Resonance – Episode 3
Verbatim Transcript
Speaker: Viktoria Levenberg
I'm not gonna lie, I think that a part of me was still a little bit out of integrity.
If I'm being really honest with myself, there's a part of me that I was still burning myself out.
Perfectionist Virgo tendency, right, to prove something.
I have made the choice to pull back.
In today's brief and short episode, I give you an overview of where I've come between in my big life blowing up in my face moments that we dove into last episode and today, and how even though I was moving in the direction of my dreams, I was doing so out of integrity.
So come on in, stay tuned, and I'd love for you to listen in to how my values have been guiding my decisions and perhaps reflect on what that may mean for you.
Welcome to Resonance, a podcast for ambitious, heart-led humans craving more balance, depth, and aliveness in their lives. I'm your host Vik—health coach, yoga teacher, facilitator, and fellow high achiever learning to live in tune with my nervous system, not against it.
This space is here to remind you that you can have it all—the career, the success, the fulfilment—all aligned with your truth.
Through honest conversations, expert insights, and practical tools, we'll explore how to work with your body, mind, emotions, and spirit, not against them.
And the best part—you don't have to stay stuck in survival mode to get there.
Because true well-being is not about being perfect, it's about being in resonance. Let's dive in.
Alright, welcome back, um, if you're back and you've just listened to Episode 2, thank you for sticking around for that. I know that got quite heavy. I promise you that's not necessarily going to be the vibe of Resonance all the time. But also I wanted to call out that it is the real, the authentic, the in integrity of the stories that we share, um, so you know, I promised you real life stories—this is what you get with me, kind of unfiltered, the raw, the true, the honest.
And so today I'm gonna keep things a little bit briefer, a little bit shorter, just to really round out the beginning, the birthing of Resonance, to help you, um, bridge that gap between, you know, where I left things off, and things were quite intense and really heavy, and kind of where I'm at today. Oh dear.
Look, I would really call myself as being in this liminal space right now. And so, you know, the liminal space is basically like that space where you're no longer necessarily who you used to be, you're no longer that identity that you used to strongly identify with, and yet you're also not quite there yet in terms of this new version of you. It's this liminal space in between, so to speak, and I feel like that's really where I'm at.
So, you know, after kind of like my whole world just turned upside down, and I, uh, voluntarily took a demotion and a 40% pay cut, and I went back to uni and signed up for a yoga teacher training and did all these things, like I'm not gonna lie, I think that a part of me was still a little bit out of integrity. So even though I was moving in a direction that I wanted to go, like I was really, you know, focused on building Living Health and serving people and, um, getting kind of like more credentials under my belt so that, you know, you felt really safe and held when working with me, I was doing a lot.
Like I was in a part-time job, and still am to this day, um, which is, you know, contracted for 30 hours a week or whatever. Um, I was doing university course with papers equivalent to 20 hours a week of work. One of the semesters I was literally a full-time student, so I did two papers, which was just nuts. And then on top of that, I was doing like yoga teacher trainings and serving clients. So as you can imagine, even though I felt like I was moving in the right direction, if I'm being really honest with myself, there's a part of me that I was still burning myself out. And I was just trying to do it all, trying to do too much.
I was really afraid to be behind, or like, I'm running out of time, I wanna get there faster, you know. And right now, where I'm at today is, I stand in this really interesting space of a really key important decision to make, because I know that what I'm doing now is not sustainable. And this is the difference—like this is where the awareness comes in, right? Because you can either stay and keep running around the hamster wheel, as I have been—I just jumped from one hamster wheel to the other, if I'm being completely frank and with myself about it right now—and yet as I was running that hamster wheel, like the awareness was there.
So don't get me wrong, like I was not burning myself out to the extent that I had burnt myself out when I was full-time corporate and dealing with all the family drama that I shared with you earlier. Like, I had already picked up a lot of really incredible, strong, grounding practices to support me on my journey. Like my self-care routine was really strong, I moved in with my partner, and just like the love of him and his dog created this really safe, nurturing container for me. And like the walks and the time in nature and meditation and yoga nidra and yoga and drinking my cacao and cooking—like there were all these little moments that brought me back into resonance.
