Cover Interview: Kristina Italic on Becoming the Queen of Your World

Kristina Italic-Business Heroine Magazine

Kristina Italic is an International + Transformational Performing Artist, Author, Occupational Therapist, and the Creator of The “You Can Do It Diva ‘Queen Be’ Experience” where she guides women to unapologetically express their deepest desires, create from their souls, and celebrate their ALLness to become QUEEN of their worlds.

Her “You Can Do It DIVA” movement is a bold new attitude for women to ROCK their power, SHARE their voices, and EXPRESS their brilliance. Kristina is a fiery + edgy trailblazer who breaks the rules by creating new roles with her captivating style and living life + leading business as a muse for modern-day art. She will take you on a hip new journey to artfully infuse ALL of who you are, leaving nothing to the side.

Her fierce sense of vulnerability and innate ability to see the QUEEN in you – the YOU screaming to deeply be seen- allows her to touch hearts and change lives forever.

Enjoy her exclusive Business Heroine interview…

BH: How did you end up doing what you do? Tell us your story!

Kristina: How did I end up here???

HA! Such a great question with a not-so-short answer, but here goes. . .

I ended up where I am today because of life; a reel of experiences that lead me down winding, twisty, and unpredictable roads with mountains and valleys, challenges and struggles with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have always been a leader and self-aware, and I came to a point in my life when I could go no further on my own. I was helping others live their fullest lives, but I was broken and dying from the inside out.

I wanted out. Out of the misery. Out of the suffering. Out of the pain. Out of life.

On the inside, I was drowning in shame, guilt, severe self-judgement, and extreme sadness. I was being suffocated by my own emptiness and the gut-wrenching ache of disconnect was killing my spirit day by day. I didn’t know how to soothe this kind of pain. I was deeply yearning for something more out of my life, desperately searching to discover me-the me screaming to be rescued from within.

There was a tiny whisper in my soul that kept faintly repeating over and over again: “there’s more for you, there’s more for you.” This whisper never stopped, and no matter how faintly and how much distance between each call, she never gave up on me. No matter how often I continually gave up on myself, she never did.

I had spent most of my life feeling powerless and ashamed of who I was. To the outside world, I was successful, confident, and the “girl that was doing it,” whatever “it” was. On the inside, I was struggling to know who I was at the depth of my soul.

This whisper kept me alive and made me realize there was and always has been more for me to do, be, and create. The whisper lead me on a new journey; a journey to create, express and inspire. It started as a tiny whisper with a deep yearning for something more out of my own life and turned into so much more.

I didn’t need to have all the answers or have anything figured out. I just needed to surrender and be open and willing to receive the magic of the whisper and the beauty in every moment. When I was able to embrace true gratitude, openness, vulnerability, and a willingness to explore, I was divinely guided.

I have turned my whisper journey into the You Can Do It DIVA movement, a bold new attitude for women to ROCK their power, SHARE their voices and EXPRESS their brilliance. My journey has allowed me to inspire and influence women around the world to live loud, lovely, and legendary lives; lives where they write their own rules, ask for what they want and create the life they desire, free to be ALL they are meant to be.

Photo by Laena Ray

BH: What is your ‘Wake Up Call for the World?’ In other words, what is most of the world asleep about that you would love to wake up?

Kristina: As a culture, society, and as individuals, we have got to stop placing labels on people, including women. We as women are so many things to so many people. We are daughters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, entrepreneurs, and lovers. We are wild and gentle, soft and charismatic, sexual and sensual, fearless and fierce, leaders and bosses, and so much more. I call each of us “the artist” of our own life.

Women are not just one thing. And yet, a woman must constantly figure out “who and what she is” and slap a label on it for the world to know.

Why do you think that is? So we can “understand” her better, or perhaps file her away in our mental rolodex of titles? Or maybe it’s to shove her in a box, dumb her down a bit, or dull her sparkle?

Women carry a multitude of facets daily. We have nuances and quirks, dreams and aspirations, roles and responsibilities, and everything in between.

This is my line in the sand. This is what I take a stand for: we as women must embrace the multiple facets each woman uniquely carries and wears as a jewel in her crown, honor and celebrate her unique journey, and one another. I am extremely passionate about a woman unapologetically expressing her deepest desires, creating from her soul and celebrating her ALLness to Be QUEEN of her world.

I believe all women desire to celebrate and express all of who they are, and in fact I believe women are deeply searching and yearning for permission to express, create, and honor every part of themselves.

There really is no better or more exciting time to be a woman than right now. There is a massive paradigm shift happening around the world, in life and business for women. We are coming together in collaboration, connecting on a deep and soulful level, creating communities around the globe in support of each other, and starting businesses that are extensions of our souls. We are following our dreams and claiming our places in the center stage of our lives and the marketplace.

