In a world inundated with noise and distractions, finding a beacon of authenticity and guidance can feel like stumbling upon a rare gem in a vast desert. Dr. Nicola Amadora stands as such a gem, radiating wisdom, compassion, and empowerment in equal measure. With a multifaceted identity as a Spiritual Teacher, Psychologist, Women Leader, Activist, Author, and Speaker, Dr. Amadora has dedicated her life to supporting and uplifting thousands of individuals worldwide. Driven by an unwavering love for all beings and a fervent desire to catalyze positive change, Dr. Amadora’s journey is marked by a fierce yet tender commitment to serving humanity and our world. With open arms and a compassionate heart, she welcomes each soul into her sphere, offering solace, inspiration, and the tools needed to navigate life’s intricate tapestry. As you embark on this Mystic Mag‘s journey with Dr. Nicola Amadora, prepare to be moved, inspired, and transformed.
Living Connection and the Deep Feminine are central themes in your work. How do you define these concepts, and how have they shaped your approach to guiding individuals through their journeys of awakening and healing?
How many people are stressed right now on the planet? When we’re stressed, we act out and sometimes do really stupid things. Deeper then the stress, what I found is that all people around the whole world share a core sense of feeling separate – from the divine, each other, and disconnected – from the whole of life. Also, being disconnected from their own being and soul, which causes tremendous anxiety, stress, and pain, brining a slew of difficulties into one’s life.
The world we live in can feel very disconnected, and therefore it causes many other things like isolation, traumas and fears. So, I trained for ages and developed this kind of work to help people really get connected with themselves, with spirit, each other and to be fully embodied to make a difference here on earth, so we can help in the great turning of these times.
I’ve seen throughout 30 years of working with people, that there is a great need to get in touch, to connect to the eternal flame within us, you know, to the divine. But it’s also all around us. When we get present and connect to that in that moment, we feel a sense of love and more ease. There’s grace that opens the way for us. With that we can walk in the world and meet the challenges that come anyway. The longing for people to feel connected is so strong, and it was in me too. Really experiencing being connected to love, to living truth, to your body and feet, and to each other is fulfilling and an answer to the deepest yearning in the heart.
But also, then I saw the deep feminine way is so needed because a lot of women walk a spiritual path that is very masculine and it just doesn’t work for women. The deep feminine way means to go down and in and then up and out. But the masculine is very much about to go up onto the mountain top, transcend your difficulties, transcend your humanity.
In the deep feminine way we go for embodiment, by embracing our humanity, our bodies, feelings and our relationships. We go deeper inside instead of trying to get away from everything. You learn how to meet all that arises – pain, joy, fear, bliss. You discover and experience the sacred in form – in the animals, your friends, the trees and all of life. Through this way you heal, and develop a greater capacity to show up in the world and for everything.
Both ways – the living connection work and the deep feminine way interrelate. Some practices are similar, and others are specifically only for women. Both help people to wake up, experience the divine, heal deep wounds, feel liberated and able to embody who they are in this world as it is and live greater love, really.
In your retreats, trainings, and programs, you emphasize being a bridge between worlds. Could you share a specific moment or experience where you witnessed a profound transformation in someone’s life during one of your sessions?
I could tell you so many life changing and lasting transformations happen constantly in my retreats, sessions, or trainings. But what comes to my heart right now is a woman who was on my retreat. She was fairly advanced, on a spiritual path, and had done a lot of healing work, but she was suffering because her heart felt closed and she could not, for the world, open it. She kept disassociating from her body; as she was carrying deep suffering inside her heart, as many people do. Our hearts tend to be scarred, full of wounds from living in our world here.
So, I worked with her on the retreat, in a beautiful setting. I won’t share all the details of what I did, but what happened is, on that week-long retreat, her heart really burst open. It opened so wide that she could experience the love she’d been seeking all her life. She experienced this opening in a way that was so healthy, making her feel like she wasn’t spacing out, but she was totally present. We tended to the trauma of betrayal in her case. Our wounding is often the gateway into awakening. She felt so unloved in life and unworthy and had run away from that pain.
When I met her there, in a very safe space in the retreat, where she could soften and open. Her tears emerged, the stuffed down anger came, all of it washed out, and afterwards, she was sitting there, so happy. She felt truly connected to the divine, to herself, and to everyone in the retreat. When she went home – because I told people you need to integrate, it’s very important for this kind of work – she experienced how she was relating to her difficult teenage daughter entirely differently. Suddenly, they had a connection again that was broken before. She also was able to turn her relationship around with her partner, where they had lived at a distance. They couldn’t bridge it before, despite all the attempts from both sides. But after her turning they found a way. She discovered her life’s calling, her mission of what her work is in the world. So, this woman was truly inside out transformed.
