Nicki Anderson is the CEO and founder of Journey to Wholeness. She is an Occupational Therapist since 1988. Anderson trained in Oxford, England, and specialised in 'Paediatrics and Child and Family Mental Health'.
- Tell us about Journeytowholeness.ae
Journey to Wholeness is a therapy service for women to empower them in their relationships with themselves, their bodies, their parenting practice, their intimate relationships and their passion and purpose. The service is based on Jungian Psychology delivered through a coaching format. The concept is that we all develop deep beliefs about ourselves, who we are, our position in the world, and our unique world view through our childhood conditioning and experiences. We then continue to apply patterns of thinking and being, to all our relationships like an automatic blueprint. Ultimately, we trip ourselves up, get stuck in a horrible merry go round of the same old story, going around and round and we become really triggered.
As history repeats itself we start to question our worth and value, through the reflection we receive in our relationships. The truth is its simply time to evaluate and examine our deeper mindsets and evolve beyond the emotional legacies we were given as children. Journey to wholeness helps you look at how the past is still influencing your present reactions. and to bring awareness to what is actually going on when you repeat the same relationship hurts, react in the same way over and over again, and feel like you are just condemned to wash, rinse, repeat in a never-ending painful cycle. www.journeytowholeness.ae. If you just can’t move forward and are longing for change, this service is for you.
- Who is a person that you considered as a role model early in your life? How and why does this person impact your life?
I would have to say my mother. She was a tireless model of endless generosity. She had this deeply genuine, attitude of service to others that I admired and has influenced my world view and value system. She supported many women all over the world, who were in dire need of empathy and compassion as they encountered difficult phases/traumas in their lives. She always made herself available as a listening ear, and I learned the value of giving space to people to support them with whatever they were struggling with. I would say she gave me my earliest lessons in being a therapist.
- If you are in a bad mood, do you prefer to be left alone or have someone to cheer you up?
If I am in a bad mood I tend to do both. I like to process what’s going on for me, and make sense of it, then reach out to a friend to bring humor to it. I rarely talk about it until I’ve worked with it myself. I’m an extrovert by nature, so ultimately company always lifts my mood.
- How do you spend your weekends?
I spend my weekends with my tribe. I’m a dedicated family person. I love to chill with my family, watch a movie with them, and just chat for hours somewhere where there is a good vibe and good food. I’m a real foodie and sharing food with loved ones is my favorite pastime.
- What’s the one thing that people always misunderstand about you?
I think people often misunderstand my passion to understand how they tick. I am fascinated by what’s underneath people’s masks and I want to know the truth. People may see that as very direct.
- What personal goals are on your bucket list this year?
This year I want to expand the reach and influence of Journey to Wholeness. I have been working on a word of mouth basis and focusing mainly on the actual work. I would like to support more people to create the changes they want and spread my passion for this work. I also want to travel more in this region: Jordan, Mauritius, Thailand, Sri Lanka. I have challenged myself to know all of Dubai’s best gastronomic fares before I leave in two years. So that’s going to take up some time. Plus, the usual goals as a single parent of supporting my kids through their various challenges.
- If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they be? Why?
If I could spend a day in someone else’s shoes it would be Oprah Winfrey. I love to be surrounded by the energy of inspiring people, and just hosting Super Soul Sunday would be a gastronomic feast for my soul.
- What’s one thing your mother/father taught you that completely changed your life?
My parents both taught me about expanding consciousness. They both meditated, read inspiring texts and valued expanding consciousness over material acquisition. I am grateful for their value system being skewed in this way as I LEARNED that the world exists within us and isn’t something to be gained externally. We are already wealthy and abundant.
- What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid?
I wanted to be a vet.
- What is your physical and mental well-being routine?
I ensure I eat healthy, whole food, especially green smoothies and plant-based food. I am vigilant nowadays about my caffeine intake. I walk long distances and always have an inspiring podcast or Psycho spiritual course on the go. I nourish my mind with books which expand my knowledge and awareness. I have nourishing interactions with family and am conscious that the people in my tribe are kindred spirits and love me and what I am about. I listen to visualizations daily. I am vigilant about letting go of clutter, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
- What is the most important characteristic that every leader should possess?
The most important quality of every leader is compassionate understanding.
- What is your favorite quote? Why?
I have many favorite quotes I have to say I am a quotaholic. But the most relevant is ” unless we make the unconscious conscious it will drive our life and we will call it fate”. Carl Jung. It speaks to me of my core philosophy. We are all awesome creators and the power is within, but while ever we assume that things just happen to us and we are at the mercy of the outside, we don’t look inside and wake up to our power.
- What’s your philosophy in life?
My philosophy is that we are all here for a reason, to contribute something great to humanity. I believe life is for really discovering what that gift is and giving it 100% of the time in everything we do. We can be great every minute of every day, in our own unique way. Someone once said to me ” get busy living or get busy dying”. I want to know I made a difference throughout my day and lived fully.
- What’s your favorite book/movie of all time and why did it speak to you so much?
My favourite book and movie of all time is ” Lord of the rings”. I’m a glutton for Epic tales of survival. The hero’s journey. Lord of the Rings is beautiful story of leaving your comfort zone and travelling to places within yourself you never believed you could go. Its shows the beauty in ” feel the fear and do it anyway”. Nothing would have been gained by turning a blind eye and ignoring the truth. I love that edge of the extreme sportist. Do or die.
- What is a relationship (whether professional or personal) deal breaker for you?
A personal and professional relationship deal breaker for me is dishonesty/ lack of integrity. I cannot abide it.
- What is your all-time pet peeve?
My all-time pet peeve, having to repeat myself several times because someone wasn’t giving me their presence.
The Human Side 