Its truly amazing and I am so grateful to be alive to experience it.

Women are so brave and flipping fantastic if you ask me. And as far as we as women and society have come as a whole, I still see so many places in life where women continue to hide, dismiss pieces of themselves, ignore or shove aside parts of their journeys due to guilt, self-judgement, fear, or shame. Too many women are downplaying their ALLness, their power, their art. I created Queen Be-The Art Of Being You as a platform for women to unapologetically express and celebrate all of who they are.

I speak to women around the world about the power of being BOLD enough to own it, COURAGEOUS enough to do it, and AUDACIOUS enough to be it, no matter what. To truly accept and celebrate you ALLness you must be bold enough to own every facet of who you are: your grit, your gift, and your greatness.

You have to own your power, ladies, and that takes mad courage. Give yourself permission to try, fail and repeat over and over again. Take a risk! Risk failing, risk the coulda-woulda-shoulda’s, risk judgement, and just DO IT! Be audacious enough to be it, the ALLness of you, the woman you know lives high within, be the ALL you desire to be.

Trust me you will be oh-so happy you did…#Warning: magic will follow.

Photo Credit: Jade Beall Photography

BH: What are the biggest challenges or aspirations your clients come to you with, and what does your work make possible for them?

Kristina: As an artist and intuitive problem solver I get the luxury of playing in both worlds-the tangible and intangible. My clients want to create from their souls, unleash their inner artists, and become the queens of their lives. They are trailblazers in their own right, visionaries, dreamers, and doers (often disguised as the woman in the mirror) who desire more out of their lives and are willing to do the work to create what they want.

My clients want to grow, expand, and stretch outside their comfort zones and are willing to take the leap of faith and swim in shark-infested waters to pursue their art, dream, or passion. They often feel blocked or stagnant and desire more creativity in one or more areas of their life or business.

My work intuitively guides women into the unknown, unfamiliar, and the uncomfortable. Why?! Because that is where the magic is! Through my intuitive and creative process my clients are able to bypass the logic and practicality of the brain, unblock and remove stagnation and stuckness that keeps them from moving forward.

And, my secret weapon: fun, and lots of it. Just saying. . . life is short. Lets have fun! Too often we get stuck in our heads or trapped in our bodies. We forget to have fun and actually enjoy life. I want every woman to know she can learn to hear, trust, (re)connect, and rely on her intuition and body to guide her through all of life’s tapestries. Too often our society is fixated on others having our answers and solutions, but in my reality ALL our answers are within us.

Our job is to quiet the background noise in our head, explore richness and depth within, and listen to what she has to say, no matter how loud or soft. We have to give ourselves permission to be vulnerable, open up our hearts, and allow and receive new possibility to be revealed. Through my Queen Be workshops, women artfully infuse the creativity of their souls with the calling of their hearts, express their deepest desires and gracefully integrate their ALLness and greatness into every aspect of their lives.

My work brings women home to their voices, their intuition, their power, and their creativity.

Photo Credit: Jade Beall Photography

BH: We’re curious about your breakthrough moment in business. Looking back, what created the breakthrough?

Kristina: Being a soulful entrepreneur is the greatest personal growth journey you could ever take, so I have had my share of breakdowns and breakthroughs. The one that dropped me to my knees was also what ignited You Can Do It DIVA. It was the end of one of the roughest years of my life and I was contemplating my own existence and planning how I could end it-all of it!

I had a good job, I was traveling the world, and to everyone on the outside I appeared “perfect” with “no room to complain”. “I should be so happy” daunted me as it rang over and over in my head. However, I was crumbling on the inside. I was so lonely and isolated; trapped inside my body with no way out, my soul slowly dying a little more each day with no signs of refuge.

My whole world felt like it was being stripped away and I was swimming in shark-infested waters.

My biggest breakthrough was seriously after my biggest breakdown. I had to completely break down and crack wide open like ice, completely surrendering. Searching to be shown what do, for any sign that wouldn’t be drowned out by the sadness suffocating my spirit.

I have learned that taking a huge (relative to each person individually) leap of faith, jumping into the deep end without floatation devices and surrounded by sharks-you have two options: figure it out or die. Those are the only the options available.

Somehow, you figure out…my reasoning is two-fold. Surrendering and letting go mixed with divine magic. After my breakdown I learned to let go, surrender, and trust. It’s letting go of all expectations, at times letting go of all that security and a foundation with which you felt was solid.

