In this brand new episode of Business as Poetry, I’m joined by psychologist, art therapist and family constellations facilitator Elitsa Velikova.

Elitsa is the founder and director of the Art Therapy Institute in Bulgaria and has over two decades of experience working with family constellations, expressive arts therapy, and trauma-informed psychological methods across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Together, we explore why family constellations are often described as “a mystery with real effects” — and why this work continues to gain global attention.

In our conversation, we talk about:

• What family constellations really are (and what they are not)
• How ancestral patterns and hidden loyalties shape identity, belonging, and success
• The difference between art as expression and art as therapy
• Why abundance is not just about money, but about safety, trust, and inner flow
• How inherited trauma can influence relationships, work, and self-worth across generations
• The systemic “orders” that support love, health, and prosperity
• Why belonging to our roots can be the foundation for freedom, creativity, and growth
• What happens in a constellation — and why you don’t need to “believe” in it to experience its effects

We also speak about migration, identity, and the experience of living away from one’s homeland — and why reconnecting with ancestry can be especially powerful in transitional moments of life.

🎟️ Upcoming Events

Elitsa will be in London this January facilitating two family constellation workshops:

• 23rd of January - Roots & Wings — exploring ancestry, belonging, and inner freedom
• 25th of January - Orders of Success — exploring abundance, receiving, and the systemic roots of prosperity

Find out more about Elitsa at the Arts & Therapy Institute website.

Join my community on Substack: https://businessaspoetry.substack.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/business_as_poetry/

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd_f9gjXSKiB5D7cCy7LatQ

In this final episode of 2025, I sit down with Patrice Gordon — executive coach, business author, and the world's leading expert in reverse mentoring — for a conversation about reinvention, purpose, and navigating the spaces we may not always be invited into.

Patrice’s journey spans PwC, British Airways, Royal Mail, and Virgin Atlantic, but the real story begins when she stepped off the corporate ladder to build a mission-driven consultancy grounded in equity, leadership, and humanity.

Her honesty about the highs, lows, and unexpected plot twists of entrepreneurship is a masterclass in courage. Together we explore:

✨ What reverse mentoring really is — and why companies worldwide are adopting it

✨ The emotional reality of leaving corporate to build something of your own

✨ Why women leaders struggle to take up space (and how to change that)

✨ The power of community, mentors, and trusted support networks

✨ Stepping into your purpose even when the path ahead is unclear

✨ How to build a business that feels aligned, human, and sustainable

This episode is joyful, grounded, vulnerable — and you can tell we had so much fun recording it! A powerful reminder that results come when you stop over-thinking… and start enjoying the craft.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation and step into the new year with a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and energy.

Listen now and subscribe for more episodes on intuition, business, creativity & leadership - and it helps us immensely if you give us a 5 star review or recommend the podcast to a friend!

Get a copy of Patrice's Book Reverse Mentoring: Removing Barriers and Building Belonging in the Workplace here.

Find out more about Patrice on her website.

Join my community, Space In:Between, on Substack: https://businessaspoetry.substack.com/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/business_as_poetry/

Send me a message on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hristina-vaceva-cfa-4245901a

Find me on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd_f9gjXSKiB5D7cCy7LatQ

In this episode, I share something I’ve never shared publicly before — the full story of how I rebuilt my life, work, and identity from the inside out.

For years, I was successful on paper but disconnected on the inside. It wasn’t one moment that changed everything, but a series of inner shifts — an awakening, a remembering, an alignment — that changed the entire direction of my life.

In this deeply personal solo episode, I walk you through the five stages of transformation I lived through — the same stages I now teach in my work:

1️⃣ Awakening — the moment life forces you to pause and look within

 2️⃣ Allowing — letting yourself imagine a different path

 3️⃣ Remembering — removing the noise to return to your essence

 4️⃣ Alignment — collapsing timelines as things finally click

 5️⃣ Completeness — integrating, grounding, and owning your identity

This story includes:

• Leaving old identities behind
• Rebuilding my work around intuition, creativity, somatics, and energy
• Why my podcast became the catalyst
• How mentors, retreats, and pure instinct shaped my path
• The moment I realised I wasn’t building a project — I was building an entire ecosystem
• How Substack, community, writing, somatics, and leadership all converged

This is not a magic formula, but a deep, lived-in experience — and I’m sharing it so you can recognise your own turning points too.

If you’re in a transition, a reinvention, or an “in-between” chapter… let my story remind you that nothing is ever wasted and every chapter prepares you for what’s next.

Listen now and subscribe for more episodes on intuition, business, creativity & leadership.