And yet, I was still running that hamster wheel way too fast, way too strong, doing it all. Like I would pride myself on my friends or like work colleagues being like, oh my God, yeah, you are doing it all. I'm like, yeah, I'm like juggling this ball and then that ball and the other and whatever. And in preparation for this podcast, and in preparation for bringing this to life, like I started to, you know, for those of you that don't know me personally, or, you know, maybe getting to know me, I am a Virgo rising. So there is a part of me that loves to organize things, like there's that real OCD tendency in my personality. And I love a project plan. Like I, ugh, I love to plan more than I love actually doing the thing that I'm doing, uh, which, you know, is a little bit of a rabbit hole to get into.
But as I was planning all these incredible projects that I've got up my sleeve for Living Health, and including Resonance, I started to realize more and more how my number one missing resource was time. And I'm sure that you can resonate with that as well, because if you don't have the time to do what you love, or to take care of yourself, you have the best ideas and the best practices and the tools and the connections and the network in the world, but if you don't actually have or make the time to do it, it's not gonna happen, right? Like, yeah, it just ain't happening.
And I was definitely living in an intense time scarcity mindset. And it's still something that, to this day, I struggle with and I'm working on. And yet, I'm like really proud to say this, because I feel like now saying this out loud makes it quite official. Um, I have made the choice to pull back. Um, I've been—I've known this deeply in my sub and unconscious brain. I've known that something needs to change. It's been a year and a half now that I've been like working part-time and doing uni and doing all the things, and it just didn't feel sustainable. I was—there was literally like a day on the weekend where I'm not studying or working on Living Health was a rare find. And like, how am I supposed to be showing up here, telling people or showing people how to take care of themselves, how to prioritize their work-life balance, how to navigate their stress journey, when I'm still kind of doing it to myself?
And the thing is, like, I just wanna stress, like, the journey never ends, right? I'm always gonna be dealing with something in the background, no matter what you may see on the external front. And the extent to which the last year and a half have been going have felt quite out of integrity. Um, out of integrity with what I stand for, with like how I wanna bring things to life. Even things like, um, Live in Presence, right, which is my free 8 days of mindfulness online course. Like I'm so happy that I brought it into the world, and there was so many kind of like internal blocks that I had to overcome to put it out there, because again, perfectionist Virgo tendency, right? Um, and at the same time, when I then kind of like really doubled down and focused on bringing it to life, I noticed that I drew on these unhealthy tendencies and patterns and habits that I had acquired in my corporate role.
Like, where I knew how to get shit done. I knew how to just hyper focus and just smash things out and do it. And I did it, and I brought it to life, and it happened. And I learned a lot through it, you know. But one of the big learnings was like—that's not how I wanna be operating in my business. Like, that is not the place that I wanna be creating from. That is not in resonance. That is in misalignment. It is out of integrity. And that was kind of like one of the big aha moments.
And after a lot of reflection, and a lot of thank goodness for Cam and his listening ear, you know, kind of a lot of back and forth and some therapy on this as well, I, as it stands today, have made the decision to leave my postgraduate studies. As a postgraduate—so for context, the idea was always to continue on to a Masters, and then recently, like even a potential PhD pathway opened up, which, if you've learned anything about my ego for now, I sucked that stuff right up. I was so like, oh my God, you are just gonna call me Doctor Vik from now on, uh, thank you, I will not be referred to by any other means. Um, and yet, you know, I knew that would mean at least another two to five years of living like this. That was not Living Health. That was living… yeah.
