Introducing and Celebrating Dawn Harlow’s Work – Empowering Women on International Women’s Day

Dawn Harlow is a world-renowned women’s empowerment mentor and coach with over 18 years of experience guiding individuals through personal transformation and self-realization. A writer and a coach and master of Kundalini, she combines Kundalini yogic practices with her curated bespoke program, THE JOURNEY, creating an approach that blends ancient wisdom and practices with modern-day personal development and coaching.

When she is not speaking on global stages, Harlow hosts transformational retreats around the world, facilitates one-on-one personal journeys via Zoom and in person, and leads her online Kundalini training academy, where she trains teachers internationally. Known as both a prolific educator and a global thought leader, she is driven by a mission to help individuals step into what she calls their “very big self” – and their goals and dreams. Her work centers on empowerment, healing, and awakening personal potential through disciplined practice, self-awareness, and spiritual insight.

With a reputation for combining depth, compassion, and swift practical transformation, Harlow continues to influence a growing international female community seeking clarity, purpose, and empowerment.

This interview explores the defining moments that shaped her path, the philosophy behind her work, and how Kundalini practices intersect with modern-day coaching and personal development.

Dawn Harlow

Your journey is incredibly powerful — moving from deep trauma to personal freedom. Was there a specific moment when you realized you had to reclaim your power and life, and how did that decision change your life?

Yes, I had yet another heart-breaking, degrading, destroying conversation with my partner, and in a moment of absolute exasperation, desperation, and experiencing incomprehensible cruelty, something broke, snapped inside of me, and I fell to the floor in a frenzy of being verbally assaulted and dehumanized without a single touch.

It ran through my entire body like an alarm ringing. Emergency. Switch off. Mayday, Mayday. I fell in absolute surrender… I couldn’t go on. I couldn’t continue. I couldn’t tolerate anymore.

The journey of pretending that I was ok and my life was ok was up. The façade of the perfect couple with a perfect life crumbled. I was sobbing, screeching like a wounded animal. In that moment, I was not only crying about the situation; I was crying for myself. I had almost left my own body; I could even view myself. My spirit had to step away to survive the moment. Almost like a higher self looked at the broken self and said, “ok, we need to take a pause, we need to act.”

I split in two in order to view the merging of all wounded parts with strong parts and with innocent parts, to bring me back to self.

I said I can’t do this any more. The torture. I had been pushed too far. I was offered his hand as he always did. I played dead, lying on the floor of my white stucco walls in one prestigious address in South Kensington. I was deemed yet I was a dead woman walking.

It was in that moment I made a decision to rebirth, to begin again. I couldn’t go any lower… I looked outside. I contemplated ending my own life; the mountain seemed so hard to climb. I heard a voice and I saw a vision; it was my mother. I viewed her at my funeral crying… and she said, “But she was the pied piper; everyone loved her, she had everything.”

In that moment there was a reminder of who I was once, and who I must become again, stronger and better. In that moment, exhausted, afraid, broken into pieces, I crawled into a decision that I have to rise, and I did.

This decision created an effortless flow of truth, once I made it, even though I didn’t know how. Step by step, living in my truth, I knew I could climb. It is then that kundalini yoga entered my life. I flew to the Maldives, it found me and saved my life and rebuilt it. And now I do the same for others. There is a saying in kundalini yoga that when the student is ready the teachers shows up. 

As I write this now, I’m sitting in another white palatial home after finishing one of my global retreats, in the lands of Jaipur at the Queen’s Palace in a completely different place and space. I am honoured to grace the cover of Brainz Magazine, recognised for my work with women on International Women’s Day, empowering women.

I am a renowned coach and writer and a master of Kundalini yoga, which completely transformed my life and the life of others. I wrote a book. I became a ghostwriter and a prolific coach and mentor.

I became financially independent and successful. I built a brand and a business built on integrity, honesty, respect, love, deep empathy and powerful transformation.

The most powerful thing I realised is that I am so god damn powerful in my subtle, quiet nature. Most important, I realized my dream of becoming a recording mantra artist. This all came from discovering the powerful practices of Kundalini yoga, meditation and mantra.

In realising my voice as a woman, I began to sing, literally and energetically. And the most beautiful part — I was free to be me. Free to roam and free to adventure. I was free after holding myself in a golden cage — and a cage is still a cage and now I free others.

You were given the name "Angel Messenger". What does that mean to you personally, and how does that show up in the work you do today?

My name, Angel Messenger, was given to me in the lands of New Mexico, on sacred Native American Indian land, by my date of birth. When you study as a Kundalini yoga teacher, you are given a spiritual name which is your gift and your destiny, pertaining to your mission in this world. It’s called your dharma, which means your soul’s mission. I am a guide and a helper on this planet.

My gifts, which I use alongside logic, strategy, and psychology, include the gift of channeling information specific for the individual. As I sit before my clients, it brings fast, focused results. When someone sits in front of me, I see their organic destiny and their pathway to healing, and we make it happen fast.

