My interview with voyage utah magazine
Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabelle Wellman.
Hi Isabelle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
“Spiritual Awakenings” are all the rage these days- and I began mine in 2019 after a long-term relationship gone wrong. What is a spiritual awakening? In my own words, it’s the lifting of the veil; where you have everything you’ve dreamed of, and it’s everything that’s causing you physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual suppression. It’s a moment in life when you finally cannot resist speaking your mind, ending relationships that do not serve you, and setting boundaries. From the outside-looking-in, it looks as if you’ve become an unapologetically selfish person. In a sense, you do, but in the grand scheme of things, you’re doing the very opposite. You see after I broke up with a man, I thought was my life partner, my fragile world was annihilated from the inside out. At freshly 23, that felt like a big deal. The best part about your life shattering before your eyes? You heal by only picking up the pieces that nourish and support you. The pieces I intentionally picked backed up were courage, yogic principles, and my love of the outdoors. This ongoing experience has taught me so much- from believing in my ideal desires being obtainable, trusting short terms of uncomfortably being worth long-term happiness, and divine timing of people, places, and things. Before I knew it, I reflected on the fact that I’ve been gathering the tools I would need for the creation of my present-day wellness coaching business; The Conscious Alignment Method.
The first leg of my table in forming the CA Method was undergoing a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training through Yogaworks in 2017. This was an incredibly serendipitous manifestation; before I knew what either of those words meant! I was on a road trip from Colorado to the West Coast with my partner at the time to fulfill my dream of living the California surf-bum life. Well, that went in an entirely different direction than I had planned- but the silver lining was this Yoga teacher training. I had applied for their scholarship “teacher’s assistant” position while staying in Yosemite National Park due to my low funds. As it came closer to the registration end date, I found out that I had not been chosen receive the 50& off scholarship position. However, I hadn’t lost hope. I told myself that if it were meant to be, something would work out for me. I briefly browsed other programs, but my heart was set. about two weeks later, I received an email from what felt like God himself. I had been given a secondary scholarship by Yogaworks due to the moving letter I had written. That 30-day yoga intensive changed my life for the better, and I continue the studies and practices in my training and everyday life.
The second leg of my table sprouted from Astrology. I was eager to learn why I was how I was and heal my ancestral trauma (trauma that is cyclical from one generation to the next until someone decides enough is enough). I have always felt connected to the stars and sky above, and to be in a place where I felt safe to explore because I had given myself permission to “be weird” was immensely satisfying. I was understanding that the universe is always here dropping us all hints, and I stumbled upon my new mentor like fate. Healing myself through this practice required forgiveness… the biggest “WHAT?” in my journey so far. My mentor, Debra Silverman showed me what it was to establish an equal relationship with my physical and spiritual self; because you cannot have one without the other. Realizing that my individual responsibility of my own fears, actions, reactions, beliefs, words, expectations, projections, feelings (just to name a few) was mandatory to truly uncoil my tightly wound nervous system, I quickly re-establish self-trust and love. I devoted 2019-2020 absorbing as much as I could about myself through Astrology to re-wire my behaviors and beliefs, and I was hooked. I asked every friend who was open to sharing their birth date, time, and place with me to begin unraveling their own stories. My Astrological hobby quickly turned into a roaring passion that allowed me to assist others in taking the courageous steps in their own healing.
Come the fall of 2020, the third leg of my table formed as I sought after my first personal training clients. I grew up as an athlete and felt passionate about teaching women how to feel comfortable in their bodies in any setting, be that a gym or outdoor recreational setting. After coaching five new clients successfully for three months, I wanted to create an all-encompassing brand. One that would involve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual alignment to gain total confidence in oneself. After a month of playing with the concept, the Conscious Alignment Method was born.
