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

Hi April, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business? What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I had a burnout 12 years ago. Doctors said I experienced a ‘brain death’.

My brain had been over exerted, at unimaginable stress levels, for far too long. The pressures of today’s modern world pushed my brain to the brink. I was neurally impaired so to say. A part of me I had relied on so heavily for corporate success had died alive.

The doctor told me to look at it as if I had broken my brain. As if, I had split my leg in two and tried to walk on it expecting to get anywhere. The only difference is that I didn’t feel pain. There were no tell-tell signs (e.g. headache, nausea, ringin, etc)..I felt overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. The doctor prescribed 6 months of rest! But I ignored his advice. Instead I judged myself for feeling
uncomfortable, or easily irritable, or sensitive. I judged myself from being slow, unclear, and sounding stupid. Instead of resting I worked harder. I doubled-down on my commitment to deliver more, to prove that I was smarter and better than others. I wanted to show strength, resilience, and grit. But more importantly I wanted to uphold my worth to let them know: I was irreplaceable.

But I crashed (and everything around me) in 2010. I started to withdraw from people. Until I met a healer that same year. She told me I was dead inside.

This is where my journey started.I attended CTI coach education and their leadership program 3 years later. I became a certified leadership coach in 2015. I started to coach senior executives for fortune 500 corporations. I guided them into career success and personal growth. But it was not until I went through a heavy relationship breakup that I understood I still hadn’t done the work. I had bypassed myself. Again. Five years ago I started to understand the concept of being in the heart rather than in the head. It took a long time for me to integrate that into my being. Even now, I try to make it my life’s daily practice to choose heart (love) over head (fear).

Today, my Los Angeles based emotional intelligence gym has sold 24 000 sessions in just 2 years. I guide people back to their source. That same inside that was dead for me 12 years ago.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started The EQ GYM so people can come and exercise different internal muscles through daily or weekly meditation. A place where deep self awareness can grow. A place I so badly needed when I was on the top of my career dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety

The EQ GYM’s internal muscle is connected to our nerve system and different states of mind. For example, theta is a state of mind where memories are stored and our inner programing lies. THE EQ GYM  focus of this kind of meditation is to resolve and release repressed stress.

We also work with alpha waves, where the subconscious meets the conscious mind. Where creativity and automatic problem solving take place. The focus of this kind of meditation is to gain clarity.

The EQ GYM also has gamma waves meditation – a state of “pure awareness,”. This state of mind makes you feel high on life and deeply recharged and motivated.

We have online classes over zoom every week and monthly membership. It is a community where you can share insights and meet friends.

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 would, of course, take them to The Sleep Spa in Beverly hills for a 75 min of The EQ GYMs in real live meditation classes where they can lay down in a $400 000 usd bed while receiving guidance into a deeper state of relaxation.

I always show the amazing nature in L.A – Manhattan beach, Topanga beach and all the different beautiful mountains. I’ll make sure we have time for restaurants like All Time, Cafe Gratitude and Little Doms.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a lot of friends in the same field as me. They have all contributed to my journey. My teachers and my clients. Therefore there is no better teacher than my chosen person – my romantic partner. To see how my boyfriend mirrors me has been revolutionary to me, and one of my biggest eye-openers.

Website: https://theeqgym.com/apps/bookthatapp/calendar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeqgym/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.