August 28, 2025 • 42 mins
What happens when the healer becomes the one in need of healing?
In this powerful episode, trauma-informed coach and healer Soulla Demetriou shares the extraordinary journey that unfolded after a freak kite-surfing accident left her with life-threatening injuries. Confined to a hospital bed for a month—unable to eat, drink, or know what her surgical future might hold—Soulla was forced to embody the very teachings she had been offering to others for over a decade.
As a somatic therapeutic coach, yoga teacher, and founder of Soul Shine Retreat, Soulla takes us inside her deeply personal process of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. She reveals how her Soul Shine Way begins with one simple yet profound practice: creating the pause between what happens to us and how we choose to respond.
This conversation is rich with practical tools for navigating life’s hardest moments—from accessible breathing techniques and nervous system regulation practices to the quiet power of humming, music, prayer, and micro-movements that support healing, even when the body is immobilized.
Perhaps most moving is Soulla’s wisdom on surrender and trust. Having experienced three near-death experiences, she speaks with rare authority about letting go of control, meeting uncertainty with grace, and discovering that “pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”
We also explore her upcoming book, You Have Always Been Enough—a message born during her hospital stay that reminds us of an unshakable truth: beneath our struggles, our wholeness has never been broken.
This episode is a gift of grounded wisdom and practical resilience. Whether you’re navigating a storm or simply preparing for life’s inevitable waves, Soulla’s story and tools will help you build inner calm, deepen self-compassion, and discover the quiet power of trusting your own healing.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
That was so challenging and really took me
to that place of deep surrender,of prayer, of just letting go
at the sense that I couldcontrol anything and
surrendering and asking for thewisdom, the guidance, the
support seen and unseen, just toshow me how to get through this
.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello and welcome to the James Granstrom podcast
Super Soul Model series, andtoday in this episode, we're
joined by someone who's reallyspecial Zula Dimitriou.
Now Zula is a trauma-informedsomatic therapeutic coach, a
yoga teacher and the founder ofSoul Shine Retreat, and for over
a decade she's been helpingpeople heal, reconnect with
(00:45):
themselves and live moreauthentically.
But her story goes far beyondher work.
After a freak accident left herwith life-threatening injuries,
zula had to lean in on everyounce of self-compassion and
somatic wisdom she'd beenteaching others for years.
What followed was a powerfuljourney of healing, resilience
and rediscovering what trulymatters.
(01:05):
This is a conversation aboutstrength, compassion and the
power of coming home to yourself.
Welcome to the episode, zula.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Thank you.
I'm so honored to be here andit's so powerful hearing all of
that reflected back as well.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Sometimes hearing the story.
What does it feel like someonerepeating back your story to you
?
A?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
year and a half ago and it's just a real reminder of
how far I've come and the depththis work has gone over, you
(01:48):
know, more than a decade ofbeing really dedicated to
healing and growth.
So yeah, it's powerful and it'smoving as well.
It moves me.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Beautiful Zula.
Your journey is prettyextraordinary.
Where do we begin?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Oh, that's such a good question where do we begin?
Because there are so manylayers to it.
Um, I suppose my journeyconsciously began from a place
of real suffering.
I started having panic attacksin my teens and that really
extended into my early 20s ofdeveloping a generalized anxiety
(02:26):
disorder, which I'm sure anyonewho's experienced anxiety can
relate to just how incrediblypainful and life-impacting that
is to live in a constant stateof anxiety.
And I also really struggledwith depression in my teens and
my 20s.
And my nature is one that isinnately very courageous, very
(02:47):
adventurous, very curious.
I've always been like that and Ifeel really lucky that there
was something in me that hadlike the strength or the
conviction, or just the belief,that I wasn't willing to accept
anxiety and depression and theselabels which come with such a
heavy burden, as the truth forthe rest of my life.
(03:09):
There was so much I wanted to do, there was so much I believed
was true for me, so I embarkedon this path of really just
dedicating to my own healing andthen, as that went deeper,
getting curious as to you knowwhy not only I was having this
experience, but so many otherpeople around me were having
(03:31):
similar experiences as Idedicated to wellness.
Um, you know, I've now I'veworked in in person with
thousands of people throughretreats and one-on-one and I
was like, hold on, so manypeople are suffering in this way
, why?
And that curious part of me Ijust went very deep into, like
trying to work it out andexplore and understand.
(03:53):
And that's really what all mywork is about and where I sit
today, you know, with thelessons that I found so why
don't you take us back to thepart where you had that freak
accident?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
because that's almost a part of where your journey to
healing really begins.
Um, for the listeners listeningin because you, it's quite a
deep experience, so why don'tyou share with that?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
yeah, well, interestingly, I would say
that's almost the culmination ofmy journey, because that
happened just 18 months ago andit was it was my third
near-death experience in my life.
I was also in the tsunami insri lanka and I was also.
I nearly died with my familywhen I was 11 in a carbon
monoxide poisoning.
So there's been these.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Really, um, I feel someone still wants you to be
here, right?
Speaker 1 (04:44):
yeah it, yeah, it's weird.
I remember my little sister oncesaying are we very unlucky?
I was like I think maybe we'revery lucky because we keep
surviving, you know things whereit was very lucky that we did
survive.
So I say it's almost like thecombination of my journey 18
months ago.
This accident I had, because bythat point I was already
(05:05):
writing my book, which wasalready about a methodology
which is what I bring to myclients one-on-one and retreats,
which is called the soul shineway and having worked already
with people and myself throughthat methodology, having this
accident then put me in a placewhere I went on a personal
(05:25):
journey of applying everythingI'd been teaching to myself in a
very tangible way and that waspowerful.
And as part of my recovery andI'll talk more about what
happened I was recovering as Iwas writing the book which I'd
already, as I said, begun, and Irealized that the writing I
actually took myself on my ownprocess again.
(05:48):
It was like I facilitated formyself.
So the accident I was quite I'ma kite surfer and I've been kite
surfing for nearly 20 years andI basically was lifted up by a
freak gust of wind and throwninto a building and then dropped
one story after hitting thebuilding to the ground.
So I had very major impactinjuries, much like you'd have
(06:11):
with a car crash, which led tointernal organ damage and led to
me having quite a traumatichospital experience and then
being in hospital for one monthunable to eat or drink, on a
tube through my nose, uncertainif I'd need major surgery and
what really the future wouldhold.
(06:32):
And so, yeah, many momentsduring the accident both from
the actual accident itself, themoment it happened, where I was
waiting for the ambulance Ididn't know if I had a trauma to
my head, a trauma to my spine.
I couldn't breathe.
I had to call upon nervoussystem regulation practices.
(06:53):
I had to work with the somatictherapies that I work with just
to stay calm All the way throughmy whole journey in hospital,
and then the recovery afterwardswith post-traumatic stress,
really called upon themethodology that I developed.
So very powerful.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah.
So thank you for sharing thatstory.
It's probably tough to bring,but I think there's
transmutation and healing withinyour story, actually going
through some of the healingpractices that you developed or
shared.
Why don't you share with us alittle bit about what the
somatics is and how that'shelped you and how that's
actually also helping otherpeople, because everybody goes
(07:33):
through some type of trauma,some more so than others.
But if people have beenexperiencing any difficulty and
any challenge, how can they comeback to their center again?
And I think that's really thecrux of your work.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I love that reflection and so much of my
work is about this return towhat we call self-energy, this
return to our truth, to thatcalm, curious, compassionate
center that each of us have and,yeah, becomes very obscured by
by life and by our experience ofseeing the present through the
(08:09):
lens of the past.
Um, I guess, to answer thatquestion, maybe I'll talk a bit
about the soul shine way andwhat that methodology actually
is, and then can sort of touchin on perhaps what the practices
are.
Um, the soul shine way.
We begin with awareness.
So first of all we have torecognize what is happening.
So that's kind of inmindfulness, um, like the roots
(08:31):
of that.
And you know, in order tocreate any change we first have
to notice what is happening,right, to find that pause
between what's happening and howwe start.
So if we're in the middle ofsome, type of difficult moment.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You've got to be aware that you're in the
difficult of some type ofdifficult moment.
You've got to be aware thatyou're in the difficult moment
exactly.
And then what does that entail?
Being aware of it, because onemight just think, oh, this is
experience.
It's not very nice, but howdoes one actually fall into that
state of awareness which youmentioned?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
so, once we have that pause of recognizing what's
happening, that allows us thepossibility to respond in new
ways.
