Hi I´m Lahela!
I´m so happy that you are here!!!
My name is Lahela (formerly Vicky) and I´m 37 years old. I was born & raised in Germany, but currently live in gorgeous Portugal.
I´m a Quantum Mind Body Therapist®️, plant-based Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, cosmopolite, dog lover, ocean girl, language talent, sun seeker, smoothie fan & forever learner.
I love listening to all kinds of music all day long, trying out new recipes, rebounding, singing in the car (although not very good lol), checking out trendy fashion, reading at the beach or learning about investing & crypto.
My foundation is the true Jesus. He is my guide, my compass, my path.
Going from a very privileged & seemingly perfect childhood to tumultuous teenage years to a quest of finding out who I AM underneath it all & what I envision my dream life to be - beyond trauma, pain, disability, degrees & labels.
Some people used to call my life a reality show lol. And yes it has been quite the ride! However, I´m grateful for (almost) all of it, for it brought me here.
My journey created my alchemy which is what makes “the ability coach” so unique & a heartfelt mission for me.
Read on to find out more about my journey!
“I am not blind”
When I was 3.5 years old I suffered an epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis) following a seemingly inconspicuous cold. I was unable to breathe for a while which led to a NDE (near death experience) & in the aftermath to the diagnosis of quadriplegic
Cerebral Palsy (CP).
That meant all of my four limbs were heavily affected & uncontrollable for me at the time. As a result I was wheelchair bound.
Vision impairment is one of the possible side effects of CP. I was almost 100% blind & only able to differentiate between light & dark. After months in artificial coma in the hospital, my journey of recovery began.
Years upon years of intense therapy followed - from physiotherapy to hippo therapy to blind therapy to psychomotor gymnastics to learning to play the piano for my fine motor skills.
I successfully got out of the wheelchair & manifested my eyesight back. 100%.
I started attending a “normal” school & things took their usual course.
Here´s where my list of life shattering events could have ended - unfortunately it wasn´t.
“Keep smiling!”
When I was 15 years old, I was raped by a friend of my parents. A married “family man” who was 30 years older. I was also impregnated & had to have an abortion.
My family helped cover up these crimes & we never spoke about any of it. Neither with a professional therapist nor behind closed doors.
It was as if it had never happened.
Left alone with the trauma & with no emotional support or acknowledgement,
my 15 old self wasn´t able to process the experiences.
For over 15 years I deeply suppressed these memories. A deep disconnect from my body. Disassociating to be able to function & survive.
La vita é bella - isn´t it?
Just a few months later we moved to Italy for my father´s job.
Adjusting to a new culture, new language, new school & new friends.
Phases of massive confusion & overwhelm alternated with desperate attempts to just function & being a “normal” silly teenager.
To the outside world my life seemed adventurous & exciting. So much opportunity, chances & growth. And while there was all of that, there was also so much loneliness, sadness & (self-)rejection. Constant questions repeating in my mind - without ever finding any answers.
On top of all of it, I was navigating the Cerebral Palsy.
Terrified to explain to my new classmates why I was walking weirdly & falling at times without ever really understanding myself what was going on with me.
Journey of Self-Return
After I finished school I successfully completed my Bachelor & Master degrees in Denmark & France. I traveled over 40 countries, many of them by myself. I learned several languages fluently. I created an independent & happy life. Everything checked – everything perfect. So I thought.
While I had achieved all these visible accolades – and I am not saying they don´t “count” – I was still searching. Always on the run, always escaping, always looking outwards.
I was extremely uncomfortable in my body (but doing everything to ignore these feelings). I was using alcohol (a lot!), comfort (animal) food, cigarettes & casual sex as coping mechanisms. I was unhappy & stuck in all my jobs. The house of cards called family had already begun to fall apart ever since my parents´ divorce.
In 2019 I began to dig deeper, question the stories I had been told & I had told myself.
I was desperate for change. And I realized that I had to look within myself.
I started reflecting a lot, uncovering limiting beliefs, changing my diet to vegetarian & then to vegan, quit smoking in 2020, quit alcohol in 2021.
I found my mentor Liana Shanti in 2020 & have been working with her teachings ever since. Unconditional love, sovereignty & a deep connection with the true Jesus are core pillars. Healing emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually & most importantly - energetically – layer after layer so the authentic self can emerge.
I started uncovering suppressed memories of emotional, narcissistic & sexual abuse.
Realizing that I had grown up & lived in illusions, lies & toxicity & that I had played my inauthentic part. Connecting the dots. Removing so much toxicity & freeing myself from narcissistic relationships.
Reclaiming my energy, my power. Rebuilding my life.
Personal projects
Advocacy - Awareness - Education - Research
I created “Voice for Disability Abuse” to bring awareness to & education about the issues of negligence, violence & abuse towards people with disability. Research shows that the numbers in those areas are rampant.
Since many people with disability can´t verbally or properly express their thoughts & feelings or they don´t have access to a safe person their abuse goes often unnoticed or unheard.
On “Voice for Disability Abuse” I share research & educational resources on this matter. Advocate for those who cannot advocate from themselves!
Check out Instagram for more information!
Podcast Alarm!
In April 2024 I was invited to speak on Michele Danuzar´s Podcast “Exceptional & Thriving”!
Michele is a mom of 4 children including one child with special needs & shares her inspirational story of navigating family life.
I had so much fun talking to her about my story with Cerebral Palsy & my healing journey. Make sure to check it out on Spotify!
