Women In Wellness: Karen Riley of The Heart Of Oneness Holistic Expo On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Cultivate Stillness. When we think of stillness, we often think that this requires not doing anything. When, in fact, in the beginning, it very much involves the act of slowing things down and this takes practice. Cultivating stillness requires our focus to move from doing to being and feeling. No matter where you live in the world you know that life is always bustling with things to do and places to be and it takes a focused intention to slow the thought process down as we then invite the body to do the same. Each day, set aside time to slow the mind and body so that you can feel into each breath with ease and calmness.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karen Riley.
Karen Riley is a Light Path Visionary, Life Deisgn Coach, self-taught jewelry deigner, and founder of the Heart of Oneness Holistic Expo. Her greatest Joy in life is supporting others in bringing forth their individual uniqueness and innate intuitive gifts as this becomes the gateway for activating the unlimited human potential. Karen’s unique interests ahs helped her turn her deep passions of life into her businesses.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Of course, I’m happy to. I was born and raised in the New York area and grew up primarily as a young child and teenager in Staten Island and became a single mom at the age of 19. Throughout my early adult years, I worked in the medical industry primarily in administrative management and billing. At the age of 39 my family and I were relocated to Florida through a new business opportunity and had a chance to meet with a woman who forever changed my life. Prior to moving to Florida and experiencing the beginnings of what many would call a Spiritual Awakening, I led a very basic life that consisted primarily of black and white thinking, meaning, you wake up, you go to work, come home feed the kids, do a little more work if needed and go to sleep. The next day would be the same wash, rinse and repeat cycle. Weekends consisted of watching TV and heading off to do routine shopping. Nothing quite out of the ordinary. However, the universe knew my heart and soul was longing for so much more in this lifetime and in 2007 my life took a turn and there was no looking back. I often like to compare it to the Matrix film, an awakening that once embarked upon just could not be stopped. What began as a “chance” meeting became the spark of a lifetime and began a wellness journey that today is the foundation for this incredible life and new human experience.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
I love this question so much, thank you for asking and I do hope your readers enjoy this most eye-opening experience. Back in 2015, after I had completed a crystal certification program, I began diving deep into the energy of crystals and their connection to universal consciousness. Not fully understanding the power and connection humans innately have with crystals I believe, put me at an advantage because my human mind still wasn’t understanding how it all worked which allowed and facilitated a most profound experience of piezoelectric energy. Like any excited and full of knowledge student, I was very eager to begin testing out crystal healing on anyone that was open and willing. Surprisingly enough it was my husband who just as eagerly volunteered for the job. (Looking back, he had such deep faith and trust in my natural abilities). Since I was already trained as a Reiki Master practitioner, I was quite familiar with sensing the auric field and was even developing a keen ability to detect blockages in the human body when in flow with a client. So, as my husband laid down for his crystal tune up, I began laying down certain crystals on and around his body. First, I’d like to explain that crystal energy is always activated; however, when energy meets energy with intention it becomes a field of quantum expansion. We were probably about 5 minutes into the session when I was guided to take a clear double terminated crystal quartz point and began slowly moving into his solar plexus chakra (stomach area). As I moved into the stomach region I could feel the energy very strongly, and began moving and working with the quartz crystal to help loosen and move along the energy. All of a sudden, a sharp, quick pulse of what I can only describe as white energy shot out from his solar plexus and up and through the quartz crystal startling myself and of course him as well. We were both shaking and pretty stunned at what happened. It had never occurred to me that when energy meets energy and there is a conduit (quartz point) present anything is possible and sparks will fly. The experience taught me so much humility because as humans, we believe oftentimes that we have it all figured out and that with a little education, we are grand masters. But, the truth of the matter is that we are but a small molecule of consciousness whose vastness is in constant connection with everything and everyone and we are just beginning to understand this when it comes to how this world and universe works. It was a day of great reverence for the power of energy, vibration and intention.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started, I really believed I could do it all. Looking back, I realize that I had that typical “A” personality and was convinced I could be all and do it all by myself. There was this part of me deep down inside that was afraid to depend on other people for fear of being let down, and often felt like I needed to control every situation. I quickly began to recognize that there was something deeper inside of me driving this behavior that was creating this conflict of wanting to work harmoniously with others but couldn’t because I had so much fear of letting go of control. Through deep inner work I began connecting with my inner child-aspect to balance and resolve this belief pattern that I had adopted as a way of surviving. In truth, every once in a while, I still catch the behavior pattern running in my subconscious. Today, having a strong and ever evolving relationship with the self has only strengthened my ability to understand what is going on vibrationally within me which now has transcended into being able to help others understand themselves as well. Through the experience, I learned that everything is a divine partnership of creation that includes everyone. There can be no such thing as personal or business success without the inclusion of others. The very fabric of this earthly experience is dependent on how we live and perceive others and that relationship can only flourish when we live and work in harmony with ourselves.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
The work my husband and I do together with the Heart of Oneness Holistic Expo is everything. Our Heart of Oneness Holistic Expo is an annual gathering of like-minded individuals who are on their own individual paths to becoming the best versions of themselves. We host this event with over 100 exhibitors from across the globe who come together to divulge in their passions and surrender into their own expression. We feel like we get to experience the best of the best as we collaborate with some of the most amazing people who are living their best lives as well. Creating a solid foundation through these holistic events that supports the works of others is the best opportunity to make big collective changes specific to wellness and the evolutionary journey of self-discovery.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
- Go Vegan. It will change your life for the better in so many ways. Do it responsibly, with support and under the supervision of a healthcare professional if needed. You will see improvement in your physical, mental and emotional bodies immediately. Some of the benefits for me have been: weight loss, improved sleep, better skin and hair, improved mental state. Over the years, I have self-regulated and corrected the imbalance of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and have been medication free for over 10 years now. I am 53 years old and take no medications at all.
