From Expectation To Expansion: How to Break Free + Follow Your Soul's Path

Speaker 1 Welcome to a special series called How They Did It on the Healing and Human Potential podcast, where we're bringing in real-life stories of transformation to hear their learnings and insights so that you can apply them towards following your dreams as well.

Speaker 1 Today's conversation is about what it really means to follow your soul's calling, especially when you have no clue or you have to let go of everything you know to trust that deeper calling.

Speaker 1 It's a reminder that when we choose to heal, to really invest in ourselves and follow our dreams, we can wake up to a deeper freedom, purpose, and alignment more than anything we thought possible.

Speaker 1 If you've been at a crossroads, if you've been stuck in your life, let this episode be a reminder that it's okay to trust yourself and follow whatever intelligent next step shows up because you are so much more supported than you realize.

Speaker 1 Let's dive in. Christy, I'm so happy that you are here.
And I know you've been through a massive transformation over the last five years and your story will inspire so many.

Speaker 1 But take us back to 2020, what your life was like then, and some of the challenges that you went through that became a turning point to the life that you're living now.

Speaker 2 Sure. Yeah.
Thanks so much for having me here today and letting me share my story with everyone. So about 2020, when a lot of things were changing, many people were going through transitions.

Speaker 2 That was a huge season for me. That included a layoff, losing a work visa, having to leave a foreign country.
I was in Japan, but I'm from California.

Speaker 2 And so leaving my partner at the time, a community, and started this transition into a six-month period of self-discovery.

Speaker 2 But it was also a deeply kind of brought a lot of like rupture in my relationships and my understanding of self and identity. Everything was packed into one month.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 after that,

Speaker 2 I spent about, there were six moves that I had within that year. And the safety that I usually felt in life felt very scarce.

Speaker 1 You said six moves in a year?

Speaker 2 Yes. Wow.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 Having a home serves as a point of safety for me and being uprooted multiple different times, a couple times in Japan, and then the rest were here back in the States, created a little bit of like, or a lot of bit of fight or flight kind of experiences paired with all the other transitions I was going through.

Speaker 2 And also,

Speaker 2 during this period, I was invited to help others.

Speaker 2 And I was called to help others who mirrored back similar life challenges, which were career loss, repatriation, and they were reaching out because I was a recruiter. And so, there was a lot of

Speaker 2 different stories being mirrored back to me.

Speaker 2 And as I was going through my own periods of self-doubt, thinking of how to make money for myself, I, in the period of self-discovery, I went into freelancing for building websites for folks and also doing a lot of like social media content editing.

Speaker 2 I was taking in career support calls from friends, friends of friends, but didn't have huge clarity on how I was going to transform my own career and story into a coaching business.

Speaker 1 How did you know coaching? Like, where did that part come?

Speaker 2 That part came in a little bit after I saw your video pop up on Facebook.

Speaker 2 So it wasn't actually like coaching business business at the moment, but I knew that there was this calling, this intuitive call to help other people go through these life transitions that some of them were sparked by career, some of them were relocation related.

Speaker 2 And at the time I was taking in these calls, just having been a recruiter and a career consultant, I had, you know, about four years of experience with that.

Speaker 2 However, because the pandemic, a lot of people were rooted, they had a lot of

Speaker 2 scarcity mindset-related patterns showing up during the pandemic. And I didn't know how to hold space for the bigger emotions that came with that.
And that's when your video found me on Facebook.

Speaker 2 And it wasn't, it wasn't even like, it wasn't an ICM ad or anything. It was literally just.
a video that you recorded in your house, I believe.

Speaker 2 And it was you talking and speaking to self-doubt and fear. And I cannot explain it.

Speaker 2 I don't know how it found me, but I just want to remind folks who are listening that like what is meant for you will find you. And

Speaker 2 gratefully Alyssa's video found me when I needed it most. And then the rest is kind of history when it comes to how everything just snowballed and started to be aligned.

Speaker 1 Have you ever felt like there's something more you're meant to do? Like you've outgrown the life that you're living, but you don't know what comes next?

Speaker 1 Maybe you've checked all the boxes and still something inside whispers this isn't it.

