Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Scott.
Amanda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Around the end of 2018, I left (not by choice) my successful career of running reality TV shows. I was let go during a long and difficult stint on a first season Bravo show. I thought I could manage and navigate through the countless hiccups and hurdles this particular project.
I still kept my unique wit and positive mind frame for the sake of my team (whom I loved dearly) but everything that had worked for me in the past just kept landing like a fart in church (or temple, ashram, mosque…whatever you fancy). I was burning the candle at both ends.
The guilt of not getting to spend enough time with my small boys (2 and 4 at the time) was crushing. I was exhausted and drained of all my energy. I was waking up and instead of saying “whoo hoo another day” I was saying “F*K@@#$#6@!!! not another day”.
My dear friend, boss and mentor was the one to let me go (don’t worry, we’re still friends). This wasn’t her or the production companies choice but instead the choice of the network to have “fresh eyes” and also let go most of my team.
It was hard. I was totally crushed. No amount of “these things happen all the time” and “it’s their loss not yours” could take the pain away. This trauma unearthed some grand woundings from my adolescence that I thought I had healed. Nope. Still lots more work to do in that department. I felt like a fool, I felt like garbage. I felt like a FAILURE.
Instead of rushing to find the new job (something WE ALL feel the immediate need to do) something kept telling me to stop and stay in the emotion. I knew enough about my intuition by this point to sit and listen to what this was all supposed to teach me. My incredible partner in crime, spouse and baby daddy, Ryan, agreed to take on the lions-share of the family financials. Which allowed me to take this opportunity to figure out who I truly was inside. I am forever grateful to him for this and I know that free time is a luxury item. I wanted to make the very most of it.
The decision of not jumping back into the TV rat race didn’t come easy. First there was my EGO to deal with. I didn’t realize how much entertainment industry DOGMA was injuriously trapped in my belief system. We are meant to believe in this industry that if you’re not working, “there’s something wrong” or you’re “washed up”, “too old”, “damaged goods” or “un-hireable”. All of these things played in a loop in my thoughts. It made me feel like crap and guilty just for wanting to spend a little time with myself and my family. I also obviously wasn’t bringing in any money. This really allowed me to see how much I was spending in the past on things, just to comfort me because I didn’t have any time to myself.
Mostly, I didn’t want to go back and create the same reality show content I had been working on for years. I didn’t feel connected to it and I knew that I didn’t just want to “polish turds” anymore. I wanted to make some kind of a difference or change the perspective in some way. Please, NO JUDGEMENT to anyone in the industry for anything they do AT ALL. I can just speak from my own experience here.
I met with some suitty-doodie, sparkly, high-end agents to see if they could help me branch out of the docu-drama genre I had been in for so long. They basically told me to go EFF myself and that “once you’re in the niche, you can’t get out”. I found it astonishingly hard to believe that my creative talents would only extend to shows where the subject matter predominantly focuses on women getting too drunk to speak properly and subsequently getting into arguments and sometimes physical altercations.
It was a tough pill to swallow but a BIG SIGN that it was time to try something new. But also F*K that! I finally can see now that you are never STUCK. There’s always a way to shift your situation. And anyone who tells you differently are just telling you that because they’re AFRAID.
I had a big desire and will to find healing and started looking for daily tools and practices that would help me dig deep. The intended goal was so that I could eventually authentically give back to the community in a way that was aligned for my soul’s highest good.
I have taken little creative projects (in totally different outlets and content) here and there which have been so gratifying and fun. As much as I miss so many things about where I was in my career just over a year ago, this time to reflect has truly been the best choice I ever could have made. I miss all my amazing co-workers, mentors and peers in the TV industry and look forward to continuing a bond with these souls in the future. However, the content I’m producing now comes solely from my heart and is no longer ratings-driven.
