Meet Maggie Zawalski | Intuitive Reiki Practitioner & Energy Worker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maggie Zawalski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
While I was officially born in Illinois, I grew up and spent most of my life in the foothills of Colorado, which has always felt like the most ginormous gift to have received. It’s no secret that Colorado is a magical place, but to get to spend the formative years of my life here is an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. The adventure, the expansiveness, the freedom to roam, the wilderness, the spirit of this state – I truly believe all these things helped activate little pieces of my soul, and helped me to realize even at a young age that I was meant for something bigger and different.

I grew up in a very traditional household. I was the middle child of three girls, had a mom and a dad, had a golden retriever, was a good student, received good grades, played sports, followed rules (most of the time), etc. From a young age, there was a very specific vision engrained into my mind of what my life should be, of what success looked like, of the type of woman I should become. The expectations my parents set for my sisters and I were impossibly high – felt unachievable most times – and we all worked tirelessly to make sure we met them. We sacrificed a lot of authentic pieces of ourselves to fit within this life mold that had been laid before us, a mold that we were expected to fill no matter the circumstance. Even if it meant completely erasing who we were at our core, locking away our authentic selves somewhere deep within and convincing ourselves it was wrong embody those versions of us.

And so we did. We erased. And we buried. And we locked ourselves away, thinking that by turning ourselves into women that our parents wanted us to be, into women that the world apparently wanted us to be, that we would be successful. And that we would find happiness. And that we would be living life the right way.

Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, this extreme abandonment of self ended up taking a very harsh toll on each of us in its own way. At the age of 17, I developed a very severe eating disorder that carried into my mid-late 20’s, which I now realize as an outcome of this extreme self-detachment. I was so lost and so confused as to who I was and what my value as a human was that this displacement materialized into a mental illness as a way to make sense of the world. To experience some type of control over my own life and my own destiny that was mine and mine alone. I spent most of my 20s trying to numb my feelings and sought out different avenues that would allow me to detach from the swirling tornado that was my brain.

My journey through healing and recovery from my eating disorder was heavy, intense, raw, dark, and long. And while this journey began due to my struggles with mental illness, it quickly evolved into a much larger, complex, internal healing journey of self. A reclamation of the authenticity I lost as a young child because it was essentially forced out of me. I ventured to the deepest, darkest places within my being and faced incredibly terrifying shadows I possessed due to the realities, experiences, truths of my past. I sometimes cannot believe that I made it to the other side of it all as the resilience and perseverance it required to endure these depths were GREAT.

But I did make it through. And with an absolutely phenomenal community of humans, I was able to transform so many dark shadowy places within me into light, into love, into acceptance, into a self-worth I had never experienced before. I was able to free my true and authentic pieces from the places I had locked them away. And with this new freedom came incredible clarity that my purpose in life was to love others deeply and hold space for them along their own healing journeys. To help other hurting humans maneuver through their own shadowy depths so that they wouldn’t have to do it alone, and to instill hope within them that no matter how dark their world feels – there is ALWAYS a pathway to the light. And to love, especially love of self.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am an Intuitive Reiki Practitioner & Energy Worker, and my practice is small but mighty – it’s just me! The part of my business that makes me the most proud and the most excited is that it is directly tied to who I am at my essence. I am an extremely sensitive human and since a young age have felt emotions in a very big, raw, and intense way. I often feel like I possess and endless cavity within me to hold space for so many feelings – both mine and others. And through my Reiki & Energy work, I’m able to use my sensitivities and capacity for holding space to help other humans discover the language of their own energies, their own emotions, their own healing. It’s a truly inexplicable feeling to get to wake up everyday and use elements of my own being to help others feel better and connect to themselves. True magic!