Speaker 1 What if that whisper is actually a calling, a sign that you're here to do something meaningful, something that lights you up and serves others in the process?

Speaker 1 After two decades of experience as a psychotherapist and coach running a multiple seven-figure business, I've seen what's possible when people fully step into their purpose.

Speaker 1 And that's why I've created my ICF Accredited Coach Certification Program to help people like you turn their natural gifts into a fulfilling career and life that feels fully aligned.

Speaker 1 It's for brand new and experienced coaches working working in any niche.

Speaker 1 Inside, you'll learn powerful tools to not just transform your life, but feel confident in deeply and profoundly helping others change theirs.

Speaker 1 You'll also learn practical strategies to build a purpose-led business and embody your inherent worth so you can show up authentically, feeling supported to really have a natural abundance in your life.

Speaker 1 So much so that 70% of our students make their investment back before the program finishes.

Speaker 1 You'll also join a supportive, heart-centered community of people who, like you, have decided to stop settling and start living their purpose.

Speaker 1 And so if you're ready to feel clear, confident, and connected to finally align with the freedom and fulfillment that you've been seeking, I want to invite you to take the next step.

Speaker 1 The link is in the show notes to learn more and apply today or go to alissinobriga.com forward slash apply. I would be honored to support you on this journey.

Speaker 1 I think the pandemic confronted a lot of people with major life choices and we couldn't distract ourselves from things that we were subtly avoiding.

Speaker 1 And so I think your story is a really beautiful, not only are you resourceful, you were like doing different things, but you were also being, it sounds like initiated into being able to serve more people through transition,

Speaker 1 through not having clarity, through doubt, having walked your own steps because of your life experience. And so, okay, so then talk to us about what your life is like now.

Speaker 1 What does it look like in terms of how you're living your life and have set up things for yourself?

Speaker 2 Yeah, so now just to also bring people through through

Speaker 2 what that initial transition was from not having a coaching business to joining ICM, I want to highlight to the very beginning, not just the now, because I think sometimes we see Instagram and we see where everyone has landed like five years later and they think it happened in an instant.

Speaker 2 But when I started out, I joined ICM in 2021 and I launched the business and started the program at the same time. Being part of certification, you have to have paid clients.

Speaker 2 And so fortunately, I was able to get my first paid clients within the first month. And I did this through webinars with recruitment agencies in Japan.

Speaker 2 And so organically, people were able to see me and the coaching and in action. And then they DM'd me.
And that's how I started to have my first intake of clients. This is great.

Speaker 1 I want to highlight because you use the communities you were already a part of as a way to share your gifts as a coach. You know them deeply and then you can support them through the transition.

Speaker 1 So So I want to help people hear that because you can start in your communities. You don't have to, but I do think that you're going to know certain industries.

Speaker 1 If you were a designer, a hairdresser, you're going to know people and you can add more value by knowing that unique niche and be able to share your gifts as a coach too.

Speaker 2 Yeah, and it feels less restrictive in a way because it is just part of the community.

Speaker 2 It's what I've walked and being able to be there right with people through very similar transitions was incredible.

Speaker 2 And so throughout the ICM program, you know, coaches were doing our own work at the same time as serving other people. And so, that in itself does take a lot of energy.

Speaker 2 And fortunately, I was trusted by 35 different clients in my first year. And this was through one-on-one custom career programs.

Speaker 2 There was a two-day transition boot camp that I tried out, a three-month accelerator program, and then a six-month international mastermind for women entrepreneurs in Asia.

Speaker 2 And these were all incredible experiences that I had not even imagined I would be able to support people through.

Speaker 2 But with the ICM like mastery method, I was able to support myself and also other women and folks in different parts of the world through their life transitions and career transitions.

Speaker 2 And so, coming back to your question, which is like, where am I at now? So, since 2021, I've had the privilege of serving over 300 people using the ICM mastery method.

Speaker 2 And this is through life and career transitions is my niche.

Speaker 2 And with one-on-one programs, so these are custom three to six-month programs, retreats both in the US and Japan, and also through group workshops just across the world.

Speaker 2 And so it's been a journey and it is still going. So it's been so much fun.

