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2012 Twenty Questions Interviews : Julie Hoyle

20 Questions Interview with Julie Hoyle

Writer, Counselor, Hypnotherapist, Intuitive

 

Julie Hoyle

1. What's your name?

Julie Hoyle.

2. Where are you from?

I was born in the UK and have called the Bahamas my home on and off, for more than twenty-five years.

3. Who are you today?

Today I love where I am in my life. I relish the simple pleasures of walking the beach, riding my bicycle and listening to the birds calling out on a soft morning. Being anchored in the state of the witness makes life magical. This is where we are gifted with insight and transcendence.

4. What do you do? (Elevator speech)

I work with people worldwide to access, listen to and act on their intuitive wisdom in a way that empowers them to transform challenges and create positive change in their lives. I'm a writer, spiritual counselor, transpersonal hypnotherapist and natural intuitive.

5. What's your story (how did you get here)?

Since childhood, I have always been naturally intuitive, empathic and deeply connected to everyone and everything. Then in 1989, after a radical shift in consciousness, my life began to change in ways I could never have formerly imagined. To understand the far-reaching effects of this shift, I began an inner and outer journey, which took me to India, the Ukraine and then back to the Bahamas. In the process, I began to realize I have always had a natural ability to help people access their gifts, skills and talents and support them in finding ways to actualize what is lying dormant or only half-realized within.

6. Why is creativity important to you?

Something magical happens when we take time to be with ourselves and put pencil or pen to paper. Whether writing, drawing or doodling, we suspend the known for the unknown and enter into our interior world. I am passionate about this alchemical process of self-discovery. I really love the work I do in support of helping people to discover their own, intuitive wisdom through the portal of the contemplative and creative process.

7. When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?

As a child I would write about otherworldly adventures and include detailed illustrations. I loved to draw, paint and create with anything that was at hand. Now I see that it was my way of connecting with something bigger and more expansive than the small sense of 'i.'

8. How did you embrace it?

I knew I had to work in a creative field and in a way that supported people to connect with the non-linear, intuitive aspect of who they are. Initially, I trained as a teacher of Movement and Dance, then later as an Art teacher. The world of academia was both challenging and insightful for me. While I was successful in helping students pass their examinations, I realized I was much more interested in creating a safe and expansive space for the expression of the spirit and I knew I wanted to do this with adults as well as teens.

9. How did that feel?

Having the academic training was invaluable. However, it was only after a radical spiritual awakening in 1989, that my work and my life began to have a deeper meaning and I began to consciously acknowledge my purpose, which is about empowering people to trust, align and act in accordance with their own deeper wisdom.

10. Where has your journey taken you?

My journey started in the UK, wove for a short time through Naples Italy, then on to New Providence, the capital island of the Bahamas. Twenty years later I lived in India, then Dnipropetrovsk, the southern Ukraine, moved on to Kiev, then New York, and now Grand Bahama Island where I have been living for the last eight years.

11. What challenges have you faced?

While I have always listened to and acted on my intuitive guidance, it takes courage to follow where it leads. Having moved around so much, it has been challenging to make new friends and develop a sense of community. However, these difficulties have proven to be life changing. For example, when I first moved to Grand Bahama in 2004, I felt isolated and began journaling and writing poems and essays as a way of accessing peace and solace. I shared some of my writing via e-mails to friends around the globe and they encouraged me to submit them to magazines and to write a book. At the time I knew my friends' encouraging words were simply reflecting what was being born within me and I took heed.

12. What worked for you?

In the course of my travels, I began to realize that I have always listened to and acted on intuitive guidance. For example, in 2007, while sitting on a train heading from London to Nottingham in the UK, I was reading a Mind-Body-Spirit magazine. A voice rose up from inside and said, "You can do this. You can write articles and essays that inspire people." It was such a strong command I didn't think twice. I simply picked up a paper napkin and began drafting my first article. A few days later I sent it off to the editor of the magazine I had been reading and a short while later, he wrote back saying he wanted to use it. Now I write for a dozen or more magazines, have written two e-books and created several online courses.

13. What didn't work for you?

Trying to 'contain' the creative flow of my energy and in particular my natural intuitive gifts. For years I struggled with how to authentically share my inner world for fear of what other people might think. I was afraid of being labeled 'weird' and yet I was hugely frustrated. This is typical of people who are mystical by nature. Although it is getting better, the world does not honor the transcendent qualities of who we are. Once I overcame my fears and found my authentic creative feet, I felt more alive and more aligned with the world than I had ever done before.

14. What three tips can you share with those starting on a similar path?

Recently, I wrote an article titled, '3 Simple Ways to Follow Your Bliss,' and in it, I shared these action points:

  1. Listen. Take note of when your heart rises up with joy and excitement in response to a path of action, a new idea, or an opportunity. Don't miss the moment and let it slip away.
  2. Act. Take at least one step toward what your heart is saying and create an intention. Keep a journal and inquire, "What can I do right now to bring this dream into manifestation?"
  3. Share. Tell those you trust and who are able to safely hold the intention with you. Ask for support and input. Don't be afraid to express your wildest, most extravagant dreams.

15. What are you working on now?

In addition to working with clients worldwide, I am writing a book, which is a compilation of amazing, life-changing experiences I had while in India.

16. What's coming up for you in the next year?

More creative flow. Once my third book is finished I will be working on new online courses for my website, traveling and offering workshops in Europe as well as staying one step ahead of current editorial deadlines.

17. What else do you desire/dream to do?

What is coming up for me right now is the need to take a few weeks off for some r and r! Beyond that and beyond what I am aware of is in store next year, I do not know at this time.

18. How will you make that happen?

When a desire or dream begins to take shape within me, I listen to and act on what I am hearing. It all happens in an organic and often unpredictable way. So we'll see!

19. What question would you like to be asked (or are just itching to answer) that's not on this list?

What are you most grateful for?

I am grateful beyond words for the radical spiritual awakening I was gifted with in 1989. Although it brought many challenges, such as the necessity of facing one's inner demons, or what is now often referred to as the Shadow, this dark treasure house is where we find the most incredible creative gems. Once we learn how to work with what is hidden inside, life becomes truly amazing. There is an exquisite flow of energy when we tap into the source of our own abundance. This is what I have been doing and it is what I am passionate about helping others to do.

20. What's your Web site address?

True Alignment: www.truealignment.org.

6/15/12