This week on Talk Learn Connect, Writer Yvonne Reddin asks Author, Reiki Master, Crystal Therapist - Liz Sheehan to share some TLC

Can you share a summary of your career and how you became a Crystal Therapist?

I spent many years working in the fashion industry, starting with A-Wear when I was in school and continuing on to work as a store manager/Merchandiser/Fashion Buyer for the likes of Brown Thomas and Penney’s. I traveled a lot in my twenties, so I supplemented that with working in hospitality and catering.

I also segued into working as the wardrobe manager for an Irish Dance show called Rhythm of the Dance where I was on a world tour for three years. I did some film and panto work and eventually moved back into management for Starbucks. I was working as a store manager and management trainer for Starbucks, where I opened the Malahide branch.  On the birth of my second child, I left to open my own business, Paua2thepeople a handmade crystal jewellery and accessory business.

As I was working for myself, I had the flexibility to work around the kids while they were young. In 2014, we moved to Wicklow, and I took some time out to retrain as a yoga teacher, a reiki master and a crystal healing therapist.

I also wrote my first novel - Beneath The Visible.

You have written your first fiction novel “Beneath The Visible” – Can you tell readers what genre it is for and why you write in this style?

It’s a fast-paced action fantasy adventure novel for the young teen reader. I was attracted to writing for this age group as primarily this is where my kids sit on the reader demographic. I wanted to open up the world of crystals to them but in a way that wasn’t preachy or obviously teaching.

I learned this by teaching kids yoga and mindfulness. It had to be disguised as anything but yoga.

I think this works in my writing too. The information is gleaned almost by osmosis and hopefully in a fun way.

You have said before that the story just came to you and the characters; you have a creative nature, is this important to you in your daily life also?

I think if you are a creative person then it’s vital to express that energy or it stagnates. When I moved to Wicklow first, I joined an art class and I still meet with the people from that class to sketch and draw in our houses or in any of the many fab locations here. I think creativity just oozes out of people if they are that way inclined, but I also believe everyone is creative; just some people think they are not because they couldn’t draw in school or didn’t get a chance to find a creative expression for themselves.

"Creativity is not just about the obvious - art and writing, it can be how a person arranges their furniture so that it feels right to them, or simply how they go about their day"

We need a broader definition of this and I am glad to see that the educational system has evolved since I went to secondary. I wasn’t allowed to do art. I scored high on the aptitude test and went into the ‘A’ stream, where languages, science and academics were prioritized.

This led me to study applied science in college and I now have a science degree where I can honestly say I have never used. I did at the time take the leaving cert art exam and I am happy to report got an honor in it, much to the chagrin of the principal at the time but it was too little too late for me to apply to art college.

What have you learned about your business and yourself, this past eighteen months, living through a pandemic?

I think the most important thing I learned is to keep pushing through. I spent most of my time applying for grants for my website and working on that.

The focus of my business also changed as I was a yoga and mindfulness teacher so I had to pivot and focus on my books and other products which will be coming online soon. In any business you need to move with the cheese as they say and being rigid in your thought process, focus or direction won’t work if the world goes topsy turvy.

Having a flexible attitude helps. I think if this was a haiku it would be –

 “Be like water…it flows….” or something to that effect.