Meet SA Woman Member, Natalie Michels.

Business/Organisation: Alite Mind
Job Role: Counselor, Mindfulness and meditation Practitioner – Sole Trader

Tell us a bit about you:

Hi, I’m Natalie. As a Mum of two gorgeous young adults, wife, Chief Executive Officer of an electronics manufacturing business and a registered counsellor and mindfulness/meditation practitioner, I understand the transformative power of integrating evidence-based strategies with embodied wisdom practices to create a life filled with meaning, purpose, and productivity.

Having navigated through several of life’s challenges, I’ve experienced the pain of suffering, feeling stuck, and overwhelmed. This can result in low energy, disrupted sleep, headaches, digestive issues, chronic pain conditions, heightened anxiety as well as persistent procrastination and excuses. The key realisation is that life doesn’t need to be chaotic. Over 25 years ago, my own struggles led me to meditation, and after years of practice with various teachers and groups, it has profoundly impacted my personal, professional, and parenting life.

As a parent guiding children through the diverse terrain they experience nowadays about four years ago my youngest found herself challenged with her mental health state, this became quite a worrying and concerning time. I found myself feeling quite lost within the mental health system with feeling inadequate with my ability to support my child. This was the driving force behind the beginning of my latest formal studies.

Thinking that if I felt this way many other parents must be experiencing the same thing and how can I make this better for not only myself but other parents facing similar traumatic situations. This led me to gaining a Post Graduate Diploma in teaching and guiding meditation and mindfulness (specialising in mental health) and most recently my Diploma in counselling.

I made the decision to juggle two jobs, as I am so passionate about supporting peoples mental health. Dividing 50% of my time to each business and also continuing to be a present, loving, caring and grounded parent and wife is a continued challenge but my daily meditation practice is my guiding light.

My mission is to share my insights to help others save time and potentially alleviate some of their suffering, so they can live a life that they LOVE.

Tell us a bit about your business or organisation/role:

Alite Mind is a caring and supportive space for adults and children with busy minds and lives to be supported by learning mindfulness and meditation or individual women’s counseling sessions.

I also offer private mindfulness coaching in my bespoke studio space in St Agnes.

Sessions are trauma-aware and sensitive and incorporate science-based mindfulness and meditation practice, somatic self-reflection techniques, cognitive behaviour therapies, person centred therapies and sound therapies. Together, these have been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety, boost physical and emotional health and wellbeing, improve sleep, and regulate moods – as well as enhance creativity and intuition.

Specialising in mindfulness and meditation practices that can bring a real sense of grounding and relaxation, as well as greater awareness to cultivate self-kindness. They also support a full mind-body integrated connection, by making it easier to survey the signals the body sends about areas of pain, discomfort, or imbalance.

Children’s guided mindfulness classes incorporate creative mindful arts and crafts, sound therapies, mindful movement, calming techniques, short 10-minute guided meditations and more to learn how to bring and embody more mindfulness in their lives.

I also offer workplace workshops which can be tailored to the organisations needs. The program empowers the team with evidence based techniques and tools that instantly improve focus and reduce stress. By learning relaxation and resilience skills, they can navigate everyday challenges with greater confidence, creativity and calm.

What region of South Australia are you in?:
Adelaide North

How can you best contact you:

Work Address: Alite Mind, Shop 4, 1240 North East Road, St Agnes, 5097.
Website https://alitemind.au/ 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alitemind/   
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-michels/ 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alite.mind/ 

Let’s get to know you a little more:

What has been a lesson you learnt in your career or business that has stayed with you?
Do your best and let it rest!
Trust your gut instincts as they are always right.
Build your team around you as together we can grow and assist each other toward greatness.
Cash flow spreadsheets are necessary as cash is king within business.
Reach out to other like minded businesses and definitely take the time to network.
Always keep within your ethical boundaries no matter what other actions are taken.

What is your favourite place in South Australia to visit?
Point Turton

Why is being part of SA Woman important to you?
Grow my network and support other woman in business. I have held my role as Chief Executive Officer within the manufacturing sector for the past 10 years and it has been an isolated position as it is male dominated. I understand what it is like to walk in the room and you are the only female, the men don’t take you seriously and show disrespect. If I can help others that’s my goal and my new business Alite Mind is still quite young and growing my network here is vitally important as I truly believe that having a trusted network where we can refer and support each other and our clients will assist with the change this world needs,

What is a quote or mantra you live by?
Do your best and let it rest!