My tale of trauma, terror, and turn-around.

How I went from rock bottom to reigniting my soulfire

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I knew I wasn’t doing well. That’s why I was seeing a life coach, a therapist, and two different doctors.

What I couldn’t figure out is how or when I got so off track. How did I end up here in a full spiral nervous breakdown?!

There was a time when I was so vivacious, driven, and full of confidence!

But now I was drowning under the weight of crushing anxiety and panic attacks.

Sure, my husband and I had just lost over $100,000 in our business. Yes, my Dad had just passed away a year ago and the ripple effects on my family (long story) were more like tsunami waves.

But people go through hard stuff like that all the time. People go through much worse and don’t end up where I was! What happened to me?!

Because where I was looked pretty bleak. Day after day, I was plagued by…

…moments of crying uncontrollably because I didn’t know what was wrong with me…

…complete exhaustion, yet not being able to sleep without medication…

…moments of rage that left me scared of myself…

…days of not having the soundness of mind to work…

…and regular physical symptoms, like chest pains and numbness in my face, back, and arms, that left me constantly afraid I was having a heart attack or a stroke, even though I’d been cleared by a doctor more than once.

It was the darkest, scariest time of my life. I tried everything I could think of to get better, but for months, nothing worked.

At one point, I sat in the recliner in our office while my husband worked away - desperately trying to keep the business afloat on his own - and pondered the thought,

“What if this is my life for the rest of my life? And if it is, is it really worth living?

Now, entertaining those kinds of thoughts is not a place you want to be, because that next step down is a BIG one.

Fortunately for me, my story has a happy ending.

My work with the four healers I had assembled, along with many of my own practices, eventually clicked and the clouds began to part 6 months after my symptoms began.

I can’t even put into words the relief and gratitude I felt to have my health back! There was a time when I thought I was going to have to be committed to a mental hospital, and now I felt like myself again!

It’s true what they say: “A healthy person has a thousand wishes; a sick person has but one.”

And all I wanted to do after that was help other women from ending up in the same place I had been. All I wanted, was to do everything I could to make sure no other woman had to go through what I went through.

I just didn’t know how.

So I started reading. I started studying. I started digging into my own story to figure out how I ended up where I did. And I started looking at how my 20/20 hindsight and all the lessons I learned could serve other women and make their path easier.

Fast forward 4 years, and eventually those breadcrumbs led me to Dr. Martha Beck and her Wayfinder Life Coach Certification Program.

I fell in love with the work, her transformative tools, and the profound impact they could have on changing someone’s life, including my own.

Through it all, my biggest discovery has been this:

it’s not the big things that break us. We can handle the big stuff when we have a solid foundation. What breaks us, is years and decades of the small stuff.

And that “small stuff” is usually made up of all the ways we’ve sold ourselves out. All the times we’ve sold out our highest potential and happiest life for something that felt safe and comfortable…

…something that allowed us to avoid risk and potential failure, but also kept us from our most intrinsic aspirations and biggest dreams.

It chips away at our soul.

It breaks down our inner world because we’re not built for mediocrity. Our soul is built to be alive and fulfilled!

And the worst part is, we don’t even know it’s happening because most of the decisions aren’t even at the conscious level.

I believe it’s how we end up in a place where our life feels lifeless. I believe it’s how we end up in mid-life not even knowing who we are anymore.

I believe it’s why we set our prices too low or don’t get paid what we’re worth … how we end up in humdrum careers…staying in the wrong relationship…living somewhere that doesn’t feel like home…how we end up anywhere else other than the place our soul longs to be.

And I believe it’s what led to my nervous breakdown.

It’s why I’m now on a mission to help other women recognize the pattern…reclaim their spark…and walk the courageous path toward their highest potential and happiest life!

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“Terra is truly amazing! As a professional creative, I’m challenged in the business aspect of my work, breaking down tasks, organizing, prioritizing…but most importantly, the shame, guilt and mental anguish that comes with struggling with these tasks. It becomes a nervous system meltdown at times.

Terra has both the business acumen as well as the psychological training to truly help people deal with both of these aspects from a ‘wholelistic’ and soulful approach. She has helped me identify what it is I need to focus on, breaking down tasks and how to calm my nervous system so that it feels GOOD to do this work."

- Jen M., Brand Photographer

Terra Ramachandran is a certified life coach, writer, speaker and passionate cheerleader for the REAL you—the you that’s lit from within and has a fire in her soul! Through her business, SoulfireShift LLC, she helps women walk the courageous path toward their happiest life and highest potential. She emphatically believes it’s your time to shine!

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In addition to her work, she loves a good workout, reading, dancing, laughing with friends, cooking, traveling, getting outside, her mischievous but adorable mini-goldendoodle, Midas, a dry martini, a great restaurant, and parking it on the couch with a good movie, a pizza and the love of her life, Dush.

Politically, Terra is passionate about reproductive rights for women, healthcare for all, reasonable gun control measures, equality for our LGBT+ community, spirituality and/or personal ethics over adherence to a religion, and many other left-of-center principles.

If you choose to follow her online or otherwise, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually hear about these topics. While she mostly writes about personal growth and human potential, there are times when big issues arise and she takes a stand personally and professionally. If that’s your jam, you're probably in exactly the right place! If that’s not your jam, you may enjoy following another coach/writer/speaker.

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Terra Ramachandran is a certified life coach, writer, speaker and passionate cheerleader for the REAL you—the you that’s lit from within and has a fire in her soul! Through her business, SoulfireShift LLC, she helps women walk the courageous path toward their happiest life and highest potential. She emphatically believes it’s your time to shine!

In addition to her work, she loves a good workout, reading, dancing, laughing with friends, cooking, traveling, getting outside, her mischievous but adorable mini-goldendoodle, Midas, a dry martini, a great restaurant, and parking it on the couch with a good movie, a pizza and the love of her life, Dush.

Politically, Terra is passionate about reproductive rights for women, healthcare for all, reasonable gun control measures, equality for our LGBT+ community, spirituality and/or personal ethics over adherence to a religion, and many other left-of-center principles.

If you choose to follow her online or otherwise, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually hear about these topics. While she mostly writes about personal growth and human potential, there are times when big issues arise and she takes a stand personally and professionally. If that’s your jam, you're probably in exactly the right place! If that’s not your jam, you may enjoy following another coach/writer/speaker.

Hear from Terra

I believe...

  • Self-love and integrity are the cornerstones of a successful life. Building on anything else is a house of cards.
  • “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.” - Brene Brown
  • You matter. So do your ideas, your dreams, and your voice.
  • You are a good person. You deserve love. You deserve respect. And you deserve compassion.
  • You deserve more than “fine”. You deserve spectacular...and yes, it’s possible for you.
  • What the world needs most is people who have come alive. (hat tip Howard Thurman)

It’s your time to shine.

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“Terra has a huge infectious smile. She is personable, a wonderful listener, empathetic, and has patience. Terra is also trustworthy and keeps conversations confidential.

She and I worked together, and we were able to get deep on why my past was holding me back from moving forward on a certain issue. It's all about understanding how to ask the right questions, and Terra does! She identified the roadblocks which stopped me from moving forward and we discussed how I can progress and move forward. She made me see the roadblock and helped me through it.

Yes, I highly recommend Terra! She will guide you on a positive path for your business or life. "

- Nancy Chin-Wagner, Networking Coach

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