So, rather than reactingunconsciously, we start being
able to respond.
For me, the first step withthat is self-compassion.
We start being able to considerwell, how can I be there for
myself in the most loving way,in the most um, in the strongest
(09:21):
expression of friendship, ofsupport, and that's where all
the tools can come in umunderstanding, because it really
it depends what perspectiveyou're coming from.
Like when I was having theaccident, that was a specific
trauma and so for me, in thatmoment of being scared, of being
in pain, recognizing all ofthat was happening, how could I
respond in a loving way?
(09:42):
What did I need?
I was able in that moment torespond with nervous system
practices, because that's alsopart of my.
You know my focus working tocalm the nervous system.
I was able to call in you knowa lot of sense of calm and
protection and to support myphysiology.
Someone else in that situation,recognizing what is happening.
(10:03):
It might be recognizing yourinner critic is here, okay.
So how can I respond?
In a different way?
Or it might be recognizinganxiety is here, okay, well, how
can I respond from a place ofkindness here and from that you
know, having all differenttoolkits, be it somatic therapy,
like how can you come into yourbody in a way that supports you
?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
so could you just tell us a little bit what
somatic therapy is, becausethere might be a lot of
listeners who've heard it butdoesn't know what that entails
yeah, it's a word that we hear alot now but isn't always clear.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
When we talk about somatic therapy, we're talking
about the soma, which is thebody.
So we're using the body as thiskind of wisdom keeper and this
portal.
So what I mean is, instead ofjust understanding from your
head or I'm feeling this, andhaving a story which is
cognitive and analytical, itmight sound more like okay, so
in my body now I can feel atightening in my chest, I can
(10:57):
feel like a sense of sickness inmy stomach, I can feel my heart
rate beating and we startlooking at the body as the
wisdom keeper and the wisdommessenger.
And so then, when we recognizethe body as telling us a story
for us to listen to, we can getcurious and be like well, what
does that tightness in my chestmean?
(11:18):
What does that feeling in mybelly, what does that agitation
mean?
And rather than just needing towork out through our heads, we
understand our stories throughwhat our body is showing us.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Kind of.
I think I just want to go intosomething really practical,
because I know a lot of thepeople listening are just going
how do I get practical if I'msitting in hospital and I've got
crushed bones?
And how do I get practical ifsomeone I love, close to me, has
just died?
Or how do I get practical ifI've got some type of title of
(11:52):
an illness that I'm notcomfortable with?
So how do we get practicalabout trying to get the
awareness and then what we cando about it?
Because obviously the bodyknows how to heal, but the mind
can obviously speed up heal,healing, but if we're not
familiar with any tools orstrategies, we're just going to
(12:12):
suffer, yeah and so so whatwould you say to someone sitting
with an illness or someoneclose to them who's just passed
away?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
how to get practical with some of those things that
you've mentioned on the soulshine way yeah, I can really
feel like the the burden ofthose moments and I would say
let's keep it really simple.
You know I work with over 15years of tools.
There's so much depth to that,but let's keep it super simple.
Can we notice?
(12:42):
This is a moment that's painful.
First of all, can we notice andunderstand wow, I'm having a
painful thought.
This is a scary moment.
This is challenging somehow.
Can we notice that, eitherthrough the quality of our
thoughts or how we feel in ourbody.
Does it feel heavy, does itfeel scary, does it feel anxious
?
However, that relates to us andthrough noticing.
The most simple practice Iwould bring is like recognizing
(13:05):
what you're feeling in thismoment.
If someone you loved wassitting across from you having
this experience, they've justlost someone, they've just had a
scary diagnosis, they're inhospital.
They don't know what's going tohappen to them.
They're suffering, like howwould you feel towards that
person if it was your loved one?
And can you literally just bethere for yourself in the same
(13:26):
way, either like a hand on theheart or through the way you
speak to yourself, through theway you respond to yourself?
That is the most simple and yetsuper powerful tool anyone can
bring in recognize this is amoment of suffering and respond
to it as you would a loved one.
I'm so sorry that you're havingthis experience to yourself,
with your hand on your heart,wrapping your arms around
(13:47):
yourself, understanding what youneed in that moment.
And what would you suggest to afriend?
Maybe saying to them don't dothis on your own.
You know, reaching out.
It's like being there andgiving yourself that same
permission that you would giveto a loved one.
That's the essence ofself-compassion permission that
you would give to a loved one.
That's the essence ofself-compassion.
(14:08):
And many, many moments of thisreally have the capacity to
transform our life, just in manymoments of recognizing and
turning towards ourself as wewould a loved one thank you for
sharing that.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I find that not everybody have that
accessibility to find compassion.
It's only if you've gonethrough something really
difficult that you have accessto compassion.
I know you said you've hadalmost three near-death
experiences, um, which allowsyou to have a lot more
compassion because you realizethe fragility of life.
But sometimes people need a bigwake-up call in order to
(14:44):
perhaps look at life isn't justabout them, it's really about
the lives that you touch.
You mentioned a little bitabout the body knows with
somatic therapy.
How does the body know fromyour experience?
And then how do you know whatto give it to heal?
You know, if you're caught in abed in a hospital and you've
(15:04):
got crushed vertebrae, puncturedlungs, all sorts of difficult
challenges, how do you, fromyour experience and your
knowledge, how do you come backfrom that?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yeah.
So when we talk about the body,you know, holding the wisdom, I
would say a big key to that isour nervous system.
The nervous system, which manyof us are more familiar with as
a term.
Now, you know, the nervoussystem is a system through which
we experience everything inlife.
So our quality of life isdictated by the nervous system,
(15:38):
and most people now will befamiliar with the idea of
sympathetic, like fight orflight, or the parasympathetic
as it's often referred to, whichis more of our like when we
feel calm, rest and digest, andso, putting those terms to sigh
for a moment, the body holds andstores all the memories of our
experience in the nervous system, and anything that is
(16:01):
unresolved it's almost likeGroundhog Day for anyone who
remembers that movie.
It's like the nervous systemkeeps experiencing life as if
that event is still happeninguntil we process it, which is
why so many of us will beexperiencing this current moment
through the lens of our past,and what I mean by that is we
(16:24):
can be triggered in our life,and often when we are triggered
emotionally, it's becausesomething from our past is
showing up in the present, and Ithink this is something you
speak to and teach yeah, I had agreat podcast on that that you
did umyeah, and it's so.
We want to really in ourhealing journey, we want to
(16:44):
update the system so we'reexperiencing life through the
present, not the past.
So that's a bit of like thetechnical In terms of what you
need to do if you're in thatsituation.
I was very lucky because thisis the work that I do and it's
very embodied in me.
I had a similar situation.
I was in a bed with somethinggoing in my nose, to my stomach,
(17:06):
unable to walk or or movearound for a long time.
So the beauty of the practicesis that they don't have to be
big um.
For me, I was able to use musicas a nervous system regulator
wonderful.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
What sort of music did you listen to?
What sort of music.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
So I work with a practice called Kindred, which
is a beautiful somaticmeditation.
So remember that word somatic,body-based meditation that means
in Kindred rather than sitting,you know, eyes closed in this
peaceful still position weactually use music and we move
(17:47):
as what we're feeling.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
And are you trying to move in a hospital bed?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
yeah, so I have no shame with these practices.
If I know they work, I don'tmind about doing them in a
public place and um so I wouldlie in bed listening to music,
this beautiful, um very powerfulmusic that I used to facilitate
on retreats and with clients,and I would let myself feel and
express, through these verysmall movements that were
available, which are really justmy hands, um, what was going on
(18:13):
within me.
Um, that's not going to be foreveryone, because that might
feel a bit weird.
There's also a lot of nervoussystem practices you can do, so
there's a lot of things we cando to calm and bring this sense
of safety.
So when I have the accident asI was literally lying there with
my head against the wall,barely able to breathe in so
much pain, I did practices likehumming, because when we hum it
(18:36):
climbs the nervous system I didbreathing what's called the
physiological sigh, so I diddifferent kind of breaths which
I knew would calm my system.
So, even as I was in a lot ofpain, I did things that actually
affected and impacted myphysiology, and in doing so that
was my way of responding in aloving method.
(18:56):
And so I would say the beautytoday is that there are so many
practices that we can find outthere.
If you look up nervous systemregulation, um, in particular,
there are very little thingslike eye movements, sounds,
working with the breath that,even with no mobility and no
(19:17):
experience, you can practice.
