Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Valerie Silidker, co-founder, and director of Psychospiritual Institute, located in Delray Beach, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am the Co-Founder and Director of the Psychospiritual Institute (PSI). My partner, Alyssa Whitehouse, and I created PSI to help people remember who they are and tap into a greater potential for ourselves as individuals and for humanity at a time when our world is in transition. We work with people who feel this shift and want to be a catalyst for change through transpersonal coaching, facilitating, speaking, and stepping up into evolutionary leadership. Our clients and students feel a deep longing to live a more purposeful life of authenticity and contribution. They are emerging leaders, healers, coaches, activists, and compassionate troublemakers, who are ready to change lives and lead our world forward!
Tell us about yourself
Over 20 years ago, my heart broke open when I learned about the suffering that we inflict on other animals in circuses, factory farms, in labs, and more. How could we be so cruel as a species, hurting other animals and destroying our planet in the name of profit? The more I learned, and the more I fell in love with the beauty of life, the more I felt old constructs begin to dissolve. I experienced a paradigm shift, and the veil that had separated me from the Earth lifted.
I realized that I deeply value justice, beauty, and compassion, and I wanted to make a difference. I also realized that we, as humans, are so disconnected from ourselves and our world that we live in ignorance, and this ignorance creates profound suffering. I started questioning what it means to be human and live a deeper life that is interconnected with the whole, a life that honors the planet and all living beings. I became an activist, taking bold action toward my stand for compassionate living through ecological and social justice.
Through my studies in Deep Ecology, Ecopsychology, Psychosynthesis, and more, plus my own life experiences, I came to understand that so much of the suffering we experience is due to feeling disconnected from ourselves and the greater web of life. We have forgotten who we are as humans, as Earth, and as the Great Mystery that gave birth to the Universe over 13.7 billion years ago.
We are so much more than we believe we are, and it's time we started living like it. Over the last two decades, I've created large-scale transformational events with tens of thousands of people, facilitated hundreds of groups, worked as an adjunct professor at FIU, and coached so many beautiful souls. Then, six years ago, I started Psychospiritual Institute to help create this change in the world and train people with the skills and confidence to make a difference.
The work we do at Psychospiritual Institute invites deep inquiry into ourselves through ecological and transpersonal psychology work. We bring together spiritual psychology, deep ecology, leadership skills, and holistic business skills to support emerging leaders to take a greater stand in our world and make a difference for their clients, students, and every life they touch. I feel blessed every day for the incredible community of changemakers who find their way to us. These powerful humans courageously do their own inner work so they can live a life that matters. I know our work is meeting the needs of our world and contributing to the greater evolutionary movement on our planet. And this inspires me every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I have seen so many lives transformed through this work, and I have seen our graduates go on to then transform and support the healing of so many of their own clients and students through their coaching, programs, best-selling books, speaking, and more. The ripple effect on the world is huge! We touch so many lives simply by being more fully ourselves. And then to build a successful business that intentionally transforms thousands of lives...THIS feels like success. As we inspire more and more people, who step into leadership in the world, this is how we make a difference.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I would say that one of the most challenging things is time. Balancing time between focusing both IN the business as the director and lead trainer and ON the business in regards to developing the vision and various programs. Then time with my beautiful family while balancing my business and team.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I definitely have a few tips I can share. I have found that creating healthy boundaries around my work schedule as an entrepreneur is crucial for inner peace and sustainability as a business owner. I take a break; I take a trip. I take time for myself and my family. Otherwise, as business owners, we are working around the clock because it can feel like there is always more to do. And since we are passionate and driven to make a difference, it's hard to stop. So breathe. Create space. Pace yourself so that you work in a way that brings you joy rather than burnout.
Have a stand. What is your spiritual vision? Your why? Make sure you write it down and put it where you can see it. Because when things feel challenging, we can center back into the why that moves us deeper into the world. The reason we are here. And this makes a huge difference.
Be in it for the long game, and continue to do your inner work. Most entrepreneurs give up in the first few years. So we need to do our own inner work each step of the way to stay present and focused. Allow yourself to F.A.I.L. (Focus and recenter, Accept the situation as is, Investigate with curiosity, Learn), and this will help you grow from each experience. Over time, you will strengthen your sense of self, your vision, your skills, and your resilience. And you WILL be successful. Just stay on the path and continue learning what you need along the way. Remember: Success is not an endpoint. It's a journey.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
The world needs you. All of us. Now is the time to tune into your heart and your sense of purpose and contribution. We are in this together. And together, we can make the change our world so desperately needs.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://psychospiritualcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psychospiritualcoaching
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychospiritual.institute/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valsilidker/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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