Meet Joanna Zlatanov | Yoga Instructor & Intuitive Energy Healer

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

Hi Joanna, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Integrity. Being honest with myself and true to my soul is the intention that I have chosen to weave into my brand. I see a lot of big brands out there shifting their messaging to conform with what’s ‘trendy’ and it makes me question what they actually stand for. I believe in honest work, in being raw and authentic, and vulnerable at heart. The world doesn’t need any more carbon copies of what’s already been done, we need more unique authenticity as this is where we shine the most. I have been building my instagram page since 2019 by speaking up for what I believe in and reminding others to continue tapping into their hearts. This has helped me create genuine connections with my tribe who are the people that feel the same way and have chosen to express their uniqueness too. It’s so beautiful to see how each of us stands for the raw truth yet appears and creates in such different ways. It reminds me of being a kid on the playground, making friends with everyone and anyone simply because we came here to enjoy BEing together- that is what life on earth is about. When we unapologetically show up as ourselves in our business, we hold space for others to do the same. This raw expression with my clients has helped heal people more deeply than I could have imagined. Healing trauma is a process of clearing and undoing that which is not true to ourself while simultaneously and curiously inching towards that which feels natural. I call it following the breadcrumbs of excitement, as we start to reignite who are are and how we can be most ourselves in any setting. Leading with integrity has shifted the way that I show up and I continue to receive more abundance while showing up fully and authentically. It’s a win-win!

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.
I started my schooling with the goal to become a dermatologist. Fueled by my passion to fix people’s skin, deep down I wanted to help others feel beautiful and be happy. While taking a psychology class in college, I realized how much of our perception of ourselves is related to the mind, so I shifted gears and got my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Starting out as a young professional, I worked in customer service at a medical device company. Although I found enjoyment helping patients, I quit once I began to see some red flags regarding costs and new product launches that were unfair towards patients. After taking a year off to travel and explore different industries, I landed a sales job at my dream company, Tesla Motors. I stayed there for four years and really grew up in the fast-paced and exciting startup environment that Tesla offers. My passion for the cars, helping the environment, and building a community of like-minded people is what kept me there until I found myself still feeling unfulfilled deep down. I have this natural tendency to get into deep conversations and soul chats with people and followed that into leaving to pursue my own business, Golden Activation. I shed many tears leading up to this decision for almost a year as I was feeling drained by my work but my loyalty to the mission at Tesla was so strong. Now that I’m my own boss, I’ve had different challenges, but nonetheless being able to have the freedom to do what I am most passionate about is bringing in a huge wave of fulfillment. These past 8 months while working on my business have been spent gathering knowledge on healing, setting my boundaries with my work schedule, and learning when to take a break as this work is so deep. I am grateful to share that my soul truly ignites when I am able to listen to someone’s deep wounding and help them work through it to energetically heal the pain and help them see the beauty in themselves. My story is coming full circle and the clarity that I am receiving from leading with my heart shows me that this isn’t just a brand for me, this is a movement. I want the world to know that we are all traumatized to some extent. It is safe to accept these darker feelings and integrate them into our current experience. Although the appearance of my career has shifted various times, the solid foundation of my soul continues to plow forward, assisting every soul I touch along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Thankfully in LA, there is so much to explore! I would start by taking them to my favorite hiking spots in Malibu: up to Point Dume or Escondido falls. For a snack/light bite, I’d pick up SunLife Organics or for a meal, a yummy burrito at Lily’s next door. There’s a beautiful crystal shop down the street called Sorenity Rocks that is cool to check out. There’s some fun stuff and coffee on Montana street in Santa Monica. Also, I’d take them closer to the pier, to KazuNori for some delicious handrolls and we’d rent bikes in Venice to Abbot Kinney for some art and window shopping. A really fun sunset spot in Venice is at the rooftop at Hotel Erwin, you get the whole views of the beach and it’s a cute spot to grab a drink or a bite. James Beach is a fun bar around there for dancing and music. The scenes in LA vary so much, for more of a nighttime or daytime brunch experience, Mama Shelter in Hollywood is really fun. I would skip the hike to the Hollywood sign or Runyon as they’re overhyped and do Wisdom tree instead. The Getty Center or the Observatory are fun to picnic at and enjoy the scenery of LA during the day, or at night to stargaze and share alien theories. Downtown LA has a variety of places to check out, I personally love the Arts district and would take them to grab a beer or to play some games at Angel City Brewery (fun fact: my 25th birthday was celebrated here). For more art in downtown, the Broad museum is really cool although it gets super busy so I would arrive early. One of my favorite parts of LA is Silverlake because of the yummy food and dance clubs! I’d take them to eat pizza at Maza or ramen at Silverlake Ramen and dance at the Echo/ Echoplex. They have various performers including an emo night once or twice a month, I forget. Since there is so much to explore, I would just let them tell me what vibe they’re feeling and head to that part of the city to explore more. Artsy places are Melrose, Downtown, and Silverlake, and fun outdoor activities will be found in Santa Monica/Venice and Hollywood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
“The Magic” is a book by Rhonda Byrne and it completely revolutionized the way I see the world. So simple and to the point, the book focuses on the power of gratitude when it’s practiced deeply and consistently. The 30 day protocol has various exercises and highlights where you can be more grateful in your life. Rhonda talks about gratitude as riches and complaint as poverty. Up until reading this book in 2017, I thought I was generally a grateful person. It wasn’t until I really faced my self talk through this journey that I discovered how many complaints I was speaking on the daily! As I worked through the daily exercises, I found myself feeling empowered and increasingly more positive in ways that manifested right before my eyes. Living in LA at the time, one of the things that would stress me out is rushing to get somewhere in traffic and looking for parking upon getting there. Gratitude taught me to be grateful for something before it happens, as this is how we line ourselves up with the magic that is to come. Surprisingly to me, it worked every time! From here, lots of new opportunities and doors started to open for me as I began to trust myself to surrender and find love and appreciation for every ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in my life. Since reading the book for the first time, I have continued with the gratitude and have re-read the book a few times, experiencing so much extra abundance with each time I read! Definitely recommend this to anyone who doesn’t currently have a daily gratitude practice or thinks gratitude is a bunch of bogus- it’s not, it’s magic.

Website: www.goldenactivation.com

Instagram: goldenactivation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ382GfnL0jolQQeSoHR80w

Image Credits
First photo with the flower is Alison Rae Photography https://alisonraephotography.pic-time.com/portfolio