Taking the Leap

Woman lying on sofa reading laptop

Deborah Flanagan

Profile in O, The Oprah Magazine

I choose my unique path to joy.

I’m so excited to be profiled in the May issue of Oprah’s O Magazine. The article is in the magazine’s regular column, “The Leap,” and talks about my big life/career transition from 15 years as a Development Director to starting my own Reiki/Tao Hands/Hypnosis practice.

Being profiled in a column called “The Leap” seems particularly appropriate. Not only because this career change started me on a completely different life altogether, but because when I first started my practice, I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to help people who are experiencing a major transition in their lives.

Whether it’s finding a new job, moving forward from a break up or divorce, starting a new relationship, becoming a parent, dealing with the loss of a loved one–be it positive or negative–change can be challenging and I love being able to offer clients ways to help make taking “the leap” a little easier (or to move forward in the first place!)

How Can Reiki Help Me Take The Leap?

Many of my clients tell me it’s hard for them to take action. They’re often good at finding ways to stall and avoid the risk of failure or face their fears.

Nine times out of 10, they’ve actually got everything they need to move forward–the resources, the drive, the passion–but it’s still hard to take that leap. By staying suspended between hope and action they can be perpetually optimistic without risk of failure by taking that first step.

Often we can feel where we hold this fear or resistance in our bodies, and Reiki can be very effective at softening and helping you to let go of it. Reiki, Tao Hands, and Hypnosis can help you gain clarity, tap into your intuition, and discover your inner wisdom.

Sometimes big changes happen in one session. More often, changes happen more subtly–you live your life, seeing what happens over time in order to be able to notice the difference. Looking back, in retrospect you can see how you’ve changed (or better yet, you can’t even really remember having that problem or issue).

I always tell people that what drew me to Reiki is the fact that it is so subtle and yet so powerful. I’ve always been a pretty black-and-white person, so that didn’t make sense to me at first (and now it’s what keeps me coming back for more.)

Even after all these years, I’m still amazed to notice how Reiki and the other healing tools I’ve added to my work smooth and soften the negative edges of my life, like weather imperceptibly smoothing the rugged edges of a mountain over time–some examples include, spending less money on things I don’t need, eating better, meditating (finally!), thinking more positively and appreciating all the good things in my life more, finding an amazing relationship, being more compassionate to myself and others, the list goes on and on.

Try This

Let me know if you’re in the midst of a major transition, and we’ll focus the session on feeling supported and confident moving forward. Book a virtual session now no matter where you live in the world.

Step out of your comfort zone. Do one thing that scares you a day.

According to research, this boosts the dopamine in your brain (a neurotransmitter that improves muscle movement, attention, concentration) and taking risks creates new neurological connections in the brain. Conquering a fear creates an opportunity for new parts of ourselves to emerge and allows you to take that LEAP!

Thank You

I’m so grateful to all of you–clients, family, friends, my amazing husband–who helped me make this big life transition. The going wasn’t always easy and I couldn’t have done it without your support. Thank you so much for helping me, as Oprah puts it, “Live my best life and taking the leap!” I look forward to supporting you as well with your own leaps and bounds!

Related Posts:

Featured in Oprah Magazine

Burned out by an all-consuming job, Deborah Flanagan found balance and peace through the healing arts — and now she's helping others do the same.

Read The Press
Also Featured On
Mind Body Green Logo Oprah Magazine Logo Dr. Oz Logo
Your Tango Logo ABC Network Logo Black Enterprise Magazine Logo Z Living Logo