There are several avenues I ventured on in attempting to find my zen so to speak. I won’t bore you with all the esoteric classes, certifications, tears, laughs, supplements, books, meditations, ayurvedic philosophy, chants, herbal remedies, therapy sessions, (whoops, I’m doing what I said I wouldn’t do) hugs, massage, ecstatic dance sessions, tantric healing, internet rabbit holes, crystals, oils, sage, yoga, palo santo, shamanism, human design, BREATHWORK!!!! And the list flows into infinity and beyond.
At one point a family member said in concern that they thought I might be having a mid-life crisis. I immediately burst into violent tears, quickly validating their point. But I thought about it for a while and realized that it was actually a total rebirth. Just like Ram Das says, “We are all just walking each other home”… I was just figuring out who I really was deep down inside and learning who would show up to hold my hand and support me through it.
I was just one of many people who had reached a point in life where I was just over the way I felt. Riddled with anxiety; unfulfilled dreams and aspirations; always finding excuses not to rise to the occasion; and showing up to life half-assed.
I got very F*KN clear about how precious this life thing is and realized that I’d better get my sh*t together and start leaving a positive mark on this planet before I’m gone.
So, if you’re currently RAISING YOUR VIBRATION to be more grounded and tune with what’s truly your BIRTH RIGHT then holy sh*t, CONGRATS! I know this isn’t easy and you have my full support. There will be days where your loved ones don’t understand and won’t make the effort to meet you where you’re at but don’t give up. We need you. The planet needs you.
I am now receiving fulfillment in EVERY moment of my day (even when it’s a shitty ass moment) because I have learned to stay grounded and present. I have learned not to shut down my heart and or find a distraction when the going gets tough. I have healed embedded and deeply painful trauma that has constantly shown up in my life. This work is NEVER DONE and as long as spirit allows, I vow to always be the student.
Today I am a much happier mother, wife, daughter, friend. And mainly a MUCH happier and better person to MYSELF. I have so much to be grateful for today that as many of you know, I’m just too excited to shut up about it.
I found BREATHWORK (an active mediation) at the end of 2018 and it changed my life. I was completely blown away by how powerful it was at first that I was almost afraid to try it again. I kept showing up every day. Each time I laid down to breathe, I would have a completely new and BIG experience. The more and more I did this work the more I quickly began to get clarity on so many areas of my life where I had always felt stuck.
I had finally found a healing tool that could SHIFT my outlook and perspective quickly at any point and time and help me find exactly what my soul needed to heal.
I now teach a weekly BreathWORK class at Wellborn Lifestyles (a beautiful yoga and doula services studio) in Sherman Oaks.
I also provide 1×1 and couples breathwork sessions along with 1×1 energy healing sessions.
I usually have two thematically different workshops a month held at different locations around town.
Today, as I sit joyfully writing this from my little office at home, I am so happy to say that it has been exactly a year and a half and I feel like a completely different human.
I am a testament to the idea that if we want to change our thoughts and beliefs in order to feel better and to live a fuller existence, we can. It takes time and a willingness but it is possible.
I am grateful to all of those who have aligned with my soul’s highest good on my journey this year. I have met so many incredible souls whose support and mentorship keep me inspired each day to continue healing.
I hope to offer anyone in need of a perspective shifts and energetic “aha moments” my deepest love and healing.
I look forward to sharing more of my heart with the planet with each coming day.
May your journey be whatever it needs to be to get you to level up. I have a blessing and prayer for each and every one of you in my heart.
Great, 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?
The last couple of years of my career had me heading up ensemble cast shows where the meat of the subject matter was focused on women getting into fights with each other. I knew the landscape well and could navigate easily in the field and post. I understood the draw and the watchability of this type of show. When the shows would air I would follow social media and see who was saying what, and which arguments were focal points. It’s a bummer to admit now that I spent so much energy on this.
The last couple of seasons were HARD. I kept hitting brick walls with network and with cast. I now chalk this resistance up to my higher self knowing that this avenue was no longer for me. Why was I putting out more hate and negativity in the world when it’s the absolute last thing that the world needs these days?
