Meet MJ Molyneux | Women’s Meditation and Embodiment Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with MJ Molyneux and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MJ, what principle do you value most?
I try to ask myself this question with every decision I make, including business decisions: “Why am I doing this?” It’s important for me to get to the bottom of my motivation, get clear on whether I’m acting from two basic categories – love, or fear. When it comes to business, this gets tricky. Businesses are, by nature, about making money. However, I believe that *good* businesses support and grow communities, extend resources to groups that would traditionally not have access to them, and build financial stability from a groundwork of giving back as much as they consume. Right now, I’m a really small business, but I live by these tenets as I grow and evolve. For example, when I post on social media, I ask myself, “Am I doing this because it’s in alignment with what I believe, or because I’m afraid I’ll lose algorithm steam if I don’t post every day?” When I’m brainstorming for a new class or workshop, I ask myself, “Am I doing this because I think there is a service that wants to be offered, or because I feel like I haven’t produced something in a while and it’s time to get going?” When I’m putting out promotional materials to attract new clients, I ask myself, “Do I actually have the capacity to take on more clients? Or am I just doing this because constant growth is the gold standard I’ve been taught? Is it actually important to get more clients right now, or is it better to improve the quality of engagement with the community I already have?” Ultimately, so many of my decisions about business come down to this question: “Am I doing this because I’m afraid of not having enough, or because I’m excited, inspired, and ready to expand?” And listen. We need to make money. That’s the world we live in. I’ve found over and over again, however, that if I tune into pleasure, generosity, and service, instead of financial-gain-over-all-else, the money takes care of itself. My career is of a spiritual nature, so in order for me to be in integrity, I’m kind of required to flex that “trust” muscle, but I truly believe that this is also just how life works. In my work, I’ve repeatedly seen that if I can get comfortable in the discomfort of uncertainty, practice patience, and do business from a place of alignment rather than hustle, whatever it is I’m producing is not only more fulfilling for me and my clients, but also more financially successful. It’s amazing how the money flows when I’m in my flow. Additionally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I’m a white, able-bodied, middle class, and cis-gendered woman, so leaning into trust around finances is just easier for me than it is for other folks. Still, I stand by my beliefs. I believe that what you put out comes back to you. If you’re putting out pushy, grabby, power-hungry energy, you might get the money you’re after, but your life will only reflect what pushing, grabbing, and consumption can offer (and to me, it ain’t much). If you’re staying in the mindset of service, common good, and community-building, you’re going to experience the fullness of what this life, in my opinion, is really all about: People loving and uplifting other people (and the earth). Now that’s a hell of a lot more rewarding, don’t you think?

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a meditation and embodiment coach who works with women to awaken them spiritually and sexually, creating increased vitality, intuition, and capacity to honor their deepest “yes” and their sacred “no”. I’m unique because I combine the traditional wisdom of meditation, which teaches the transcendence of a solid sense of “self”, with the other side of the coin, which is a full, rich, unapologetic sense of “This is ME.” That’s where the embodiment and sexual awakening practices come in. My path started with meditation, and I got a lot of mileage out of that. Eventually, through trainings with my own sexuality coach, Whitney Ullom, I realized that especially for women, creating a solid and powerful sense of self was equally as important as seeing through the illusion of self. We need both. In one sense, there is no self. Just thoughts, emotions, and sensations that create a sense of “me”. In another sense, however, it is deeply healing for women, who have traditionally been told they’re unimportant in every way, to own a sense of story, move through their trauma by casting themselves as the heroine, and explore the pieces of themselves that have been shoved down and tuned out for years. This is the intersection of my work – the realization that we actually have no idea who we are, and the assertion that we know *exactly* who we are. This was not an easy path, and required a lot of exploration and trial-and-error. I’ve always known I was a healer, and can recall being the moderator, shoulder-to-cry-on, and empath even as a small child. When I first started my work, I became a yoga teacher because that seemed like a direct path to a “real career”, and something I could actually make money at. At that time, I was teaching meditation in a really casual way, but didn’t think I could make a life that way. I spent years moving from frustrating side hustle to frustrating side hustle while I found my voice, and the thing that kept sticking was meditation. I never let that one go. When I finally made the leap and started coaching, it was incredibly fulfilling and I knew that I’d found “my thing.” Since then, I’ve incorporated more and more learnings as I absorb them from my own teachers, coaches, and courses, expanding my offerings as I gain new knowledge. That’s how the most recent addition of embodiment and sexual healing came to be. How did I overcome the difficulty of the search? It started with just getting plain old sick and tired – literally. I’ve been struggling with chronic illness since I was a teenager, and eventually, my body hit a limit on what it could do. I was scared, but my symptoms didn’t leave much room for choice, and I had to start working from home like I had been dreaming of for so long. Fortunately for me, I have a really supportive husband who helped turn that into a reality, and I had a softer landing than others might have due to his bolstering. Today, I can say that I’m grateful for my body being so clear with me. Though it was incredibly uncomfortable to give up the security of a paycheck every two weeks and become the solo force behind my own income, my body is happier, I’m happier, and my whole life feels like it clicked into place. I’ve heard so many business-owners and creatives say this over the years, but the biggest lessons I’ve learned are: 1. Trust yourself. and, 2. Just keep going. I’m pretty new at this, but I’ve already hit quite a few of those moments of desperate, “What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into? Who do I think I am to take this on?”. And that’s just part of the process, right? Creativity and inspiration typically don’t come from coasting and comfort. My best ideas have come when I felt like I didn’t know what the hell the next step was, but kept crawling forward anyway. Eventually, the crawling turns into baby steps, and the baby steps turn into a stride. Often, the most important ingredients are trembly forward motion and a dash of blind faith. If you’re passionate about something and it makes you feel good, chances are, you’ll figure out how to make it happen. If I could tell you one important thing about my business, I would want you to know this: I love it. It feels good in my body. I’ve finally found that I can help people and not be drained. On the contrary, this job fills me up to overflowing. So many of my years were spent care-taking in a way that depleted me, leaving my exhausted and ill, but somewhere deep down, I knew I could use my gifts *and* create a sustainable life. I found my way, and especially to the sensitive women reading this, I want to say that you can find your way, too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a nature freak, so most of my recommendations will involve outdoor spaces. The beach – specifically Manhattan beach and El Matador Beach. Manhattan because it’s a little less crowded, but still has cute places to grab food if you need it, and El Matador because of the stunning rock formations. The Lower Winter Creek Trail near Hoegees Campground – It’s a gorgeous 5-mile loop, and rare for the LA area because it has lots of tree coverage and a stream running the whole length of the trail. Summer Buffalo Thai Food on Melrose. Hands down the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve been to Thailand. A day of coffee shops, vintage and thrift stores, and music stores in Loz Feliz. Such a cute and funky little area. Star-gazing nights at Griffith Park. They have these scheduled events when a bunch of people who own telescopes set up and invite you to gaze through them at the stars. Rose Avenue in Venice. A great street to tour new-age culture, eat organic, and window-shop.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely want to give a shout-out to my meditation teacher and mentor, Jessica Graham. I think you guys have actually interviewed her before! Jessica is an incredible resource, and has guided me through some of the toughest chapters in my life. She was the officiant for my wedding, coached me in awakening around spirituality and sexuality, and has been an example of conscious leadership for over eight years. She’s my biggest sources of inspiration when it comes to how to run my business (and life). Also, gotta shout out to my husband, Ben. He’s supported me through many iterations of my career, always cheering me on to find out what the next step is.

Website: feelbetterwithmj.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mj_molyneux/?hl=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6U5oqQhbOfEPY1XQSLu6Yw