Speaker 1 It's beautiful. I love that you share while you're in the program, 35 students and that it continues to grow to 300 people, which is incredible.

Speaker 1 And I imagine that as you, and I know that as you say yes to the calling, some of the fears come up.

Speaker 1 And I'm curious, what were some of the beliefs or blocks you had to overcome to really have the courage to answer the call?

Speaker 2 Yeah. That's a great question.
And I feel like there are so many to touch.

Speaker 2 And it doesn't end, right? Every time we go to another level,

Speaker 1 it's almost like the same blocks, but you get better at moving through them because you've already moved through them before, so it's not so heavy, but it invites you to keep rising as your career does.

Speaker 2 Yes, 100%.

Speaker 2 And one of the bigger themes in the beginning of my career journey that showed up was actually coming from childhood and something I realized during the ICM program.

Speaker 2 So throughout the modules that we go through, I really started to understand how being,

Speaker 2 you can't tell on video, but I'm actually like five feet and a half inch tall, very proud of it. But what that meant was when I was younger, I would play at competitive softball for 10 years.

Speaker 2 And unconsciously, I was severely underestimated every time. And I felt like I had to prove myself in the sport.
And I was fortunately gifted in certain

Speaker 2 sports and softball was one of them. So I tended to have this reaction of people being very surprised at what I could do.

Speaker 2 And it created this kind of like unconscious pattern within myself that I always had to prove myself to people before they could see me, before they could believe me and see my talent.

Speaker 2 And so this was a really big shift that I didn't even know about that I uncovered through ICM. And then there were the more external, very...

Speaker 2 very like conscious blocks that I knew of that I didn't understand at the time time before joining ICM where they were coming from and how they stayed and why I continued to follow those patterns.

Speaker 2 But some of the things that were echoed throughout my life were just having to keep up a solid like reputation on the outside.

Speaker 2 And this is coming from, I think, growing up as like part of it, as an Asian American with parents with very linear jobs who are like an accountant, a dentist, and I was given the script for life, which was like, go to a good university, get a good job, meet a man, get married, have kids, and become a mom.

Speaker 2 And I just didn't ever question that until I moved outside of the US and was financially independent on my own in Japan.

Speaker 2 But these societal pressures that were kind of, you know, implant, I don't know, were told to me as a kid, but not just through family, also through social media, through movies, all the things.

Speaker 2 It gave me a certain lens that wasn't my own to see the world through. And

Speaker 2 other things that people might relate to are like I chose to be an English major in college.

Speaker 2 This was, at least for my upbringing, not necessarily the most lucrative choice to go into when you're going to university. I chose to leave America and go to Japan right after university and

Speaker 2 had many people tell me, like, why would you go to Japan? It's a very patriarchal society. You don't know anything about the country.
You're just learning the language.

Speaker 2 And then I was an English teacher. And same thing.
People are like, well, what are you going to do with this? I did the JET program.

Speaker 2 It was a contract-based English teaching program in Japan, or English teacher position in Japan.

Speaker 2 And the last one before I met with coaching or stepped into being a coach was an agency recruiter, a bilingual agency recruiter in Tokyo, which

Speaker 2 People assumed I was like a money-hungry headhunter and they were like, that didn't match with my personality. And they were very confused at why I was doing that job.

Speaker 2 And so throughout my life, since college, there's been this very odd like misalignment with how people were seeing me and how I felt like I was showing up in the world until I discovered ACM and learned how to be more my authentic self and just continue to follow my intuition and my choices.

Speaker 1 I mean, it takes a lot of courage to follow that inner knowing, even when you have your own doubts and then it's being reflected to you by family and society, right?

Speaker 1 And so, I just honor your courage to stay true to yourself, to understand, oh, this is part of the conditioning, to have compassion with yourself through it.

Speaker 1 But then it sounds like continuing to follow that has opened you to a life that's way more in alignment. Is that accurate?

Speaker 2 Yes. And to put it into more, like, to contextualize it into things I learned in ICM, because I didn't even have the language to talk about this too.
Like, what are my blogs? You're brand new.