This in itself has enabled me to expand in ways that my younger self would be starstruck by. If I could go back and let her know that she was okay to be seen in, to take up space, and share her love of spiritual connection with the universe (in a non-religious way), she would beam in delight. It’s my mission to demonstrate that whatever it is in life you wish to achieve, you create it in your own way, to your own standards. Want to be a model for a large-name outdoor brand? Start taking your own photos, pitch to brands, sign up on casting networks, and put yourself out there. You want to become a life coach? Heal yourself (and continue to heal), invest in your own coach, and believe that your message and offerings are worthy of assisting others. There’s no limit to what you can achieve as long as you believe wholeheartedly in yourself! Here’s to living every day with intention.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
By no means! It’s been a roller coaster. And, that’s the point. One is not likely to hop on a roller coaster expecting to stay calm the entire ride… I’m not sure about anyone else, but my blood BURSTS through my veins during every high, low, and deep descent of a roller coaster ride. It’s the art of practicing presence, especially with your own emotions. There have been days in the past I would mentally, emotionally, and physically break down. Where I went through a year of chronic vaginal issues. Where I began demanding so much of myself without proper nourishment that I become severely anemic- all in which as OPPOSITE of what my business is about in the first place! Then, I learned the embodiment of balance. I’m a firm believer that all conditions, of every size, are internally triggered, and without proper balance, they will force us to slow down to rest. From the food, we fuel ourselves with, to the words we speak to ourselves, and the moral compass we live by… when we suppress, we regress, and thus must digress in order to get back on track with our inner-emotional success. That was a fun rhyme!
My biggest suggestion to anyone who has ANY desire to be their own boss is 1. to accept that as you agree to that decision, you’re also agreeing to “failure” as a part of the package. 2. Once you make the decision, go ALL IN. The hardest part about understanding if you’re going “all in “or not is having a clear connection with yourself. Why? Because you’re the only one who has the entire vision in your mind. It’s up to you to keep the vision moving in a forward direction. Once you fully grasp these two decisions at a heart level, balance is built into your lifestyle.
This is how I teach how to “enjoy the journey”.
You know what GPS stands for, right? No, I’m not referencing the global positioning system.
I’m introducing you to your:
G – Gift(s)
P – Power (Purpose)
S – Success
Understanding your personal GPS can lead you to trusting yourself to make life-changing decisions if you’re not already doing so. I’m also here to bust the myth of it being “hard” or “challenging” to do so… what the blockage is, is most likely a lack of self-worth, love, or belief that you will achieve due to past experiences. Now, we change that story together.
Your Gift: when you acknowledge your gift, you spend time understanding your gift, begin to trust in the abilities of your gifts, you’re operating in ecstasy. Your body is beginning to relearn a natural, habitual way of operating. Because your body and mind want to work together efficiently, they’ll begin to merge until they’re eventually connected. This connection allows you to trust your abilities, your thoughts, your emotional needs. A harmony of observing, feeling, and acting that becomes a default method for reaction. Once so harsh, alone, resistant…. Now connected, unified, and operating in ecstasy. It’s uniquely yours, so no one outside of you will *ever* be able to tell you how to serve with it. Allow it to fill you with happiness, passion, and a contagious enthusiasm of making your dreams a reality!
Practical action: Create a list of everything you’re exceptionally good at. From listening, to math, to indoor soccer. Once you have them all down and depending on the number, narrow it down to 3-5 things. These are non-negotiable gifts you were given in this lifetime to SHARE! Now, how will you share?
Your Power (Purpose): Since that feeling of ecstasy is a newly connected, normal behavior, your actions are consistently purposeful. When you awake with the knowing of your abilities due to devotion, you begin to see your own power.)
You are well on your way because you’ve mastered how to find your center. You can bring instantaneous regulated to your Nervous System. You work in flow with natures whispers. You trust that you process the map in order to get where you want to go. You understand now everyday will feel like sitting in a beautiful field enjoying a picnic, and that sometime you get rained out. You continue to instill this new way of being into a further “dimension” of yourself. You make applicable moves that are frightening because you know how impactful it will be because another meaning of fear I “GO!”. How much more the world is demanding you to be seen at this point is apparent, and it’s up to you to commit to patience.
Practical action: Finding your center (learning how to stay calm or non-reactive) starts with a vital awakening routine. Take 10 minutes for your body, mind, and soul. For the body this might look like a yoga flow, a gym workout, a run. Anything active. For the mind, learn! Put on an education YouTube about deepening one of your gifts, read a book, or listen to a podcast. For the soul, meditate, go for a silent nature walk, EFT tap, or do some mirror work.
Whatever you choose will be great. Genuinely attempt this for at least 45 days and track how it helps you each day!
Your Success: You have fully achieved the creation of your experience. You are being reminded on the daily of your ability to consciously choose, to serve every single person you pass. You have witnessed time and time again of the radical unfolding that takes place when you allow yourself to follow your aligned pleasure. To deem yourself worthy of wealth, love, and exotic experiences. You have a sacred practice within yourself to unleash your divine feminine powers. You inspire, lead, and speak up for what you’re here to remind us all about. And only you know what that mission is. You shamelessly show up, serve, and deliver your gift. You have raving clients and students who love hearing what you have to say, and you impact them on a soul level. You no longer need a GPS to know where you’re going.