Similar to the self-compassionitself.
We don't need to have anythingother than someone that we've
cared about in our life, be itan actual person or be it.
You know, it could be areligious figure, it could be
anything, it could be a place innature that feels safe and
loving and we can just relate toourselves in the way we relate
(19:41):
to that place, so we can turn,like a mirror, back the
compassion towards ourselves.
So we don't need a lot to makereally big changes and to
support ourself is what I wantto say.
I have years of experience so Ihave a whole toolkit, but you
don't need that to begin.
Just pick one thing thatresonates breath, movement,
sound, music.
If you can move around, natureis a great support and healer so
(20:05):
that.
So all of those things regulatethe nervous system, bring it
into a sense of harmony andcoherence yeah, it can really
help move towards that andsupport and bring some balance
um, as much as possible.
Obviously, if you're in a verycritical, unsafe place, you
might have to dig a littledeeper to find that safety.
But yes, exactly to what yousaid, and the mere choice of
(20:31):
looking for those things is anact of compassion for yourself.
So, even looking like, evenchoosing, I'm going to try and
do something to support myself.
That's already powerful,because already you're saying I
deserve and I'm willing tosupport myself in a loving way,
in a friendship way, and that initself already is healing.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Never underestimate that so what's your uh take on
prayer?
Because prayer I've noticed hasbeen essential for my
well-being, uh when I've gonethrough very dark, difficult
moments and a lot of the guestsI've had on.
So you talk about the somatics,you talk about the amusement,
music and the breathing and thelight movement and dancing of
(21:14):
the hands.
What's your take on prayer andhow that's helped you, if it did
at all, in your, your healingprocess after that accident I
love that question because Ithink people are really nervous
around the word prayer, um.
You know there's a lot ofconnection it's one of our most
ancient things to connect uswith who we really are, you know
(21:36):
.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
So there's nothing to be frightened of yeah, I think,
um, because of the connectionwith religion, there can be like
a nervousness around it, butfor me, I have a deeply
spiritual practice and I canmove more towards the
spirituality and more towardsthe science, depending on who's
sitting in front of me.
But that spirituality driveseverything that I do.
It's very much connected tolike a higher power or, you know
(21:59):
, a surrender to that and, um, Iactually just wrote about this
recently because after theaccident, I then had a lot of
health problems um, that was sochallenging and really took me
to that place of of deepsurrender, of prayer, um, of
(22:20):
just letting go, and letting goof the sense I could control
anything, and surrendering andasking for the wisdom, the
guidance, the support seen andunseen, just to show me how to
get through this, and thatcomplete surrender was so
(22:40):
powerful.
It was a place where I feellike all the spiritual teachings
that I've been immersed in as astudent and a facilitator for
years make more sense than ever,which is letting go of the idea
of this being a good or a badexperience, letting go of the
idea this should or shouldn't behappening, understanding that
life is a continual journey thatwill bring, like the ocean,
(23:04):
difficult moments as well asbeautiful ones, and, rather than
trying to control that, justsurrendering and asking for, you
know, the support fromsomething greater than me to let
me get through it with the mostgrace and compassion possible.
My background as a yoga teachermeans that I've always had a
(23:26):
very strong connection to whatwe call bhakti practice, which
is divine, um, a kind of divinepractice.
So I already have that reallystrong connection.
But you don't need that, Ithink, to find what makes sense
to you, to something bigger.
For a lot of people that can benature like.
Just when you understand andsee nature, you can, you can
(23:49):
pray to nature, because nature'slike all around us and nature
is us and, um, yeah, I, I'm verygrateful to to that prayer and
for that surrendering so what is, what is that prayer?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
you know, if anyone's inspired by you, know your
journey, what, what's the prayerthat you had that you used?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
it's not a prayer with words, necessarily a sense.
It's a more of a feeling.
For me it's connecting becauseI have a very strong kind of
shamanic earth wisdom influencein my practice.
It's understanding myself aspart of the earth and the sky
(24:38):
and the ocean, the mountains,and coming into something that
feels like a meditation and justnot even looking for answers,
just connecting to that withinme, and it's something that
(24:58):
almost doesn't have words, justasking for that trust, like and
finding that trust within me tolet go of answers and needs, to
just feel myself not alone, Iguess, in that journey and
actually when I had the accidentin that moment.
I'm glad you asked that questionbecause in the moment of the
(25:19):
accident with the nervous systemI worked with internal family
systems, which is an amazingsomatic therapy.
So I did this kind of partswork, all the parts that were
scared of me.
I put them like in a I imagineda sphere of protection and put
them in it.
So the scared parts of me weresafe and I also really called on
guidance.
I just called on protection.
(25:41):
Whatever was here, above andbelow and around, whatever form
like please keep me safe here.
I surrender this to you, keepme safe.
And that definitely fed throughI like.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Thank you uh, I think that I think that what I know
the audience love is what can Ido if I'm in a difficult moment?
What can I do if I'm faced with, you know, a really very
difficult challenge?
And I think that prayer is awonderful way and there's no
right or wrong way to do it.
From what I've heard from yousaying, I just think it's just
(26:14):
help me.
It's as simple as that.
Help, yeah, help me get to thenext stage.
You can have wonderful otherpractices that will help you
regulate, but I think it's alsonice to know well where else do
you turn to if you've hit rockbottom?
Where else do you turn to ifyour nervous system's fried?
You know, I remember there was areally interesting story.
(26:37):
I studied different masters anddifferent people who have done
excellent things, and I've alsolooked at my own experience and
gone well, what did I do to comeback from that hardship or that
challenge or that suffering?
Lots of death, and I've alwaysprayed, I've always done
something for the mind, body andthe soul, and I'm listening to
different guests that come onand you know I love to hear you
(27:00):
know what you're doing for themind and also what you're doing
for the body, and well-being isa triad.
It's these three differentaspects of ourselves that
unifies us to the life itself,to that beautiful energy that we
are.
But when we have an area of ourlife that's suddenly fallen out
of balance, like having anaccident, it's like have I
(27:21):
neglected one aspect of myself?
Or, if I haven't, what can I doto bring myself back into
balance again?
And I think your story reallyshows that we can bring
ourselves back into balance oncewe've hit a real challenge.
And I think that that'sactually part of life.
Whether we like it or not.
The challenges will come, asyou mentioned, like the ocean,
(27:43):
and it's not to to be worriedabout them when they come, but
it's to be prepared and trainedyeah, resourced, I was thinking
is about being resourced it's alovely way of saying yeah, and
so much of my work is like can Ishare the tools with you?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
can you work out what your toolkit is?
We are unique beings.
I'm sure you find in your work,as I do with mine, whilst I
have this methodology, it's notone size fits all.
We're all unique and so it'slike what is going to work for
us.
So we feel resourced um to meetlife, because life will have.
You know, as as in the teachingof Buddhism, pain is inevitable
(28:22):
, but suffering is optional.
And that's really the space likepain happens, and that was so
clear to me in hospital becauseI was in such a painful,
difficult, scary place and alsoa lot of what you've shared has
really resonated, of what you'veshared has really resonated.
So I also was going through theprocess of two very close
(28:43):
friends, um, facing terminalcancer, um who have now no
longer with us, and so it was ayear of like just death.
It was facing like I mean, itreally touched a bit.
I can feel it within me and itwas like wow, I can either sit
here being like why, why is thishappening, as we can so often
do, believing that this ispersonal and something happening
(29:06):
to me in that victim place.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I would be like, okay , this is life, this is painful,
but I don't need to make thissuffering by believing there's
something wrong with it I thinkthat I think what you just said
there, I think it's reallyimportant, which is thinking
that it's imperfect, how it'shappened, and that that's really
tough.
Because actually, as humanbeings, when we have physical
(29:30):
attachments to the people thatwe love and then they're no
longer with you, that createsthis incredible void that is now
separated, so what you loved isno longer physically present.
But when you understand thespiritual world and the soul,
soulful aspect of who we are isthat we all come alone, we all
(29:50):
die alone.
That's number one and we allcome to fulfill our purpose,
whatever our soul's purpose is,and we have no understanding of
what someone else's purpose isand what they need to fulfill.
So this gives me a little peace, knowing that.
But it doesn't always make youfeel happy that someone's taken
off.
