When Science Meets Spirituality: How Christina Lopes Is Effectively Helping Others Heal From Trauma

Christina Lopes, Founder of Christina Lopes International, is on a mission to support others in navigating the challenges that may come along with experiencing a spiritual awakening. 

Christina’s early journey began as a Neuropediatric Physical Therapist, receiving a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York University and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Objectively, she seemed to be thriving in her life and career, yet everything came crashing down in 2013 after her marriage suddenly ended. This jolting life event springboarded Christina into a spiritual awakening, which she eventually honed into a spiritual initiation. However, she didn’t stop there. Christina chose to harness her newfound discoveries to help others who may be experiencing a similar awakening. Today, Christina combines her scientific knowledge with her spiritual tools to support others through YouTube content, coaching, and retreats.

We asked Christina about the founding story of her company, the problem her work solves, and what’s next for her and Christina Lopes International.

Q: Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on Christina Lopes International?

A: My path as an entrepreneur started quite spontaneously, without me even noticing. During a very difficult period in my life, when I began to understand that I was having a spiritual awakening, I had a vision about making videos. There was a strong pull to make video content around my experiences of inner transformation and help people navigate their own spiritual awakenings, even reaching people who didn’t know anything about spirituality. I knew that many people were going through major inner shifts and having awakenings without knowing it. 

Western culture rarely uses the term “spiritual awakening” but there are other terms that are more widely accepted in the vernacular: midlife crisis, nervous breakdown, and burnout. Many times, those terms are simply signposts pointing to something deeper going on. I wanted to help people understand what was really happening to them and assist them in transitioning to a life of joy and purpose. So I started a YouTube channel and published weekly videos about spirituality, how to know if you’re having a spiritual awakening, and how to navigate the challenges that come with such a profound inner transformation. About four years after publishing my first video on YouTube, I understood that I was not only a spiritual teacher but also an entrepreneur. That shift in perspective helped explode my business and allowed me to reach hundreds of thousands of people monthly.

Q: What problem does Christina Lopes International solve?

A: We help individuals navigate the profound inner changes that occur during a spiritual awakening, assist them in healing past trauma, and facilitate their transition into a life of deep purpose and joy. Spiritual awakenings often force people to examine their lives in ways they have never done before and provoke a deep desire to change the course of their paths. Our company is there to help people find those answers and make the shifts necessary to bring them into alignment with their new path.

Q: In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?

A: I experienced significant childhood trauma. I was forced to grow up too quickly and take on an adult role before I was ready for it. So my ability to help others in such a deep way comes directly from my experience in healing my own trauma and opening myself up to the spiritual awakening that happened to me in 2013 when my life fell apart in a very painful way. Surviving and healing trauma also gave me a depth of empathy and compassion for the human condition, patience with myself and others, as well as a profound resilience that informs everything I do today. 

One of the most important edicts I have in life is "when I fall down, I get back up." This seems like a simple statement but it has many levels including one that was essential for me as an emerging entrepreneur: falling down is inevitable but each time I get up my company becomes stronger and more capable to help the people I serve.

Q: What’s been the hardest and most rewarding part of your entrepreneurial journey?

A: The hardest part for me was being patient enough and not giving up during the years of initial uncertainty and lack of stable revenue. Often, there's an excessive romanticization of entrepreneurs and their success stories, without giving enough attention to the struggle and difficulties that they also go through in the initial stages of building a successful company. But looking back, it was all worth it. Today, the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur is seeing the thousands of people whose lives have been profoundly changed for the better by our company and the services we offer.  

Q: Has your definition of success evolved throughout your journey as a founder?

A: Yes, very much so. Initially, I defined success as being able to reach as many people as possible with our services and message. But once I learned to focus on just one person, everything changed. We focus on one potential customer in everything we do, instead of going for the masses. We go deep instead of broad. That may mean our customer pool is smaller. But because we know each individual well and deeply, we can serve them to a greater degree than we would be able to if we cast a broad net. 

Q: How have you grown as a leader since starting Christina Lopes International? What experiences have contributed to this growth?

A: My biggest growth as a leader has occurred in two main phases. In the first phase, I had to quickly learn how to transition from a solopreneur to an entrepreneur. I had to learn how to release control, delegate more, trust a team, and stop micromanaging. This was really difficult for me initially. My life's work is so dear to me that it was hard to hand my baby off to others and trust that they too could help the company grow and become better. In the second phase, I learned to slow down and step off the constant action hamster wheel. I unfortunately learned this lesson through physical illness that left me almost bedridden for weeks at a time. When I was faced with my body breaking down, I had to reevaluate how I wanted to grow my business and learn to work smarter instead of faster.

Q: What’s next for you and Christina Lopes International?

A: We're constantly innovating in the area of video content creation and our next steps will be to heavily focus on our videos and how to make them in a way that delivers the most transformation for the people that watch them. We're currently overhauling our entire YouTube channel strategy so we can continue to deliver the best possible free content in the spirituality niche. And we're also creating more immersive and transformational online courses and paid private communities to help people navigate the profound changes that they go through during a spiritual awakening.

Christina is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women leaders and entrepreneurs by securing PR opportunities, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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