- Get to know yourself. I know this sounds cliche but it’s so vitally important to really get in touch with who you are and why you are. The most important relationship you will ever have is the one with yourself. Get deep with yourself and the world will transform in the most profound ways. It strengthens all parts of your inner world and you will be the better for it.
- Stay Curious. As humans we truly are creatures of habit and we often lose that child-like wonder and curiosity. As we gradually become adults, we often forget to have a light heartedness about ourselves that keeps us innocently curious about life and the nature of things. I’ve always held the belief that the familiar keeps us from experiencing something new. When one is constantly curious about life, a seeming magic will appear in the most surprising ways and you will discover the world anew.
- Exercise is key to moving, expanding and clearing energy. As energy begins the most important thing is keeping the physical vessel healthy and active. Whenever I feel like my energy is starting to wane a bit, I know that I need to move my body. The process then becomes to get the mind on board with moving. Keeping the mind and body in synergy is vital for optimal health. Making exercise a priority is always a win win.
- Cultivate Stillness. When we think of stillness, we often think that this requires not doing anything. When, in fact, in the beginning, it very much involves the act of slowing things down and this takes practice. Cultivating stillness requires our focus to move from doing to being and feeling. No matter where you live in the world you know that life is always bustling with things to do and places to be and it takes a focused intention to slow the thought process down as we then invite the body to do the same. Each day, set aside time to slow the mind and body so that you can feel into each breath with ease and calmness.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Collectively, I believe we (my husband, Matt, and I) have always been on the path of igniting the movement. One by one and person by person, we make a difference as we recognize that we all have a connection and power way beyond our wildest dreams to the cosmic fields of energy. On a more personal note, it would be a movement of compassionate acceptance of one another and ourselves. When we as a global society recognize that we are all universally and energetically connected we will begin to treat ourselves and others with great honor, appreciation and reverence. Our lives are but a reflection of the whole. In unity consciousness, we recognize that we all inhabit the same field of energy; we simply choose to show our colors differently. If we were to look at the rainbow as a great example, we would see that each color shines uniquely, vibrantly and individually, yet together they are far more beautiful, powerful and inspire deep wonder from within. This is how a unified world can and will look like when we collectively come together as ONE. The idea and concept of separation is what keeps our world from coming together in the most remarkable of ways. My mission and movement are to help others understand that change starts from within and the more compassionate and expansive we are, the better the world will be.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
I wish someone would have told me before becoming an entrepreneur that it would be so satisfying because I would have started sooner.
I wish someone would have told me how much inner work would be required.
I wish someone would have told me how much courage it would take to start up a business and the hours of commitment it takes to make it work.
I wish someone would have told me that there would be sacrifices that need to be made and the impact on family and friends.
I wish someone would have told me that just when you think you know, there’s always something else new to discover.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Yes, I agree, they are all so very important. At the moment veganism is at the top of my list. I truly believe veganism can and will be the greatest catalyst for change and revolutionize humanity. As people begin to become more aware of their own energy fields and how it relates and impacts others it will ignite a global shift in consciousness. We can already see that the shift has begun as more and more people are moving toward plant-based foods and living. As humanity continues to know itself better the natural laws of attraction will bring forth a resonance of experience that is cohesive and beneficial for all forms of life. It has always been interesting to me that here in America as a society we are raised to eat meat and yet one of our most beloved traditions is taking our young children to the farm to pet and play with the very same animals that are offered up as food later on. Why do some animals have rights and privileges of being loved while others suffer and perish? Where is the disconnect within our societal consciousness that chooses to look over this. I believe innately we all know there is something fundamentally wrong with the way we are treating animals. We can see it in people when a conversation comes up about it. Most people will do anything to avoid looking at the true nature of animal cruelty and how meat ultimately arrives at the grocery store packaged neatly for human consumption. From an energetic standpoint if we were to measure the vibrational state of the meat you could feel the discordance of energy as this animal was in pain and turmoil as it was prepared. Energy as we know, never dies, it simply is transformed. However, when it comes to food and how it is processed, the energy of pain and suffering is still ever present and we as humans absorb that energy as we eat it. Most children, if you think about it, are “taught” to eat meat and other animal products because it is something that is simply handed down from generation to generation. However, humanity and the grand design of evolution is always at play and animals are very much a part of that field of energy. As humans, it’s easy to assume that we are at the top of the food chain, however, the principle of unity is what bridges all things to work and thrive cohesively. I suspect like with all moments of great change there will be a tipping point and before we know it, the entire animal and farming industry will change. As people begin to see animals as a vital part of our collective experience, we will understand that they are here to assist us in remembering that we can do better.
I personally gave up eating meat over 7 years ago after a chance encounter with a cow. Soul to soul and spirit to spirit I knew I could no longer pretend not to see and know. The time had come to stand for something more.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
www.heartofonenessholisticexpo.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Karen Riley of The Heart Of Oneness Holistic Expo On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.