We had the good fortune of connecting with Gullveig Grunwald and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gullveig, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was raised a conservative southern Baptist and my folks owned a traveling carnival until I was 10 years old. I feel that experiencing such dramatic duality co-existing at the same time gave me a wide-angle perspective of society at a very young age. At home, it was no rock and roll, no drinking or drugs of any kind, and men and women had very distinct roles. Meanwhile, literally right outside our door, we coexisted with people who struggled with addiction, had wild parties, and rock and roll was played non-stop on the midway. In addition to this, I am an intuitive with empathic abilities, and as a child, had many paranormal experiences. I learned quickly that it was best to keep these experiences to myself. The fundamental religious doctrine never felt like truth to me and no matter what church we went to, I was immediately identified as a rebel-rouser because of the incessant questions I asked. As a result, I had the experience of being an outsider, even among my family. Because I can/could feel other’s emotions as though they are my own, it seemed to me that no matter what path a person followed, most people seemed to be incredibly unhappy. I spent a lot of time by myself, and when available, with trees and in nature. This is when and where I felt at ease, unlocked my magic, and learned the value of listening to my truth; I learned that the key to fulfillment isn’t in any external ideology or distraction, but from within. I now look back at that time, with all of it’s challenges, as a gift. There’s a saying that demonstrates this well… “You can’t see a picture if you are in the frame.” Growing up as an empathic outsider gave me this out of the frame perspective, and most importantly, it led me to prioritize my relationship to myself. I now have made it a mission of mine to assist others in unlocking their magic and bringing their power back.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is the culmination of my personal experience and over 20 years of study. I have an 800 hour yoga therapy certification, with a secondary certification in yoga nidra meditation from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, I have been a Reiki master for 17 years, and during this time have studied metaphysics, a wide variety of energy healing techniques, and a variety of magical and spiritual paths. What is unique about my services and classes is that I combine modern psychology with ancient wisdom and practices. I teach techniques that help regulate the nervous system and provide experiences that enhance a person’s trust in their own intuition. Once this is established, we then can move on to practical magic, where I teach how to align the will, mind, and energy to manifest what we want in life. Manifestation isn’t as mysterious as it might seem. If your will, focus, and energy is greater then the resistance to what you want, then you get what you want. If the resistance is greater, then you don’t. What is common is that our energy, will, and focus is compromised by our own subconscious shadows. These shadows often sabotage even our greatest efforts. What the kicker is, is that these shadows think they are actually helping us! An inefficient practice is to “clear” our shadows. This often gets few results because these practices often push those shadows back into the proverbial closet. I teach integration of these dismissed and undervalued parts, and in doing so, bring these shadows to the light of consciousness, where they are repurposed. At one point and time, I had lost my home, I was broke with no job, the toxic relationship I had for 9 years went away, and I was living with my mom and stepdad in the desert, starting over at age 30. What I teach is what has been effective for me to reestablish trust in myself and my intuition, and to go from nothing to doing what I love, full time, and be surrounded by healthy relationships of all kinds. What I’ve learned along the way is that the more we love ALL parts of ourselves, the more graceful life becomes. What I want people to know the most is that we are magic, made by magic, to perform magic, and pretending that we are mundane, confused, powerless creatures is not helpful to anyone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When they got in town I would take them to Hanny’s in downtown Phoenix. It’s quirky, artistic, and fun. The food is good and the menu simple. Best deal on dirty martini’s in town. After, we’d hit up Wonderspaces at Biltmore Fashion Square, which are art installations that promise to play with your brain a bit. For folks who aren’t aware of how beautiful the desert can be, we can go to the Desert Botanical Gardens. The next morning, we’d enjoy some locally sourced, made from scratch breakfast at the Farm at South Mountain. We’d beat the heat by heading up to Sedona. This place fills my soul. We’d go to Chocolatree, where we will probably have a hard time deciding on which of the almost too-beautiful-to-eat chocolates while we relax in their whimsical garden. Hiking the West Fork Trail, we can leave the busy-ness of town behind and commune with the trees and the river that this trail meanders through. Before we leave, we can peruse the shops at Tlaquepaque and enjoy some delicious, made with love, Italian cuisine at Cucina Rustica.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to take a moment to recognize my husband, Mario, who believes in me even when I doubt myself. Thank you for always SEEING me, and loving me, even in my times of darkness. He is my cheerleader and confidant and best friend. Thank you. I also want to shout out to my mom, Carol. When I came to the desert of AZ to start over, you were here to catch me, and your home was a sanctuary in my time of need. Your unconditional support is felt and words cannot express the gratitude I have for you. I am proud that you are my mom. My stepfather, John. You are such a gift to our family. I consider you my father-figure, no “step” about it. You have always been there and treat us as though we were your own kids from birth. You are a shining example of the kind of honesty and integrity that is possible. Maia Rodman, Heather Rose, thank you for always sharing. Your generous spirit brings people together and often provides just the right resource at just the right moment. These women along with Jillian Holper, Sara Mata, Jenny Lynn, and Mel Rhoden, thank you for holding space and exemplifying what can happen when spiritual entrepreneurs support each other. I want to also recognize all of the magical like-minded people in my life. There are too many to list here, but rest assure, you are all the reason why I was brought to Phoenix. Some of you are associates, and some of you I just have the pleasure of knowing, either way, you taught me what it was to have tribe, and that there’s a lot more of us weird, magical, and intuitive folks out there than most of us realize.

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Image Credits
Scott Hays Photography Nicole Anne Yoga

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