Join my community, Space In:Between, on Substack:  https://businessaspoetry.substack.com/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/business_as_poetry/

Send me a message on LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/hristina-vaceva-cfa-4245901a

Find me on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd_f9gjXSKiB5D7cCy7LatQ

In this powerful season opener, host Hristina Vaceva sits down with Dion Johnson — former midwife turned executive coach and founder of The Queen’s School — to explore what it really takes to lead as a woman in a system that wasn’t built for us.

Dion’s story is one of radical self-inquiry and transformation: from hiding behind physical and emotional masks, to discovering her sovereign voice and teaching others to do the same. Her journey through the NHS, local government, and into entrepreneurship is not just inspiring — it’s deeply human.

Together, we discuss:

• The emotional toll of being a Black woman in a white man’s world
• What it means to experience a “sovereign inquiry” — and why leadership begins within
• Rewiring the “slave girl” mindset and embracing Queen mentality instead
• Role models, spiritual awakenings, and redefining power from the inside out
• Balancing masculine and feminine energies in business
• Why corporate leadership without healing often leads to burnout — and how to change that

Whether you’re leading a team, launching a business, or standing at a career crossroads, this episode is a reminder: for every woman hiding in plain sight, there's one who dares to step out of the shadow. Which one do you choose to be?

🔗 Listen now and share with someone who’s ready to change the way we lead.

📍 Follow Dion to find out more about the Queen’s School & upcoming retreats:

LinkedIn: Dion Johnson

📍 Follow Hristina & her latest project Business as Poetry:

Instagram: @business_as_poetry

Stay in touch or send me a message - I love reading all of them!

LinkedIn: Sound of Breaking Glass

In this episode of Sound of Breaking Glass, host Hristina Vaceva speaks with Mayra Hurtado – co-founder of Prelude Health – about the connection between our hormonal health, our identity, and the transitions that shape our lives.

After spending nearly two decades in the world of commercial strategy and marketing, Mayra’s personal health struggles became the catalyst for something much deeper: a journey into hormonal wellbeing and women’s health that changed the course of her life and career.

Together, we talk about the power of pausing, the hidden cost of pushing through, and what it really means to take your health into your own hands. Mayra brings warmth, wisdom, and genuine care to this conversation -and in a rare twist, turns the microphone around!

Key Topics:

• Hormonal Health 101: What every woman deserves to know - but probably wasn’t taught.
• Listening to Your Body: How to spot the early signs of perimenopause - and why we need to talk about this.
• Career Change from the Inside Out: How looking for answers can spark a powerful professional change.
• FemTech from Lived Experience: The story of Prelude Health and how to build a business that serves real needs
• Returning to Yourself: How purpose and identity evolve when we stop overriding the signs.

This is more than a conversation about careers or wellness - it’s about reclaiming agency over our health and choices. A fitting end to a season rooted in inner change, embodied wisdom, and the courage to do things differently.

🎙️ Learn more about Hormony:

https://findhormony.com/

or follow Mayra on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mghurtado/

🔗 Join Hristina’s community:

Instagram: @lifewelllived.by.hv

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/sound-of-breaking-glass

In this episode of Sound of Breaking Glass, host Hristina Vaceva speaks with Dr. Leah Murray - a former emergency physician turned integrative health practitioner - about what it means to stop overriding your body’s signals and begin a deeper journey back to balance.

After facing a personal health crisis and burnout on the frontlines of traditional medicine, Leah began to question the systems she was taught to believe in. Her own healing journey became the foundation for a new way of working — one that blends scientific knowledge with deep inner awareness.

Together, we explore how burnout can become a powerful invitation to change, why slowing down is sometimes the most radical act of leadership, and how listening to the body can lead us back to the life that truly fits.

Key Topics:

• Listening to the Body’s Wisdom: How illness and fatigue can guide career and life decisions.
• Redefining Success: Letting go of the titles and expectations that no longer serve.
• Healing as Leadership: What it means to hold space for others after doing the work yourself.
• Integrative Medicine: How Leah blends clinical training with a deep commitment to integrative, trauma-informed care.
• Finding Purpose in Life and at Work: A raw, hopeful look at what’s possible when we honour our own wellbeing first.

This conversation is for anyone standing at a career crossroad, wondering if there’s another way. Leah’s story is a beautiful reminder that the end one path can be the fresh new beginning you needed - just what the doctor ordered!

🔗 Learn more about Leah’s work:

https://drleahmurray.co.za/

https://backtobalancehealth.co.uk/

Instagram: @drleahmurray

🔗 Join Hristina's community:

Instagram: @lifewelllived.by.hv

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/sound-of-breaking-glass

Welcome to One Bite — a short monthly voice note to help you slow down, reflect, and realign before your next big jump.