As a result, we make it happen fast not only with incredible guidance but also mixed with powerful Kundalini yoga practices, breathwork, and meditation — to release the blocks, stimulate creativity, faith, trust, confidence, and most importantly the person’s innate unique talents and gifts.

My voice, delivering this guidance and messaging, literally is the password for people’s dreams, using my gifts as a messenger, coach, and guide. It’s incredibly powerful. Knowing the unknown, seeing the unseen, bringing both logic and the magic together in my coaching.

There is no woo woo here. It’s quantum physical magic.

How do you help people integrate spirituality into real, everyday life, not just as a concept, but as action?

As a coach, mentor, and master yogi of Kundalini for almost 18 years, I combine the esoteric with science to address what I call modern-day suffering. My clients come to me with big dreams they want to implement or big challenges they need to overcome. In each session there is guidance and coaching, and we then move through specific practices designed to stimulate the action and healing required — creating solutions, awakening creativity to fulfil those big dreams, and in some cases helping people heal through trauma.

Within the Kundalini archives there are over 9,000 Kriyas (meaning yogic sets), each offering a potential solution for a particular challenge. It amazes me how this sacred technology and the study of humanology — the science of every aspect of life — can heal, uplift, transform, and bring about truly magical transformation.

For thousands of years, these teachings were kept secret and reserved only for royalty. They were known to develop great power, wisdom, insight, and creativity. An almost invincible, superhuman element could be awakened to overcome life’s obstacles, and great prosperity ensued — hence why it was considered a royal secret.

As an absolute nerd and devoted student of Kundalini practices, I have spent nearly two decades studying and devouring these archives, finding modern-day solutions for my clients through ancient esoteric practices including breathwork, meditation, and yogic sets — creating a healing pathway for almost any challenge.

Celebrities and many well-known mentors and coaches use these practices, though they do not openly reveal them as Kundalini. You might be surprised. It has remained something of a secret within a secret, and I am the woman who no longer wants it to remain hidden.

My path is to be the messenger — helping humanity through this very grey period and sharing these powerful practices with the world. It was written for this time.

Your book Permission to ShineTM addresses trauma, codependency, and transformation. What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have around healing that you want to challenge?

Healing is a constant, beautiful journey to take slowly, step by step, staying present in each moment. It is in these moments that the person seeking healing becomes their own healer. It is about not feeling that you have to get somewhere, but simply being exactly where you are with yourself — surrendering to all parts of who you are, allowing the wisdom within you to flow effortlessly.

That is the power. The power of healing is the moment you realize that you are everything. You already have everything inside of you, and you are your own healer.

“Healing is surrendering. It’s not something to be achieved.”

This is why I love Kundalini practices so much — because they awaken power, wisdom, knowledge, and healing within the individual. They go deep inside and truly discover who they are and who they are not. They begin to understand what they know and what they do not yet know.

Healing is surrendering. It is not something to be achieved. In the surrender, the pathway appears. Things become clear; a sense of faith and knowing emerges as people find the wisdom and solutions from their own internal GPS system. They know where they want to go, and they go. They find themselves exactly where they are meant to be.

The best teachers, coaches, and mentors are merely guides. This builds great confidence in those seeking healing. Healing is never done; it is a constant journey.

There are layers and layers, almost like a snake shedding its skin. The greatest healing is learning to understand yourself with compassion, acceptance, and a neutral sense of gratitude. Healing does not mean you will never respond the same way again or that you will never face challenges. It means you will respond differently and have the awareness to understand yourself and your challenges with compassion.

It means having the capacity to forgive yourself and others, to smile and say to yourself, “I’ve got this,” and to avoid recreating past patterns in your future moments. Dance with them a little and then move forward in a new direction.

Dawn Harlow

Retreats are a big part of your work. What happens in a retreat setting that’s hard to achieve in one-on-one sessions or traditional coaching environments?

The beauty of the retreats I host around the globe is that I teach in energetic portals of healing frequency. Geographically, even before we begin, the energy is high. For example, Jaipur is built on feng shui ley lines. The energy, as soon as you land, feels magical — happy, a kind of Jupiter energy — even before you step onto the yoga mat.

The Maldives represents the beautiful Mother Earth water element, the elixir of life. It is heavenly and deeply healing, like heaven on earth. Retreats work differently because people take themselves out of their daily geography and the life they know. By being in a different place energetically, they themselves begin to shift energetically as well.

Then there is the experience of coming together and meeting other like-minded individuals — something deeply enriching, uplifting, and connecting. Again, this healing goes beyond the yoga mat. Most importantly, I would say it is the deep immersion of time — daily, consistent practice that builds the momentum for great change.

These consist of consistent, powerful self-immersion practices that truly supercharge your life with vitality, peace, creativity, and a deep sense of equilibrium and well-being. Time spent alone with yourself is essential. The intention and energy put into this journey are incredible.