But there's a really wonderfulteacher called Abraham Hicks,
(30:13):
and I like the way they say itand they say when someone, when
someone passes, it's justthey've just taken off.
You know they're just takingthe suit off and off, they've
gone and don't and try to bevery light-hearted about it.
But the actual physical feelingis quite tense, emotional
nervous system settling.
But we can find our centeragain and that's what you keep
(30:36):
talking about.
You can use those resources,and I think the word source in
there is the key word, becausethat's who we are and where we
return to when we find ourbalance.
So what sort of strength hasthis all given you in sharing
your work with other people,having moved through a few
different sets of challenges?
Where does that leave Zula now,you know, in terms of headspace
(30:58):
and art space?
Where?
Speaker 1 (31:01):
does that leave Zula?
Now, you know, in terms ofheadspace and heartspace, yeah,
I feel it's left me in a placeof self-trust.
I think self-trust is a reallybig part of it, of really
understanding, not from a victimmindset, because, truly, if you
(31:28):
knew my whole life story, Ithrough a lot and sometimes it's
felt crushing, um, so steppingout of the place of victim, more
like that.
That real essence, teaching ofthis is life and I can and um,
and far more vast than that, andI just I love so much what you
just shared there because itresonates deeply with my journey
(31:49):
, with losing my friends and um,like a real sense of connection
.
I have such deep faith in thesoul journey, in the spiritual
journey, in the continuity ofour soul, like there is not one
aspect to me, for many reasons,which would be an entirely, uh,
new podcast, that that doubtthat.
And yet I also understand thatto be human, that doesn't take
(32:11):
away from the fact that myfriends are not here in this way
, in this world in this form,and so understanding, like this
essence of our human experienceabout impermanence, that we'll
come here alone, as you say, andwe'll all die alone, and this
kind of duality of that beingour human experience with pain
(32:35):
and yet being part of somethingso much more vast and infinite
and powerful and eternal.
Um just gives me deep comfortthat we are on a soul journey
that's part of something fargreater than we could ever
imagine.
I think it's deeply comfortingwhen you start looking around
and understanding yourself aspart of this web that goes so
(32:58):
far beyond what we see andperceive in this lifetime, in
this world, and so in myphysical body.
In this lifetime, self-trustand self-compassion is what I've
gained and in the broaderspectrum, it's understanding I'm
part of something oh, I tellyou what.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
This is a really interesting question now.
I love this, I like to to putthat sort of question to the
audience listening, anyone who'slistening in.
What do you think your solepurpose is?
And we don't mean it is tonecessarily achieve something,
but it's what you're going tolearn in terms of qualities.
I think that that's what youmentioned there.
I've got self-trust, I've gotself-compassion.
(33:35):
I think it's not necessarilyachieving x or having a family,
or those things are important,but it's actually the qualities
of what you develop, likepersonal trust, self-compassion,
kindness to self.
I mean these are qualities thatyou might be have glimpses of,
but you actually have to.
You have to embody them, as youmentioned.
(33:56):
Yeah and yeah.
So what would you?
You think that other types ofsoul purpose things people have
to learn?
Speaker 1 (34:07):
I think it's a remembering.
It's like a remembering of thatwhich we forget as humans.
For me, and and it's funnybecause actually it's the title
of my book and it was really thelesson I think I have to
remember again and again in thislifetime, which is that you
have always been enoughbeautiful and that's the title
of my book and that actuallycame through in hospital when I
(34:27):
had this almost like near-deathexperience.
It was like it was very scary,very and then very powerful
experience and the message waslike you've always been enough,
there's never been anythingwrong with you and why is it
that we we'll talk a little bitabout the book and when that's
coming out in a second.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Actually, why don't you just tell us now when's it
coming out and when can peopleget it?
Speaker 1 (34:48):
yeah, it comes out in january, january 15th 2026.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Okay, it'll be available for pre-purchase from
um mid-october 2025 for dupe andwe're going to have the links
where everybody can get that.
I just wanted to go back tothat question.
I'm so excited to to read thatand your story going back to
like the soul qualities you saidit's a remembering.
What do we need to remember?
(35:14):
Zola?
Speaker 1 (35:18):
wow, that's such a big question and it might sound
abstract how I answered toanswer it, but I'm reminded of
so many teachings that I havereceived.
I think what we need toremember is our essence is love.
I think that our essence iswhole, that there's nothing,
that we're, we're whole andwe're divine and we are loving,
(35:41):
and that's kind of what theremembering is in human language
, because that might all soundquite wafty.
I would go back to like there'snothing wrong with you, you
don't need to earn your worth.
You're already worthy and youalways have been worthy of
everything, of love.
Yeah, it's remembering thatlittle baby, and when you look
(36:02):
at a baby and see how pure andlovable and deserving of care
and compassion they are, it'sremembering that we're no
different at any other stage inour life, that that is our true
nature.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Oh, I think that's beautiful.
I'd just like to add, I think,think that even if you're
sitting in the hospital thinkingyou're broken, you're not
broken.
You know, it's only your mindthat thinks that I've got
limitations or etc.
But the physical limitationswill only go so far, but your
soul is and your spirit and yourenergy is timeless.
(36:36):
Yeah, and I think that that'swhat you know.
Your, your story really shows alot of resilience to remind
yourself who we really are, thatyou can come back even after
two or three or four or five orsix or seven really difficult
moments, and that we can all dothat.
And uh, I just wanted to saywhat's your best advice for the
(37:00):
tough seasons, for people?
You know, if something's comingup, you're like what do I do?
How can I not saying that I'mgoing to have a tough season?
I, I want to.
I expect it.
It's not about that.
It's just about how can weprepare in our daily life, have
some disciplines that you thinkthis will serve you and that has
(37:20):
served Zula, you know, in yourseveral years of work and
finding your own center.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
I often teach about, um, you know the practice of
mindfulness and self-compassion,like learning to sail a boat in
calm waters.
If we can learn, if we canlearn embody those practices in
our daily life, then when thestorms come we have them almost
as an anchor.
So I would say in simplicity,again, to not overburden with
(37:53):
too many different approachesand and and strategies.
It's like can you become awareof what is happening?
Like through a presencepractice, can you notice what's
coming in, coming up within youand around you, like this is a
challenging moment.
And then can you develop thecapacity to respond to yourself
and replace the self-compassionof kindness.
(38:15):
And can you, if you do thatevery day through from you know
noticing in your working day,what am I feeling, what do I
need, how can I respond in aloving way?
That might just mean having aglass of water.
That might just mean goingoutside for a walk.
That might just you know, itcould be small things.
If you keep cultivating thatpause and respond, then when you
(38:35):
get hit by stormier seasons,that's going to feel much more
embodied with you, and when youget hit by stormier seasons,
that's going to feel much moreembodied with you.
No-transcript.
(38:56):
And I'd say the second thing isknow that you don't have to do
it alone, like find supportaround you if you can.
In those tough seasons,whatever that looks like, it can
be hard to ask for help, butthat's compassion in a sense,
isn't?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
it.
Guys definitely find it a lotharder to ask for help because
we always seem to be the onethat seems to be the person who
knows all the answers, who canlead.
But when a guy has a difficultmoment it's like, well, where do
I turn?
And so I've got a lot ofcompassion for men and women.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
You know, both dealing with different sets of
challenges, of how the worldlooks at that, how you deal with
it, and then actually what youdo yeah, I agree with that, and
I think that's why the work andthe space that you're holding is
just so important, because, um,for all the challenges we go
through as humans, I would sayone of the beautiful things that
(39:55):
many of us, as women, haveexperienced is the capacity to
be able to speak with otherwomen and share and process, and
we've been given much morepermission to be vulnerable, and
I think it's so important wefind ways for men to have a
language, to process and bevulnerable and be authentic and
to ask for help and to expressand connect, not even to express
(40:17):
what they're feeling, but tolearn how to connect to what
they're feeling to even beginwith, because that has been so
suppressed.
And so I'm a massive advocate,um, of supporting that language,
and I think you know, the themore we embody that, the more
you embody it as a man, the morewe give permission, um, as
(40:37):
women, to men to do that then,when we give permission to each
other, um to embrace new ways ofbeing and I and I often say,
you know, the most powerfulthing we can do is walk our path
we do the work, and as we dothe work, we give permission to
others to embody different waysof being as well I think that
you have a wonderful way ofteaching other people to be in
(40:59):
their center and by that youhelp people live more
authentically.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
And I just want to say Zulu, it's been a real
pleasure speaking to you on thisepisode.
