Opera singer Shirin Eskandani shares how and why she shifted her career into a place of helping others.
Interviewed by wellness experts Latham Thomas.
Latham Thomas: Can you share a bit about the work that you do?
The work is about developing more self trust, self-compassion, and self-love.
I had an incredible career, but I was on the verge of burnout.
Shirin Eskandani
What inspired you to move in this direction?
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I grew up in Canada, where Id been a big fish in a little pond.
The insecurity that I hadmy perfectionism, my competitive sidebecame magnified.
I was constantly trying to find fulfillment through my work.
I had an incredible career, but I was on the verge of burnout.
My dream opera, my dream opera house!
But I didnt feel any of those things.
I found mindfulness and started working with a life coach, and that shifted my perspective.
To this day, I say that my biggest accomplishment in life wasnt singing at the Met.
It was singing at the Met and actually enjoying every moment of that, even when I failed.
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Thats how I came to this work.
Is that how you knew you wanted to do this work with other people?
Singing and coaching for me are kind of the same.
Theyre different vehicles for the same purpose, which is to transform people through joy.
What does it look like when you support others through your coaching practice?
We always start with self-trust.
Theyre often the support system for the people in their lives.
For me, its about bringing everything back to trusting your intuition again and leading your life from there.
I think the basis of all growth is trust in oneself.
What is The Missionary Sex Position?
That centers me early in the morning.
But also, joy is a big part of what I do.
For me, its grounding to look for ways to pursue joy.
If were not addressing the whole self, then were not really doing true, 360-degree self-care.
Shirin Eskandani
What are the words that you live by?
Lets just see what happens.
That combats my worry and puts me in a playful and curious place.
I dont know what the universe has in store for me, so lets see what happens.
Are there ancestral practices that may be important to your work?
In the mornings, I call upon my ancestors.
A big part of Iranian culture is connection.
We love to listen to people; were storytellers.
And stories are such a great way of learning, right?
Theyre not over your head, and its not like someones saying this doctrine to you.
Its like youre uncovering something yourself.
What would you say about being a woman of color in the wellness field?
How do you navigate that?
That was difficult to navigate.
I want diversity and inclusion to really mean something.
A big mission of mine is to create a space of healing for women of color.
It is our workfor us, by us.
Shirin Eskandani
What does that look like for you?
I think one of my superpowers is creating community.
I pull upon that because I know how important that is.
The power of coming in community and seeing each other is so incredibly healing.
All of those parts make up your whole.
For me, its about going into those dark places.
Of course, celebrating and enjoying is great, but self-care is messy and uncomfortable at times.
So if were not addressing the whole self, then were not really doing true, 360-degree self-care.
Send your questions and suggestions to[email protected].
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