After the retreat, participants continue working with me either in person or on Zoom to maintain the magic. I named this work “The Journey.” Indeed, it is all of these elements together that create the transformation.

When women gather, there is no power like it. Moreover, the consistent momentum of Kundalini yoga practices combined with the coaching method I have created is life-changing. Participants also leave with a 30–90 day plan to support them beyond the retreat.

And, of course, I teach in some truly beautiful locations.

Many people feel stuck in old patterns even when they want change. What’s one powerful first step you recommend for someone who’s just beginning their personal breakthrough journey?

The first step I would say is, and this is a format in my coaching, is:

• Acknowledge

• Accept

• Articulate

• Action

• Ask for help

• Actualise

Meaning first acknowledge how you feel. Acknowledge the challenge you are facing. Acknowledge the truth. What do you need help with?

Accept it. The question is, you can acknowledge it, yet are you willing to accept it? If you accept it and merge with it, it becomes part of you, not APART from you. When you make friends with it, see no opposition in it, there is more flow in finding an effortless way through. Acceptance is a superpower. Accepting is halfway to the solution.

Articulate it. Again, in the acceptance of it. Describe it. The challenge. The feelings. The problem. You will find it becomes less powerful. It feels more like a level to be achieved rather than a challenge to overcome. The mind moves into a positive solution.

Action. Take a small step. To change, I always say small steps equal huge change, so be gentle with yourself. It could be as small as reaching out for help, which is actually very powerful. We go far alone but further together.

Actualise — meaning to manifest the solution through your actions. Make those dreams come true and allow those challenges to dissolve. How, you say? Well, truly, reach out and ask for help. Tell someone what you need. Have courage. It’s the precursor to a phenomenal life.

What I have learned in this life is that one of the smallest, yet biggest, roadblocks for people is asking for help. You will be surprised how privileged people feel to help you.

Don’t wait. Ask.

“Reach out for help today. Do it now, do it scared. Don’t wait.”

If one of our readers is at a turning point right now, what is the one message you want them to take with them after reading this?

First, you are not alone in your challenges. If you feel inspired to reach out and begin a new chapter in your life, don’t wait. Follow your intuition. Follow the feelings that may not make sense to others and act on them. Act quietly for yourself — privacy is power — and place your trust in a coach, teacher, or mentor whom you feel you can trust. Trust is essential when choosing someone to help you. You must feel safe. Know there is nothing wrong with you struggling at times in life and needing support is healthy and normal, and necessary. 

Quietly heal, quietly grow. Start today and begin again. Learn a new skill. I invite you to experience Kundalini yoga with me.

What are the various ways people can work with you and how has your work evolved over the years?

When I first started out, I mainly held retreats and one-on-one yoga sessions on Zoom and in person. As life progressed and the world changed, I opened an online Kundalini training academy to train more teachers and started CEO Yoga corporate wellness to enhance company productivity and reduce stress levels, where I host week-long retreats and help transform corporate life.

One of my biggest passions is working with women and the youth of today. I work with many teenagers and young women and men who are navigating their educational examination periods, for example IB, etc., and finding their way through their young lives. They nicknamed me “YOGA MAMA,” and as a result, Yoga Mama was born — the yoga therapist, mentor, and coach for teenagers, and young adults.

This is definitely something I would love to do more of. I love supporting them and taking great care their emerging lives; it’s so precious. This is truly the future — training Kundalini yoga teachers and therapists to coach and heal the world through this sacred technology.

Working with women will also remain a beautiful priority for me, and as a result I have launched my Global Phenomenal Women Academy membership site, encompassing both online and in-person gatherings around the globe.

Yoga means union — to integrate, accept, and merge with all parts of yourself: the light and the shadow. Both are necessary to define the trajectory of your life, embodying a deep inner wisdom that becomes the GPS system for your most fulfilled life. It’s not the life that matters; it’s the courage you bring to it.

Reach out for help today.

"Life is like a box of chocolates you can always choose what you are gonna get."

Dawn Harlow’s work bridges ancient Kundalini practices and teachings with modern-day coaching, offering a philosophy centered on surrender, courage, strong creativity, and self-realization to re-create your story and re-create your life. Through retreats, mentorship, and global training programs, she guides individuals toward deeper alignment with their purpose and personal power. Her approach emphasizes that healing is not a destination but an ongoing relationship with oneself—one that is grounded in awareness, acceptance, and intentional action. As her work continues to evolve around the globe, Harlow remains committed to empowering individuals worldwide to step fully into their potential and live with clarity, prosperity, courage, and authenticity. Dawn looks forward to connecting with you and helping you learn more about working with her.

Curious to learn more about working with Dawn?

Book a discovery call: https://dawnharlow.com/work-with-dawn 

Retreat information: https://dawnharlow.com/retreats