Conversations with Julia Dank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Dank.

Hi Julia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since I was a young girl growing up on the East Coast, I’ve always felt every emotion with my whole heart. I was often called “sensitive” and saw being a deep feeler as a weakness for much of my life. Through my journey of self-discovery through Spirituality, Energy Healing, and Yoga, I found this to be my superpower!

My capacity to deeply feel and empathize has shown to be a great skill in my energy-healing work with my clients and in my overall career + personal journey. After a few years of embarking on my Spiritual Awakening beginning in college, after an adolescence of emotional hardship, I grew increasingly more aware of the deep desire in my heart to pursue a path of purpose where I could be in service to others, spreading Love and Light in my communities.

I spent 4 years in Corporate Merchandising after college, knowing the whole time that my heart was elsewhere. In November of 2022, I pursued my Reiki Certification, which aligned with my journey with Sound Healing. I began collecting Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls and offering sound baths for my friends, as well as practicing my new Reiki Healing abilities on friends and family.

The more I delved into my practice, I naturally opened up a whole new modality within myself of Vocal Alchemy, where I use my singing voice to harmonize with Sound Healing instruments and use Reiki and my energetic connection to Spirit to channel Light messages through song. I have been a singer and music-lover my whole life, with extensive experience in Music Theory, Choir, A Cappella groups, and Orchestra, and teaching myself to play the Ukulele.

Music has always been a central part of my life, and expressing myself through my voice has always been very natural to me. Opening up my channel to Sound Healing and Vocal Alchemy has been a deeply healing practice that has also helped me carve out my niche as an Energy Healer. After a few months of developing our skills, my best friend Sierra (Sielestial Being) and I began offering Healing services at pop-up healing events with our partnership project called Soul Joy Spiritualists.

We created a Reiki Infused Guided Meditation + Sound Bath that we began sharing at Intimate Home Parties, Corporate Wellness Events, Music Festival Workshops, and Wellness Retreats. We found that growing our practice in partnership helped us to advance in our skillset quickly and effectively, as we were able to learn from one another and amplify our power through working as a team.

We were blessed to become a part of a wonderful community of Healers on the East Coast, and across the country, through online Zoom circles and in-person women’s circles. We both saw our careers in Wellness begin to expand, as we simultaneously were being pulled away from Corporate life. Then, in May of 2023, I moved across the country from Philadelphia, PA to Grand Rapids, MI, taking a leap of faith to move in with my long-distance partner and break out of the Corporate 9-5 lifestyle.

Upon my move, I quit my job in Merchandising and after 1 month, began working with Aptitude Fitness + Yoga in Rockford, MI as their In-House Energy Healer. As our partnership grew, I began offering Sound Healing for Yin Yoga classes taught by Rachel Crowther, the studio Co-Owner. Rachel and I were blessed enough to offer this class called “Slow Down with Sound” once a month at Aptitude, and at the 2023 MVAA Michigan Women Veterans Conference.

Our partnership blossomed as time went on, and Aptitude took me on & sponsored my training to become their resident Chair Yoga Teacher as well. In January 2024, I began teaching Chair Yoga weekly, as well as offering my Light Vibrations Sound Bath and Reiki class every week on Sunday nights. In April, I will be starting to teach Chair Yoga twice a week at Aptitude, and once a week on Mondays for Cedar Springs Community Ed.

In May, I will be embarking on my Yoga Teacher Training journey with Sacred Being Yoga’s program that is being hosted at Aptitude! I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this very special program, which is accredited to elevated standards by Yoga Alliance, as it is a 200-hour Teacher Training that certifies the student as a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher. What this means is students will learn to hold space and offer Yoga guidance for individuals who have experienced emotional or physical trauma. This type of training will allow the new trainees to meet the needs of their students in a more empathic and understanding way.

Aptitude has been an integral part of my journey here in Michigan, sponsoring my development and supporting my expansion as a growing Wellness Entrepreneur. The Rockford community has welcomed me with such openness and love, and I am proud to be a new Michigander supporting local small businesses.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
With any big transition in life, there definitely have been some challenges and tests that the Universe has sent my way. When I first moved to Michigan, I was unemployed in a city far from my family and most of my friends. I had to adjust to a new place, and a new culture, figure out how to make ends meet, build my clientele in a place where I didn’t know many people, and settle my nervous system after a big uprooting.

I experienced my fair share of fear and doubt. But time and time again, I was met with messages from Spirit and support from loved ones that reassured me I was exactly where I was meant to be. I just had to trust. Faith, trust, and surrender are very hard to put into practice, and failing with those actions is inevitable. Faith wavers, trust wanes, and surrender can feel like the tallest task you’ve ever taken.

But the commitment to myself, my dream, my intention, and my purpose kept me going. I know in my heart that I was sent on this mission for a reason, and I wouldn’t be where I am if this path wasn’t meant for me. Each time I am met with a hill or a valley, I know that it was sent to me for my learning and my rising. Every experience has the capacity to be transmuted into something useful for my journey if I allow myself to shift into that perspective. It’s not easy, but what is?

