June 2022 Covergirl: Founder Of Rising Woman, Sheleana Aiyana
Spiritual counselor Sheleana Aiyana is the Founder of Rising Woman, a community that provides readers with resources from which they can learn how to heal relational patterns and have authentic love and connections within these relationships. Sheleana envisioned a community built on the foundational beliefs of quality food, relationships, and health. Rising Woman aims to help readers uncover a deep layer of spiritual and inner healing and a community of over 2.5 million has grown in these ways with Sheleana’s guidance. Originally, beginning solely as a creative aspect for Sheleana to write and explore her own healing, Rising Woman has transformed into a global mission of inspiring growth, self-awareness, and ultimately, healing. Sheleana lives and works on xwәnen’әč, the unceded land of the Hul’q’umi’num’- and WSÁNE´ C-speaking Coast Salish peoples.
With an impressive background in somatic healing, plant medicine, couples facilitation, conscious relationship, family systems, and inherited family trauma support, Sheleana uses these practices and more in her approach. Her flagship program, Becoming the One, has reached over 30,000 women in 146 countries, and her debut book of the same title will be published in over 9 languages this year through Chronicle Prism and Penguin Books. In addition to the Becoming the One program, Rising Woman also created the Creating Conscious Love for Couples, Healing from Heartbreak, and Mystic Astrologer: Become Your Own Astrologer programs. Also offered through a monthly membership is The Path, a community that provides access to interactive workshops with expert authors and mentors, serving women on a path of healing and transformation together. From reading lists to informative articles to astrology reports, Rising Woman maintains a wealth of knowledge and resources to help you along your journey of personal growth and healing.
Do you have one specific relationship in mind (either romantic or platonic) that taught you a crucial lesson about relationships that you carry with you?
I’ve learned so much from every one of my relationships: from rooting back to my relationship with my mom, to all of my past partners, to my husband Ben. Every relationship holds teaching for us if we’re open to it. My relationship with my mother, for example, taught me how to see people as people, rather than holding them to archetypal expectations. The pain and trauma of our early years together were such an initiation for me into learning how to find my own path and trust that I am held by something greater than me, even if my mother in human form couldn’t always be there for me. Since those years, some of my greatest learning and deepening have been in my present marriage to Ben. We’ve grown so much together over the years, and it’s reoriented my entire cellular understanding of what it means to be safe and to trust love. Our relationship has taught me how to truly relax into a partnership that is about being true frieznds with one another, creating a container that gives us the energy to thrive in the world.
What are you hoping readers gain from your book “Becoming the One”?
Becoming the One is a journey home to the self. My deepest prayer is for the readers of my book to see themselves within my stories and find comfort in the words I share. So many of us have lost trust in ourselves, or fallen out of faith when it comes to love. Relationships, in and out of romantic partnerships, are challenging, but if we have the foundation of a healthy relationship to ourselves first, we can create beautiful lives rich with the connection. Within my book, I guide the reader on a journey to understanding their own relationship patterns, healing old wounds, tending to their inner world, and finding true inner safety so they can confidently create the kinds of relationships they desire.
How did you come up with the name “Rising Woman”? What does it mean to be a “rising woman” in your own words?
Rising Woman was but a seed in my consciousness for many years before I birthed her into the world. I had the vision, but not the name. I probably sat with it for about a year before one day sitting in a cafe in my old neighborhood, Rising Woman popped in. At the time, the ‘.com’ cost was very expensive, and I didn’t have a lot of money, so I paid it off on a payment plan over two years!
To me, the name is symbolic of the journey that many of us go on before we find ourselves on our healing path. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, many of us come to this work through crisis or loss. As we descend into our own depths of heartache, we glean the wisdom we need to rise into our most authentic expression.
What things do you do on an everyday basis that help heals your soul?
I’m blessed to live nestled in the forest with the ones I hold dear. Being in nature is so healing for me. Loving my family, laughing, singing, and being in love with all the little moments keeps me energized and alive.
If you could give one piece of advice to all of your readers and followers, what would that advice be?
Prioritize knowing yourself on an intimate level. Make the relationship you have with yourself the foundation, so you can trust that the people who enter your life are a reflection of your own self-love and respect.
What is the proudest accomplishment of your career so far, and why?
Writing Becoming the One is for sure the most exciting accomplishment thus far! I’ve wanted to write a book since I was a little girl. My book will be published in 9 other languages (and counting). Becoming the One required so much of my energy, but I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share my work with so many hearts around the world. □
Article Credits
Sheleana’s Instagram: @sheleanaaiyana
Photo One: @fenamberphotography
Photo’s Two & Three: @oliviavandyke
Photo’s Four: @allypintucci