Judy Slater, owner of Innerlude and Associates, is a passionate advocate for growth and transformation in all areas of life; within herself and caring deeply for those who surround her. Judy was trained as a scientist with a background of Microbiology and Chemistry, including a minor in Music Literature and Dance to keep herself sane!
She found that physical healing was not enough and later went on to include spiritual healing, become an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), then continued expanding her expertise as a CTI (Co-Active Training International) certified coach and graduate of the CTI Leadership program, an Intuition Medicine Practitioner® from the Academy of Intuition Medicine®, a certification in Spirituality, Health and Medicine from Bastyr University, and certification in Trauma Wellness Techniques from Capacitar International. MysticMag finds out more.
How much of an influence has your experience as an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church had on your present activity?
Being ordained for almost 34 years has influenced my present activity a lot! However, I wasn’t one of those typical pastors you think of who preached weekly and did most of the duties you think of for that role. I was more involved with education of all ages, especially college students and young adults who were out of their parent’s ‘nest’ for the first time and were faced with new choices and options for almost everything.
I was fascinated with child development models and styles of learning and my focus was on encouraging people to grow spiritually in fun, creative and meaningful ways. What I discovered in the Church was that most people use religion as a crutch and as a reason to stay as they are – reasoning, if ‘Jesus loves me just as I am’, then why do I need to change? I couldn’t really understand that perspective and was a little baffled.
As I was going through some health challenges that required a career transition, somebody suggested to me that I should look into a coaching career. At first, I was taken aback, because being a coach seemed somewhat nebulous and arbitrary and it certainly didn’t refer to a sports coach! Then after inquiring more, I realized that this really fit me and would put me into contact with those like-minded people I desired, who were eager and looking to grow and transform. It also meant I wouldn’t have to use ‘religious language’ to converse with them, but rather the vernacular of their choice and thus speak their language and this suited me much better.
Did you make a conscious decision to leave religion and pursue more of a spiritual path or are the two intrinsically interconnected?
I grew up in a fundamental Christian home then as a trained scientist found that so much of religion didn’t make sense in a ‘fact-based’ world. I began exploring the role of priest, pastor, doctor, healer, and shaman and saw the overlap between the roles and duties.
At some stage, I started working with college students at their Interfaith Center. This provided the opportunity to go beyond my childhood faith and theology and expand, explore, and engage new ideas and opportunities as part of an interfaith dialogue.
I appreciate very much the similarities and differences in the various world religions and different ways of looking at the world. I also became very interested in Quantum Physics and, so much so, that now my whole language is around energy. Energy is the basis of all that is. “God is energy” and “God is love” and “Love is energy”. These three are one and the same energy. By whatever name you use, they are the basis of all life in our universe. This helped me burst any preconceived notions and notice how much our thoughts and language play into our concepts and understanding of what is.
I do prefer the word spiritual to religious, and when I teach leaders in the Church as well as my private clients, we often talk about ‘spiritual’ practices such as prayer, contemplation, meditation etc.. I suggested broadening the definition and calling them ‘vital’ practices. This could be anything that brings you an increased energy, energizes your heart and spirit and is vital for living fully. It may be admiring a piece of artwork, taking a walk in nature, going on a bike ride or some passion you have, say baking bread or delving into some topic that excites you. Vital practices allow you to open to the gifts the universe has to offer, forming a bridge between being and doing and becoming living pictures of power and energy of the universe.
What does Innerlude and Associates offer its clients exactly?
I focus on Spirituality, Healing and Creative expression. I help people take personal responsibility for their spiritual healing in many forms and in all areas of their life. I work with people who are considering a transition to their next version of their amazing life. This is what each one of us are here on this earth for at this time in history – to be creative and express ourselves in a way that fits our values, dreams, passions, skills and abilities.
One area that most often comes up and blocks this, is the need to find more of a balance and self-care so we can come from our best self as much as possible. One truth is that your body is the only one you have, and a second is, the most important relationship you have is the one with yourself. I also help people that are chronically ill cope with their particular limitations and create ways to fully express themselves and feel like a vital part of the community and world.
A few years ago, I completed a master’s certification in Intuition Medicine® at the Academy of Intuition Medicine® and when I introduced some of the basic practices to my clients, they wanted to learn more of them! So now, I also offer a series of one hour healing sessions using my deep ‘knowing’ and the intuitive tools I learned at the Academy.
To be clear, I am not the one doing the healing. I provide the space, the witness, and the guidance, and act as a receptor system, asking the person’s body to reveal and interpret what it needs and then work with their spirit to facilitate the healing. I am careful to work with appropriate and strong boundaries to prevent any merging or taking on of the person’s energy. Since we are working with energy patterns, the individual does not need to be present in person. I do not touch their body and I do not need to know any details, although I may ask for feedback or additional information to clarify what is being presented.
I also offer workshops and pop-up trainings on various topics in person, online, and on social media. One big workshop topic right now is Building Resilience, trying to cope in the midst of the pandemic and for those living in California coping with seasonal fires due to the climate crisis. In these, I offer body-based tools to reduce burnout, stress, and trauma using the person’s own hands. This is very empowering as people tap into their own inherent instinct of wisdom of the human capacity to return to balance and wholeness. Our bodies are amazingly resilient!
When we use these simple tools to support and encourage healing, not only our body benefits, but our mind and spirit as well. Other areas of building resilience I address are money and relationships.
Many of my clients struggle with issues of self-esteem and feeling good about themselves. These are often subconscious blockages that keep them from growth, new opportunities, fulfillment, and flourishing in life. A couple of years ago, I started writing a book called “Simply Self Wonderful”, meaning ‘the gift of being uniquely you’ and contrasting our Self Woundings by ‘recognizing the pain that can provoke healing and transformation’.
For easier access and use I have turned it into a card deck that I am busy finalizing and getting ready to print, market and sell. I am in the midst of writing an accompanying workbook focusing on the five categories of wholeness; mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual which I call MEPSS. This is one of my big projects which I aim to have available by this coming Valentine’s Day.
How does the word ‘curiosity’ resonate with you?
My core belief is that we are created to be creative. I believe that creativity and curiosity go hand in hand. Curiosity is the initial impetus that opens the space and allows for not only exploration but introspection. Curiosity allows a captivation of being fascinated by things that arise, while staying neutral to what is being revealed.
It eagerly finds a way to connect to something that prompts an action of some kind that leads to transformation. It can be a new way of being and living in the world, not above and separate, but interconnected and aware, working and being with others, and our astonishingly beautiful, and intricately fascinating world.
To me, curiosity is part of my adventure; learning and collecting ideas, and I am constantly incorporating new discoveries in my life and work and sharing them with people I work with.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
The transformation of the person by some kind of a spiritual breakthrough, when all the pieces for the person’s optimum functioning and future connect! It shifts everything! The goal for me, when I talk about spiritual healing, is when a person becomes a 100% themself, without the blockages, the hesitations and the self-doubts and really feeling they know who they are.
We joke and say it’s when you ‘feel 100% full of yourself’! This is a work in progress, as it is difficult to be ‘there’, or in this state of mind for even a few minutes let alone 100% of the time. This is why there is always more growth and transformation that can happen as one continues through life. We come close and have peak experiences for a few moments, or days, and then we come back or go deep down into a valley yet stay open to the next opportunity for transformation. It keeps us living in curiosity and fascination with life! I am speaking from first-hand experience.
Want to know more about Innerlude and Associates, visit https://innerludecoach.com/ or follow on https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012379501672