For me, when I work with people, whether it’s in retreats or trainings or sessions, I feel like I’m standing between two worlds. I’m like a bridge. There’s the world that is the marketplace of this world, like the seeming normal things of life. And then there’s the other world where you can experience it’s imbued with the spirit, it feels so alive. And there is a sense you can hear the sacred in the song of birds or the laughter of a child. It touches your whole being. You don’t feel like the bird is an object, and you are an object. You don’t feel separate, but at one with life.
I stand between both worlds because I feel what’s needed in our time right now. I am here to lead across the bridge- from suffering to liberation, from disconnection to connection, from pain to love. For that, especially as a teacher, I need to be able to meet people where they are inside, to see, feel, and truly hear them. At the same time, I imbue, infuse, and activate the – I call it the living truth world. I bring that holy energy in, and that helps a person to make possible what was impossible before.
What type of services do you offer?
I conduct many spiritual group retreats, including large ones around the world and some are in nature. And I offer professional trainings. One training is the spiritual leader education for women, which is deep and special to me. The other is for therapists and coaches aiming for transforming lives, where they learn how to navigate both trauma and awakening, and guide people skillfully. Additionally, I offer some private sessions with individuals as a spiritual mentor and therapist. I am also an author and speaker, so there are plenty of free resources on my website, including meditations and teachings that people are welcome to use for support in their lives.
The idea of being a lighthouse to guide others home is powerful. What practices or teachings do you find most effective in helping individuals find their way back to themselves, especially during challenging times?
It’s a great question. We all want to be the light, but at the same time, the lighthouse is a symbol that stands on the ground. Even if the waves are crashing, there’s a lighthouse rooted to the ground. One of the things I’ve noticed, especially in these challenging times, is that people experience a lot of turmoil. The world is in chaos, and personally, individuals have many things coming up. It’s easy at that time to lose your grounding and be thrown over by the waves.
What I do with people is, because I see this also when there is a strong awakening happening for a person – they may have a mystical experience, and then at the same time, they can’t function – because they don’t have their feet on the ground. So, I bring in are two things that I keep repeating to people: grounding and how to do that in the midst of whatever is going on. How can you feel that the earth is below you, and you are held even though the storms are raging? I do that a lot.
The other piece I often bring in – and it doesn’t matter if a person is advanced or beginning on the path – usually, the same challenge appears – the capacity to deal with feelings. We have such a fear of experiencing emotional pain, especially. Most people try to get away from it, and the mind gets busy trying to figure out why they have this pain. But that doesn’t work. Instead I guide and teach people on how to allow their feelings rather than suppress them or act out on someone else. You learn to meet your feelings and flow with it. Loving all sounds great, but it begins with actually loving your orphaned feelings. Even your anger, so you can harness your power.
If we don’t engage in these two pieces, the spiritual path can become a bypass. We may end up depressed, pressing everything down. When you become friends with your whole humanity, your feelings too, and learn to navigate the challenges wisely, in that moment, you can be wide open and sail your ship even if the storms come. And you feel embodied, alive, not needing to close yourself to anything. It means you live in love with all of life. Wouldn’t you want that?
As someone who serves as an anchor in the storm for others, how do you personally navigate challenges and maintain your own sense of balance and connection amidst the demands of your work?
Well, what I do is go riding my horse in nature and let everything go. I work with so many people around the world all the time, it can be really draining at times. So, I get on my horse every second day, and let loose. II also dance regularly, swim in the ocean, hike in nature, and meditate every day—mornings and evenings for at least half an hour. And I write a lot, which I love.
All that helps me to be really present, connected, and in touch with the sacred, fills up my heart and makes me feel so alive.
In guiding others to live, relate, and lead skillfully, what advice or principles do you often find yourself emphasizing, and how can individuals integrate these teachings into their daily lives for lasting transformation?
That’s a great question. Again, I could answer that at great length, but let’s focus on something really simple. So, let’s say a person had an awakening or a healing. What often happens is the question of how to integrate that into day-to-day life. I always say one thing: take small steps, and tiny consistent actions. For example, you learn to relate in a different way then you knew before, a way that brings much more love and presence between you and your partner.
If you try to make the change big and want it to be perfect, it will not work. But if you just apply one thing, like asking, “How can I connect in this moment?” or “What would you love to choose at this moment?” it becomes easier. Try it out, apply this simple question, then listen and act on it.
Always take something concrete and small, then start practicing by applying it in your day-to-day life. Whether it’s easy or difficult, whether you fall or make it perfect, it doesn’t matter. Practice is always necessary to integrate and make the transformation that a person has been gifted, to last. So, try going to the store, talking to the person at the checkout counter, and say, “What I appreciate about you is that you packed my bags.” These simple things can activate the love inside of you and it helps the storekeeper too.
And one day you look back at all the small steps you have taken and discover – it created a huge blazing trail of love, that led you and all you touch, to change for the better!
