Learning To Be Seen: A Glimpse Into My Life

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to write for VoyageSTL three times now—twice this year and once the year before. For a long time, I kept this part of me quiet, perhaps out of fear of being seen or uncertainty around how to hold my own accomplishments. Along the way, I’ve also had other published interviews, been invited onto several podcasts, and spoken to large and small groups about my journey. Each experience has been both humbling and affirming. I wanted to share this most recent interview here as a gentle reminder to myself of how far I’ve come, and as a way of honoring who I am in this moment.

Here’s the published article.


We recently had the chance to connect with Charlotte Meier and have shared our conversation below.


Hi Charlotte, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?


Recently I’ve adopted a new habit: silence and no screens for the first hour of my day. I enjoy slow mornings in my backyard with a cup of coffee or cacao, a breakfast bowl of chia seeds, granola, and fruit, joined by my pup and my partner as we watch the birds and squirrels begin their morning. I like to place my feet in the grass for grounding, and sometimes I’ll gently sway in my hammock while looking up at the morning sky. I’ve also started reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and I am excited to begin writing my morning pages during this quiet time.


After my silent hour, I turn on the screens, check my office schedule, and begin preparing for the day: creating notes, setting up invoices, and responding to emails, texts, and voice messages. On the days I am not in the office, I shift my focus to other tasks such as setting up events, redesigning my website, writing on Substack, mapping out errands, planning future travels, or tending to both business and personal responsibilities. My neurodivergent mind can easily get sidetracked, so abruptly moving from one task to another is common for me. I time block my calendar and keep a task list on ToDoist to stay grounded and make sure I don’t miss important deadlines, because if it’s not listed there, it is not likely to ever get done!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?


My name is Charlotte, and I am the founder of Alma Luna Wellness, a practice dedicated to whole-person healing. I integrate chiropractic care, acupuncture, energy, sound, and ceremony to create safe and resonant spaces for transformation. What makes my practice unique is the way I bridge science and spirit, offering pathways that honor both the intelligence of the body and the wisdom of energy medicine. Each session is an invitation to remember one’s divine wholeness, weaving together the body, mind, heart, and soul.
My path has never been linear. It was only when life unraveled through sickness, heartbreak, and the collapse of what once looked like stability that I discovered the deeper truth of healing. Each experience became a teacher, leading me to rediscover myself at various points along the way.


My childhood was marked by both financial hardship and the tender ache of my parents’ separation. I carried both quiet pain and an inner strength I could not yet name. Over time, I came to recognize this sensitivity as an empathic ability that would guide me toward a life of service and become an integral part of my practice.


At eighteen, I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease and told I was the youngest patient my doctors had ever seen with this condition. What felt like a breaking point became an initiation, teaching me resilience and guiding me to seek knowledge beyond the borders of allopathic healing. I immersed myself in the study of psychology, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry to find answers, and my fascination with the sciences became a pathway that helped me understand the body’s intricate systems. This foundational knowledge continues to inform the grounded, integrative way I practice today.


Discovering chiropractic care and acupuncture changed my healing trajectory entirely. Witnessing true natural healing for the first time was nothing short of magical. For the first time in my life, I noticed the subtle shifts in my body, the release of built-up tension, and the way my energy seemed to regenerate from within. Something deep awakened within me. I felt called to share this magic and immediately enrolled in graduate school, eager to learn and bring these modalities to others.
Life, of course, brought other challenges alongside the blessings. In my final year of graduate school, I went through a painful divorce. I buried my grief beneath work and ambition, but unprocessed sorrow eventually turned into burnout. Through soul-guided connections, I encountered Reiki, sound healing, and the sacred medicine of cacao – all of which reminded me that healing is not just physical but also emotional, spiritual, and relational. These practices became the perfect complement to the physical modalities I had been studying, filling in the spaces that science alone could not reach.


After eighteen years of unravelling the physical, mental, and spiritual roots connected to the Grave’s disease diagnosis, I have now been in remission for the past three years. I hold deep gratitude for my past self for her courage to pursue healing and for trusting her intuition along the way.


