The Inner Journey To Sustainable Success and How I Transformed From Warrior To Magician
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
Written by Johanna Halldén, Transformational Coach
Johanna Halldén is a certified coach, NLP and Time Line Therapy® Practitioner, and founder of JOY CO. She helps leaders, coaches, and speakers unlock their full potential through deep inner work, breathwork, and mental clarity.
In this heartfelt journey of transformation, I share how I evolved from the warrior who carried it all to the magician who embraced flow and authenticity. Through self-discovery and inner work, I let go of relentless striving and learned to trust the process. Today, I live with a calm and clarity I once thought impossible, finding success and fulfillment not by pushing harder, but by surrendering to what truly aligns with me. Join me as I reveal how this shift can lead to sustainable success and deeper purpose.
“Mom, you’re always so calm.”
My son’s words landed on me like a warm embrace, soft and affirming. Yet they also carried a quiet weight. If only he knew. If only he knew the tears, the struggles, and the deep inner work it took to embody the calm he now sees.
Recently, my daughter handed me a handwritten note: "You are my safe place and my greatest role model. Thank you for all the love, support, and strength you always give me."
Her words filled me with gratitude so profound that it brought tears to my eyes. Because the life I live today feels worlds away from how it looked nine years ago.
The warrior who carried it all
Back then, I had two small children at home. I was working as a management consultant, constantly on the road. My husband’s long commute meant we were both stretched thin, juggling the logistics of careers and family life.
I carried the weight of it all, groceries, dinners, laundry, believing it was my responsibility to keep everything running smoothly. Asking for help never even crossed my mind. I saw strength as handling everything alone, never showing weakness, never needing support.
I was a warrior. The kind who keeps her guard up, powers through, and pushes past exhaustion. That warrior had helped me survive and achieve, but she didn’t know how to let go. How to soften. How to rest.
A deep longing for more
Beneath the surface, a quiet longing stirred, not for another promotion or a more perfect home, but for something deeper. I longed to feel whole. To lead not just others but myself, from a place of authenticity and passion instead of endless performance.
The breaking point came during a personal development workshop. We were asked to look ourselves in the mirror and say, “I love you.”
I tried. But the words wouldn’t come. My voice disappeared. Tears welled up instead. I couldn’t even meet my own gaze without my chest tightening painfully.
In that moment, I realized the problem wasn’t my job, my home, or my schedule. It was my relationship with myself. No amount of planning, pushing, or achieving would ever set me free unless I stopped and faced what hurt inside.
Letting the warrior rest
Cautiously, I began exploring new paths, starting with yoga and meditation. Sitting still with my thoughts felt like staring into a storm. My mind screamed to “use the time better.” But a quiet inner voice whispered it was time to let the warrior rest.
Then I went deeper with NLP, hypnosis, Time Line Therapy, and breathwork. Layer by layer, old patterns began dissolving generational fears, the belief that I wasn’t enough, and the conviction I had to earn love through relentless achievement.
It wasn’t easy. It took courage to stay present when pain surfaced. Some days, I wondered if the heaviness would ever lift. But staying, breathing through the discomfort instead of running from it, that’s where my transformation began.
I began to understand: true strength isn’t about pushing harder. Sometimes, it’s about surrendering.
From striving to flow
As I released my grip on control, I discovered a new part of myself, not a warrior, but a magician. She moved with a softer, more intuitive energy. Where the warrior saw obstacles, the magician saw possibilities. Where the warrior fought, the magician flowed.
I noticed a powerful shift. When I pushed too hard trying to force outcomes in life or business, things often slipped away. But when I showed up fully, did my part, and then surrendered to the process, opportunities and success flowed to me with surprising ease.
Trust: The key to transformation
One word became my anchor: trust.
“You don’t have to have all the answers right now. You don’t have to know exactly how this unfolds. Trust the process.”
Slowly, my life began to change. Relationships deepened. Work flourished. My business results came with a lightness I’d never experienced before.
Today, I run my own company, create life on my terms, and feel deeply aligned. Magical people, projects, and opportunities seem to show up effortlessly. But it’s not luck, it’s the fruit of inner work and the choice to keep going. Because the journey inward never truly ends.
A practice: Meet your inner magician
Ready to take your first step? Try this simple visualization:
Find a quiet space. Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths and imagine a door before you.
Open the door and step into a world where you embody your inner magician, free from pressure and expectations.
How do you look? What are you doing? How does it feel?
Stay with the feeling. Let it expand before gently returning to the present.
You don’t have to keep fighting
I share this not as someone who has always had it figured out, but as someone who once stood in front of a mirror unable to say, “I love you.” Someone who carried too much for too long, and now lives with a calm I never thought possible.
You don’t need to keep striving. You don’t have to become someone else. You simply need to remember who you are beneath the layers of pressure and performance.
When you let the warrior rest, the magician within can rise. And that’s when life begins to feel truly magical.
It’s also when we become the leaders the world needs, not driven by performance, but guided by passion.
Read more from Johanna Halldén
Johanna Halldén, Transformational Coach
Johanna Halldén is a certified coach, NLP and Time Line Therapy® Practitioner, and founder of JOY CO. With a background as a management consultant and hundreds of hours coaching leaders, she now guides coaches, speakers, and conscious leaders to awaken their full potential through deep inner work. Her methods combine breathwork, mental clarity, and subconscious transformation to help others live and lead with presence, authenticity, and power. Johanna is passionate about breaking generational patterns and helping others create true inner freedom. Her mission: To help more people lead from the heart and live fully awake.