Thank you for sharing yourwisdom, your knowledge and the
stories, and very excited foryour new book coming up.
Like I mentioned before, we'llhave the link ready for anyone
who wants to get their hands onthat wonderful book.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
you are enough yeah, you have always been you have
even better.
You have always been enough,and it's, yeah, the healing
guide to self-love and innerfreedom, because so much of what
I want to teach people is howto live in a liberated life.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Fantastic Zula.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
Zula, Dimitri, Thank you forhaving me.
It's a pleasure.
Zula is this week's Super SoulModel, Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for tuning into the showand if you enjoyed it, please
remember to follow rate andshare it with someone who'd love
it too.
Until the next time, wishingyou green lights ahead.
That was so challenging and really took me
to that place of deep surrender,of prayer, of just letting go
at the sense that I couldcontrol anything and
surrendering and asking for thewisdom, the guidance, the
support seen and unseen, just toshow me how to get through this
.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello and welcome to the James Granstrom podcast
Super Soul Model series, andtoday in this episode, we're
joined by someone who's reallyspecial Zula Dimitriou.
Now Zula is a trauma-informedsomatic therapeutic coach, a
yoga teacher and the founder ofSoul Shine Retreat, and for over
a decade she's been helpingpeople heal, reconnect with
(00:45):
themselves and live moreauthentically.
But her story goes far beyondher work.
After a freak accident left herwith life-threatening injuries,
zula had to lean in on everyounce of self-compassion and
somatic wisdom she'd beenteaching others for years.
What followed was a powerfuljourney of healing, resilience
and rediscovering what trulymatters.
(01:05):
This is a conversation aboutstrength, compassion and the
power of coming home to yourself.
Welcome to the episode, zula.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Thank you.
I'm so honored to be here andit's so powerful hearing all of
that reflected back as well.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Sometimes hearing the story.
What does it feel like someonerepeating back your story to you
?
A?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
year and a half ago and it's just a real reminder of
how far I've come and the depththis work has gone over, you
(01:48):
know, more than a decade ofbeing really dedicated to
healing and growth.
So yeah, it's powerful and it'smoving as well.
It moves me.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Beautiful Zula.
Your journey is prettyextraordinary.
Where do we begin?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Oh, that's such a good question where do we begin?
Because there are so manylayers to it.
Um, I suppose my journeyconsciously began from a place
of real suffering.
I started having panic attacksin my teens and that really
extended into my early 20s ofdeveloping a generalized anxiety
(02:26):
disorder, which I'm sure anyonewho's experienced anxiety can
relate to just how incrediblypainful and life-impacting that
is to live in a constant stateof anxiety.
And I also really struggledwith depression in my teens and
my 20s.
And my nature is one that isinnately very courageous, very
(02:47):
adventurous, very curious.
I've always been like that and Ifeel really lucky that there
was something in me that hadlike the strength or the
conviction, or just the belief,that I wasn't willing to accept
anxiety and depression and theselabels which come with such a
heavy burden, as the truth forthe rest of my life.
(03:09):
There was so much I wanted to do, there was so much I believed
was true for me, so I embarkedon this path of really just
dedicating to my own healing andthen, as that went deeper,
getting curious as to you knowwhy not only I was having this
experience, but so many otherpeople around me were having
(03:31):
similar experiences as Idedicated to wellness.
Um, you know, I've now I'veworked in in person with
thousands of people throughretreats and one-on-one and I
was like, hold on, so manypeople are suffering in this way
, why?
And that curious part of me Ijust went very deep into, like
trying to work it out andexplore and understand.
(03:53):
And that's really what all mywork is about and where I sit
today, you know, with thelessons that I found so why
don't you take us back to thepart where you had that freak
accident?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
because that's almost a part of where your journey to
healing really begins.
Um, for the listeners listeningin because you, it's quite a
deep experience, so why don'tyou share with that?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
yeah, well, interestingly, I would say
that's almost the culmination ofmy journey, because that
happened just 18 months ago andit was it was my third
near-death experience in my life.
I was also in the tsunami insri lanka and I was also.
I nearly died with my familywhen I was 11 in a carbon
monoxide poisoning.
So there's been these.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Really, um, I feel someone still wants you to be
here, right?
Speaker 1 (04:44):
yeah it, yeah, it's weird.
I remember my little sister oncesaying are we very unlucky?
I was like I think maybe we'revery lucky because we keep
surviving, you know things whereit was very lucky that we did
survive.
So I say it's almost like thecombination of my journey 18
months ago.
This accident I had, because bythat point I was already
(05:05):
writing my book, which wasalready about a methodology
which is what I bring to myclients one-on-one and retreats,
which is called the soul shineway and having worked already
with people and myself throughthat methodology, having this
accident then put me in a placewhere I went on a personal
(05:25):
journey of applying everythingI'd been teaching to myself in a
very tangible way and that waspowerful.
And as part of my recovery andI'll talk more about what
happened I was recovering as Iwas writing the book which I'd
already, as I said, begun, and Irealized that the writing I
actually took myself on my ownprocess again.
(05:48):
It was like I facilitated formyself.
So the accident I was quite I'ma kite surfer and I've been kite
surfing for nearly 20 years andI basically was lifted up by a
freak gust of wind and throwninto a building and then dropped
one story after hitting thebuilding to the ground.
So I had very major impactinjuries, much like you'd have
(06:11):
with a car crash, which led tointernal organ damage and led to
me having quite a traumatichospital experience and then
being in hospital for one monthunable to eat or drink, on a
tube through my nose, uncertainif I'd need major surgery and
what really the future wouldhold.
(06:32):
And so, yeah, many momentsduring the accident both from
the actual accident itself, themoment it happened, where I was
waiting for the ambulance Ididn't know if I had a trauma to
my head, a trauma to my spine.
I couldn't breathe.
I had to call upon nervoussystem regulation practices.
(06:53):
I had to work with the somatictherapies that I work with just
to stay calm All the way throughmy whole journey in hospital,
and then the recovery afterwardswith post-traumatic stress,
really called upon themethodology that I developed.
So very powerful.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah.
So thank you for sharing thatstory.
It's probably tough to bring,but I think there's
transmutation and healing withinyour story, actually going
through some of the healingpractices that you developed or
shared.
Why don't you share with us alittle bit about what the
somatics is and how that'shelped you and how that's
actually also helping otherpeople, because everybody goes
(07:33):
through some type of trauma,some more so than others.
But if people have beenexperiencing any difficulty and
any challenge, how can they comeback to their center again?
And I think that's really thecrux of your work.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I love that reflection and so much of my
work is about this return towhat we call self-energy, this
return to our truth, to thatcalm, curious, compassionate
center that each of us have and,yeah, becomes very obscured by
by life and by our experience ofseeing the present through the
(08:09):
lens of the past.
Um, I guess, to answer thatquestion, maybe I'll talk a bit
about the soul shine way andwhat that methodology actually
is, and then can sort of touchin on perhaps what the practices
are.
Um, the soul shine way.
We begin with awareness.
So first of all we have torecognize what is happening.
So that's kind of inmindfulness, um, like the roots
(08:31):
of that.
And you know, in order tocreate any change we first have
to notice what is happening,right, to find that pause
between what's happening and howwe start.
So if we're in the middle ofsome, type of difficult moment.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You've got to be aware that you're in the
difficult of some type ofdifficult moment.
You've got to be aware thatyou're in the difficult moment
exactly.
And then what does that entail?
Being aware of it, because onemight just think, oh, this is
experience.
It's not very nice, but howdoes one actually fall into that
state of awareness which youmentioned?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
so, once we have that pause of recognizing what's
happening, that allows us thepossibility to respond in new
ways.
So, rather than reactingunconsciously, we start being
able to respond.
For me, the first step withthat is self-compassion.
We start being able to considerwell, how can I be there for
myself in the most loving way,in the most um, in the strongest
(09:21):
expression of friendship, ofsupport, and that's where all
the tools can come in umunderstanding, because it really
it depends what perspectiveyou're coming from.
Like when I was having theaccident, that was a specific
trauma and so for me, in thatmoment of being scared, of being
in pain, recognizing all ofthat was happening, how could I
respond in a loving way?
(09:42):
What did I need?
I was able in that moment torespond with nervous system
practices, because that's alsopart of my.
You know my focus working tocalm the nervous system.