The alternative route would have been to continue down a path I knew was not meant for me, just for the promise of security, which isn’t always guaranteed because at the end of the day, that 9-5 position can be filled by someone else with my same collegiate degree. But one thing I know for sure is that the specific mission that my Highest Self and the Universe have set out for me cannot be fulfilled by anyone other than myself.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Reiki Healer, Sound Healer, Vocal Alchemist, Intuitive Guide & Reader, Sacred Space Holder, Retreat Host, Chair Yoga Teacher, and Meditation + Yoga Student. The ethos of my Lightwork is centered around Community-based Healing that encourages acceptance of one’s Shadows, restoration of self-compassion and Unconditional Love, Nervous System support, and communion with Nature with a Re-wilding approach to healing.

My Vocal Alchemy offering is a modality that sets me apart from others. This practice of mine combines Intuitive, Ancestral Vocal Channeling, alongside organic and trained musical skills for added layers of harmonization in Sound Healing sessions. I specialize in creating transformative containers for emotional healing through channeled, guided journeys through Reiki, Guided Meditation, Vocal Alchemy, Sound Healing, Intuitive Guidance, and Sacred Space Holding.

My experience in Corporate Merchandising, along with my natural & developed skill in media creation, has equipped me with the skill set to support my Wellness endeavors from a business & marketing standpoint. I have just recently begun freelancing for other Healers, Teachers, and Facilitators with Marketing & Media support, and plan to continue expanding this aspect of my career in the coming months.

I am also very proud of the skills I have seen come to the surface for event planning and retreat hosting. I am one of four co-founders of MagicZoul Retreats, a Wellness Retreat Collective with events hosted around the country, and I am the Retreat Coordinator for Aptitude Fitness + Yoga in Rockford, MI where I teach Chair Yoga and share my Energy Healing offerings.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family at Aptitude Fitness + Yoga, and the owners Abby and Rachel, deserve so much credit! Especially Rachel who has served as a mentor for me in the areas of Yoga & Wellness Entrepreneurship. Aptitude saw my potential and believed in investing in my growth, which has made the world of a difference.

My gratitude for them is immense and grows every day, as I continue blossoming in my partnership with them, soon embarking on a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training hosted at our studio. The opportunities and support from Aptitude have truly been such a blessing and have helped propel me further in my career. I am so grateful for the beautiful friendships I have made with the whole staff and member community. Caitlin, Cat, Therese, Sara, and Joni – you ladies rock!!

I wouldn’t be here today without my soul sisters & business partners. Sierra, Sielestial Being, my partner in Soul Joy Spiritualists and best friend, has played a key integral role in my growth and my path. From being best friends doing card readings for each other and connecting over talks about the moon & Ram Dass, to getting our Reiki Certifications together and starting Soul Joy, to doing Pop Up Healing Events and sharing Reiki as a team, to traveling around the country performing our Reiki Guided Meditation + Sound Bath – this journey would not have been what it was without Sierra!

When we became best friends, we found solace in one another. We found a sense of understanding and resonance after feeling alone and misunderstood in our personal Spiritual journeys. When we found one another, it was like two birds that had lost their flock finally found their way home. Once Sierra came into my life, so many other beautiful souls came to me.

Samantha, my beautiful sister and former roommate has taught me so much about what it means to live from the heart, to support and hold space for those I love, and to hold compassion in a deep and meaningful way.

Juniper, my mystical maven of a friend and mentor who joined Sierra and me in our Reiki training journey, has hosted us in many magical moon circles and has inspired me in an infinite number of ways. Juniper has played a key role in opening my channel up to ancestral knowledge and continues to inspire me with insights and support me with loving connection and friendship.

Sierra, Meha, and Zambra, my partners in MagicZoul Retreats, whom I have and continue to learn so much from. These Medicine Women have catalyzed such profound shifts within me, and have been integral parts of the recent Initiations in my life. I am so honored to co-create healing spaces with them.

And of course my family, partner, and cherished friends. The loving support system that believes in me and is always cheering me on. Tyler, my love, Chrissy, my day one sister from another mister, and my family… Melissa, Michael, Nicholas, Mom & Dad, and all the loved ones who have passed on – you all mean the world to me! I am so blessed with the most incredible circle I could ever have asked for. Even when this dream sounded strange and unlikely, they believed that I could make it happen. When my faith wavered, they reminded me why I believed and why they believed in me. It truly takes a village, and I have the best village around!

Pricing:

• 30 Min Private Sound Bath – $30/person
• 60 Min Private Sound Bath – $50/person
• Weekly Sound Bath Drop-In – $25/person
• 45 Min 1:1 Reiki + Sound Healing – $88.88
• 60 Min 1:1 Reiki + Sound Healing – $111.11
• 50 Min Spiritual Guidance + Integration w/ Intuitive Card Reading – $55.55

Contact Info:

• Website: www.souljoyspiritualists.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jul_ofthelight/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julia.dank.7/
• Other: https://www.magiczoulretreats.org/

Image Credits
Catherine Adams, Studio Two Twenty-Two Photography, and Kristen Castilon Photography