Practical Tool: This is the real first step because the groundwork is finished and you’ve established a foundation that is tangible. Now, start understanding who your future self is. Envision what they are like, what they do, how much money they make, what events they attend, who they are friends with, what food they eat, and every little detail in-between. This is the next destination you’re packing your car for. Pack wisely and intentionally start to drive!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Conscious Alignment Method?
The Conscious Alignment Method is currently a remote healing service that specializes in assisting outdoorsy, spiritually inclined women to align their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies to reclaim their power. Often enough, women (and those who do not identify) have grown up under high pressure circumstances or instructed to “be a good girl”. It’s often subconsciously relayed that we must not speak up or question authority. There’s nothing wrong with order and peace, however, I’m not a fan of suppression when it comes to feminine energy/bodies or childhood traumas. A strong “why” behind the mission of the Conscious Alignment Method is to show women how to reclaim their power and move confidently through life for good.
I like to introduce the CA Method in the form of an analogy. Think about a handcrafted wooden table with four legs. In order for anyone to sit at the table, all legs must be equal and sturdy, or the dog is going to be the first one lapping it up off the floor! However, we might experience a “wobble” as we sit at the table one day. You have two choices at this point- figure out which leg has the wobble and align it, or shove a napkin under it for a short-term fix. For example, this decision may be influenced on how you saw others’ tenacity with fixing a problem upon it occurring as a child, or how they would brush it off with a temporary fix. As humans, we are in a constant cycle of living with the contrast of life, like the wobble, and we are always given the choice to align it or not. Each fractal of the CA Method is a leg at our personal table; a leg for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies. When one of these four fractals of the whole comes out of alignment, we notice an “off” feeling. We are thus presented with the choice of aligning it, or brushing it off with a quick fix. I created the Conscious Alignment Method to assist women, and the unidentified, to acknowledge to first “wobble” they may experience without shame. We all go through moments of wobble because that’s the purpose of life. I believe it’s our purpose to continually challenge ourselves to grow by learning how to step into the greatest aspects of who we are meant to be.
The CA Method revolves around optimizing female physiology, which is different from optimizing males. This journey involves learning the impact of cyclical living, moving your body mindfully to energize your Qi, yogic principles, seasonal nutrition, conscious relationships, and living in tune with the present astrological energy. A majority of research has only been conducted on men (for and by men) when it comes to optimizing the body, and rarely for the female counterpart. In aligning the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies, I want women to feel in charge of how they feel, know what they need by listening to their intuition, and how to encompass what it means to have a menstrual cycle!
How it works: I like starting with the physical body, because it’s the one we’re most familiar with. When we get to start this step, we begin to grow confidence and self-love for who we are and what our bodies need. A fun fact? I utilize Astrology to determine your best movement practices. Yes, Astrology. There’s a lot that can be uncovered simply by witnessing where Mars sits in their chart or the element(s) that are most abundant. Along with being a certified NASM personal trainer and YogaWorks 200hr Yoga Teacher on top of my 10+ years involved with fitness and studying the body, I’ve come to the conclusion that movement isn’t something we do just to “look good”, although a perk; it’s a lifestyle. The happiest people are not necessarily the “skinniest” or “fittest”, which is exacerbated by many media outlets, grooming many to believe there’s a “certain way to look”. The happiest people are the ones who mindfully move their bodies for the joy of living a long life where they are not limited. Limitations might include having trouble bending down, not being able to chase after the kids (literally and metaphorically!), feeling foggy or depleted of energy. Honestly, after one month of working with me my clients are enthusiast about movement as if they are a child. They remember how powerful they are and that they are the ultimate decision-maker, not me! I simply create the programs to follow. There’s a lot of empowerment behind trusting someone to make a decision about their body, especially when following a program. Pro tip: practice with the mindset shift from “I have to” to “I get to”. When you get to feel good, get to move your body, get to heal your injuries… suddenly we get to make time for it. Moms, yes, I do see you! You’re the bravest out there, juggling the many facets of life. I promise there’s a way to gain back your limitless abilities, even with the kids! This is where fundamental fitness can really change lives.