Currently, I am deepening my studies in Biogeometric Integration (BGI), a healing philosophy developed by Dr. Sue Brown. BGI builds on the original intention of chiropractic: to release interference to the innate intelligence of the body, the organizing wisdom that regulates heartbeat, breath, and every process of life. Unlike conventional views that see subluxations only in structural terms, BGI recognizes both the physical and energetic dimensions of misalignment. Every life experience carries a tone or frequency. If that experience is integrated, it becomes part of the body’s music, enriching the complexity of who we are. When unintegrated, it is stored as dissonance, creating tension and dis-ease. This approach illuminates the geometry of how experiences are held within the body, and how precise and intentional adjustments can open pathways for release, coherence, and integration. In practice, this means that every adjustment is not just mechanical, but an opportunity to evolve. To me, BGI feels like a remembering and an acknowledgment that we are living symphonies, always capable of creative expression. It has become a powerful extension of the work I offer, bridging structural care with energetic awareness.

What makes my work unique is not just the blend of modalities but the lived journey that shaped them. Healing is not a destination, it is a lifelong remembering. My practice reflects this truth, offering spaces where others can rediscover their own light and resilience. Today, I am expanding into resonance-based pathways that allow clients to enter through the door that feels most aligned to them. Whether through bodywork, energy medicine, or ceremony, each offering is designed to create safety, connection, and the conditions for true healing to unfold.

My hope is simple: that in our work together, people feel safe enough to soften, to listen, and to meet themselves more fully.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?


The part of me that over-identifies with struggle. For many years I carried my story of pain like an anchor, believing it gave me definition and worth. It shaped me, but it is no longer who I am. The lessons have already crystallized, and the weight no longer needs to be carried. What I release is the attachment to being “the one who endured.” In its place, I choose to embody the one who transformed, the one who listens deeply, and the one who walks in remembrance of joy.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?


I would tell her that she doesn’t have to carry everyone else’s pain to be worthy of love. Her softness is not a weakness but a gift that will one day become her greatest strength. I’d remind her to be gentle with herself, to trust her timing, and to know that every challenge she faces will eventually reveal a deeper layer of resilience and purpose.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?


I believe that every experience we carry—joy, grief, pain, and love—has its own frequency that lives within the body. Even though science cannot yet fully measure these frequencies, emerging research supports the idea that our bodies hold these vibrational imprints. Studies on sound therapy and vibroacoustic healing show that specific frequencies can shift nervous system activity, ease tension, and enhance overall well-being. Research into brainwave entrainment and limbic resonance suggests that our nervous systems can sync with external rhythms and the energy of others, influencing how we feel, relate, and heal. Trauma research and somatic approaches reveal that unresolved experiences remain encoded in the body, creating tension or dissonance until they are integrated. Mapping emotion in the body has further shown that people consistently feel emotions in specific regions, confirming that our lived experiences leave tangible traces within us.


I trust that every part of our story is purposeful and that even the hardest moments can be woven into a greater harmony within the body. Healing is not about erasing what has been, but about remembering our wholeness and finding coherence within the music of our lives. I feel that these emotional frequencies shape the way we move, the way we relate, and the way we heal.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?


I hope people say that I helped them remember their own light. That I created spaces where they felt safe enough to soften, to breathe, and to connect with the wisdom inside themselves. I hope they remember me not for my titles or achievements, but for the way I listened, for the resonance I carried, and for how deeply I believed in the beauty of the human spirit. If my story is told as one of presence, compassion, and the courage to bridge science and spirit, then I will have lived in alignment with my purpose.

My Awakening to Empathic Intuition

This post was inspired by Dr. Danny DeReuter, who recently shared his empathic experience in chiropractic school. Thank you for sharing your story and encouraging me to do the same.


