The Creator of Empress Flow
Hello. I’m Ria, the practitioner behind Empress Flow.
I spent 23 years working fulltime as a marketer in advertising agencies, broadcasting and fashion retail. It was an addictive career and my fix was the pursuit of praise and payslips, in return for my productivity and performance.
During my thirties, the relationship with my daughter’s father left me with deep trauma. I became a single mother when my little one was still a baby. I juggled this alongside holding down jobs in London, while managing a complex relationship with my ex.
Those circumstances could easily overwhelm me and while searching for ways to manage stress, in 2017 I discovered Reiki - a Japanese spiritual practice and energy healing system.
The first session hit me hard in the soul and I wanted to learn more. Alongside working life, I gained my Practitioner Levels I, II and III and then Master Teacher certifications in the Usui Shiki Ryoho method. I have been practising and teaching others for over eight years now.
Despite a career going full steam ahead and Reiki supporting me, by the end of 2024 the wheels had come off. The culprits? Serious workaholism, crippling hypervigilance, and clinging to outmoded coping mechanisms - honed over decades - to keep me “safe”.
Those strategies were clearly redundant but I was stuck in a doom loop. Cue: two spectacular burnouts and a fully-loaded identity crisis.
I was relegated to bed rest, facing down the demons, and it felt bleak. Why did I keep breaking and what was the bloody point of it all?
Then I Broke
I realised that the only way out was to go inwards, dig as deep as I dared, and tune into the messages my body, mind and soul were sending. No more suppressing, no more bypassing - I had to get my hands dirty.
I used intensive Reiki alongside months of coaching, psychotherapy and shadow work to navigate my way through. It was difficult and the phrase “dark night of the soul” is apt in the retelling. But it was necessary and liberating.
Maybe some would say it prompted a spiritual awakening. I believe that I remembered who I am. I released the versions of me who lived in survival, who over-gave, who ignored the truths rising inside me.
It’s a process I am profoundly grateful for because it inspired the creation of Empress Flow.
I have said goodbye to full time corporate life and I’m pursuing what lights me up. I have reconnected deeply with my Reiki practice, completed a foundation course in Nancy Kline’s Thinking Environment® method, and an introductory course to the theory of Transactional Analysis.
In 2026, my commitment to study and learning will continue with a deeper dive into 121 Thinking Environment® coaching, a foundation year in TA psychotherapy, and complementing my Reiki knowledge with Seichem energy healing.
"Healing" is messy AF (and it never ends)
"Healing" is messy AF (and it never ends)
"Healing" is messy AF (and it never ends) "Healing" is messy AF (and it never ends)
Finding My Flow
There’s a phrase I read in those darker days that continues to affect me profoundly.
“When you emerge from the fire, bring back water.”
Empress Flow is my water carrier. It’s a venture that fulfils my desire to support people by using the tools that have helped me. My intention is to create nurturing spaces that foster clarity and healing for my clients.
Because spoiler alert: The magic happens when you stop forcing, listen to the voice inside, and go with your flow.
If this resonates with you, I warmly invite you to experience the energy of Empress Flow.
With love,
Ria
Get in touch to find out more or book an appointment
The Empress Flow practice is based in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, with the option of home and venue visits in London and the South East for corporate days, or ongoing personal development programmes.