Meet Steph

How do you describe who Iona is to your friends? Your coach/teacher/guide/something else?

My magical coach, breathwork, healing partner. Depending upon the context...if it’s work, I would often talk about it as coaching / healing. With close ones, I’d emphasize the healing and inner work aspects. Quickly it was just IONA because that one word embodied all the things. <3 :)

Why did you choose Iona? Why did it feel like a good fit?

Recommended by someone I love, admire & respect and once I met Iona in a big group breathwork session, I was intrigued by her presence and process. It was also the first time someone had introduced something so completely new and foreign to me in a very long time so I wanted to learn more. I thought I’d tried all the healing things but Iona taught me otherwise. After the breathwork session, I sent her a message via Instagram or some other vaguely impersonal channel and she sent me a voice note back. I was floored...this stranger with all this wisdom took time out of her day to TALK TO ME. No one does that. But yes, she does that. I felt special, and seen. Which made me want to dive in and really let go of all the things that were weighing me down. I also figured if she was that kind to and generous with me when I was a random stranger, she’d probably be pretty amazing to anyone she’s committed to working with, which she most definitely is.

What has surprised or delighted you most about this work?

Recommended by someone I love, admire & respect and once I met Iona in a big group breathwork session, I was intrigued by her presence and process. It was also the first time someone had introduced something so completely new and foreign to me in a very long time so I wanted to learn more. I thought I’d tried all the healing things but Iona taught me otherwise. After the breathwork session, I sent her a message via Instagram or some other vaguely impersonal channel and she sent me a voice note back. I was floored...this stranger with all this wisdom took time out of her day to TALK TO ME. No one does that. But yes, she does that. I felt special, and seen. Which made me want to dive in and really let go of all the things that were weighing me down. I also figured if she was that kind to and generous with me when I was a random stranger, she’d probably be pretty amazing to anyone she’s committed to working with, which she most definitely is.

How did you know you were READY to do this work?

I’d been moving through life in an okay way but not fully happy, content, or sure I was on the right path. Always seeking, I’ll try new things, especially when they’re self-help related. A friend recommended breathwork and I feel like she’d talked about it with me for a while, I just hadn’t really heard her. Then one day there was a free group breathwork session with Iona and I thought, why not?! I showed up on zoom in my tiny little room by myself and I was SO UNCOMFORTABLE. I was nervous that I didn’t know how to do it and that I didn’t know anybody in the room. I was nervous once I started breathing and feelings started to arise. Eventually, it got so intense that I left - my fear was overwhelming and I didn’t understand what was happening in my mind and in my body. In the moment that I decided to leave, I had this flash of awareness that I was scared because I was accessing something that needed to be accessed, but I didn’t know how to navigate or deal with what was showing up. I started following Iona on Instagram and gradually built up the confidence to reach out and make a comment or something - I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I do remember that I got a voice memo back and you could have knocked me over with a feather. So we set up time to meet in person and once that happened, working together was a no-brainer.

What has changed most in your life, work, and relationships since you started this work? What are those “pinch me” moments when you realize that you’re a totally different person?

What hasn’t changed? My relationship with my partner is much more relaxed and playful and I no longer feel like I’m the damaged one who needs extra TLC. Work is easier - I trust myself and my output and I am able to express myself confidently but without the asshole edge that I used to feel like I needed to say the truths that need to be spoken. My family dynamic is much healthier - I’m able to tap out when things get too much in a way that’s not dramatic but that gives me the space to stay centered and whole. I am a better mom to my dog and the new pup we just rescued because I trust myself to create a loving and safe environment for them to become the happy, well-adjusted creatures they’re meant to be. I feel generally less reactive and when I do sense a reaction brewing, I’m able to see it coming and (most times) I’m able to more objectively evaluate it and use breathing or other tools to calm my nervous system and keep me from spinning up into the madness.

What would you say to a woman who is sitting on the fence and needs to hear the exact right thing to say, “Let’s do this.”

You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain. Iona’s got you...she will not let you down. And pretty soon, you’ll realize that YOU’VE got you, and YOU will never let yourself down. Wouldn’t that feel amazing?!?