Lately, I’ve been obsessed with The Telepathy Tapes, a podcast that explores the experiences of autistic children and the research surrounding their telepathic abilities. A client of mine recommended it, and now I can’t stop telling people about it. To be honest, my fascination with psychic phenomena has been with me since childhood so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to share my own personal experience with extra sensory perception.

Recognizing My Sensitivity

Throughout my life, I have been tapped into an unseen energetic connection to others, though I didn’t always have the words to describe it. I recall speaking with my “imaginary” friends, having deep conversations with animals, bugs, and plants, and sensing my family’s emotions before they even expressed them. I often lucid-dreamed, exploring realms beyond the physical to seek answers to my endless questions.

For a long time, I assumed everyone experienced the world this way. But as I began to share my experiences, I noticed the strange looks and, worse, the unspoken doubt and skepticism in others’ minds. Fearing judgment, I learned to keep my experiences to myself. This suppression of my true nature eventually manifested physically, culminating in Graves’ disease, a thyroid autoimmune condition, during my senior year of high school.

At the time, I didn’t understand that my heightened sensitivity was part of being an empath. Unlike HSPs, who feel deeply but may not absorb others’ emotions, empaths take on the energy and emotions of those around them—sometimes to the point of physical exhaustion. Without this awareness, I spent years searching for external solutions to my inner struggles.

A Journey Back to Myself

Looking back, I now understand how throat chakra imbalances arise when we silence our truth. But back then, I spent ten years searching for a solution outside myself. I tried medication, radioactive iodine treatments, every fad diet imaginable, rigorous exercise programs, and even trained for a half-marathon, hoping that crossing the finish line would somehow miraculously heal me. Yet nothing worked. I had lost faith in conventional medicine and began questioning everything I had been taught. Then, as if by divine intervention, the universe redirected me.

My attempts to run long distances with an imbalanced physical structure led to excruciating foot pain. This sent me down a YouTube rabbit hole, searching for natural pain relief. After watching countless chiropractic adjustments, I scheduled my first appointment. Hobbling in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. If it didn’t help, I figured I’d revert to traditional pain medication, a foot brace, and rest.

I never truly believed in miracles—until that day. I walked out of my first adjustment feeling as though I had just met God. A fire had been reignited within me and my inner light had been turned back on. Not only did my foot pain start to resolve, but I also noticed subtle yet profound shifts: increased energy, deeper sleep, clearer skin, greater strength, and even a reduction in PMS and menstrual pain. My body was realigning with my spirit, yet my mind still craved understanding. I heard the whisper of my intuition and followed it all the way to chiropractic school.

The Overwhelm of an Empath in a Chaotic World

The more I studied, the more I trusted the body’s innate wisdom. And as I deepened that trust, my empathic nature—dormant for over 20 years—began reawakening. Suddenly, sitting in class became overwhelming. The collective anxiety of my classmates weighed on me, making it impossible to focus. One day, desperate for relief, I sought refuge in the farthest corner of the room. A professor noticed and asked if I was okay. I burst into tears and confessed, “I know this might sound crazy, but I can feel everyone’s anxiety, and I can’t take it anymore.” He nodded knowingly and said, “Oh, you’re an empath. Nothing to worry about. You’ll learn how to find your center in time.”

It was the first time I had ever heard the term—or at least, the first time I had truly acknowledged it. More importantly, it was the first time I felt seen. I must have looked like a deer in headlights as I sat there in shock.

As I came to understand with time, many empaths go through life absorbing the emotions and energy of those around them without realizing it. We can walk into a room and instantly sense tension, sadness, or joy—not just observing it, but feeling it as if it were our own. We notice subtle shifts in tone, facial expressions, and even energy. While this sensitivity is a gift, it can also be exhausting if we don’t learn how to manage it.

Illness as a Disconnection Between Body, Mind & Spirit

As I progressed through my studies, I began to see illness from a new perspective:

What if every disease, every diagnosis, is simply a disconnect between the body, mind, and spirit?