Speaker 2 You're brand new into coaching, which is incredible for people to also hear that 35 clients in your first year like that's that's something yeah and so what these old beliefs and patterns led to was me outsourcing my own happiness believing that love had to be earned or someone had to i had to prove myself to someone to receive and that i also had a money scarcity mindset there were stories around money can never come easy like you have to work really hard until you're exhausted to earn a lot of money and also this idea that, like, too much money would corrupt a person, because that came up in some family stories as well, due to certain financial decisions of past folks I had talked to.

Speaker 2 And so, all of these things showed up in my business and

Speaker 2 my conversations with clients. And they were mirrored back to me multiple times.

Speaker 2 And so, having the ability to not only be in this work and doing this work with other like-minded people, that was like really important to have that community, but also having the language to nurture my younger, like inner child to

Speaker 2 using words like

Speaker 2 simple words that I think are simple now, but like self-compassion, self-forgiveness. These were not in my vocabulary before.
I joined ICM at the age of 26.

Speaker 2 And so putting myself first, realizing that it was possible to build a career around my lifestyle, and ultimately, like realizing that I have agency to what I do and how I impact people in the world, those three were probably the largest mindset shifts that completely changed my life at that time and continue to impact the way that I move in this world today.

Speaker 2 And it was all thanks to that like ICM community. And so I just, I love being able to talk about it.
So this is, yeah, this is fun. Thank you.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it's so, it's so beautiful. I can feel your enthusiasm with it.

Speaker 1 And even in your sharing your story, I think some people can hear like, oh, I'm going to be confronted as I say yes to my calling, whatever that is, growing a business, sharing my gifts, falling in love, whatever the thing is.

Speaker 1 The old programming will come up and that's not bad, but that's what's looking to be healed or looking to be reinvestigated to find out what's actually true.

Speaker 1 And when you have the tools, the support, and the community to move through those things, that's when life opens up. And so I think.

Speaker 1 think you have a really empowered point of view around it rather than feeling like a victim like this is happening to me me.

Speaker 1 I shouldn't grow my business or like follow my dreams because these things are happening. But you're like, oh, this is a mirror for what's in my consciousness, and here's how I can shift it.

Speaker 1 And it has really opened you to a more beautiful, aligned life as a result.

Speaker 2 Four years later, but I think going through the program and just also being able to see and meet people again as

Speaker 2 part of the collective too,

Speaker 2 I think

Speaker 2 this work, it really

Speaker 2 you get to choose how present it is in your life and when you need a little bit of space from it. But I think that doing this in community

Speaker 2 just is so powerful and it doesn't really stop.

Speaker 2 I don't think it's ever, I've ever left the community. It's like I've always been a part of it.
And I just want to remind folks that like, no matter where you are in your journey, you're in

Speaker 2 the exact place that you need to be. There's no need to rush the process.
There's no need to be at a certain benchmark or compare it to anyone else. And that reminder helped me a lot.

Speaker 2 I think you mentioned it a bit in the program and other coaches as well. But it's an individual journey and it's also a journey to serve your clients.

Speaker 2 And what other people are doing, it really doesn't impact the way that you experience things. It should be just focused on your own healing.

Speaker 1 Yeah. And as you focus on your own healing, that's really a gift back to your lineage.
And I know you're very connected to your culture and that it's a blessing forward and backward.

Speaker 1 And in some ways, the challenges you faced have been initiation so that you could serve yourself and be a greater beneficial presence in the world, which is really quite honorable and beautiful.

Speaker 1 And I know you said that, you know, this old programming of needing to prove yourself, and you joined ICM when you were 26.

Speaker 1 And I remember we had a conversation, and you're welcome to share about it. But what was it like for you to

Speaker 2 really show up for yourself and your dreams and go for it at such a young age yeah i'll share this short story with folks i think it it just i can remember it like it was yesterday um i was just fresh from the online boot camp that was happening sharing all the different aspects of like what coaching through icm would look like and during the sales call i I knew that this program was going to not only help the people that I was hoping to serve in a coaching business or in as a coach, but also I just knew inside of me that this was like this, I had a full-body yes almost.

Speaker 2 And I joined this call.

Speaker 2 I was listening to Alyssa share about the program. And it wasn't that I didn't know I wanted to do it.
I just had never known someone who had gone through the program myself.

