At core, Ambi Kavanagh is a change agent.
As a child, growing up in a Sri Lankan family in London, she felt a calling to become a lawyer. And she realized that goal, rising to the top of her field. But “legal expert” is just one of many hats she has worn, especially after a “cosmic wakeup call” inspired her to embrace her passion for wellness and become a life coach, reiki master, sound healer and meditation teacher.
Today, through her Alchemy with Ambi platform, the modern mystic strives to be a catalyst for positive change in people’s lives during one-on-one sessions, astrological readings (based on her own in-depth, holistic interpretation) and a successful podcast.
Here, she tells us how she came to roll naked in the Polish snow, invent “Soulstrology” and accept realistic limitations (most of the time!):
Live The Process: What inspired your earlier career as a successful entertainment lawyer? Was wellness always a part of your life too?
Ambi Kavanagh: My grandfather was a very prominent lawyer in Sri Lanka (where my family and I are originally from).
On the night he passed away, I had a sort of awake dream/vision in which he appeared and told me that I was going to become a lawyer and I had a very important job to do.
The next morning, I found out he had passed on, and I informed my family that I was going to pursue a career in law. They were pretty taken aback by the entire thing, especially my “dream/vision”!
Coming from an immigrant family (I was the first generation born in England), I was taught to prioritize academia, traditional achievement and making the most of opportunities—but no one had to force my hand to study law. I decided at age 10 and that was it!
I very much enjoyed being a lawyer in London. I worked as a media and entertainment lawyer at one of the top firms and represented a number of high-profile clients. It was both intellectually stimulating and professionally challenging, as well as having a very glamorous and fun side. This suited where I was at in my mid-twenties through to my early thirties.
Meditation, mindfulness, astrology, ritual and spirituality were a huge part of my upbringing. I learned to meditate at 10 and have meditated regularly ever since, apart from a brief period of adolescent/early twenties rebellion. It is in my blood and is something I have grown up with, so it comes very naturally to me.
LTP: What sparked your awakening? And how did you go from legal expert to alchemist?
AK: I had a big breakup with someone who I thought was my soulmate. It made me realize so much about my life and how out of sync I was with my true self. It was the catalyst for my spiritual journey and had a domino effect on me personally, professionally—in all areas. That was the beginning of me aligning with my higher self and my true purpose in this lifetime.
My journey led me to different teachers and spiritual schools of thought, immersed me in study, took me around the world to some far-flung places and introduced me to some rather peculiar rituals (rolling naked in the snow at 5am in Poland is just one!). Ultimately, I studied and trained in new modalities and became a reiki master (Usui and Holy Fire), sound healer, life coach and spiritual mentor. I had always studied astrology, but I dove really deep and birthed my own unique form: Soulstrology (cosmic consciousness and coaching).
Photo by Magda
LTP: What exactly do you offer these days? What kind of people come to you and for what type of support? Does your legal expertise serve you in any way now?
AK: In the last decade, my work has included life coaching, mentoring, reiki healing, reiki training, sound baths and astrological readings. People tend to come to me for healing, inspiration or to create a big change in their lives. They are seeking alchemy in some way and are drawn to my work. This might mean decoding their birth chart and helping them to find their purpose or to overcome certain challenges; it could mean healing sessions to create energetic shifts or practical life coaching/spiritual mentoring. The format may look different according to each person’s needs, but the work is ultimately the same. It’s in a different outfit, but it’s all alchemy. It is a humbling privilege to be able to walk people through to a new chapter in their lives.
In the last year or so, since getting married, I have experienced certain shifts both personally and professionally; and this birthed my podcast, Alchemy with Ambi, and my “Soulstrology Membership” offering, which allows me to coach and guide hundreds of people all around the world. As a result, I have realized that I need to live one of my own mantras, which is, “You can do anything, but not everything.” I am currently in the process of finishing off my existing mentorships and greatly reducing my private sessions, so I can focus on creating content to help way more people. Essentially, I’m making the work I have done with people in private one-to-one sessions more accessible to all.
It’s funny you ask about my legal expertise because, once I aligned with my true purpose, I often asked myself why I had needed to be a lawyer instead of diving into the wellness space earlier, especially given that it was part of my upbringing and came so naturally to me. But I think the path is often a crooked line, which seems to take you off course, but is actually exactly the route you need to take. My legal career has provided me with such a solid foundation for both self-employment and turning my passion and purpose into a profitable business.
Yes, in many ways I am a modern mystic, but I am also very grounded and practical; and I think it is that combination that people appreciate in the work I do.
LTP: What does happiness look like to you?
AK: Life is pretty happy right now. It looks nothing like I thought it would ten years ago, but is better than I could possibly have imagined!
Happiness, to me, is largely linked with gratitude and living in the moment: being grateful with all that I currently have, grounded in what is, at peace with the past and optimistic for the future!
LTP: What does it mean to you to “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?
AK: Taking each day and life as it comes. As much as I love my rituals, I know it is important to honor the ebbs and flows of life. That means not forcing myself to hike or go to yoga if I don't feel up to it. Not berating myself for missing my morning pages writing ritual or meditation. Going with the flow of what each day asks of me and where I am at.
I think sometimes people can get very caught up in wellness rituals or routines in a counterproductive way. I believe living the process is about just that: living the unique process of each day or each season of life. And I would encourage people to be more flexible with themselves and their lives.
Each day requires different things of us, as does each season of life. What you do at 25 may not serve you at 35 or 45. Your wellness ritual as a single person may be very different than when you are a mother. There is no right or wrong, just a unique process which is ongoing. Live your process, not someone else’s—not the latest wellness craze, just your unique, beautiful, perfectly imperfect process.