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

Hi Brittany, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is a tricky business. If things don’t pan out the way you had hoped, you may question whether you made the right decision. But if you never try, you will always question whether you should have taken the risk.

I wouldn’t say that I am particularly conservative when it comes to taking risks, but I wouldn’t say that I am a huge risk taker either. And the assessment of risk can vary wildly between our own perception and the perception of an outsider looking in. I am by nature an optimistic and enthusiastic person who almost always makes decisions based on gut feelings and intuition. What seems like a big risk to someone else may not feel like as big a risk to me, because the decision just feels right in my body and mind. And even when something does feel like a big risk to me (ahem…opening a business in the middle of a pandemic), if my intuition is screaming at me to do it, it is almost impossible to make a different decision.

Listening to my intuition when it comes to taking risks has had a huge influence on my life decisions, from buying houses to starting my own business, to moving out of state, and many smaller things in between. And it’s wonderful to think back on because the intuition I previously thought of as a “flighty” aspect of my personality has turned out to be one of my most important assets. Looking at the logical facts, it was a huge risk for me to open my business in 2021. Not only was I still bedridden from a 3-month illness, but the foundation of my business and the services I offer are not mainstream or well known. For someone unfamiliar with the process and benefits of energy healing, my services are at best misunderstood, and at worst, the target of suspicion stemming from fear. But sometimes, the biggest risk is not the obvious one. It’s not the risk of losing money or wasting time on something that doesn’t succeed. Sometimes the biggest risk is the paralyzing fear that if you don’t trust yourself, if you don’t believe in yourself enough to gift yourself the opportunity to succeed, then you will never truly know your own capabilities and capacity for resilience. The risks for me were less about whether I would fail, and more about whether I could stand to live the rest of my life knowing I never tried.

So far, taking risks has paid off for me in big ways. Not only on a practical level but in the personal growth that is the natural consequence of valuing yourself enough to decide that your ideas and desires are worth fighting for. So do I gather information and make data-informed decisions based on reality? Of course. Do I give an audience to the intangible voice in my head that sometimes steers me in a seemingly unrealistic direction? Absolutely. The biggest lesson I have learned about risk is that the level of risk inherent in a decision is not objective; it is subjective based on your values, your goals, and what truly matters to you. Considering the outcome of not taking the risk is just as important as considering the risk itself.

What should our readers know about your business?
Harmony Ritual specializes in energy healing and gluten-free diet transitions. I’m a Reiki Master, certified Elemental Healing™ practitioner, and provide services online and in-person in San Diego, Ca. The name Harmony Ritual represents the importance of maintaining routines and rituals that care for and create harmony between the mind, body, and spirit. Energy healing can be an important tool in these self-care rituals.

Energy healing is a non-invasive treatment that balances energy to promote healing and the well-being of your mind, body, and spirit. Benefits include relaxation, stress relief, emotional balance, and rejuvenation. It is an excellent addition to any self-care routine, or as a complementary therapy to traditional medicine.

​My goal is to demystify energy healing and connect people from all walks of life to this beautiful and healing medicine. You don’t have to practice yoga or wear long flowing skirts and beads to experience energy healing- it’s for everyone! The concept is really not as “out there” as it may seem. Energy is all around us, and you are interacting with your own energy and other people’s energy every day, whether you realize it or not. Everyone can benefit from this gentle and effective therapy.

Through years of mentorships, internships, and training courses with experts and practitioners in various specialties, I have developed my unique blend of offerings for my clients. I know how hindering and intimidating it can be to listen to lofty, hard to grasp concepts of spirituality and energy healing. I strive to be a down-to-earth practitioner that can talk with you about energy healing in regular terms you can understand, I have seen firsthand the positive impact energy healing has on people’s lives, and I continue to explore all the wonderful ways in which energy healing can support self-care in my own life and the life of my clients.

Gluten-free Bootcamp is near and dear to my heart, and although it seems completely at odds with energy healing, I have found my own unique way to weave these services together.

My husband was diagnosed with Celiac over 15 years ago. When we transitioned to a gluten-free diet it was a difficult and overwhelming process. We had more than one incident where he accidentally got “glutened”, including right before our wedding! Through trial and error and years of experience, I have developed some proven strategies to successfully navigate the gluten-free lifestyle. I love helping individuals and families make a more seamless transition to the gluten-free diet, reducing stress and confusion by providing straightforward, crucial information about gluten-free food and cross-contamination.

My focus is not only on a change in diet but on working together to address both physical and emotional healing, as well as the family and social dynamics that come into play with a restricted diet and lifestyle change.

Energy healing can be an effective tool in the healing of your body as you recover and transition to your new gluten-free diet. Energy healing can also help ease the emotional distress of this transition. For interested clients, I use Reiki and other forms of energy healing as supplemental support throughout their journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Places to visit/Things to do: Bonfire on the beach
San Diego Zoo
Museums and gardens at Balboa Park
Liberty Station
Scripps Pier
Drink a chocolate martini at Hotel Del Coronado
Go Axe Throwing at AxeVentures
Grab a drink at Raised By Wolves
Grab another drink at Vin De Syrah
Catch one of the San Diego Symphony Fox Theatre Film Series

Gluten-Free Spots to Eat:
Rolled tacos at El Tianguis
Breakfast at Snooze in Hillcrest
Lunch at Nectarine Grove in Encinitas
Dinner at Casa De Bandini in Carlsbad
The Gluten Free Baking Co
Tacos at Barrio Star
Grab take-out from Calvin’s Korean Hot Chicken
Take home some hard cider from Bivouac Ciderworks and Serpentine Cider

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am without the support of my husband Orion and two children. Orion is an amazing partner who encourages all my harebrained schemes while lovingly providing the dose of reality needed to make them succeed. I’m thankful for my mom who spent countless hours with me scrubbing, painting and designing the space for Harmony Ritual. And finally, a huge shoutout to my friend Izabela Sekowski Photography for partnering with me on our business building journeys, cheering me on during my good days and picking me up to try again during my hard days.

 

Website: www.harmonyritual.com

Instagram: @harmonyritual @glutenfreebootcamp

Facebook: @harmonyritual

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/harmony-ritual-san-diego

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HarmonyRitualShop