In fact, the months and weeks leading up to that day I was fired, I was experiencing some of the highest levels of stress and anxiety I had ever had. I wasn’t sleeping well. My thoughts racing all the time. Chugging caffeine to stay alert. Lashing out at my husband and kids on a frequent basis because my fuse was too short. I recall white-knuckle driving on the way into the office thinking to myself how I was going to get through the day.
My getting let go was the blessing I needed to help me get to the level of bliss I can honestly say I’m in today. Taking the time to reprogram my brain and re-directing the purpose in my life was the best, most luxurious gift that has come my way. It took me just over a year of deep inner reflection and study to feel comfortable bringing my “healer” self out into the world.
It definitely feels odd to call myself a healer. I believe we all have the ability and power to heal ourselves so when I use this title, I feel it in a very inclusive way. We can all heal ourselves and others, I just have some training around it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Higher Self*ish – what should we know?
My company is like myself, a continuous work in progress and a place to always grow from. As of now, I offer energy healing and breathWORK with private clients. I also teach breathWORK in groups and offer some longer format workshops with energy work and breathWORK about two times a month all over Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
The unique energy work I practice looks into your energy centers (chakras) and psychic space (aura) to help release stagnant energy or anything blocking you from your highest potential. I look at growth periods and where you are on your current life path. I help to pinpoint and clear out and wounds, cords, attachments and un-aligned programming created by yourself, others or other beings who have gotten into your space. The more I get to do this work, the more my readings get more clear and vibrant. Clients have told me that many of my readings have played out to exact timelines and specifications. As long as I’m bringing people additional insight and clarity, then I’m happy.
The breathWORK I practice and facilitate is conscious, circular breath all done through the open mouth to music. I believe breathWORK, when done with an open heart and open mind is an incredibly transformative active meditation. It has the ability to allow for major shifts and divine clarity in just one session. It connects you directly to your soul and allows you to process whatever is ready to come through and be released.
I liken this breathWORK to a controlled mini storm within your physical space, not unlike a storm that occurs at sea. We can think of our normal stasis of life, inhaling and exhaling, calmly, like the waves in the ocean. When we create this storm of controlled breath, we allow for things to safely rise to the surface. Things that no longer serve us, physically, mentally and emotionally. We release them to the earth and the atmosphere where they can be recycled and reborn into brand new transformed energy.
I use all of my layered, life experience and deep connection to my sensory intuition when providing my services. I make sure to always have grounded myself and the setting before conducting a session. If I’m feeling at all off or unaligned that day, I will probably be the one to reschedule as this work MUST come from an authentic place. I want to be a clear channel of pure energy so that my clients can receive the highest benefits and clear messaging. After each session, I ground myself and the client and make sure to make energetic separations so that I’m not taking on anyone’s energy and vice versa.
After session I send a follow-up email that will typically include the playlist if it was a breathWORK session along with some journal prompts to further tap into the work we did. I will be sure to send along some aftercare ideas as this work can stir things up in our physical and emotional bodies.
I believe the after care work is just as important as work done in the session. The shifts that occur need to be integrated properly in order to carry their highest healing potential through.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity.
Through inner reflection, inner observation, quieting of the mind, meditation, journaling, breathWORK, stillness and self-love rituals, I am constantly challenging myself to excavate anything within that is keeping me stuck or blocked. I want to be sure to continuously be clearing so that nothing prevents my channel from giving authentically aligned messages or guidance.
Pricing:
- 1 hour energy healing and breathWORK $100
- 1.5 hour energy healing and breathWORK $150
- 1.5 hour intuitively aligned session $150
- 1.5 hour couples breathWORK session $200
Contact Info:
- Website: www.higherselfish.co
- Phone: 323-573-0060
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @higher_self_ish
Image Credit:
Rebecca Nichols; Angela Bartys
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