How I Manifested My Dream Life (& You Can Too)
The last couple of weeks have been an absolute whirlwind; preparing and launching the next round of my group mentorship programme Free Abundant Self, brainstorming new content ideas for you babes, planning upcoming coaching projects, moving apartments & implementing everything I’ve been learning in my January Master Coach Training.
And it got me thinking about just how far I’ve come on my own journey. How I now wake up every single day feeling lit up AF & stoked for life - and what’s to come next.
Today, I feel SO in touch with myself and genuinely love the life I have manifested & created for myself… and I feel so proud of the woman I have become.
But, lemme tell ya; it wasn’t always this way. Today I want to explain how my self-development journey all started…
You see, I was 12 when I realised that I was depressed. My days consisted of self-pity and destructive behaviour patterns; my mind was constantly occupied with negative thoughts. My family went through a very challenging time, and I didn’t have the strength and support to deal with it.
Not only did I spend my time spiralling on self-sabotaging & limiting thoughts, but I also spent the other part of my time people-pleasing.
I was constantly worrying what people might think about me - desperately trying to make them love me. I was faking a lot & hardly ever speaking my own truth, which ultimately made me feel incredibly empty, unworthy of other people's love, and completely misaligned.
You got it, I was sabotaging myself 99 % of the time, feeling completely lost and out of touch with the person I was at my very core. I had no goals, no purpose, and honestly, no desire to keep going like this…
My dream life back then felt so out of reach.
On the outside, I smiled. On the inside, I felt emptiness, fear and emotional pain. I had a lot of trauma I needed to navigate, but I didn't have the tools and support I needed.
My internal reality was shaping my external experience. Superficial friendships, drinking a lot in order to numb myself, overworking to be distracted, looking into the mirror and tearing myself apart. I was caught up in a hamster wheel that I didn't seem to get out of. One day, I woke up and decided that enough was enough.
It was time that I valued myself enough to commit to getting out of this dark place.
I went deep - I withdrew from my superficial friendships and did the internal work.
A lot of it.
I started creating personal policies for myself, I started setting higher standards for myself and others, and over time, I felt different & started showing up differently. Even though I made heaps of progress, it was challenging and… it was dark. Shadow work, inner child healing, trauma release… this work isn't cute or pretty.
But the deeper I went, the more I healed.
My commitment to healing carried me out of depression and, over time, it evolved into a deep desire to share my knowledge with females all over the globe. I wanted to support & coach others in getting closer to their higher self and creating a fulfilling and successful life for themselves.
Since that day, I’ve been clear on my purpose and mission on this planet.
But babe - there was still a LOT to learn.
I kicked depression in the ass - but since then, it has been a loooong ride.
I officially started my coaching biz in spring 2018. At this point, I was *finally* able to make a sustainable side income through coaching females in a 1:1 setting - most of them had found me through my IG account, which I’d been working on *daily* since 2015.
(Psst babe, I’m launching my very own coaching certification at the end of this year! To be the very first to find out more, get on the waitlist here.)
Aside from educating myself, building a reputation as a holistic life, manifestation & mindset coach, I was finishing my bachelor's degree with straight A's while working several different jobs to earn enough money to go travelling.
I can tell you; it was a LOT.
After graduating from university, I sold and stored everything I owned & booked a one-way ticket to Bali.
This is when 11 months of travelling the world & living out of a suitcase started.
And while it looked *amazing* from the outside… There was me, HUSTLING daily, 7 days a week - building my personal brand + coaching biz into what it is today.
To be entirely real with you - it wasn't all glamorous at all. I was constantly thinking about work. I was trying to do everything at once…
… and slowly but surely, I slipped into burnout - yep, whilst living in a tropical paradise. Sleep was scarce, and I was feeling DRAINED. My energy levels were so low, I sometimes had a hard time even just getting out of bed in the morning. There was so much that I still wanted to bring to life, so much to achieve, so many women to help. But it seemed like there was so little time in each day, and even less energy my physical body could provide me with.
Even though it felt scary, I started to take a step back.
I started to look for help and onboarded my first two team members.
I learnt to delegate & trust.
I slowed down and started taking care of myself again, nurturing this home that I had carefully and consciously built within myself. I committed to doing the inner work in terms of releasing limiting beliefs around work + success - and yet again, the universe rewarded me.
My energy slowly came back. And amazingly, I attracted more clients than ever.
I became a better coach, friend and a happier human.
I learnt to let go, and through that, allowed life to flow again.
By slowing down and doing less, I was able to recenter and focus on what truly matters to me - having a positive impact. My business expanded exponentially - and ever since, I have been working less - while allowing more abundance to enter my life each day.
In May 2020, after I had just returned to Germany from my apartment in Malaysia where I had lived in a building with two of my friends, I had another calling: to heal my feminine energy. I started to explore my sexuality in a deeper way and started healing the relationship I had with my feminine side - which led me to manifesting my soulmate and dream relationship.
(For more on manifesting & the law of attraction, check out my post: 5 Things to Know About the Law of Attraction.)
But that was only the start. You see, I suddenly noticed how much childhood wounding I still had to heal… and let me tell you… at first, my partner triggered the heck out of me. So once again, I started to dive deep. And the more I did my INTERNAL work, the more the universe rewarded me.
Instead of breaking us, my wounds have strengthened our relationship and eventually led us to moving in together - first on Santorini, and eventually moving to Tenerife (where we can see ourselves settling long-term and buying a house + getting a puppy next year).
Through taking the action to heal internally, I manifested and co-created all I ever wanted for myself.
You see, everything in our external reality: our friendships, our careers, our bodies, our bank accounts, our romantic relationships - they all are a representation of something that is happening within us.
And when we do the work on the inside, the world on the outside starts to shift.
When we do our work, we are being rewarded.
Honestly babe, I am SO passionate about this work because it truly is life-changing.
If you want to get started on your own personal development journey so you can show up & embody the badass, empowered & incredible version of yourself, you’re in the right place!
I’ve created a FREE deep dive worksheet especially for you in order to help you design & manifest your dream life.
As always, let me know how you get on - you can tag me on Instagram @laura.herde or drop me a message here.
If you want even more support, feel free to check out my 1:1 mentorship options, too.
Let’s make your dream life your reality, babe!
Love & light,