I was able to call in you knowa lot of sense of calm and
protection and to support myphysiology.
Someone else in that situation,recognizing what is happening.
(10:03):
It might be recognizing yourinner critic is here, okay.
So how can I respond?
In a different way?
Or it might be recognizinganxiety is here, okay, well, how
can I respond from a place ofkindness here and from that you
know, having all differenttoolkits, be it somatic therapy,
like how can you come into yourbody in a way that supports you
?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
so could you just tell us a little bit what
somatic therapy is, becausethere might be a lot of
listeners who've heard it butdoesn't know what that entails
yeah, it's a word that we hear alot now but isn't always clear.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
When we talk about somatic therapy, we're talking
about the soma, which is thebody.
So we're using the body as thiskind of wisdom keeper and this
portal.
So what I mean is, instead ofjust understanding from your
head or I'm feeling this, andhaving a story which is
cognitive and analytical, itmight sound more like okay, so
in my body now I can feel atightening in my chest, I can
(10:57):
feel like a sense of sickness inmy stomach, I can feel my heart
rate beating and we startlooking at the body as the
wisdom keeper and the wisdommessenger.
And so then, when we recognizethe body as telling us a story
for us to listen to, we can getcurious and be like well, what
does that tightness in my chestmean?
(11:18):
What does that feeling in mybelly, what does that agitation
mean?
And rather than just needing towork out through our heads, we
understand our stories throughwhat our body is showing us.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Kind of.
I think I just want to go intosomething really practical,
because I know a lot of thepeople listening are just going
how do I get practical if I'msitting in hospital and I've got
crushed bones?
And how do I get practical ifsomeone I love, close to me, has
just died?
Or how do I get practical ifI've got some type of title of
(11:52):
an illness that I'm notcomfortable with?
So how do we get practicalabout trying to get the
awareness and then what we cando about it?
Because obviously the bodyknows how to heal, but the mind
can obviously speed up heal,healing, but if we're not
familiar with any tools orstrategies, we're just going to
(12:12):
suffer, yeah and so so whatwould you say to someone sitting
with an illness or someoneclose to them who's just passed
away?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
how to get practical with some of those things that
you've mentioned on the soulshine way yeah, I can really
feel like the the burden ofthose moments and I would say
let's keep it really simple.
You know I work with over 15years of tools.
There's so much depth to that,but let's keep it super simple.
Can we notice?
(12:42):
This is a moment that's painful.
First of all, can we notice andunderstand wow, I'm having a
painful thought.
This is a scary moment.
This is challenging somehow.
Can we notice that, eitherthrough the quality of our
thoughts or how we feel in ourbody.
Does it feel heavy, does itfeel scary, does it feel anxious
?
However, that relates to us andthrough noticing.
The most simple practice Iwould bring is like recognizing
(13:05):
what you're feeling in thismoment.
If someone you loved wassitting across from you having
this experience, they've justlost someone, they've just had a
scary diagnosis, they're inhospital.
They don't know what's going tohappen to them.
They're suffering, like howwould you feel towards that
person if it was your loved one?
And can you literally just bethere for yourself in the same
(13:26):
way, either like a hand on theheart or through the way you
speak to yourself, through theway you respond to yourself?
That is the most simple and yetsuper powerful tool anyone can
bring in recognize this is amoment of suffering and respond
to it as you would a loved one.
I'm so sorry that you're havingthis experience to yourself,
with your hand on your heart,wrapping your arms around
(13:47):
yourself, understanding what youneed in that moment.
And what would you suggest to afriend?
Maybe saying to them don't dothis on your own.
You know, reaching out.
It's like being there andgiving yourself that same
permission that you would giveto a loved one.
That's the essence ofself-compassion permission that
you would give to a loved one.
That's the essence ofself-compassion.
(14:08):
And many, many moments of thisreally have the capacity to
transform our life, just in manymoments of recognizing and
turning towards ourself as wewould a loved one thank you for
sharing that.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I find that not everybody have that
accessibility to find compassion.
It's only if you've gonethrough something really
difficult that you have accessto compassion.
I know you said you've hadalmost three near-death
experiences, um, which allowsyou to have a lot more
compassion because you realizethe fragility of life.
But sometimes people need a bigwake-up call in order to
(14:44):
perhaps look at life isn't justabout them, it's really about
the lives that you touch.
You mentioned a little bitabout the body knows with
somatic therapy.
How does the body know fromyour experience?
And then how do you know whatto give it to heal?
You know, if you're caught in abed in a hospital and you've
(15:04):
got crushed vertebrae, puncturedlungs, all sorts of difficult
challenges, how do you, fromyour experience and your
knowledge, how do you come backfrom that?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yeah.
So when we talk about the body,you know, holding the wisdom, I
would say a big key to that isour nervous system.
The nervous system, which manyof us are more familiar with as
a term.
Now, you know, the nervoussystem is a system through which
we experience everything inlife.
So our quality of life isdictated by the nervous system,
(15:38):
and most people now will befamiliar with the idea of
sympathetic, like fight orflight, or the parasympathetic
as it's often referred to, whichis more of our like when we
feel calm, rest and digest, andso, putting those terms to sigh
for a moment, the body holds andstores all the memories of our
experience in the nervous system, and anything that is
(16:01):
unresolved it's almost likeGroundhog Day for anyone who
remembers that movie.
It's like the nervous systemkeeps experiencing life as if
that event is still happeninguntil we process it, which is
why so many of us will beexperiencing this current moment
through the lens of our past,and what I mean by that is we
(16:24):
can be triggered in our life,and often when we are triggered
emotionally, it's becausesomething from our past is
showing up in the present, and Ithink this is something you
speak to and teach yeah, I had agreat podcast on that that you
did umyeah, and it's so.
We want to really in ourhealing journey, we want to
(16:44):
update the system so we'reexperiencing life through the
present, not the past.
So that's a bit of like thetechnical In terms of what you
need to do if you're in thatsituation.
I was very lucky because thisis the work that I do and it's
very embodied in me.
I had a similar situation.
I was in a bed with somethinggoing in my nose, to my stomach,
(17:06):
unable to walk or or movearound for a long time.
So the beauty of the practicesis that they don't have to be
big um.
For me, I was able to use musicas a nervous system regulator
wonderful.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
What sort of music did you listen to?
What sort of music.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
So I work with a practice called Kindred, which
is a beautiful somaticmeditation.
So remember that word somatic,body-based meditation that means
in Kindred rather than sitting,you know, eyes closed in this
peaceful still position weactually use music and we move
(17:47):
as what we're feeling.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
And are you trying to move in a hospital bed?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
yeah, so I have no shame with these practices.
If I know they work, I don'tmind about doing them in a
public place and um so I wouldlie in bed listening to music,
this beautiful, um very powerfulmusic that I used to facilitate
on retreats and with clients,and I would let myself feel and
express, through these verysmall movements that were
available, which are really justmy hands, um, what was going on
(18:13):
within me.
Um, that's not going to be foreveryone, because that might
feel a bit weird.
There's also a lot of nervoussystem practices you can do, so
there's a lot of things we cando to calm and bring this sense
of safety.
So when I have the accident asI was literally lying there with
my head against the wall,barely able to breathe in so
much pain, I did practices likehumming, because when we hum it
(18:36):
climbs the nervous system I didbreathing what's called the
physiological sigh, so I diddifferent kind of breaths which
I knew would calm my system.
So, even as I was in a lot ofpain, I did things that actually
affected and impacted myphysiology, and in doing so that
was my way of responding in aloving method.
(18:56):
And so I would say the beautytoday is that there are so many
practices that we can find outthere.
If you look up nervous systemregulation, um, in particular,
there are very little thingslike eye movements, sounds,
working with the breath that,even with no mobility and no
(19:17):
experience, you can practice.
Similar to the self-compassionitself.
We don't need to have anythingother than someone that we've
cared about in our life, be itan actual person or be it.
You know, it could be areligious figure, it could be
anything, it could be a place innature that feels safe and
loving and we can just relate toourselves in the way we relate
(19:41):
to that place, so we can turn,like a mirror, back the
compassion towards ourselves.
So we don't need a lot to makereally big changes and to
support ourself is what I wantto say.
I have years of experience so Ihave a whole toolkit, but you
don't need that to begin.
Just pick one thing thatresonates breath, movement,
sound, music.
If you can move around, natureis a great support and healer so
(20:05):
that.
