Heather Sheldon shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Heather, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
In my most recent Sacred Rage workshop, I supported 10 women through 3 hours of transformation. I was incredibly proud when I received a letter the next day that said, “I just wanted to say a warm thank you for the Sacred Rage workshop yesterday. How needed and necessary is this space! I find it so sad that having a safe space to show up authentically with a group of women is such a luxury these days. Thank you for creating and curating this container.
You are a superb space-holder, and it is a testament to the container you created that I (and the others) felt safe enough to speak, be silent, dance, scream, and express our anger. The progression of the afternoon felt just right—the building of safety and community between all of us (god, we are all going through the same sh*t!), the agency and choice, and the incremental steps toward free and full expression. And what a gift to be allowed to just smack the f*cking shit out of that wall with a cushion and finally begin to express a lifetime of repressed rage and grief, all the while being seen and heard and supported and witnessed.”
This work is so special to me and to hear how supportive it is, made me incredibly proud of the work I do.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Many people first came to know my work through The Whole Human. That name carried an important chapter of my journey, but today I’ve stepped forward more simply and more truthfully—as Heather Sheldon.
My work is devoted to helping people come home to themselves. I guide this process through three core pathways: Sacred Rage workshops, where participants safely release the emotions so many of us are taught to bury and reclaim the power within them; mindfulness based breathwork classes, where the breath opens a portal to the body’s wisdom, allowing for more clarity, increased regulation and soulful presence with self; and one-on-one somatic coaching, where I walk alongside individuals as they move through patterns of stress, trauma, and disconnection, and cultivate resilience, presence, joy, and self-trust.
What makes my work unique is the way it bridges the grounded science of the nervous system with ritual, creativity, and embodied practice. It is both practical and soulful, offering people not just insight but a lived experience of freedom and wholeness.
For those curious to explore, you can find my current offerings and upcoming events at HeatherSheldon.com
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a precious, shy child who loved to sing and play music. I was imaginative and fearless, creating entire worlds out of thin air and losing myself in their magic. I was soft and tender, a child who cuddled bunnies, ran alongside animals, and foraged berries in the woods. In many ways, I was a fairy child, alive in wonder, until the weight of demands, expectations, and suffering turned me human.
As life pressed in, I became a protector and a parentified child, taking on roles far beyond my years. That was a rupture, an early separation from innocence that required me to build armor and orient toward survival. And yet, that became part of my journey too. It cultivated resilience, empathy, and the ability to hold space for others in their own pain.
The gift of this path is that, as an adult, I’ve found my way back to that earlier essence, more connected than ever to childlike wonder. I sing and dance, I revel in nature, I trust joy even when times are hard. Psychologically, this is the integration: the protector and the fairy child coexisting, each teaching me how to live. What’s endured is a faith in myself and in the world around me, a faith that feels innate and unshakable. And it’s this integration that now informs my work, helping others reclaim the parts of themselves that once felt lost.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I had just moved to New York in 2018. I was carrying heartbreak while also stretching myself professionally in my corporate career. It felt like I was living both a dream and a nightmare. Meditation became the place where I could soften into my pain. By sitting with myself instead of running from what hurt, I realized the suffering passed more quickly and didn’t have to define me.
When I began sharing parts of that journey on social media, something shifted. What started as a way to hold myself accountable became a mirror. People reflected back that my honesty gave them courage, that seeing me speak openly about pain reminded them of their own power. In that exchange I discovered that vulnerability doesn’t diminish us—it connects us, and that connection can be profoundly healing.
That discovery set me on the path of deeper training in Reiki, mindfulness meditation, and eventually somatic coaching. The work I do now with somatic breathwork and Sacred Rage has its roots in that time. It was the moment I stopped hiding and started letting my story be seen. Once the silence broke, the pain no longer held me captive. Instead, it became the very fire that allowed me to rise and guide others in reclaiming their own voice and power.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies my industry tells itself is that self-love can be bought. We see it packaged as massages, pedicures, shopping trips, or external rewards. While those things can be nourishing, they’re not the essence of self-love. True self-love is an internal practice of listening, honoring, and choosing what supports our well-being at the deepest level.
Another lie is the idea that healing is a destination. We’re often told that if you commit to the right practice or follow the right program, you’ll finally be “healed.” That framing suggests there’s something broken that needs fixing. But you’re not broken. Healing isn’t about reaching some final state; it’s about returning to yourself, again and again, and discovering the wisdom your body already holds.
And perhaps the most subtle lie is that you need someone else to show you how to “do the work.” Even modalities like somatic coaching or breathwork, which can be profoundly supportive, aren’t required in order to be in relationship with yourself or to grow through the transformation that life inevitably brings. Every one of us carries the power, sovereignty, and autonomy to navigate this on our own. I say that not to dismiss the value of support, but to remind people of their innate strength.
Support, guidance, and witnessing can be incredibly powerful; that’s why entire industries exist around them. There’s something deeply human about not doing it all alone, about being seen and accompanied in the process. This is why I offer spaces like breathwork classes, Sacred Rage workshops, and one-on-one somatic coaching: not because anyone needs them in order to be whole, but because sometimes we long for a place to be witnessed, to be guided, and to remember together what has always been true within us.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, I think my clients and community would miss the space I hold most of all. Again and again, people have told me that what stands out in my work isn’t just the tools—breathwork, somatic coaching, Sacred Rage—but the sense of safety, compassion, and truth-telling that infuses those spaces.
One client wrote, “Heather makes me feel safe enough to go where I didn’t think I could. She doesn’t try to fix me—she helps me find myself again.” Another reflected after a Sacred Rage workshop, “I released something I’ve carried for years. I didn’t know how much I needed it until I felt the freedom on the other side.” Others have simply said, “I’ve never felt so fully seen,” or “This space gave me permission to be my truest self.”
I also know they’d miss me as a person—the big hugs, the grounded presence, and the way I show up with both softness and strength. They’d miss the unique energy I bring into the room, the way I witness without judgment, and the deep care I hold for every person who crosses my path.
What my clients often reflect is that the work isn’t about me telling them who to be, but about me reminding them of who they already are. If I were to step away, I believe they’d miss both the container and the companionship—the rare combination of tools, presence, and heart that make the work possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heathersheldon.com
- Instagram: @iamheathersheldon
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersnowsheldon
Image Credits
Ro Banner
