching business?
My career started off in the PR and communications industry at a young age serving some of HK’s lifestyle and trendiest brands in the city. I quickly came to the realisation that hidden behind this illusion was long working hours, toxic work culture, the hustle life and the never ending ask of doing more, being more.
Year after year of this lifestyle finally caught up to me, I woke up in a hospital bed one day with a doctor waiting by my side diagnosing me with chronic anxiety, and if I didn’t change my lifestyle I would be facing grave danger. I was only 25 and this was a major wake up call for me.
I immediately quit my job and started seeking medical support from both Western and Eastern medicines only to be offered solutions that I didn’t feel comfortable with. That’s when I discovered alternative medicine/holistic modalities.
I fell in love with sacred arts of plant medicine, got certified as an aromatherapist and integrated it into my daily practice as my health regimen for mind and body healing. Months later, my friends and family noticed my enormous shifts within my mood and personality and enquired about what [fad diet] I was trying. It was a lifestyle change that transformed my life for the better.
My friends encouraged me to begin a business to support individuals specifically being haunted by emotional trauma and to share tools with them to ease their days. I finally took the leap forward in 2016 and began offering sessions with those who resonated. It was slow at the beginning as holistic wellness wasn’t ‘popular or cool’ back then in HK.
Over the years, I’ve grown my business and have supported over 2000+ clients on their healing journey. This is my soul work and it brings me so much joy knowing I’m able to hold space for such beautiful transformations.
What problem/pain point your business is out to solve? Who are your clients?
I’ve noticed that as I move through different stages of life, I attract different types of clients. When first began, I was serving clients who were experiencing burnout and high levels of stress and anxiety.
As I became a mother, I attracted expectant mothers on how to navigate emotional blocks around parenting and how to shift back into the workforce postpartum. As I worked through my wounds with my family, I attracted clients who needed support in generational trauma bonds and ancestral healing.
As I deepened my own practice in other modalities: Akashic Records, Past Life Regression and Quantum Healing, I attracted holistic practitioners who [sought] modality trainings to add to their practitioners toolbox.
More recently, as I focused on more on my soul business, I’ve been holding space for other practitioners on how to create, refine and launch their soul business.
I’m now able to offer personalised programs for individuals, wherever they are on their journey. Sharing tools and adding value to the clients’ life sets them up, to learn how to embody different lessons so that they have everything they need to navigate the road ahead.
Can you share a story about a mistake you made starting this venture? What lessons did you take away from this?
Biggest mistake was thinking that I could help EVERYONE. [I learnt] that I am NOT for everyone; some people don’t want help and I had to learn the hard way.
Healing is an inside out job. You can’t force anyone to kickstart their healing. THEY have to be the ones who are willing and WANT to take the first step towards their own healing.
So now I only attract clients who are willing and open to create the change they want to make in life. They are individuals who understand that healing is a journey, it’s not a one size fits all solution. It takes time, sometimes it’s amazing, other times it’s heart-breaking, but they all know that this type of work is priceless because the transformation that comes with it is long lasting and creates waves of endless possibilities.
Who have been some of your biggest inspirations or mentors (in your personal or professional life)? Can you share a time when they made an impact or helped you craft the direction of your business?
My birth mother was my biggest anti-role model and motivator. My family background is a complicated one, which evented in a big void that grew within me at a young age. Being abandoned by both my birth father and mother, I grew up with a chip on my shoulder. It was a source of much pain throughout the years.
I tried to fill in that void with unhealthy and toxic habits in my early years hoping that I would feel some kind of happiness or joy but all I felt was numb. I often found escapism through casual conversations, parties and movies. These habitual actions didn’t do me good at all.
Much of this pain, led me to my spiritual awakening and ignited my healing journey. Through my healing path, I learned how to alchemise my pain and channel it into fuel for good. This has
greatly impacted the way I support my clients. A big part of my work revolves around generational trauma clearing, ancestral lineage healing and healthy communication in relationships.
Can you share three best pieces of advice that you’ve collected throughout your time in this business, and why they matter to you.
You know yourself best, don’t let others tell you what you can or can’t do. A lot of our beliefs are not ours at all, you get to rewrite your story. This is a powerful shift in mindset because you get to sit back in the driver’s seat and steer it in a healthier and happier direction.
Know thyself, LITERALLY. Your journey of healing begins with you really understanding all facets of yourself – the beautiful, the happy, the shadows, and the messy. When you learn to forgive, love and accept all parts of you; a magical shift takes place, and you begin to notice all these beautiful synchronicities in life.
Fear is uncomfortable but don’t let fear get in the way of your dreams. When we feel fear it’s because it’s categorised in our brain as the unknown, it’s unchartered territory. But what if we leaned into the edges of our fears? What would happen on the other side? I’ve gone through this dance with fear many times in my life and I can confidently say that each time I listened to my gut to lean in just a little, I’ve always stretched myself more and on the other side of it was always a space of growth.
Where do you see your holistic business in the near future?
The beauty of having a holistic business is that it shifts, pivots and evolves with you. It’s very different from a masculine business model where there are KPIs, ROIs, sales targets etc. Instead of setting targets for this business, I’ll reflect on the offerings I’ve shared and sessions that have come through. I’ll tune into my gut and heart to feel into which offerings and themes feel most expansive moving forward.
The offerings and themes may shift in the future but the values in which this business was built upon will never change and that is to support, guide, mentor individuals on their path of transformation with practical tools, to lean into their gifts and embody confidence empowerment, and wholesome self-love.
Everyone deserves to be loved, to be empowered and to live a life that they LOVE, but sometimes our subconscious and conditionings are our biggest obstacles in arriving [at] that reality. So, my soul work is dedicated in empowering those who are willing to create that transformation in their life.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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