Today we’d like to introduce you to Christa Mayfield.
Christa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Before I begin, I’d love the readers to close their eyes for a moment and sit with these questions: Do you feel deeply, fully alive, living as your truest self? What would change for you or your circle of influence if you were even 1% more authentically yourself? (Take a deep, belly-rising breath.)
I have one deep passion, a central throughline that serves as my North Star: connecting to the truth of who we are. In a world that’s racing with pressure to “do” more, I have always been more inclined to pay attention to who and how we are “being”. I’m a multi-hyphenate leader, but everything I do is to connect us back to our humanity, our hearts, and the humanity and hearts of others. I believe now, with everything occuring in the world, this is more important than ever. We struggle with connection, not because we don’t value it; we simply lack capacity. And capacity can be built.
So much of connecting back to ourselves, owning our truth, and living in full alignment with our values resides in the capacity of our nervous systems to create safety in our own brains and bodies. In other words, the patterns in our nervous system and body are why we do the things we do, and if we want to change and grow, we have to understand what our nervous systems need.
My journey to this point has been full of unique twists and turns, but each one taught me something essential.
2010
I found the musical Les Misérables during my junior year of high school. I listened to the soundtrack every day while doing homework. I remember feeling stunned at how compelled I was by the story – a story about the power of seeing people as humans first, people worthy of grace and belonging. I was captivated by the power of story to shape the way we think, feel, and relate. And I knew then that I wanted to be part of telling stories like that, stories that make us love others and ourselves more.
2015
My life took a divine hard left, and I found myself working in anti-human trafficking. For nine years, I had a backstage pass to the non-profit and social services world as I built a strong network and resume. I wore nearly every hat in our organization. I presented to thousands of people over scores of speaking engagements. I developed and facilitated curricula for youth in vulnerable situations and provided direct services to people exiting trafficking and exploitative situations. I ran events, managed volunteers, and drafted grant reports. I saw up close how the world was very different for different people. I heard unimaginable stories of violence and pain, but also of resilience and hope. I worked with beautiful souls and learned what it is to give your all for a cause you believe in. It was here I learned about trauma and the nervous system, about how the brain scans for danger and prioritizes safety. I learned our environment and life experiences impact our perception, which guides our behaviors, which shape the lives we lead.
2020
After experiencing multiple rounds of burnout, I became an IIN Certified Health Coach. In health coaching school, I learned about the deep connection between our emotions and our physical bodies. They taught us that nutrition is more than the food on your plate; it’s your home life, your creativity, your joy, your work, and your relationships. I learned how to support someone in making shifts in their habits and lifestyle, not as a manager, but as a “guide on the side.” They emphasized that everyone has innate wisdom inside of them; they just need someone to give them the time, space, and tools to hear it. My clients came to me to help them build better habits to improve their health. But I began to notice an interesting pattern. Whereas in Weeks 1 and 2, we’d be discussing their breakfasts or their evening wind-down routines, around Week 6, we began to get much deeper. In pulling the thread of their lifestyle patterns, we began to uncover the deeper, unconscious beliefs, fears, and pains that were driving their behavior. What resulted was a deeper level of understanding about themselves that unlocked healing in even more areas of their lives.
2022
Health coaching school and the trauma-informed trainings I received through my anti-trafficking work opened my eyes to see that social service providers – case workers, law enforcement, non-profit leaders, first responders, nurses, teachers, etc. – were operating with the same brains and nervous systems as our clients, but there was no support for us. More significantly, I saw that the way we related to those we serve was negatively impacted by our disconnection from our own humanity, vulnerability, and limits. I started Good Sustained, a stress resilience and workplace wellness consultancy, to love on and serve social service providers, to remind them that they too are human, not superheroes, and that acknowledging their needs and limits actually made them better at relating to, serving, and empowering their clients. Looking into the eyes of these deeply caring, well-intentioned, but often burnt-out, providers and holding space for them to finally breathe was deeply moving and taught me something profound – we empower others when we honor the boundary between where I end and you begin.