I was drawn to the “unconventional” extracurricular studies that my colleagues often overlooked. Applied Kinesiology and Acupuncture opened the gateway into a deeper understanding of the body’s energetic and physiological connections. Through Applied Kinesiology, I was introduced to manual muscle testing, surrogate muscle testing, acupressure points, the chakra system, and the intricate relationship between the nervous system, muscle function, and organ function. Acupuncture further deepened my awareness to the flow of Qi, the meridian system, the principles of yin and yang, and the profound wisdom of the Five Element Theory—an ancient framework that links emotions, organs, and seasonal cycles to overall well-being.

Additionally, chiropractic philosophy emphasized the body’s innate ability to heal itself when interference in the nervous system is removed. This holistic perspective resonated deeply with me, reinforcing the idea that structural alignment, energy flow, and overall wellness are interconnected. The fusion of Applied Kinesiology, Acupuncture, and Chiropractic principles revealed a fascinating bridge between Western and Eastern approaches to health, sparking my passion for integrative healing.

As my awareness expanded, so did my ability to tap into others’ energy. I could not only sense emotions—I could now also feel their physical ailments within my own body. At first, I thought I was falling apart until I noticed a pattern: their pain would fade from my body after our session—or at least as soon as I could recognize the pain was not mine!

One of my most profound experiences came while working as an independent contractor at a chiropractic office. I was at our second location when I received a call about a new patient, but no details were given. Suddenly, I found it difficult to breathe. I thought I was having a panic attack—until I saw a woman walking in, connected to an oxygen tank. She had COPD. The moment I saw her, my breath returned to normal. That day, I realized I could pick up on how people were feeling the moment they set the intention to enter my space, even before they stepped foot in my office.

Without guidance, I was still an infant in understanding my gift. I didn’t realize I was absorbing and transmuting others’ pain, unknowingly taking on what wasn’t mine to carry. This, of course, is not ideal. It robs people of their own journey, their process, and their lessons. Eventually, I hit my breaking point. Burnout loomed, and in my desperation, I prayed for guidance. The universe answered—leading me to Reiki.

For the first time, I felt validated. Reiki taught me how to channel energy rather than absorb it, transforming my abilities into tools for empowerment rather than burdens to bear. As I continued to learn about energy and what it means to be empathic, I began to fully embrace my identity as an empath.

Embracing Life as an Empath

In my experience, embracing life as an empath is about understanding your unique gifts, setting boundaries, and cultivating self-care practices that support your emotional and energetic well-being. Here are some key concepts I’ve picked up along the way to help myself thrive:

  1. Recognize Your Sensitivity as a Gift
    • Your ability to feel deeply is a strength, not a weakness.
  2. Create Energetic and Emotional Boundaries
    • Practice shielding techniques to protect your energy.
    • Learn to say no and limit exposure to negativity.
  3. Prioritize Rest and Recharging
    • Engage in meditation, nature walks, and grounding activities.
    • Ensure quality sleep to process emotions and energy.
  4. Develop Grounding Techniques
    • Walk barefoot on the earth or use grounding stones like black tourmaline.
    • Utilize sound healing to help recalibrate your innate vibration.
  5. Surround Yourself with Understanding People
    • Seek community with other empaths or healers.
  6. Honor Your Intuition
    • Trust your gut feelings and explore intuitive practices like Reiki or other energy healing modalities.
  7. Release the Need for External Validation
    • Your experiences are valid, even if others don’t fully understand them.

I often think of the autistic clients I see in my office and wonder if they feel as I did the day I rediscovered my empathic nature—overwhelmed by an influx of information without a way to process it. When we don’t understand what’s happening, it can feel extremely dysregulating. But when we do understand, we can transform our sensitivity into our greatest strength. After listening to The Telepathy Tapes, I finally understand why my clients on the spectrum always seem so comfortable around me.

Empaths are not broken (just as autistic individuals are not broken)! We are conduits of healing, intuition, and deep connection. The key is learning how to navigate this gift with awareness, intention, and self-care. Everyone has access to this ability—it’s a part of your divine nature, waiting to be embraced. I’m here to help guide. Don’t hesitate to reach out.