So all of those things regulatethe nervous system, bring it
into a sense of harmony andcoherence yeah, it can really
help move towards that andsupport and bring some balance
um, as much as possible.
Obviously, if you're in a verycritical, unsafe place, you
might have to dig a littledeeper to find that safety.
But yes, exactly to what yousaid, and the mere choice of
(20:31):
looking for those things is anact of compassion for yourself.
So, even looking like, evenchoosing, I'm going to try and
do something to support myself.
That's already powerful,because already you're saying I
deserve and I'm willing tosupport myself in a loving way,
in a friendship way, and that initself already is healing.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Never underestimate that so what's your uh take on
prayer?
Because prayer I've noticed hasbeen essential for my
well-being, uh when I've gonethrough very dark, difficult
moments and a lot of the guestsI've had on.
So you talk about the somatics,you talk about the amusement,
music and the breathing and thelight movement and dancing of
(21:14):
the hands.
What's your take on prayer andhow that's helped you, if it did
at all, in your, your healingprocess after that accident I
love that question because Ithink people are really nervous
around the word prayer, um.
You know there's a lot ofconnection it's one of our most
ancient things to connect uswith who we really are, you know
(21:36):
.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
So there's nothing to be frightened of yeah, I think,
um, because of the connectionwith religion, there can be like
a nervousness around it, butfor me, I have a deeply
spiritual practice and I canmove more towards the
spirituality and more towardsthe science, depending on who's
sitting in front of me.
But that spirituality driveseverything that I do.
It's very much connected tolike a higher power or, you know
(21:59):
, a surrender to that and, um, Iactually just wrote about this
recently because after theaccident, I then had a lot of
health problems um, that was sochallenging and really took me
to that place of of deepsurrender, of prayer, um, of
(22:20):
just letting go, and letting goof the sense I could control
anything, and surrendering andasking for the wisdom, the
guidance, the support seen andunseen, just to show me how to
get through this, and thatcomplete surrender was so
(22:40):
powerful.
It was a place where I feellike all the spiritual teachings
that I've been immersed in as astudent and a facilitator for
years make more sense than ever,which is letting go of the idea
of this being a good or a badexperience, letting go of the
idea this should or shouldn't behappening, understanding that
life is a continual journey thatwill bring, like the ocean,
(23:04):
difficult moments as well asbeautiful ones, and, rather than
trying to control that, justsurrendering and asking for, you
know, the support fromsomething greater than me to let
me get through it with the mostgrace and compassion possible.
My background as a yoga teachermeans that I've always had a
(23:26):
very strong connection to whatwe call bhakti practice, which
is divine, um, a kind of divinepractice.
So I already have that reallystrong connection.
But you don't need that, Ithink, to find what makes sense
to you, to something bigger.
For a lot of people that can benature like.
Just when you understand andsee nature, you can, you can
(23:49):
pray to nature, because nature'slike all around us and nature
is us and, um, yeah, I, I'm verygrateful to to that prayer and
for that surrendering so what is, what is that prayer?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
you know, if anyone's inspired by you, know your
journey, what, what's the prayerthat you had that you used?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
it's not a prayer with words, necessarily a sense.
It's a more of a feeling.
For me it's connecting becauseI have a very strong kind of
shamanic earth wisdom influencein my practice.
It's understanding myself aspart of the earth and the sky
(24:38):
and the ocean, the mountains,and coming into something that
feels like a meditation and justnot even looking for answers,
just connecting to that withinme, and it's something that
(24:58):
almost doesn't have words, justasking for that trust, like and
finding that trust within me tolet go of answers and needs, to
just feel myself not alone, Iguess, in that journey and
actually when I had the accidentin that moment.
I'm glad you asked that questionbecause in the moment of the
(25:19):
accident with the nervous systemI worked with internal family
systems, which is an amazingsomatic therapy.
So I did this kind of partswork, all the parts that were
scared of me.
I put them like in a I imagineda sphere of protection and put
them in it.
So the scared parts of me weresafe and I also really called on
guidance.
I just called on protection.
(25:41):
Whatever was here, above andbelow and around, whatever form
like please keep me safe here.
I surrender this to you, keepme safe.
And that definitely fed throughI like.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Thank you uh, I think that I think that what I know
the audience love is what can Ido if I'm in a difficult moment?
What can I do if I'm faced with, you know, a really very
difficult challenge?
And I think that prayer is awonderful way and there's no
right or wrong way to do it.
From what I've heard from yousaying, I just think it's just
(26:14):
help me.
It's as simple as that.
Help, yeah, help me get to thenext stage.
You can have wonderful otherpractices that will help you
regulate, but I think it's alsonice to know well where else do
you turn to if you've hit rockbottom?
Where else do you turn to ifyour nervous system's fried?
You know, I remember there was areally interesting story.
(26:37):
I studied different masters anddifferent people who have done
excellent things, and I've alsolooked at my own experience and
gone well, what did I do to comeback from that hardship or that
challenge or that suffering?
Lots of death, and I've alwaysprayed, I've always done
something for the mind, body andthe soul, and I'm listening to
different guests that come onand you know I love to hear you
(27:00):
know what you're doing for themind and also what you're doing
for the body, and well-being isa triad.
It's these three differentaspects of ourselves that
unifies us to the life itself,to that beautiful energy that we
are.
But when we have an area of ourlife that's suddenly fallen out
of balance, like having anaccident, it's like have I
(27:21):
neglected one aspect of myself?
Or, if I haven't, what can I doto bring myself back into
balance again?
And I think your story reallyshows that we can bring
ourselves back into balance oncewe've hit a real challenge.
And I think that that'sactually part of life.
Whether we like it or not.
The challenges will come, asyou mentioned, like the ocean,
(27:43):
and it's not to to be worriedabout them when they come, but
it's to be prepared and trainedyeah, resourced, I was thinking
is about being resourced it's alovely way of saying yeah, and
so much of my work is like can Ishare the tools with you?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
can you work out what your toolkit is?
We are unique beings.
I'm sure you find in your work,as I do with mine, whilst I
have this methodology, it's notone size fits all.
We're all unique and so it'slike what is going to work for
us.
So we feel resourced um to meetlife, because life will have.
You know, as as in the teachingof Buddhism, pain is inevitable
(28:22):
, but suffering is optional.
And that's really the space likepain happens, and that was so
clear to me in hospital becauseI was in such a painful,
difficult, scary place and alsoa lot of what you've shared has
really resonated, of what you'veshared has really resonated.
So I also was going through theprocess of two very close
(28:43):
friends, um, facing terminalcancer, um who have now no
longer with us, and so it was ayear of like just death.
It was facing like I mean, itreally touched a bit.
I can feel it within me and itwas like wow, I can either sit
here being like why, why is thishappening, as we can so often
do, believing that this ispersonal and something happening
(29:06):
to me in that victim place.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I would be like, okay , this is life, this is painful,
but I don't need to make thissuffering by believing there's
something wrong with it I thinkthat I think what you just said
there, I think it's reallyimportant, which is thinking
that it's imperfect, how it'shappened, and that that's really
tough.
Because actually, as humanbeings, when we have physical
(29:30):
attachments to the people thatwe love and then they're no
longer with you, that createsthis incredible void that is now
separated, so what you loved isno longer physically present.
But when you understand thespiritual world and the soul,
soulful aspect of who we are isthat we all come alone, we all
(29:50):
die alone.
That's number one and we allcome to fulfill our purpose,
whatever our soul's purpose is,and we have no understanding of
what someone else's purpose isand what they need to fulfill.
So this gives me a little peace, knowing that.
But it doesn't always make youfeel happy that someone's taken
off.
But there's a really wonderfulteacher called Abraham Hicks,
(30:13):
and I like the way they say itand they say when someone, when
someone passes, it's justthey've just taken off.
You know they're just takingthe suit off and off, they've
gone and don't and try to bevery light-hearted about it.
But the actual physical feelingis quite tense, emotional
nervous system settling.
But we can find our centeragain and that's what you keep
(30:36):
talking about.
You can use those resources,and I think the word source in
there is the key word, becausethat's who we are and where we
return to when we find ourbalance.
So what sort of strength hasthis all given you in sharing
your work with other people,having moved through a few
different sets of challenges?
Where does that leave Zula now,you know, in terms of headspace
(30:58):
and art space?
Where?
Speaker 1 (31:01):
does that leave Zula?
Now, you know, in terms ofheadspace and heartspace, yeah,
I feel it's left me in a placeof self-trust.
