“When unprocessed emotions from our life experiences live in our bodies, we may feel them at some level all the time. You might recognize them as that pit in your stomach, fluttering in your chest, or tears that spring to your eyes when you recall a certain event, and this is an indication that the energy around it remains lodged in your body. Emotions (energy in motion = e-motions) are meant to flow through us so that we can experience them, not hold on to them. Energy that has been trapped in the body – whether from trauma, heartbreak, grief, or other difficult emotions – needs a vehicle for release. I like to think of this energy as my spirits unfinished business and my very own body as the perfect vehicle for allowing this release to (gently) occur. Maybe your spirit as unfinished business too.” – Heather Hudak, Nourish. Heal. Thrive! Your Path to Vibrant Health + Radiant Beauty, Outskirts Press 2020

Walking the Path

The year I published my first book coincided with a season of life filled with difficult transitions, family health crises, and devastating personal loss (think Dark Night of the Soul). Collectively, we were also experiencing a global pandemic. As I put words to pages, I struggled mightily to pull myself out of the depths of fear, anxiety and depression.

I started out wanting to share my story with you. The story of how my journey through complex life struggles, coupled with an unrelenting call from my soul to survive, mixed with an insatiable curiosity about the nature of wellness and beauty, led me to my life’s work. That story starts like this: I was ten years old when I overheard our family doctor tell my Grandma Kay, “Heather isn’t just chubby anymore, she’s fat.” I got home that day and immediately went on the popular “crash diet” of the time – hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and grapefruit (it was the 70’s). That day in Dr. Greene’s office marked the beginning of my struggle with disordered eating and negative self-image—a struggle that spanned decades, and threatened my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

By the time I was a teenager I found myself stuck in a continuous cycle of dieting, binging, and purging. Most of my thoughts revolved around counting calories, planning my next workout, and readying myself to step into the ideal version of my life I was certain existed beyond the exhausting madness of my eating disorder. Being ready wouldn’t happen until I hit the magic number on the scale, but the tricky thing was, as I stood there on the scale with this magic number staring back at me, my life still looked the same. A familiar sense of panic would set in—a panic only soothed by the repetition of starting the cycle all over again.

Leaning In to Health

As the years passed, I continued to struggle, but I also started to heal. I began to recognize the thought patterns that led to disordered eating. More and more time would pass between bouts of bulimia or anorexia. I became curious about my compulsive behavior, and when I found myself repeating old patterns, I would step back for a moment and ask myself what in my life needed attention. I saw the act of binging as a reenactment of “stuffing” my feelings deep inside my body; the act of purging was a welcome release both physically and emotionally. Taking that brief moment to ask myself the question “What in my life needs attention?” didn’t necessarily break the cycle right then and there, but it got me closer every time. This time in my life taught me the meaning of progress, not perfection. It allowed me to be grateful for the times I was healthy, and to have compassion for myself when I was not. It was a lesson about finding my own balance and leaning in to health.

The Gem In the Shit

I was twenty-six when I got the phone call I had been preparing myself to receive since I was a child. My father’s struggle with addiction, and a syringe of heroin, ended his forty-four years of life. It turns out being ready for that call wasn’t a real thing. I am forever grateful to the many teachers, healers, and loved ones that held my hand, and my heart, along my healing journey.

A decade after my father’s passing, I was thriving in many aspects of my life. I was experiencing a healthier relationship with both food and my body, and while exercise remained an important aspect of my daily life, my movement practice had shifted to reflect the deeper connection I felt with my body. I shared my life and love with my husband Jim—a childhood friend I met that very year I overheard Dr. Greene tell my grandmother I was fat. Then something unexpected happened. An injury to my cervical spine left me in pain, unable to work, and unable to carry on with my life as I had been living it. Oscar Wilde’s words “what seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” would, in time, ring true.

I spent the next year exploring all manner of healing modalities in an effort to both avoid spinal surgery and manage my pain. To use one of my Mama Ruth’s favorite phrases, “the gem in the shit” is that my eating disorder sparked a passion for all things health and wellness early on. My natural curiosity and an open mind served me well. Alongside my prescribed physical therapy, I tried chiropractic, massage therapy, meditation and various forms of Energy Medicine, including acupuncture, EFT Tapping, Qigong and Reiki. I also enrolled myself into the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Health Coaching program to learn everything I could about the relationship between food and healing (I learned that and more).

While I did eventually make the choice to undergo spinal surgery, the combination of therapies I was using had a healing impact far beyond the original intent. I developed a deep understanding of the saying “the issues are in the tissues” as layer by layer, I began to experience a deeper level of healing in my body, mind, and spirit. 

I believe that when we open ourselves to healing, we energetically create space for our healing path to inspire healing in others. When we feel safe enough to speak the truth about what in our body, mind, and spirit wants healing, our words shine a light on the path of others hoping to heal that wound inside of them.

I’ve Always Been A Seeker

I think it all started the year I turned 7 and Mama Ruth’s friend Michael Minkler introduced me to his crystal collection. He also introduced me to sleeping under a copper pyramid, which he believed was a great transmitter and receiver of cosmic energy. While I wasn’t sure *exactly* what that meant, what I did know was that sleeping under a pyramid surrounded by crystals felt magical. It also inspired some wildly vivid dreams! Today, I’m a trained crystal medium and work consciously with crystals in trance states to channel ancient wisdom and higher frequencies of light (my inner child is giddy).

Growing up in the Northern California coastal community of Bodega, I delighted in trips to The City (San Francisco), where no visit was complete without stopping by the Mystic Eye in Upper Haight, the old school hippie neighborhood I’d end up living in during my 20’s. I’d spend hours mesmerized by crystals, divination tools, esoteric books and all manner of magic. I couldn’t wait to get home to dive into the I Ching, pull a Rune, or call on the Spirit Animals for guidance. In more recent years, I’ve trained in the art of Lithomancy (divination with crystals), journeyed to the Akashic Records to retrieve Soul remembrance, and called on Shamans, Priestesses, Yantricas, Astrologists and experts in Human Design to help me navigate life with more peace, power and ease.

Certifications + Trainings

Since becoming certified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach over a decade ago, I’ve also been certified as an Istaria Crystallis® Practioner and Reiki Master Practitioner in the Usui lineage. I am both a passionate teacher and lifelong student of personal growth and healing.

Crystal Healing + Channeling 

Istaria Crystallis® Practioner, February 2026, Krista Mitchell, The Crystalline Academy

Lithomancer Training, May 2023, Krista Mitchell, The Crystalline Academy

Level 3 Certified Crystal Medium Practitioner, June 2023, Krista Mitchell, The Crystalline Academy

Level 2 Certified Crystal Medium Practitioner, 2022, Krista Mitchell, The Crystalline Academy 

Level 1 Certified Crystal Medium Practitioner, 2021, Krista Mitchell, The Crystalline Academy 

Reiki + Energetic Healing  

Usui System of Natural Healing Level 3 Certified, June 2022, Teacher Jennifer Brinn, Reiki of Marin 

The Energy Codes Level 1, 2019, Dr. Sue Morter 

Usui System of Natural Healing Level 2 Certified, 2015, Teacher Jennifer Brinn, Reiki of Marin

Healing Others Intensive, 2015, Teacher Jennifer Brinn, Reiki of Marin

Usui System of Natural Healing Level 1 Certified, 2011, Teacher Jennifer Brinn, Reiki of Marin

Certified Health Coach, 2010, Institute for Integrative Nutrition