It took me a long time to get to where I am today from a business standpoint. I spent the bulk of my career in the Outdoor Industry thinking I’d probably be in that realm forever. But the more that time went on, I noticed myself feeling more and more robotic about my work. I felt like I was living purely within my brain and that life was just aimlessly passing me by without actually living it. This feeling led me down a path of self-discovery in modalities I had always been fascinated by – namely astrology, tarot, and eventually Reiki. Through these mediums, I realized what it felt like to truly live day to day within my entire body as opposed to just a mindless routine. And once I got a taste of what that felt like, I knew I had to start pursuing a different career route.

My path to Reiki was a very slow one but one that unfolded in the exact time it needed to. It required A LOT of trust and faith in what I felt my heart was being called to do as opposed to what the world/society was telling me to do. Coincidentally enough, the way I overcame the challenges of trying to find my path within the Reiki & Energy Work realm was through these modalities themselves. The more I received Reiki and connected deeper to myself, the clearer the pathway before me became. I was learning to transition my life from being mind/logic-driven to heart-driven, which was uncomfortable to get used to but one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done.

What I want the world to know about me or my story is that we all possess an infinite amount of wisdom within ourselves that’s just waiting to show us the way to our purpose, truth, and deepest happiness. Your heart knows exactly how to lead you there. You just have to learn to slow down enough, to quiet your mind enough, and to pay attention to the subtle messages within, and to trust yourself. We all have that capability – every single one of us.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, I love this question! I currently live in Lafayette and have endless lists trip itineraries for any friends who come to visit 🙂 But without question the following activities would need to take place:

1. Bike cruise through the endless, STUNNING gravel roads of Boulder County
2. An afternoon spent thrifting at the Lafayette Flea (a true gem)
3. Tacos + margs at Teocalli in Lafayette
4. Coffee + pastry hangs at East Simpson Coffee
5. More bikes or hikes in Lyons followed by a little trip to YA YA Farm & Orchard (their apple cider donuts are unreal…)
6. Breakfast and/or lunch at The Mountain Fountain in Hygiene
7. Sweet little afternoon hang at the Queen Read Bookstore in Lafayette, followed by a visit at Little Herbal Apothecary for crystals, smudges, herbs, and other treats 🙂
8. Dinner at Community in Lafayette
9. Trip to the Boulder Bookstore is a MUST. The best spot to explore books or just the building itself.
10. More thrifting – The Arc in Louisville, The Goodwill in Longmont, The Arc in Longmont, Apocalypse in Boulder

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have an endless list of people, books, resources that I could dedicate my shoutout to – the community around me that have helped me along my journey is VAST. But in particular, there are two specific and very special humans who come to mind who deserve the largest shout outs in my story.

The first – my best friend, soul mate, chosen sister – Dana McCausland. I’ve known Dana since I was 24 years old. We met at work and upon our first encounter it was an instant, deep connection. Dana came into my life in the midst of my very dark years, and without even batting an eye literally took me into her heart space and created the safest environment for me to process, grow, evolve, heal. She has always seen me at my core, at my true essence, even at times when I couldn’t see it. She has never, ever abandoned me, and is one of the first experiences of unconditional love I’ve had. We are still very best friends to this day, and I truly would not have survived without her in my life. Her presence in my life is the greatest blessing I’ve ever received and I will love her forever! She’s taught me so much about life and love in ways I don’t think I would have ever understood otherwise. She also has played a very large role in inspiring me to pursue my Reiki & Energy Work career, and as a Hypnotherapist & Life Coach herself, has provided so much incredible insight and guidance.

The second – one of my very first therapists and now wellness coach Jackie Szablewski. Jackie also played a very large role in saving my life. She came into my life when I was at my absolute lowest and similar to Dana, held my pieces together while also guiding me through my intensely transformative journey. She sees my soul in a way that no one else really has and helped me to build the foundational bridges within that eventually led me through my self-reclamation. Our paths have crossed in the most serendipitous of ways since I met her when I was 18, and now with her as my wellness coach, she too has played a very large role in supporting my decision to launch my Reiki & Energy Work business. Her guidance is so valuable and means the world to me.

Website: https://www.maggieraezawalski.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margazski/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiezawalski/