Faces & Places: Francesca Blechner

09.03.21

Founder of Wholistic Body Life, Francesca is passionate about helping entrepreneurs in conscious business overcome burnout, gain clarity, reconnect to their true self and show up leading with power and presence so that they can bring their gifts out into the world.

She has also guided a Balancing Breathwork Journey in collaboration with OTO.

Who are you, and what do you do?

I’m Francesca; I’m a Holistic Health Coach, breathwork facilitator, Author of ‘Self-Care for Life in the City’ and Speaker.

I love travelling, martial arts, dark chocolate and trawling vintage markets.

I help purpose-led entrepreneurs that are feeling stuck, fatigued and burnt out to regain their health, reconnect to their true self and show up leading with power and presence.

Francesca Blechner

What led you to where you are today?

I always had an interest in health and wellbeing from a young age. My Mum was a Sports Massage therapist and studied aromatherapy. I worked in gyms as a Fitness Instructor from age 18, soon building up a full-time client base of Personal Training and bodywork after leaving University. I ran my own business within health clubs throughout my twenties. I loved it but was always on the go and working all hours of the day, eventually bringing myself to burnout by the time I hit my thirties.

A series of heartbreaks, feeling exhausted, depleted and no longer aligned with Personal Training led me to train in Holistic Lifestyle Coaching with the CHEK Institute and explore many other holistic healing modalities. This profoundly changed my life and gave me a self and energy management system that I live by today.

My breathwork training took me on a deep healing journey of how emotions show up in the body and forced me to reevaluate my life and the pace I was living. I completely changed the way I worked with my clients and had more and more people come to me who were in the same position I had been in burnt out, fatigued and running around in fight/ flight. Witnessing the rising epidemic of anxiety, autoimmune disease, and burnout inspired me to write my first book to share everything I knew on how to thrive in health rather than survive.

What have been some of the most memorable ceremonies or experiences for you?

I went on a transformational motivational week in Malaysia in 2012; one thing I experienced was a sweat lodge ceremony. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was so powerful as we went through the 4 rounds. There was so much I let go of in that sweat lodge ceremony that I felt reborn at the end and oneness with the universe and nature. I could feel every part of me vibrating, and all my cells activated.

Another was when I went on a bodywork training course, and the teacher released and activated my diaphragm; I had been holding a lifetime’s worth of stress and tension there and had no idea. Afterwards, I felt a calm I had never felt before and literally felt ‘drunk’ for a week afterwards as my nervous system recalibrated. That work has completely rewired and rebooted my nervous system as a whole.

Tipis

Why do you think breathwork is such a healing modality?

The breath is the gateway to the subconscious mind, and most behaviour comes from the subconscious mind. Our bodies are made up of all the memories we hold, everything that has happened to us, past traumas and hurts.

With each deep belly breath, the diaphragm acts as a pump massaging and nourishing the organs, bringing increased vitality and health to all the organs and the entire body. Breathing is deeply connected to our emotional state, and breathwork can help integrate past traumas and hurts that may be keeping you stuck in the past, repeating negative thought patterns and holding onto limiting beliefs.

What would you say are the three key healing tools that an everyday person can incorporate into their daily life to help them feel the best they can be?

1. Live in harmony with your circadian rhythms. Sleep is the best medicine there is. Physical repair happens between 10pm-2am, and psychological repair between 2-6am. Honouring your sleep cycles will help to regulate hormones and support physical and mental health.

2. Spend time in nature; nature is so healing and expansive.

3. Slow down – in the modern world, most people’s minds are racing with to-do lists, goals, and productive. Take time to rest so that you can create space to call in the new.

Nature

How do you stay grounded?

A daily morning meditation practice to set my energy and state for the day.

I walk in nature, become aware of my breathing throughout the day, and take a deep breath into my belly if I notice myself holding my breath or feeling anxious.

What are you working on at the moment?

I published and released my book, ‘Self-Care for Life in the City‘ how to nourish your mind, body and soul in a fast-paced world at the beginning of lockdown last year. No better time than that to release such a book.

I am continuing to get it out into the world this year. I have also created two amazing 1-2-1 programs called Burnout to Breakthrough, a 6-month coaching program with a completely holistic approach, viewing the body from its mind, emotions, lifestyle habits, diet and movement.

I’ve also curated ‘Return to Self’, a 10-week transformational journey of breathwork, coaching and self-inquiry covering grounding themes, healing the inner child, owning your power, owning your voice and embodiment.

Balancing Breathwork Journey with OTO

A breathwork session to empower and connect to yourself.
Join us for special offers and get 10% off your first session