2024
After nearly a decade working in anti-human trafficking, I could no longer ignore a deep unsettling in my soul. Anxiety and physical illness were yelling at me loud and clear to stop and listen to what my heart had been saying since I was a little girl: “You were made to tell stories.” I was 30. I had given my 20s to my work. It felt too late for me. I didn’t even know if I could do it. But I did know that when I lay on my deathbed, I would deeply regret it if I never tried.
It was at this time that I also began to identify that throughline between my passion for stories, my work in anti-trafficking and non-profits, and my work as a coach. It was all about connecting us back to our own humanity, so we can truly see the humanity in others, no matter how different we are.
So, I began the slow, humbling, and painful process of turning my life around and setting my sights on a new horizon.
2026
I am living a life I didn’t know I could dream of. I finished my first film and will be hosting a screening where I’ll be giving a talk on belonging, otherness, and connection. I’m currently working on my second film. I produce a podcast sharing human-centered stories that foster integrity, connection, and healing. I coach clients and get a front-row seat to their transformation as they excavate the subconscious beliefs and patterns that kept them from living the life they wanted (and that they deserve). I host gatherings and workshops and speak on podcasts.
My work ranges from somatic-based coaching to telling stories, because the language of the nervous system is experience. The emotional experience of stories and the work done in a coaching program are both powerful ways to build more capacity and safety in the body so that we can engage our lives with more agency and choice rather than reacting from a default programmed by fear. This is how we create connections that heal.
Looking ahead, I’d love more opportunities to screen my film and share about connecting with people different from us. I’d love to speak at more events, guest on more shows, and guide people to achieve their goals from a place of deep connection to their authentic selves.
I hope that I can serve as an example that it’s never too late. This world needs you to be alive and in your fullness. To be radically honest with yourself is the bravest path you can take, but I can attest to the old call of Love, “the truth shall set you free.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2024, when I decided to make a significant change and move away from my nonprofit career path, I knew there would be a high cost to starting over. Perhaps the most challenging was the utter demolition and renovation of my identity. I didn’t have a solid idea of what I was building or where I was going. I had an inkling, a whisper to follow by faith. Truly, the biggest challenge was the waiting. Sitting in the discomfort of the unknown and trusting the process.
I felt like a caterpillar in a chrysalis. When a caterpillar enters that stage, it’s stuck. Alone. In darkness. Its pliable exoskeleton hardens, and its once organized body turns to mush. I remember describing this experience to a friend, “It feels like my brain is in my butt.” Nothing made sense. I looked nothing like my old self. I was goo. Alone. Stuck. Not building. Not creating. Barely earning. But in that dark, still place, deep work was happening – an utter shift in my identity, in what I believed was possible for myself. It was a two-year process, full of grief, challenges, and hard lessons.
But the version of me that is emerging (I still feel like I’m just now coming out of that place) has what it takes to soar. I NEVER would have said those words two years ago. But I can say them now. And what’s more: I believe it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a somatics-informed coach. I work with clients to excavate and address the subconscious beliefs and patterns that are driving the behavior they want to change so that they experience a life that is aligned and alive. I speak and write on inner healing, social justice, non-profit dynamics, wholeheartedness, nervous system work, storytelling, and identity.
I’ve begun to build a production company to steward stories and experiences that will foster healing and connection. Stay tuned for that.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
How we approach risk has everything to do with our nervous system and our capacity to hold ourselves through uncertainty. Risk requires an immense amount of trust, both in ourselves and our external world. Look at how, when, and why you take risks. Do you jump into risky moments when things feel overwhelming or stale? Perhaps you struggle to hold the events or situations in your life, and you look to big moments of excitement to escape. Do you avoid risk at all costs because you require control to feel safe? Do you rush into risk because you find that easier than holding responsibility? Noticing your patterns can give you a deeper level of awareness, allowing you to make a more conscious choice about risk in the future.
Starting over was a risk. Going back to school at 30 was a risk. Making films, producing podcasts, coaching clients – all involves risk. I err on the side of needing control, so I do my best to prepare, study, and find support and guidance as much as I can. Taking these risks was really stretching for me, but in the end, so worth it!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christa.mayfield
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christa-mayfield-438b66140/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD7n8uoT6Vg
Image Credits
Timothy Heard