If it doesn’t serve you, let it go. Build another one that is more powerful and serves your highest calling. When you can allow your foundation to be stripped away and start with nothing except your desire for more to spark your spirit and build from the ground up again, you learn true vulnerability, resilience, strength, expansion, and just how powerful it is to trust that you are always guided in every aspect of life.

I realized in this Eat, Pray, Love moment of mine that my life is that of a trailblazer, unpredictable and unconventional. My path is not paved for me; I’m paving it as I whack down the weeds in front of me so others can follow in my footsteps.

In order to lead and keep moving forward you’ve got to find that inner power, that inner strength, that inner voice of deep wisdom that ALWAYS knows. It is your direct connection to the divine. Unleash her, express her, trust her, and surrender to her. She will never steer you wrong. She always takes you home.

My biggest breakthroughs have given me permission to let go of every expectation, and label, to break every rule and boundary I put on myself, or that others put on me. I finally learned to express myself and create from my soul and TRUST TRUST TRUST myself.

When I am confused, overwhelmed, stuck, feeling lost, or when my world is crumbling around me- I go back to my why. I go back to my art, my voice, my dreams, my passions, all of which are uniquely given to me and that always bring me home. I always go back to my art.

Photo Credit: Jade Beall Photography

BH: What words of wisdom do you have for all the emerging Business Heroines out there who are on the cusp of creating their own purpose-based business?

Kristina: For anyone who is on the cusp of creating a purpose-based business or anyone who feels they are or aren’t ready: DO IT. I say be committed. I say jump in the deep end of shark-infested waters and see what magic is created.

Too often we give up or dismiss our dreams because we can’t figure them out, or we create a “reach the finish line quick” strategy, system, or process, or we think they aren’t good enough. But the real beauty is that when we commit, give it a go and declare you are here for something wonderful, no matter how big or small, and go for it, you really do figure it out along the way.

LET GO of expectation. Trust yourself and the divine. Commit to this journey. Do the INNER WORK!

In my opinion, having a purpose-based business, living from your soul, feeling alive and fully expressed is the greatest accomplishment anyone could ever desire. It is also the greatest personal growth journey of your life. It is a road not traveled before and it’s often scary, but you quickly realize there is more inside you than you even knew was possible. This journey is not an easy one. It is full of mountains, valleys, ups and downs, twists and turns, and the thrill of your lifetime.

If it were easy or predictable, more people would do it. Words such as brave, courageous, audacious, bold, driven, and every other word that signifies the extraordinary essence within you would have no meaning at all. Being the artist of your life, creating a life that is a one-of-a-kind original masterpiece seems far more promising and fulfilling than living by default.

On this journey you have to be courageous enough to be the YOU that does HER thing and can’t be bothered by being told what to do by others or manipulated into the “just follow this 3 step system I created that will magically make you a million-dollar-business-sensation overnight by simply investing thousands of dollars into my program!” blah blah blah.

I say, “You want to be successful, want to get ahead, want to make your dreams a reality??? BEAT YOUR OWN DRUM. DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF YOUR SOUL. SING THE SONG OF YOUR HEART. WRITE YOUR OWN RULES. DO IT YOUR WAY!”

Stop listening to everyone “out there” and start listening to what’s begging to be heard inside you. Give yourself permission for HER- the you inside screaming to be seen, scratching you from the inside to be unleashed. Let her come out and play. Let her been seen.

I promise you, if you give your soul, your Queen Be, your intuition, give your artist permission to express and deepen your inner wisdom, your life and your business will take you to places you never knew possible. Stop doing what everyone is telling you to do, and DO YOU!

I promise you it will all work out and I guarantee you will LOVE the results.

Don’t forget – this is your life, your business, your dream-

Be audacious enough to Be it.

Be the YOU that only you can be.

Be the highest version of yourself, the one that gets to have her cake and eat it too.

Be the her that lives her dreams, creates from her soul and is free to be or do whatever she so chooses.

Be the her that wakes up every morning excited to be alive and looks at each day as a blank canvas, who is eager to paint and create the textures of her life, rough and jagged or smooth and silky. Whatever your textures are, they’re are yours. They are your art.

Be present in every moment. Appreciate the vastness and real experiences your journey has shown you. Honor the fragility, the rawness, and the humanness in us all. Celebrate the gift of life.

Life is your canvas. BE the ARTIST. Create your masterpiece, because no one else can.

For more Kristina, gorgeous and wise…

Do you want to spice up your daily routine and unleash your femininity? Check out Kristina’s Ebook: Fun, Flirty and Fabulous.

We’d love to hear from YOU…

If you were to be bold, courageous and audacious enough to be queen of your world, what would that look like? What have you always wanted to own and to be that would make a big difference in your life? Leave your answer in the comments below!