Her Story
About Ericka
My education in health and wellness began in my home, where I was exposed to Western medicine from my earliest memories through my family's work in the field. This foundation helped me recognize that there are other elements of health and wellness beyond conventional medicine, leading me down many pathways of studying other healing modalities. Much of my learning came through experience, healing my own body from things like lots of antibiotics as a kid and an accident with a horse. I've come to understand that it's all connected, and that interconnectedness is what informs my practice today. I always knew from kindergarten that I wanted to be a teacher and educator, and that's exactly what I am, though my path took me through getting my master's degree with plans to become a professor. I substitute taught high school earth science and Geography 101 at San Francisco State University, which was rewarding but exhausting. I then worked for two years at the California Environmental Protection Agency's Water Board in Oakland, specializing in freshwater resource management and environmental planning, doing technical writing. But I realized I couldn't stick at a desk for that many hours and wanted to make a bigger impact on humanity. My practice today is completely personalized and custom, built entirely through word of mouth. I used to teach big yoga classes with 60 mats, level 2-3, arm balances, heated rooms, and loud music, but I realized that wasn't my most effective use of my time on this planet. Now I work with private clients and curated group classes tailored specifically to each group. I'm on the ground in the gyms and in the homes with people, and I pride myself on coming early and staying late, always being available to answer wellness questions. I have what I call a borderline obsession with health and wellness, and I walk the walk that I talk. Everything I learn, I take it in, try it on, and test it out. I've been stacking on the repetitions for a long time, and I'm [AGE], and nobody ever believes me when I tell them my age because I've been really consistent with it all.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ericka
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to remaining open-minded and continually seeking continuing education, keeping apprised with science and findings from complementary fields like neurobiology and non-dual psychology. Neurobiology hugely informs my private practice. I also attribute it to being myself and holding myself to the standards that I command for others, maintaining my own sleep hygiene and physical health and well-being so that I bring my best self forward and I'm a clear conduit for others to channel wisdom through, without it being filtered through my own baggage and stories. I go to therapy, I go to somatic therapy, I go to talk therapy, I go to the gym, I go to yoga, I do my own practices at home. I cook my food and I make the tea that I suggest to others to bring balance into their bodies. It's really a mind-body-spirit awareness that's constantly expanding. I walk the walk that I talk, and that's how you earn trust and become masterful, by practicing it yourself.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would suggest that they seek professional in-person training versus trainings that are offered online or things that are on social media. I would furthermore suggest that they start small, knowing that they can expand later, and become really adept at the basics, and then grow your tree branches out from there. Walk the walk that you talk. If you don't, your clients will feel it. That's how you earn trust, and that's actually how you become masterful, is by practicing it yourself. Know when something is beyond your understanding and be willing to share that it's beyond your scope. You can either help them find the right person to answer a question, or in my case, I oftentimes reach out to a colleague in a complementary industry and get the question answered for them. That was yoga philosophy class day one learning that I always took to heart: don't think that you know it all, because you don't. You don't want to give bad advice just to try to save your ego, and you don't want to just glean from a Google search without getting it vetted. Always maintain mentorship, have leaders, and be a seeker, and have a guide supporting you.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Clear, kind communication is first and foremost. Harm reduction is a massive underpinning of wellness coaching, especially with women's health. Women can be really hard on themselves or have wild, lofty goals, beating themselves up ad nauseum, so helping them increase their mind-body connection, increasing consciousness, is really important to me. I also value being on time and efficient, riding this line between efficiency and compassion, which is an ongoing balancing act. I'm all outcalls, so I'm all over town. Empathy is a huge, huge hallmark of my personal and professional life.
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