The mental, emotional, and spiritual work thus begin to naturally uncoil themselves through the ongoing movement practice and my monthly “medicine” toolkit. These guides are influenced by the zodiac! As my wise mentor, Debra Silverman says, “You don’t have to believe in Astrology, because Astrology believes in you”. And, I find this relatively accurate. Perhaps you are new to Astrology, and in that case, there are 12 zodiac signs, one for each month. I believe there’s a medicine for each month, for example, Aries season medicine is “Mindful Movement”. During Aries season, we are loaded with fiery energy. This is the start of the Astrological year for good reason. One, Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. This happens during spring; when we are “reborn”, fresh, and shaking off the old Qi from the cold winter months. I invite you to think about how you feel during March and April; maybe bursting with desires to start anew, declutter, act playfully? It’s much easier to start the day with a movement practice when the world around us is simultaneously reawakening. Animals step out of hibernation, the flowers begin to bloom, we plant the seeds for a miraculous fall harvest, it’s truly a world-renowned event! (I believe this is why when we set our “New Year Resolution” during Capricorn season in December, the desire has a bigger chance to fall away. Try starting your NY resolution at the beginning of Aries season in March and witness the change in commitment!). Along with movement, I invite my clients to participate in is a workshop around determining their “non-negotiable values”. This single tool can drastically change the trajectory of your life, hence why I share it here! In it you determine your top 5 non-negotiable values, enabling you to establish your moral compass. This moral compass continues to open the door to mental body clarity, and emotional security.
Once the four legs of the table or the four fractals of the CA Method are brought to awareness, there’s a natural relaxing sensation that overcomes the body. Along with the individual work, there’s a community of like-minded women and the unidentified that support who you are and where you’re going. It’s a safe space with a zero-tolerance for judgment. The more we are able to have conversations that are new, expansive, and forward-thinking, the more momentum we have in our own confidence.
Within the CA Method, there are numerous ways to build confidence, and I think that’s what makes this brand stand out. It’s as individual as it is collaborative and as energetically healing as it is physically healing. It’s an all-encompassing experience if you wish it to be so, or you can pick one leg to work on at a time. There’s no “wrong way” of healing, nor is there a timeline. My ultimate goal whenever I work with someone on any level, individual or group, is to never see them again. I mean that in the sense that I want them to feel so empowered by the healing they’ve undergone that they’re able to continue to share what they’ve learned!
The application of the Zodiac system in combination with cyclical living principles when it comes to the female body is what sets the Conscious Alignment Method apart. To me it makes perfect sense; women have menstrual cycles that are influenced by the cycles of the moon. Our energy ebbs and flows with the fluctuation of whatever experience we may be dealing with, and there’s a natural remedy for it. Wherever we are at with our menstrual cycle can give us a good indication of the movement practice that is best for us during that time.
As a young brand, we’re proud of the attention to detail. There’s a very small financial bucket to support us at this time, and that means our awareness on how we do business ethically, inclusively, and consciously is at the forefront. It will always be quality over quantity.
There are a few ways to get started with the Conscious Alignment Method. First of all, you can visit isabellewellman.com and find out more about the free meditation community, the monthly all-inclusive membership, 1:1 coaching, Astrology readings of all kinds, and pop-up workshops and masterclasses! If there is a desire, there is a way to get involved. I encourage anyone interested to listen to their intuition. Is there nudge saying yes? Any fear? Uncertainty? I offer free 30-minute calls for anyone wanting to understand how becoming a part of the Conscious Alignment Method can serve them today.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Living is a risk. Every day you wake up, you have absolutely no “knowing” of what is to come. By default, I think the human condition creates systems and structures to avoid this unpredictable chaos. That’s fine and all to have a routine- but how often might you stumble upon a situation within your routine when you want to speak up to someone or about something, but you hold back? Isn’t that, in a certain way, dying in and of itself? When we hold ourselves back, because maybe we feel a lack in worth or don’t believe we’re of any value to the presented situation… we are dying to an experience that could actually bring us to life. I see so many people, including myself at times, choose resistance over freedom. Choose fear over failing forward. Choose long-term comfort over short-term discomfort. Yet, by now a majority of us must have heard the messaging “That in which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. That’s a line my father used to say to me as a child, and I would always giggle. It felt like a fun challenge- if I could withstand it if I could prove myself resilient, it felt like I won a game. Now as a young adult, I by no means take that for granted. I try and run towards discomfort as much as I can! Often, I find that my discomfort is actually someone else’s normal. So, what has worked for me, is finding people in life who can continually help push me past that discomfort. Who also see the bigger picture that will play out if I de-attach from my ‘egoic” tendency and operate out of my soul. The ego is always trying to protect us- it enjoys a flashy image and predictable outcome. Operating from the soul will move you out of your fears and into the future, where you begin to make decision for you ten years from now. When you can make decisions from that place, you become a very powerful person as an individual.
