Transformational Coach | Certified Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie
My personal life quest to find my truth began right after I realized that my recipe for happiness had failed...
I had all the right things. I was 30 years old, married to a Harvard Business Graduate, and owned a women’s sportswear business on 7th Avenue in New York City. The only problem was, in the midst of all this success, I felt discouraged and depressed. Worse yet, I didn’t know why. All I could do was pray for deliverance. I’m sure part of the reason for my depression was that I was so tense and anxious. Another reason is that I was bottling up a lot of emotion. The business was a huge burden. My depression went on for several years, until one day my prayers were suddenly answered.
One rainy afternoon, I stopped at a New Age bookstore, and they were playing Kitaro. The sandalwood incense soothed my soul. I felt very peaceful. The very next day, I closed my business and started working at the bookstore.
At the bookstore, they had yoga and meditation classes every morning. Yoga helped me get in touch with the emotions that I had deeply buried in between my tense muscles. As I stretched and twisted, tears of joy poured down my cheeks. As I freed my body and soul, I realized that I had to leave my marriage, too.
Eventually I did, and two years later I remarried and gave birth to our son, Haakan. When my son was five years old, my second husband suddenly died. Not only did I suffer his loss, but I was also afraid that one day I might die myself and leave my son with no memories of his mother. I did what I knew best, traveling with him to different countries for four years. When he turned ten, we moved to Bodrum, Turkey, a beautiful resort town in my home country where I found work at a detox center as a holistic therapist and yoga instructor.
There, I helped my students build their confidence and self-esteem and realize their dreams. I helped them with their relationship issues, too, as well as with depression, addiction, panic attacks and childhood traumas, some of the same things I had suffered with. When Haakan turned 18, he left to study in Istanbul and later moved to Los Angeles. After he left, I quit working at the detox center and became a gypsy again. Everywhere I traveled — from Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar to Romania, Egypt and the United States — I ran holistic retreats and resolved relationship issues, adapting to new identities and detoxing people’s bodies and minds. I also became a Certified Facilitator of The Work of Bryron Katie, which I still use as a way of freeing myself and my clients from painful thoughts and experiences.
My priority used to be walking on the beautiful beaches of Bodrum, but now that’s changed to more personal priorities. Finally, I moved to Los Angeles to be nearer my son. And there, I now work online, teaching classes and workshops, offering long-distance, one to one energy sessions to my clients, helping my clients find inner peace, live in acceptance, resolve their relationship issues, adjust to their changing roles, and find their purpose in life. So you see, my original quest to find my truth eventually became my mission in life.
Today I am deeply grateful for my amazing journey, my lifetime quest that has taken me to so many places. I am also grateful to have finally come home to myself and to be of service to my amazing tribe, guiding them on their own quest for happiness and fulfillment. I would be honored if you would join me.
Melek I. Mjaanes
Certified Facilitator of the Work of Byron Katie Transformational Therapist | Energy Healer