And, um, I just realized after a lot of self-reflection that really one of the main reasons that I wanted to pursue the Masters or the PhD is like to prove something—be it to you or to my parents or to someone else—that I was worthy, that I was good enough, that I should be taken seriously. Um, so it was an ego ploy, because like my heart is not in research. Yes, I am passionate about the topics I've been studying, and I've been getting pretty easy, good grades, because clearly it's in resonance, it's in alignment with where my passion lies. And at the same time, it feels like the right moment to channel that passion and energy into Living Health, into my business, into helping you, into making a life of balance, peace even, dare I say thriving, available to you, without you having to sacrifice your career, your dreams, or your sense of belonging.
And so this is where I'm at right now. It's like in this really interesting liminal space, um, where on the verge, I think, of a really new beginning. And most importantly, I think I just need to stay in alignment with my values and being guided by my values. Yeah, if I asked you off the top of your head what your values are, I don't know whether you'd be able to answer me right away. Like for a really long time, I wasn't able to do so either. And yet today, I can tell you: number one, integrity. Number two, authenticity. Number three, kindness. Number four, balance. Like four and five, number three, they shift and change day to day. But integrity, authenticity—always one and two.
And so as soon as I shift out of that, like as soon as I'm operating from a place that's out of integrity, or where I'm like not being authentic, not being who I am, that's when I know that something needs to change. That's my little red flag. And that's what helps me come back into resonance. And so I share that to really invite you to start to reflect on you and your values. Um, what's important to you. Um, and, uh, one of my teachers—actually my uni professor from my last paper of my postgrad in nutrition, which I'll be finishing this semester…
She worded this really beautifully. She said that your values are like a compass. So they guide you in a specific direction.
For example, like, you can follow a compass to go east. You never arrive at east. You’re never in—you’re never east—but you move in the direction of east. And that’s really what your values are. It’s like how you move through the world, how you behave, how you treat others, how you speak to others, the information that you consume, the information that you share.
So I just love to leave you with this little contemplation to ponder on today. Just starting to have a think about: what do your values look like? And have you been living from a place of integrity and alignment with your values? Or are there perhaps little red flags and pockets in your life where you might need to get your little magnifying glass out and have a little look-see?
So that is all for today. Thank you so much for sticking around. Hopefully this is a little bit lighter than last time. I’m pretty sure that our next episode is going to feature a guest, which I’m so excited to bring on and start to weave into this work together.
So stay tuned. In the meantime, I wish you a beautiful day. Bye for now.
Alright, listen to this. I get asked by overworked, overwhelmed, burnt out high achievers how they can release their stress without sacrificing their productivity all the time. And that is because I have been one of them. I’ve been able to heal my relationship with stress, all the while increasing my energy, and achieve more than ever before at the same time.
So for the very first time ever, I’m so excited about this—I am going to be pulling together and teaching a really small, intimate, select group of students how to detox from stress so that you can say bye-bye to burnout and overwhelm. And instead you can skyrocket your energy levels, all the while being more productive than ever before—with ease. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
So if that’s something that you’re interested in, if you are done struggling with stress and overworking and you’d like to be a part of this special training, send me a message and let’s have a chat. I’d love to see you there.
Thank you so much for tuning into Resonance. If something in today’s episode stirred something in you, maybe just take a moment and notice what’s resonating and what isn’t. No judgment, just awareness.
And remember—you’re not broken, you don’t need fixing. You are just naturally responding to a world that’s been a little bit too much for a little bit too long.
And perhaps you feel called to follow the show, leave a review, send this episode to a friend, or text it to a family member. Anything you do will really support this show and will be really appreciated. You’ll find both links in the show notes below.
And until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and stay connected to your resonance. So much love. Bye for now.
The views and opinions expressed by guests on Resonance are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of me, Viktoria Levenberg, Living Health, or anyone working within the Living Health brand. This space welcomes a diversity of ideas, experiences, and stories. And part of Resonance is learning to take what aligns and gently leaving the rest.
Also, while I am a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and deeply passionate about well-being, this podcast is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only. Resonance does not substitute personalized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. Always seek guidance from qualified professionals for any physical, emotional, or mental health concerns.