Can doing work you love ever get too much?

This month’s check-in is a gentle reflection on that exact lesson.

I went for a break, thinking I’d rest and finish my Substack, record content, edit posts… but my body had other plans.

Back pain. Fatigue. Resistance to even the things I love the most.

So I paused. And what came through surprised me: Even the work we adore can sometimes keep us stuck in a cycle of output.

True rest isn’t just time off — it’s time in. A moment to remember who we are underneath the doing.

And sometimes, stepping back doesn’t mean you’re off-track. It means you’re finally in rhythm with yourself.

This episode is for anyone who’s been feeling tired for no reason, questioning their pace, or needing permission to unplug — even from what brings them joy.

And it pairs beautifully with my last month's conversation with Katie Mantwa George on career transitions and how to feel in your body if you're ready.

Tune in to this 5-min voice note for a soft reset. And let me know…

Have you been doing too much of what you love lately?

You can find me on IG @lifewelllived.by.hv for more daily musings and insights!

In this episode of Sound of Breaking Glass, host Hristina Vaceva sits down with meditation guide, empathy teacher, and author Katie Mantwa George to explore the beauty of starting before you feel ready.

Katie’s journey hasn’t always been linear — but it’s one marked by grace, resilience, and a quiet trust in life’s nudges. Whether in the boardroom or a meditation circle, Katie has made it her mission to bring softness into high-pressure spaces and to help others reconnect with what’s true.

Together, we explore how personal breakdowns can spark professional breakthroughs, why clarity often comes after the leap — not before — and how we can honour the mystery of becoming while staying grounded in daily life.

Key themes include:

• How the Universe guides us — even when we resist
• Reclaiming calm in a culture obsessed with speed
• Making space for poetry, stillness, and feminine wisdom at work
• The power of presence in both healing and leadership
• Starting from where you are — even if you’re scared

If you’ve been looking for a sign to slow down, drop in, and trust your timing — this is it.

🔗 Where to find Katie:

Check out her website: https://www.beinghumanwell.com or subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.beinghumanwell.com/newsletter-wellnessguide

Instagram: @beinghumanwell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-mantwa-george/

🔗 Connect with Hristina:

Instagram: @lifewelllived.by.hv

LinkedIn: Sound of Breaking Glass

In this soulful episode of Sound of Breaking Glass, host Hristina Vaceva sits down with Jane Marle — modern-day healer, founder of House of Jiriki, and host of the Heart.listic podcast — to explore the power of energy work, sacred rituals, and listening to the wisdom of the body.

Jane shares her journey from burnout in the fashion industry to finding alignment as a Reiki master, sound healer, and intuitive guide. Together, we unravel the deeper meaning of “ease,” what it truly feels like to live in flow, and how to build a life and business rooted in resonance — not resistance.

Key themes include:

• What burnout is really trying to tell you
• The difference between forced action and aligned momentum
• How to reconnect with your body’s intuitive guidance
• Building a soul-led business (and life) without losing yourself
• The magic of surrender, silence, and spiritual creativity

Whether you’re navigating a transition, craving inner clarity, or simply curious about the unseen layers of yourself — this episode is a gentle invitation to return to your own rhythm.

Explore more of Jane’s work:

🌐 Website: www.houseofjiriki.com

📸 Instagram: @houseofjiriki

👉 Download Jane's “7 Steps to Connect to Your Akashic Records and Manifest Your Desires” guide here:

https://houseofjiriki.com/product/7-simple-steps-to-connect-to-your-akashic-records-manifest-your-desires

Follow Sound of Breaking Glass for more conversations at the intersection of energy, creativity, and personal transformation.

✨ Instagram: @lifewelllived.by.hv

💼 LinkedIn: Sound of Breaking Glass

Welcome to One Bite — a short monthly voice note to help you slow down, reflect, and realign before your next big jump.

When was the last time you did something just because?

In this short and soulful solo episode, I take you with me on a spontaneous journey to Barcelona — but not the kind you might expect. This trip turned into an unexpected invitation to reconnect with my inner child, break my own rules, and say yes to play, presence, and the joy of not planning everything in advance.

I reflect on what it means to soften the edges of our overly structured lives, why we often resist joy, and how one walk-in wine bar reminded me of a powerful truth: we don’t always need a reason. We just need to be willing to listen.

This episode is a gentle nudge back to spontaneity, nervous system repair, and the wild, wise part of you that’s always been there — waiting for permission to come out and play.

✨ It pairs beautifully with my last conversation with Dr. Malvina Bartmanski on healing, nature, and finding your way back home to your body.

If you’ve been craving permission to rest, rebel, or roll in the mud — this one’s for you