Speaker 2 And so Alyssa shared with me some space during that call. And I shared my biggest fear.
And I told her, like, look, I'm 26 years old.

Speaker 2 I have a little bit of hesitancy going into a program at this age, knowing that sometimes, you know, people might

Speaker 2 say, I'm too young. Or maybe I say, I think I'm too young.
I just, I had never seen anyone do this before.

Speaker 1 And then some people are like, I'm too young or I'm too old. The ego is never like, it's done.
It's now. I'm ready.
Right.

Speaker 1 It's like, I'm waiting to feel ready, but ready is a decision, not a feeling, right? So, yeah, it's normal, some of the hesitations that you had.

Speaker 2 And it was also this, like, really interesting, like, fear and excitement combo. And it was just this, I feel like now I can say it was my growth edge.
At the time, I didn't know.

Speaker 2 Like, at the time, I was just like, I'm scared. Like, I don't know if this is going to work out.
But I knew like deep down is what I needed.

Speaker 2 And so, Alyssa told me during that, or you told me during that call, you said, Look, I was around your age, around 26 when I made the shift to go into coaching myself.

Speaker 2 And I just immediately, I felt like it unlocked some type of permission within myself to be able to say yes to what I knew I really, really wanted to do. And so something

Speaker 2 for me that I learned too through ICM is that I find safety in knowing that other people have done it as well.

Speaker 2 And just that affirmation to say yes to myself was something that I had never really trained, but now it's a muscle that I like, kind of like I've grown a bit more.

Speaker 2 And so, being able to give permission to myself is something that

Speaker 2 helped me make that final decision on whether or not I would join the program. And it's continued to prove to me,

Speaker 2 to serve me really well, this new mindset, this new shift that I experienced. Yeah.

Speaker 1 Yeah, and it's normal to have the fear and the excitement.

Speaker 1 And as we continue to say yes, it builds that trust in ourselves that we can, you know, show up for our dreams and use everything for our healing, for our evolution, for our growth, and be of a greater impact in the world as a result.

Speaker 1 And I'm curious, what are some of the practical things that have shown up for you in terms of receiving abundance or gifts in your life having honored the calling of your heart?

Speaker 2 One thing that I didn't expect, because I, you know, going into this program, I think my mind was on how do I serve clients? And

Speaker 2 I was channeling what I was going through, but I didn't expect to learn how to better receive love from my loved ones.

Speaker 2 And I learned that I had kind of this wounded perspective, kind of like scarcity mindset, where my ego got really defensive and fearful of being like unloved or judged by the people that were closest to me.

Speaker 2 And so whenever I heard things, it kind of came in through this very

Speaker 2 kind of like a negative filter.

Speaker 2 And it felt like criticism criticism from the people that I cared about most so their opinion mattered a lot to me and through ICM I was able to just kind of clear that lens a bit more and see through

Speaker 2 other people's fears and judgments and not make them to mean anything about myself and so learning how to receive love from the people that are so important in my life truly impacted, you know, everything they're after.

Speaker 2 So that impacts the way I get to be with my clients, the way I am with my friends, the way I am in partnership with people. And

Speaker 2 I just didn't, you know, I was kind of unaware that that was a shift that needed to happen.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it's kind of like we don't know until we know.

Speaker 1 And I imagine also some of the work was about really embodying your inherent worth and value, independent of how people saw you, and trying to prove it, and really coming home to yourself and embracing the parts of you that cared or felt insecure so that you integrated them rather than living out of them unconsciously because i know that's a big part of what we do here and i would just advise anyone to follow that path so that you feel more of your power your center and you know it's kind of like in the in the winds of life the different currents and weather that happens there's this ballast in a ship where it's like it holds you down to anchor in truth even if things get a little bit rocky you know just to come back to your center i think having the tools in the community is such such a big part of that to inspire us to do that work within ourselves.

Speaker 1 And just in closing, I'm just curious if there's anything else you want to share or if somebody's listening and they want to follow their heart, but maybe they're scared.

Speaker 1 What would you share with them? What did you wish you would have heard that you

Speaker 1 could offer them?

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 2 so I had a, if I think back to my like four years ago self, I definitely

Speaker 2 in confidence would tell anyone who's kind of wondering if this is the decision that they want to move forward with to join ICM.

