Fazila, The 40 Over 40 Women’s Portrait Campaign
Fazila, 49
I have been described by my friends and family as..
Authentic, wise, and a safe haven.
I like to think of my best qualities as…
Empowerment of others – it’s what I strive for in my life and desire to see everyone else around me living an empowered life.
I am most proud of…
My healing and transformation journey…. It has led me to the transformation I experience in every aspect of my life, every day, in every way.
A favourite quote
“May all Beings be happy and free.
May the thoughts, words & actions of my own life contribute in some way
to that happiness & freedom for all.” Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
The advice I would give my 20-year old self…
When you are making your way through the world, every experience will teach you something – look for the message and teaching.
There are no good or bad experiences only what they will teach you.
Appreciate them all equally – don’t hold on to feeling good or bad for too long. Find your authentic light so you can first know who you are.
Entering my 40’s …
It was an initiation for me – while I let go of the stories from the previous 3 decades I also felt a power within I wasn’t aware of.
One of the significant changes was learning to honour myself – finding strength in appreciating my qualities.
It was also a time of intense and accelerated growth and spiritual awakening which I am aware is the phoenix rising from the ashes.
The purification stage lasted for at least 7 years and while there are parts that are still under refinement the birthing is still underway.
My work has deepened as an intuitive empath and healer – the deepening and grounding is currently taking place.
In 2020 I was strongly guided to move my home, work, and life to the Western Cape.
I knew it would be huge transformation, but I still continue to be surprised and humbled at how blessed I am in the path of service.
Relationships have taken on new meaning during the time of my awakening.
I learned that not all relationships and friendships are meant to continue –
some I have had to learn to lovingly release but always be aware of what I have experienced and learned through them.
My story
I went from corporate life in 2010 thinking that I would leave the stress, overwork, and dysfunction behind.
I now know that this was a program known as magical thinking that had been running as a program in the background!
I manifested voluntary retrenchment and chose to pursue the holistic and healing field.
The first day into my sabbatical when I realized that I was no longer dictated to by my calendar and meetings that were booked up to a year in advance.
I had an emotional meltdown …. And for a month I wasn’t quite aware that I was processing the death of the old me.
I saw how much of me – how much of my identity was created through my career and how co-dependent I was on work being my defining characteristics.
It took me about 3 months before I could find some stability. But some things were still to remain the same.
In the next 16 months, I displayed the same patterns as I had in the corporate world – I pursued a 12-module holistic healing program that lasted a year with training, case studies, and exams.
I also agreed to take on a consulting role. I went from not knowing what I would be doing for about a “minute” to filling up my time and pulling all-nighters.
My husband pointed out (not so kindly) that it wasn’t the corporate job that was the issue – I had two gears either on or off.
It was a characteristic my father also displayed with his focus on work. These were sobering reality checks.
I would start looking at deeper healing and personal development so I could start to redefine myself.
I took ownership of my all-or-nothing drive.
I identified my need to be perfect had masked something deeper – the impostor syndrome.
I drove myself hard because the constant narrative that ran in the background was that I was not good enough. So I double-down and wanted to be perfect at whatever I did.
This became the start of a deeper journey of self-discovery, self-reflection, and self-healing. I thank my younger self who had the courage to recognize that things were not okay.
She made tough choices from a level of consciousness when she didn’t know any better, but she knew something had to change.
I marvel at and I welcome what more magic, mystery, abundance, joy, inspiration, love can be accessed now with each step I now take in my personal and spiritual journey.
What are your thoughts on ageing? And is there a goal or dream you still wish to accomplish?
I believe life teaches us non-attachment through aging. And for those who can extract the sweet nectar of their experiences – I believe is the alchemical transformation of the Divine living as a human.
I read that sunsets are a reminder that every beautiful thing has an ending.
The trick is to remember that to see any beauty externally is to know that we carry the same beauty within.
Aging is the same we can either see the beauty of a life well-lived or days that just passed us by. We get to choose how we will experience it and no choice is ever entirely right or wrong.
A dream I still wish to accomplish on my vision list is to establish a healing and retreat centre.
It was lovely to meet Fazila. Her energy is gentle and calming, and we had an incredible day creating some beautiful portraits. Thank you to Delaney for doing Fazila’s hair and makeup.
Every shoot I do, I learn something new from my interactions with my clients. Fazila has opened up a whole new world to me with her presence.
To read more about my 40 Over 40 Women’s Portrait Campaign, please click HERE. I am fully booked but you can join the waitlist for any future campaigns I’ll be having.
