Foxy Pickett (a.k.a. Emelie Archer Pickett) is a contemporary shaman, bringing animal medicine to those craving a more soul-aligned, wild life. Due to its playful nature and quick, tangible results, her work has been called “more effective than years of traditional therapies.” Through totem readings, integration sessions, and interactive learning in her online shamanic university, people around the world have found and unleashed their true natures. Enjoy her exclusive Business Heroine interview…

BH: Your website is called Forbidden Life. What is a “forbidden” life?

Foxy: Your “forbidden” life arrives when you decide to pursue and claim all that you once forbade yourself from being, experiencing, and feeling. Everyone’s recipe for their forbidden life is unique and vibrant. Mine began when I started to unravel my identity.

At the time, I seemed to “have it all” according to what I was supposed to want in life, yet I still felt completely empty, sexually confused, and scattered. I’d been looking in all the wrong places for fulfillment: my wardrobe, my looks, my bank account, outside approval. So, I began to shift everything in my life, starting from the inside out. I bit into the forbidden fruit of inquiry and started asking hard questions about my purpose, my marriage, my truth.

What has since emerged has been absolutely breathtaking! I stand tall in my life now, in a new marriage with my wild soul partner. My business is finally in alignment with my core values and provides me with levels of abundance I never could have thought possible. My forbidden life is better than any life I could have ever imagined – and I am grateful every day that I allowed myself to leap into the beautiful unknown.

Like so many before me, my wounds have become my work. Now I guide others down their own forbidden paths and support them in the dark, juicy, terrifying process of ripening. Everyone’s forbidden life is available to them – my clients and I are living proof.

BH: How did you discover shamanism? Have you always felt drawn to this path?

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Foxy: As a child I was fascinated by Native American medicine traditions, but lost focus (and much of my imagination) when I chose to pursue a more practical life path, get all A’s, and dissolve into the land of good girls. But, after leaving my first marriage, I found my way back to myself through plant medicine and other shamanic practices in Peru with my now husband. My eyes and heart opened wide and I saw clearly what I was meant to be doing. Several trips to Peru later and intentional daily practices here at home over the last few years have helped me discover just “how” this work could be birthed. I never expected to be a shaman “when I grew up” but alignment creates resonance, and resonance creates results: so I know I am in the right place!

It amazes me how seamlessly shamanic practices can be integrated into modern life; helping make sense of the chaos, emotional intensity, and uncertainty that go hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship, parenting, marriage, and being a grown-up in general. I have a set of tools now that not only feels incredibly resonant, but provides me with more support, guidance, and confidence than any business, marketing, or prior education I’ve had. It’s a pleasure and honor to share these ways.

BH: You transitioned from being a web designer/brand strategist to being a practicing shaman. That’s a big career leap! How did you do it?

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Foxy: It does seem like a huge departure… but it’s not really as different as one might think! As a designer and branding expert, my work was in helping people invite the outside world to see who they were on the inside. As a totemic shaman, my work continues to help people fully embrace who they really are – I’ve simply stepped into a more internal part of the process.

And I’ve found an amazing ally in our natural world to help others view themselves with compassion, love, and receptivity: wild animals! Animals provide such rich metaphor and medicine about how to attune to our own souls. Everything we see and experience is a reflection of our inner world – but sometimes it’s hard to interpret the signals. Wild creatures help us connect to our own souls in language we can understand – through their behaviors, mythology, markings, and ecosystems we can learn so much about ourselves and our place in things.

The animal world may seem like an odd place to go for business, life, relationship, and financial advice – but by attuning to nature’s messages and learning to play again, we re-attune to our natural wild state of being, which makes us better lovers, parents, and providers. Life is a Wild Playground! I’m so thankful that what began as a game of discovering people’s animal selves has evolved organically into this amazing way of unveiling clarity and compassion.

Never doubt for a second that every job, hobby, and passion you’ve ever had (from the terrible ones to the amazing ones) have gifted you with the EXACT skills and abilities you need to make your dreams a reality. One day, you’ll look back and it will all make perfect sense. It will be like you somehow planned it that way… because, perhaps you did.

BH: You say you run your business intuitively. What does that look and feel like?

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Foxy: As I’m sure many can relate to, I was once a type A overachiever, so deprogramming myself from being “productive” all the time and pushing past my stress threshold took a lot of intentional effort. Through my shamanic work, I’ve been shown just how abundant and generous this world is – so I’ve learned to TRUST that when I contribute from a place of alignment and listen to my body, I will receive all that I need.

It’s an ongoing practice not to define a “good day of work” purely by the number of hours I spend in front of my screen. Now a good day of work is one filled with authentic connections, heart-filling service, receiving abundance in all forms, and letting my intuition tell me when enough is enough.

Practically, this looks like only sitting down to provide readings when my intuition is ready to go, allowing two days per week for one-on-one sessions, not working weekends, spending at least an hour a day in meditation, and lots of playtime outside with family, friends, and clients.

For each person, the intuitive recipe for a day well spent will be different. But, your divine body knows what you need: she is SO brilliant, wise, and loving. Trust her and listen to her guidance and you will not steer yourself wrong.

BH: Most of your services are offered as “pay what you can.” This is super leading edge and quite courageous. Why did you decide against set prices?

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Foxy: Pay-what-you-can was a big part of my intuitive business shift. It was “that time” to raise my session prices again, and something not only held me back from doing it, but called for me to look at how I was valuing my work in general. What I discovered was that I know my worth, and it has nothing to do with pricing.

This goes against EVERYTHING most marketing and business experts talk about!! But, if I equate my value with income, then unless I am making a certain (arbitrary) amount, I’m falling short of my self worth. How could I ever be less (or more) than I’m worth? That’s impossible!!

When I landed on this realization, I could see why a set pricing structure for most of my services felt inauthentic. A sliding scale still felt full of value judgement – asking people to place themselves on a scale didn’t resonate. So I decided to erase my prices altogether and once again step into a place of trust. I trusted that people would offer their best. And they have – it’s been amazing!

It just goes to show that unless your pricing is truly aligned with your soul, it won’t work as well as it could! Soul will always outshine strategy. Trust that. Follow that.

You are brave, brilliant, and unique… carve your own path and thrive!

Is Wildness the Bridge to Your Forbidden Life?

Free Gift for You:

Visit ForbiddenLife.com/Truth to download Foxy’s guide to artful truth telling for free, as her gift to you! Kinder than radical honesty, more pro-active than non-violent communication – this is how modern shamans remain in integrity and communicate with ease.

Discover Your Animal Totem:

Come play at ForbiddenLife.com/Spirit-Animal-Finder. Your animal totem might surprise you!

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Cover Heroines, July 2014 Issue