Feeling like an imposter?

Let me explain

For many years now, I’ve wanted to share my story and experience as a girl in her 30’s on a mission to be financially free. Why financial freedom? Honestly, for my own stability and the opportunities money gives you. I am not a materialistic person and spend most days in gym/ yoga clothes with my hair scrapped back and no make up on. However, I do like expensive things; horses, trips around the world to experience different cultures, holidays with my family and yoga retreats with my friends. All these activities cost money; especially the horse one! For those of you living in the UK, owning a horse is like having a second mortgage, and that’s just owning and paying for its lifestyle, never mind the vet bills! 

I come from a family that is very broken, I still talk to my immediate family, however even that is complicated at times. As I write this blog, I am 35 years old, self employed, no kids (yet) and live in a small town in the North of the UK, with my boyfriend, who is currently setting up his business in Dubai (that’s another story)…. 

Given my history and trauma in life, even though I am not materialistic, I have this deep knowing that I want to be financially free. 

My passion in life has always been horses and wellness. So much so that I have turned my love of horses into a career and for the past 10 years I have a business as an Animal Chiropractor and Performance Specialist treating a variety of horses and dogs around the world. I’ve just got back from treating the Olympic Show jumping team in Dubai. 

My other love, and this is where the imposter syndrome kicks in, is wellness. Not just going to the gym, lifting weights and counting calories (I’ve done that in the past and can safely say that this is NOT effective to long term wellness). 

For me wellness is living your life with no regrets, making the most of the things you want to achieve and ultimately being the best version of you. Whatever that you is. Therefore wellness incorporates movement, nutrition and brain —gut gymming. Yes, you’re probably thinking, Nika Brain- gut gymming ins’t a sentence! Let me explain, over the 30 years of my life I have competed across 4 disciplines as an athlete; 

• Ballet 

• Flat jockey 

• PSG dressage rider - competing for GB 

• Boxer  

All of these sports are uniquely challenging and I believe that I successfully competed in them all because I focused on the 3 pillars: 

• Nutrition - food being fuel - NOT DIETING 

• Movement - variety in my training, from weights, cardio, yoga and mobility 

• Brain- gut gym - training my brain through meditation, journaling and breath work 

Over the last 3 years I have taken up yoga and yes at first it was because I wanted to do all the cool head stands and balance poses, however I now have a totally different perspective of yoga and understand why and how important the practise is to being the best version of myself.

To me this version, is the Nika who is understanding, she is the observer of her thoughts and responds with compassion and kindness. The Nika who is grateful for where she is day to day, respecting that she can not control the external curveballs that life throws at her. The Nika that can emotionally regulate herself - listens to her body and turns inward for clarity instead of seeking outward answers.  

After leaving competitive sport, I am now in a new chapter of my life, balancing my hormones through optimal nutrition, training my brain to help regulate my emotions, thoughts and actions and doing a variety of exercises to maintain strength, both from a cardiovascular and physiological perspective. This daily practice has: 

✅ Removed my brain fog

✅ Removed the inflammation around my face and belly 

✅ Increased my energy levels 

✅ Regulate my hormones 

This is why I have created this platform True Self Mastery. 

I believe that all females should feel this way. Gone are the days of not feeling worthy, not being enough, apologising for our hormones, being embarrassed to show your belly and body in all its shapes, sizes and curves. 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light. Not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, fabulous? 

Actually, who are you not to be? 

You’re playing small does not serve the world/ 

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do. 

We were born to make manifest the glory of god that is within us; it’s within everyone. 

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

I ended up googling what the word imposter means: 

“a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain. (Google.com)” 

Suddenly I didn’t feel like one anymore! 

Moral of the story, observe your thoughts and don’t label yourself. Look up the words you tell yourself you are and check in with yourself!  We are our own self critic and if we wrote down or recorded some of the thoughts we tell ourselves, I’m pretty we would stop and think twice! 

Welcome to True Self Mastery 🦋