Today we’d like to introduce you to Ermaline Ogbodo.
Hi Ermaline, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a 27 years old model, actress, tarot and astrology reader. I consider myself an advocate for those who do not speak for themselves, truly. I grew up teaching myself astrology and always wanted to be an actress and a model. I however, grew up with an immigrant father (Nigeria) and a teen mother who came from a poverty background. My mother was the first in my family to go to college, and my dad immigrated here to play soccer at Fresno State. I say this because both my parents instilled the values of hard work and education in me. I myself actually had a passion for education and learning at a young age, I always loved to read despite having my big creative dreams. My mom’s sister has Schizophrenia so she was a big inspiration for me wanting to learn about mental health. I learned how someone was not their disorder but rather a victim of it. So I always had empathy for those who could not speak for themselves. I grew up experiencing a lot of loss in life, I had my maternal great grandfather, great aunt, paternal uncle pass and grandmother and first kiss in high school pass away from the time I was 18. I learned early that loss was apart of life and made it a mission to make a name for myself….and make my loved ones proud. I always had straight A’s in school and taught myself a lot.
Growing up, my parents would often take me to Barnes and Noble and I would just walk around with my brother, and that is how I discovered my passion for astrology and Psychology. I was reading Carl Jung and the astrology of birthdays at eight years old lol I was just fascinated with people. Acting-wise, I just had a knowing I would be an actress and model. I had a dream when I was five. I was at a vanity mirror getting my make up and hair done backstage and just knew I would perform. But I was painfully shy, I felt more comfortable working behind the scenes. But I always did research on my passions. I purposefully planned to go to a school in Los Angeles so I could ultimately end up in the city where my dreams could come true. I ended up going to UC Santa Cruz and transferred to my dream school of USC where I majored in Psychology and minored in theater. I actually loved school, I excelled in my studies…..and did great in the acting program booking two leads in plays (I never been in a play prior)….but I still had imposter syndrome being around so many student’s who came from affluent backgrounds and did theater in high school. I had plans to be a Psychiatrist at one point but knew it wasn’t my passion. So I just settled for Entertainment Law, I say settled because in my head success was going to graduate school and becoming a professional. I told myself after school, I will somehow act and model. I literally went to law school for a year…and by divine intervention I call it I had to take a leave of absence. A close family member was arrested and I was very involved in the case (getting character statements etc.) and went to court dates.
Even though I passed all my classes, my counselor suggested I take a leave of absence. I was not having it, I used work as a way to distract myself. But I was getting physically ill, depressed and started getting random ailments. During my leave, I got a job at a top firm where I worked for the entertainment partner. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease “Sjogren’s” while working there. That was a wake up call, getting diagnosed was a headache as doctors did not take me serious, I had to literally beg them for labs but relied on my intuition to get me by. I was gaslit by every professional and realized that my life is short. I need to do what I love. While working at the firm, I got even more depressed because I saw the contracts for actors and knew I needed to do it. I made a vow to get a commercial within a year, and if I did I would drop out of school. Within six months, I got my national commercial for CALM and enrolled in classes at the Identity School of Acting. I then set the goal to get an agent, I did three months later. It was like magic. I just had to have faith, all the while I was listening to astrology and tarot videos online solely for entertainment, I did not plan to make it a profession…especially due to my religious background. I was a closet spiritualist and I now realize how that contributed to my anxiety and depression. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder during this time as well. I literally lost myself as I knew it and knew in order to be happy, I had to do what I loved.
After being signed, I dropped out of school and got a job at another dream company Girlboss. Unfortunately, it had to shut down due to the pandemic and that gave me a chance to breathe. I was having a lot of complications with my autoimmunity (digestive issues) as well as general self-esteem issues. I was finding my calling as a reader, I read over 30 people for free in private over COVID because so many people needed help. I couldn’t hide my gift anymore, I secretly read for myself for years and it helped heal me, it actually brought me closer to the Holy Spirit I felt, but I was afraid of judgment. But I learned that that just hurt me more and I deserved to be seen. I started ErmAlchemy, my tarot and astrology business in January this year and never felt so free. Nothing makes me happier than using my gifts to enlighten people to their true selves. We are all connected and the more I read the more confident I get in my calling as an actress – an advocate for humanity. I literally had five auditions in the past two weeks for leads in major television shows and films with Oscar award-winning actors and producers. I have zero SAG credits, but I know I have the spirit to do it and drive, and ironically all it took was accepting myself as I am. That is a gift I wish to give to everyone.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was in therapy for four months over COVID once a week and that helped me own my calling and heal my inner child. My mother also lost her job in the 08 recession and we actually were featured in TIME magazine for poverty…the unlikely face of poverty. That point in life, I made it a mission to myself to get on the cover of a magazine for my gifts and enlightening the people, not for suffering.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is that I am an advocate for all. I grew up Christian and still worship Christ. But with meditation and my spiritual work, I cannot help but see that we are all the same. We come from the same source, just in different ways. I consider it a privilege to read tarot and use astrology to bring people’s consciousness to themselves. I have never missed a mark because I connect to the Spirit that connects us all. I use my background in Psychology and theatre to help my clients, and ironically I use my spiritual work to help my acting. When I dissect my characters, I actually do a psychological analysis on them, use Jungian archetypes from Psychotherapy and also do a mini birth chart reading on them (sun, moon and rising).
I ironically don’t watch much television or film, I just know I love to tell stories and educate people on those they may not be aware of or hip to. I love to be in other’s shoes, so I understand the world better. We fear what we don’t understand, and I seek to understand all. Love is the answer. I also started my YouTube channel “ErmaLight – Spreading Light to Dark places” to talk about psychological issues and life advice, and my subsector of my channel (and name of my sole proprietorship) is ErmAlchemy, transmuting light to darkness. I learned that we are both shadow and light, and instead of being afraid of our darkness, we can embrace it and make it something beautiful. Like transmuting lead to gold, we are capable………I see the similarities in everything. Science, spirituality, religion…they all say the same thing in different languages and I am here as a vessel to dismantle the illusion of seperatedness.
What matters most to you?
Advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves because we are all connected and alike than you think. What happens here affects there and vice versa. As above so below. We are only doing as good as those next to us, and the last thing you want to do is not make amends with someone or understand them when they are here. Life is precious, you are precious and all voices matter. By advocating, I bring light to issues and also heal myself. The more we know the less we hurt others, and love is truly the answer.
Pricing:
- $150 – 50 Hour Zoom Reading
- 30 Min – Live Tarot Reading $75.00
- General Birthchart $77.00
- Love Reading $88.00 Regular Price 33% off now. It is a pdf reading
- Career Reading $88.00 – pdf document
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected] for acting and modeling, [email protected] for tarot/astrology
- Website: ermalchemy.com and ermaline.com for acting
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ermalineo and https://instagram.com/ermalchemy
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTDl4MNgrYshkdVrwDTQRZw
Image Credits:
@shoots_with_jessica – all the rest @gvbriel,photo (studio photos with black shirt and red lipstick, and the one with the nikes on the floor) @itspaulgregory (headshot) @thechigerian (beach bikini pic on rock) @thebrandonluau (colorful dress picture) @valeriiafranklin – modeling comp card and black bikini pics
