Erin Schemenski shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Erin, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Raising my child brings me joy outside of work. Most importantly, bringing him to places in the city, to my office on my days off to get a few extra tasks done. I like that he has the opportunity to see that a common 9-5 doesn’t have to the the standard, that running or creating a business is possible. It’s important to me that my child gets exposure to the fact that doing things by the book of “society” or what’s “supposed” to be doesn’t have to be the norm. Watching my child grow and explore through social connections, learning environments, and in nature reminds me of how important it is to raise a child in values. It brings me joy that I have done the work on myself enough to be aware of my own core values to develop the best choices to support the next generation in becoming.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Erin ‘Bird’ Schemenski and I am a Reiki and Energy Practitioner and Spirituality Life Coach with a focus on somatics, breathwork, and human health. I guide people to develop a deeper relationship to the core of who they are and how they can authentically live this innate expression. The Mindful Bird is developed on the concept that remaining mindful of our core, our body’s signals, and our relational interactions with others and our environment, can guide us in our soul’s unique journey. I support others in relating their journey through a spiritual lens and how it is connected to a force greater than ourselves. My expertise lies is decoding and relaying energetic information from tangible experiences. My ultimate goal is to unite this spiritual awareness into the physical world with a sense of warmth, belonging, connection, and clarity.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I’ve been working one to one with clients for the last decade. I’ve sprinkled community events and classes in here and there but I am realizing, now more than ever, what I’ve always known, which is: I am ready to create my own community and scale to group settings. I have long craved creating community around my brand and my values but have always held myself back for whatever reason. In hindsight, and knowing what I know now, maybe it’s my soul’s unique timing or maybe I needed the experiences in my one to one practice to see that I am repeating the same thing over and over, it would be better served to groups in community.
Ultimately, whether it was a protection mechanism to not be seen on a large scale, an inner knowing for timing, or the simple need for practice, the part of me that has kept myself small or contained has served it’s purpose. I had the great opportunity to explore the depth of the landscapes of the one to one work and I am now ready to scale my perspective to impact a greater number of people.
I’ve been working on releasing this fear of being seen, practicing seeing myself or spending time in group settings or creating group containers, and now it’s time to step forward into that teaching space even further. The work that I’ve done with my clients has trained me for a great root or foundation to spread upward and outward into my community.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Of course. When first starting out, full-time on your own, in your own curated brand and business, the thought that “it’s not worth it” is riding side by side with the thought that “everything is going to be worth it.” You have to train the doubtful part of yourself that patience, perseverance, and authenticity (with a side of deep calling) are keys to the building blocks of achieving your goals. In running an authentically curated business, it takes a few years in full-time, to get off the ground and fly. It’s a matter of continuing to show up day in and day out, getting feedback from clients or customers that the product or service is valuable and why, and continuing to hone in on what works and releasing what doesn’t. It’s a practice. In the slow moments of your practice, there is doubt and I certainly experienced it.
Giving up is always an option but is letting it all go worth everything you’ve worked for? In my thoughts of doubt, there was always this aching feeling in my body that I had to keep going. So I did. The doubtful version of me dreamed of a booked out schedule and three years later I have a waitlist. When one person cancels, I can easily find someone to take the open slot. My hard work, in the span of a few short years that felt pretty long, has been paying off. It allows me to feel grounded and ready in taking the next step.
It’s easy to compare yourself to others, especially with social media, that comparison had me doubting myself often. It’s easy to think that three to five years is so quick for someone else but feels so long while you’re in the thick of it. However, we never know what’s truly fueling someone or their business behind the scenes. The most authentic businesses and services I know with lovely success had to work hard, maintain their patience, and be in the process of development to see it all through. Continuing to show up even when you want to give up says so much about the dedication to a point where it will finally pay off. Once I thought it might be easier to be in a 9-5 job but Im much happier making my own schedule and carving my own path.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That this is an easy way to make money and if you just get certified you can hold appointments for the depths of who people are. I came into this industry with a well of knowledge and experience in sales, biological and environmental health, and nursing. I know that I’ve always been a health oriented person and that if I didn’t have that background, I would have created it anyway. My point to the biggest lie in the industry is: just because a Reiki class is accessible or because you believe you have intuitive skills, or because you healed yourself, absolutely does not mean that it will be easy for you to make money through Reiki or energy healing modalities as a formal practitioner. I am by no means gate keeping, what I am saying is that the industry is not very regulated and if there is a true calling for you to move forward as an energy practitioner, take into account what integration have you’ve partaken in and what other credentials or experiences could validate your ability to hold a solid space for someone?
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I’m taking notes in every session about the experiences and the energies I witness in my clients. It’s qualitative data that I hope can be turned into quantitative data one day. I feel I am building a library or well of information that in the next 10-20 years will be used to discover new scientific evidence about energy (be it light, heat, frequency) that will impact the understanding between the human experience in relationship to life-force, source, something greater than ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Themindfulbird.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbird_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eeschemenski/
- Other: Substack: https://themindfulbird.substack.com/
Image Credits
Lauren Elizabeth Photography
