Michael Ferreira

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They call me Michael. 

I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. I grew up on a small hobby farm with my mom and dad and 3 brothers. I spent a lot of time outdoors playing with swords (sticks), bows & arrows (sticks) and guns (sticks). I played with animals, in old cars and farm equipment, and helped on the farm doing chores.

I did all the things I thought I was supposed to do through my adolescence and early adulthood. I got good grades in school and graduated at the top of my class in two College programs. 

After living & working as a cable guy in Winnipeg, MB for 4.5 years, my girlfriend, Nastaja (whom I later married) and I moved to Calgary, AB in search of a mountain lifestyle. 

We were still doing all the things we thought we were supposed to be doing. We both worked our way into six-figure incomes. We had money, a condo, a new vehicle, a motorcycle. We went to the mountains to camp, hike, and snowboard frequently. We went on regular week-long vacations. 

Despite all this, I found myself feeling depressed. I felt unfulfilled. I felt misled and disillusioned. I was using alcohol and cannabis to escape. 

We decided to quit our jobs and go travelling for a year. We drove from Canada to Panama, all around Central America, backpacked around South America, then drove back home to Canada.

This trip unconsciously became a spiritual journey. We met so many amazing people all along the way. Some were locals to that area and others were from different parts of the world. My faith in humanity was restored. 

Following this trip we continued to travel for months at a time. We became Yoga teachers, attended multiple spiritual retreats, and lived & worked at a Yoga Retreat Centre for several months. 

I knew I wanted to give back; to contribute in a positive way to the world. I didn't know what that looked like. Then, a friend of mine told me he was taking a course to become a Clinical Hypnotherapist. I had heard of it, but didn't fully know what it meant until he told me what he had learned and the type of work he was trained to do.

It all resonated so deeply within me. The terminology, the language; it was all so familiar and in alignment with what I learned through my 200 Hour YTT and the retreats we participated in and helped facilitate.

I knew in that moment, this is how I would contribute. I would become a Clinical Hypnotherapist and help guide people through their most important work; their self-healing journey.

That's what I did. That is what I am doing.