Meet our featured beauty with brains Faith Agugu, a counsellor and healer based in Sydney, Australia. Here is her story.
“I always had an instinct that I would get better with age. At 20, I was looking forward to turning 30. On my 30th birthday I was eagerly looking forward to being 40. Throughout this period of my life, I dreamt about life in my 50’s. Now at 53, I look forward with excitement at turning 60.
I have always been motivated by service. My first job after leaving school was working as a volunteer in a not for profit organisation in London with children from troubled backgrounds. I then discovered the bright lights of the fashion industry and worked as a catwalk model for over 5 years before leaving London for the sunny shores of Sydney, Australia. I landed a job with one of Australia’s leading fashion houses as well as continued to advance my career as a model. I launched my own fashion business in 2004. Raw Fashion Agency, represented local fashion designers as a PR and Sales agency. I also began teaching at FBI Fashion College in 2006, mentoring the next generation of up and coming fashionistas.
After 25 years in the fashion industry and approaching my 50th birthday, I felt the call to return to helping others and took time out to study for a Bachelor degree in social science, majoring in counselling. I launched my new business, The Healing Process where I offer counselling, energy healing and mindfulness coaching to women tackling the challenges of midlife. I also run regular workshops to assist my clients to work through issues of self-esteem, relationships and addiction. I have a particular interest in balancing the disadvantages experienced by our indigenous community. I am a passionate, motivated and driven entrepreneur. Through my private practice, I seek to help women find their voice and claim their place in society.”
Here is an interview with her.
1. What challenges do you face in your work and how do you cope with them?
I think my biggest challenge is self-imposed. As a therapist, energy healer and mindfulness coach, I can put undue pressure on myself that I should have all aspects of my life together before I can assist others. Like every other human on the planet I have gifts and talents and also areas of growth and development. I can be overly critical of myself and expect that I “should” get it right all of the time. I would say I am a perfectionist by nature and although I find it easy to be compassionate and understanding of others, I can have unrealistic expectations of myself which can affect my work. To combat this I have a great clinical supervisor, an amazing energy healing mentor and a fantastic business coach who keep me right sized. When I’m giving myself a hard time for not anticipating all my clients’ needs or second guessing my guidance, this formidable trio do an unquestionable job of connecting me with my humanity. I also remind myself that I am a work in progress and that my imperfections are what motivates me to keep striving for more knowledge, more experiences and more growth on every level.
2. Can you give some tips to women who are unable to love themselves?
In my private practice, I see many women who struggle with lack of self-love. I smile when they come to me because I intuitively know that the universe is giving me more of what I need to practice. I would say the area that I have had most growth is around self-love. As above, I have always been very hard on myself and at one stage, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I was over critical, deeply judgemental of myself and I would constantly put my talents and ability down. If someone complimented me, I felt uneasy and unworthy. I have undergone a tone of personal development and have come to a place of deep self-love and self-compassion. I know deep in my soul that I am a kind, capable, loving and beautiful woman. I now run regular self-esteem and self-love workshops for women with the same struggle. I strongly believe that self-love is the most important work we need to do. Without it, all other relationships come with an unconscious agenda for the other person to meet our emotional needs. I believe this is unfair and that we are the only ones that can provide these things for ourselves.
3. What is an average day in your life like?
I am a morning person and always have been. I wake up latest by 6AM, 5 AM on very inspired days. I either walk down to the beach for a morning swim and start my day with a live Facebook video to my FB Group Living Mindfully in 2018, or I go to a 6AM gym class or if I’m tired, I’ll do a 20-40 minute yoga practice at home. Then I meditate for about 20 minutes followed by listening to a podcast by my favourite inspirational speaker, or mentor of the moment. This is done while preparing breakfast. Mon-Wed I then make my way to work as a counsellor/caseworker. Thurs-Friday, I run my private practice and begin seeing clients at 9 AM. I usually meet with my marketing interns sometime during the day and come home for an hour’s nap. My evenings are filled with either teaching at FBI fashion college, participating in self-help groups or if it’s a Thursday, I’m teaching meditation at Titan gym in Coogee beach.
4. What is your favourite mantra?
“There is nothing you can do, say or be that will make me withdraw my love from you.” from the Universe AND “I am enough – there is nothing more I need to be, I don’t need to be smarter, more beautiful, more popular. Who I am today, is enough”.
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