Born into a war zone, and forced to flee because adults in two nations couldn't resolve their differences, had me feeling that the world wasn’t safe.
Watching my parents fight made home feel like a war zone, and my sensitive nervous system yearned for relationality.
School became a battleground where my differences made me a target for bullying. I didn’t feel safe. I shrank. I hid. I blared heavy metal music. I was angry. I was heartbroken.
In my early twenties, I found myself trapped in an unhappy marriage, stuck in a job that drained me, and desperately searching for a way out.
Enter shadow work. One day I heard Alanis Morrisette talk about going to a shadow workshop in San Diego, and I immediately Googled The Ford Institute. I signed up for the next workshop, and bought Debbie Ford's first book, “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers.”
With the support of Debbie Ford as my coach and Darlene Basch as my therapist, I embarked on a transformative journey to reclaim my life: I courageously left my marriage, answered the soul-stirring call of songwriting, formed a rock band in LA, and confronted my deepest fear — visibility. This journey propelled me to step into the spotlight, where I could finally unleash and express my unfiltered truth.
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
Years later, after a devastating injury at work stripped away my home, job, and sense of self, I found myself moving back in with my parents. As I took on the role of caretaker for my injured father, life dealt another blow — the heart-wrenching end of a significant relationship. It was a pivotal moment that demanded a radical shift in my approach to life.
Entering my most cherished relationship forced me to confront a stark truth: while I had done significant inner work on myself, I hadn't fully addressed how my childhood wounds affected my interactions with others. This profound partnership demanded a new level of presence and vulnerability, compelling me to delve deep into the roots of my behavior and emotional patterns.
Training at The Relationship School was a Master's degree in Interpersonal Psychology — a rigorous journey that demanded I confront my own role in every relationship dynamic. This deep self-awareness transformed me into a relational leader, committed to continuous learning and understanding human behavior, both within myself and others.
As humans, our tendency to "other" those different from us propelled me into a journey of deep shadow work and relational intelligence studies. My own experiences of heartbreak became the catalyst for discovering and navigating a better way forward — a path I'm eager to share with you.
I had the privilege of working with Fereshta following a traumatic breakup, and it became apparent just how rough I was around the edges due to that experience. My thought patterns were often tangled, leaving me confused about whether the issue lay with me or others. Despite having a generous heart and a deep love for love itself, I found myself reacting defensively or, at times, closing off emotionally in romantic situations. Fereshta reassured me that these defenses were simply ways of protecting myself.
Together, we delved deep into the depths of my fears, softening what I had never imagined possible. We addressed relationship trauma, heartbreak, personal triumphs, childhood wounds, and communication challenges—Fereshta held space for it all. Her guidance provided invaluable tools and resources for quick healing. I cannot express enough gratitude for helping me honor my own needs and for teaching me to hold space for others with kindness and grace. Thanks to her precision in navigating relationships and her empathetic heart, I have learned to love even more profoundly and authentically.
Amanda Stefenelli
Working with Ferestha has allowed me to create the beautiful relationship I am in today. She has helped me fiercely take a stand for myself, my partner, and the relationship. My work with her has taught me how to do the hard things that I have avoided out of fear to get to the next step in life that I want to achieve. I have recommended her to many of my family and friends in hopes that she can help them transform their lives and relationships into the best versions possible. I would recommend her 1000 times over.
Natasha Majewski
Fereshta has been a loyal and reliable ally and support to me in my journey of shedding the straitjacket of old patterns and living into the life of alignment and purpose I have always known was possible for myself but could somehow never quite get to. I have so much appreciation for her tenderness and sensitivity AND her fierce, loving directness. She's walked with me through places that have felt too vulnerable to both touch myself and reveal to another, be they a therapist or a coach, and I've come out on the other side feeling stronger, more resourced, and more trusting.
Olya Milovska
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