I think self-trust is a reallybig part of it, of really
understanding, not from a victimmindset, because, truly, if you
(31:28):
knew my whole life story, Ithrough a lot and sometimes it's
felt crushing, um, so steppingout of the place of victim, more
like that.
That real essence, teaching ofthis is life and I can and um,
and far more vast than that, andI just I love so much what you
just shared there because itresonates deeply with my journey
(31:49):
, with losing my friends and um,like a real sense of connection
.
I have such deep faith in thesoul journey, in the spiritual
journey, in the continuity ofour soul, like there is not one
aspect to me, for many reasons,which would be an entirely, uh,
new podcast, that that doubtthat.
And yet I also understand thatto be human, that doesn't take
(32:11):
away from the fact that myfriends are not here in this way
, in this world in this form,and so understanding, like this
essence of our human experienceabout impermanence, that we'll
come here alone, as you say, andwe'll all die alone, and this
kind of duality of that beingour human experience with pain
(32:35):
and yet being part of somethingso much more vast and infinite
and powerful and eternal.
Um just gives me deep comfortthat we are on a soul journey
that's part of something fargreater than we could ever
imagine.
I think it's deeply comfortingwhen you start looking around
and understanding yourself aspart of this web that goes so
(32:58):
far beyond what we see andperceive in this lifetime, in
this world, and so in myphysical body.
In this lifetime, self-trustand self-compassion is what I've
gained and in the broaderspectrum, it's understanding I'm
part of something oh, I tellyou what.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
This is a really interesting question now.
I love this, I like to to putthat sort of question to the
audience listening, anyone who'slistening in.
What do you think your solepurpose is?
And we don't mean it is tonecessarily achieve something,
but it's what you're going tolearn in terms of qualities.
I think that that's what youmentioned there.
I've got self-trust, I've gotself-compassion.
(33:35):
I think it's not necessarilyachieving x or having a family,
or those things are important,but it's actually the qualities
of what you develop, likepersonal trust, self-compassion,
kindness to self.
I mean these are qualities thatyou might be have glimpses of,
but you actually have to.
You have to embody them, as youmentioned.
(33:56):
Yeah and yeah.
So what would you?
You think that other types ofsoul purpose things people have
to learn?
Speaker 1 (34:07):
I think it's a remembering.
It's like a remembering of thatwhich we forget as humans.
For me, and and it's funnybecause actually it's the title
of my book and it was really thelesson I think I have to
remember again and again in thislifetime, which is that you
have always been enoughbeautiful and that's the title
of my book and that actuallycame through in hospital when I
(34:27):
had this almost like near-deathexperience.
It was like it was very scary,very and then very powerful
experience and the message waslike you've always been enough,
there's never been anythingwrong with you and why is it
that we we'll talk a little bitabout the book and when that's
coming out in a second.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Actually, why don't you just tell us now when's it
coming out and when can peopleget it?
Speaker 1 (34:48):
yeah, it comes out in january, january 15th 2026.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Okay, it'll be available for pre-purchase from
um mid-october 2025 for dupe andwe're going to have the links
where everybody can get that.
I just wanted to go back tothat question.
I'm so excited to to read thatand your story going back to
like the soul qualities you saidit's a remembering.
What do we need to remember?
(35:14):
Zola?
Speaker 1 (35:18):
wow, that's such a big question and it might sound
abstract how I answered toanswer it, but I'm reminded of
so many teachings that I havereceived.
I think what we need toremember is our essence is love.
I think that our essence iswhole, that there's nothing,
that we're, we're whole andwe're divine and we are loving,
(35:41):
and that's kind of what theremembering is in human language
, because that might all soundquite wafty.
I would go back to like there'snothing wrong with you, you
don't need to earn your worth.
You're already worthy and youalways have been worthy of
everything, of love.
Yeah, it's remembering thatlittle baby, and when you look
(36:02):
at a baby and see how pure andlovable and deserving of care
and compassion they are, it'sremembering that we're no
different at any other stage inour life, that that is our true
nature.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Oh, I think that's beautiful.
I'd just like to add, I think,think that even if you're
sitting in the hospital thinkingyou're broken, you're not
broken.
You know, it's only your mindthat thinks that I've got
limitations or etc.
But the physical limitationswill only go so far, but your
soul is and your spirit and yourenergy is timeless.
(36:36):
Yeah, and I think that that'swhat you know.
Your, your story really shows alot of resilience to remind
yourself who we really are, thatyou can come back even after
two or three or four or five orsix or seven really difficult
moments, and that we can all dothat.
And uh, I just wanted to saywhat's your best advice for the
(37:00):
tough seasons, for people?
You know, if something's comingup, you're like what do I do?
How can I not saying that I'mgoing to have a tough season?
I, I want to.
I expect it.
It's not about that.
It's just about how can weprepare in our daily life, have
some disciplines that you thinkthis will serve you and that has
(37:20):
served Zula, you know, in yourseveral years of work and
finding your own center.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
I often teach about, um, you know the practice of
mindfulness and self-compassion,like learning to sail a boat in
calm waters.
If we can learn, if we canlearn embody those practices in
our daily life, then when thestorms come we have them almost
as an anchor.
So I would say in simplicity,again, to not overburden with
(37:53):
too many different approachesand and and strategies.
It's like can you become awareof what is happening?
Like through a presencepractice, can you notice what's
coming in, coming up within youand around you, like this is a
challenging moment.
And then can you develop thecapacity to respond to yourself
and replace the self-compassionof kindness.
(38:15):
And can you, if you do thatevery day through from you know
noticing in your working day,what am I feeling, what do I
need, how can I respond in aloving way?
That might just mean having aglass of water.
That might just mean goingoutside for a walk.
That might just you know, itcould be small things.
If you keep cultivating thatpause and respond, then when you
(38:35):
get hit by stormier seasons,that's going to feel much more
embodied with you, and when youget hit by stormier seasons,
that's going to feel much moreembodied with you.
No-transcript.
(38:56):
And I'd say the second thing isknow that you don't have to do
it alone, like find supportaround you if you can.
In those tough seasons,whatever that looks like, it can
be hard to ask for help, butthat's compassion in a sense,
isn't?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
it.
Guys definitely find it a lotharder to ask for help because
we always seem to be the onethat seems to be the person who
knows all the answers, who canlead.
But when a guy has a difficultmoment it's like, well, where do
I turn?
And so I've got a lot ofcompassion for men and women.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
You know, both dealing with different sets of
challenges, of how the worldlooks at that, how you deal with
it, and then actually what youdo yeah, I agree with that, and
I think that's why the work andthe space that you're holding is
just so important, because, um,for all the challenges we go
through as humans, I would sayone of the beautiful things that
(39:55):
many of us, as women, haveexperienced is the capacity to
be able to speak with otherwomen and share and process, and
we've been given much morepermission to be vulnerable, and
I think it's so important wefind ways for men to have a
language, to process and bevulnerable and be authentic and
to ask for help and to expressand connect, not even to express
(40:17):
what they're feeling, but tolearn how to connect to what
they're feeling to even beginwith, because that has been so
suppressed.
And so I'm a massive advocate,um, of supporting that language,
and I think you know, the themore we embody that, the more
you embody it as a man, the morewe give permission, um, as
(40:37):
women, to men to do that then,when we give permission to each
other, um to embrace new ways ofbeing and I and I often say,
you know, the most powerfulthing we can do is walk our path
we do the work, and as we dothe work, we give permission to
others to embody different waysof being as well I think that
you have a wonderful way ofteaching other people to be in
(40:59):
their center and by that youhelp people live more
authentically.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
And I just want to say Zulu, it's been a real
pleasure speaking to you on thisepisode.
Thank you for sharing yourwisdom, your knowledge and the
stories, and very excited foryour new book coming up.
Like I mentioned before, we'llhave the link ready for anyone
who wants to get their hands onthat wonderful book.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
you are enough yeah, you have always been you have
even better.
You have always been enough,and it's, yeah, the healing
guide to self-love and innerfreedom, because so much of what
I want to teach people is howto live in a liberated life.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Fantastic Zula.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
Zula, Dimitri, Thank you forhaving me.
It's a pleasure.
Zula is this week's Super SoulModel, Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for tuning into the showand if you enjoyed it, please
remember to follow rate andshare it with someone who'd love
it too.
Until the next time, wishingyou green lights ahead.
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