Speaker 2 One thing is just recognizing that investing in yourself or just kind of being open to the idea that investing in yourself, in my opinion, is one of the most impactful decisions you can make to rewire the way that you show up with yourself, but also for others.

Speaker 2 And for me, coaching is such a beautiful place to do self-discovery and also impact others when you're like in integrity with yourself.

Speaker 2 And it,

Speaker 2 in my experience, has created the most like

Speaker 2 ROI in my life, if you will, on all channels, all playing fields in life. And

Speaker 2 the one thing that has been a common thread in my coaching has been giving myself this reminder that I can trust my decisions and also that the universe is rooting for me, no matter, like rooting for me to have what I desire.

Speaker 2 But nothing happens without change. And so that's where that like fear and excitement, like growth edge, comes in.

Speaker 2 And had I had, I mean, I think I got some of this download through that conversation with Alyssa, but it's just these

Speaker 2 small mindset shifts that can really

Speaker 2 open our hearts up to stepping into alignment and being

Speaker 2 the most expansive, beautiful, loving versions of ourselves. And honestly, I couldn't,

Speaker 2 couldn't recommend this program more from the bottom of my heart because it's impacted me.

Speaker 2 Two of my best friends have joined the program as well. And so just being able to

Speaker 2 Love others, see their beauty, even see where their fears and judgments come up, but also hold space for yourself. Those things just continue to be huge blessings in my life.

Speaker 2 And to know that somebody is on the brink of making that decision for themselves, I just couldn't lovingly nudge someone more to join this program.

Speaker 2 And so this is your chance to really step into trusting. full body trusting yourself and your life decisions.

Speaker 1 Yeah, and whatever that calling is, to just trust that and honor that. I know it feels like when people join ICM, I'm like, I have this gift that I get to watch them open.

Speaker 1 It's so exciting and beautiful. And whatever that calling is, whether it's ICM or if you want to start art or whatever it is, you can trust that.
I remember when

Speaker 1 I knew I was getting into coaching, moving from therapy, I was like, oh, I'm doing this. And then I found out the price and I was like, oh, damn, but I'd already made the decision.
And so

Speaker 1 it was more than half of what I had at my bank. And I jumped.
And that was such a reminder for me that I was supported every step of the way. And doing the inner work was what made it easier to

Speaker 1 feel safe in that process. And it called me forward.
I mean, I

Speaker 1 10xed my income because of the investment was so big in this other thing that I did years ago. But I get it.
I've walked through it, and those fears get to be allowed and welcomed.

Speaker 1 And more than any amount of money, it's the work that you do within yourself and the life and the consciousness that you have as a result. And Christy, you are such a beautiful example of that.

Speaker 1 And I love having you as a student and now supporting in the program. And I just think the world of you and your courage.

Speaker 1 And I hope that this conversation inspires people to trust that nudge, trust the calling, whatever that is for you.

Speaker 1 And if it happens to be getting curious about joining us in ICM, we would be honored to hold you in this experience and your expansion.

Speaker 1 And you can see the link to apply and learn more in the show notes or go to a listenobriga.com forward slash apply.

Speaker 1 But it is a blessing. Christy, thank thank you for your willingness to share your story.
And I'm just grateful to have you in my life.

Speaker 2 Likewise, thanks, Alyssa.

Speaker 1 Thank you so much for doing this work that changes the world, starting with yourself. It truly does make a difference.

Speaker 1 And if this podcast has supported you, one of the most impactful ways to help us reach more people is to simply press the follow button. It really does help us grow and we are so grateful.

Speaker 1 You can also leave a review on Apple or Spotify and take a quick screenshot and upload it at alyssenobriga.com forward slash slash podcast.

Speaker 1 And as a thank you gift, we'll send you one of the most impactful tools for transforming your fear into freedom so that you can step more fully into your potential.

Speaker 1 There is so much more magic ahead and I cannot wait to share it with you.

Speaker 1 But for now, I just want to say thank you for being a living example of what it means to walk through the world with an open heart and mind.

Speaker 1 I am so grateful that you're here and I cannot wait to see you in the next episode.