Thalia Ayres Randolph wants to set the record straight: she never set out to do any of this. Not the international travel, not being featured on one of the most popular reality television shows in America, not the dedicated work as a spiritual leader and teacher…
Exit, Stage Right
As a young woman pursuing a career in musical theatre in Toronto, Canada, Thalia was convinced that the performing arts were the foundation of her identity and would always serve as her path. Yet, performing on a professional level wasn’t exactly leaving her with a lasting sense of happiness, and she found herself pursuing solace through yoga and Reiki; as she strived toward the spotlight, her spiritual gifts were coming to light as well.
“As the voice of my spirit became stronger and clearer, I could no longer deny that this was part of my work in the world,” she explains. “That voice was telling me to quit everything—even though I had spent so much money on school and training.” Eventually, Thalia made the decision to listen to that voice, and after quitting her job, she moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in 2012.
Once there, she began a three-month quest for self-discovery under the guidance of her Reiki Master back in Toronto. “The only thing I brought with me were books,” she remembers. “I read vigorously every day, meditated, hiked, spent time in the ocean, sungazed, and explored all by myself. I had my awakening moment one evening in meditation as I watched the sun and realized that I AM love.”
The following day, Thalia visited a preschool in one of the townships called Dalukhanyo, which led to another life-changing realization. “The name ‘Dalukhanyo’ means ‘to bring light,’ and this school’s mission was to plant seeds of light in the mind of every child,” she says. “Despite all of the challenges they have in South Africa, they understand that the minds of the children are what will emancipate the nation. We need to adopt that philosophy in the United States so that every person can experience true freedom from within. After this trip, I understood my purpose on earth. I still didn’t know what form it would take, yet it was clear that I needed to help others find their light within.”
Act Two: A Spiritual Deep Dive
It was this objective that brought Thalia back stateside, where she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training through a studio in Phoenix, Arizona, and began to instruct classes there. Yet, it was not long before she began hearing of another healing arts facility not too far away: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Drawn to the campus by her sense of curiosity, Thalia met with an Admissions Coach who shared with her the details of the Spiritual Studies program. To her surprise, the entire course of study seemed to be in alignment with the mission she had adopted for herself in Dalukhanyo.
“Literally every single thing I wanted to learn was in the Spiritual Studies program,” she confides. “I wanted to have the opportunity to study different healing modalities, as well as to dive deeper into meditation and study the world’s many different religions. I was also interested in performing ceremonies and creating sacred space.”
Wowed by the wide variety of electives offered and her experience with her Admissions Coach, Thalia enrolled on the spot and started classes that same month. Although she didn’t exactly know why she was pursuing this part of her education when she first started out, it soon became crystal clear:
“As a Reiki Master and meditation and yoga teacher, I really wanted a program where I could more deeply examine my spirituality and have a space of my own to explore my understanding of the world around me. I come from a family of reverends and pastors, yet I didn’t feel connected to becoming a Christian Minister myself because I just spoke a different spiritual language. Before SWIHA, I didn’t know there was such a thing as being an Interfaith Minister. Yet, I feel that this is why my spirit chose this program for me.”
Throughout her SWIHA experience, Thalia found herself studying concepts that intensified and helped develop her private practice: Meditation and Mindfulness, Pranayama and Mudra, East Indian Head and Face Massage, Five Element Aromatherapy and Acupressure for Emotional Healing, Medicine Wheel Circles, Spiritual Coaching, and Comparative Religion. Her education was not merely a matter of textbooks and techniques though; it also involved stepping outside of her comfort zone.
“At SWIHA, I learned that when you release your expectations, you make room for something better,” she recalls. “I used to have very low self-esteem and never thought I could make an impact in the world; I had to get out of my own way to stop reducing my potential. I’ve learned to keep myself open to Divine Will, and I use that driving force for my life. If I keep myself open, aligned, and dedicated to my spiritual practice, I never have to question where I’m being led.”
This new approach manifested itself beautifully in Thalia’s path when she made the decision to seek ordainment at the end of her program. “Becoming an Ordained Interfaith Minister was never part of my plan, yet it was part of my purpose,” she admits. “For me, being ordained represented a commitment to staying on my path of servitude to the planet and the lifting up of all beings. Everything I do is for that higher purpose. The more I look back, the more I realize that my greatest moments have happened when I took leaps of faith that were directed by Spirit.”
Returning to the Spotlight
A mere two years after graduating from SWIHA, Thalia took yet another leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to professionally pursue the healing arts. “Making that move wasn’t easy because I didn’t go with a specific job in mind,” she reflects. “I just had faith that if this is what I was meant to do, I would be able to make it here.”
And “make it” she did. Thalia is now the Studio Manager for the top meditation studio in LA: DEN Meditation. DEN not only specializes in helping its students get into the “habit” of meditation; they also offer services like sound baths, gong immersions, teacher trainings, Reiki certifications, prenatal and fertility classes, workshops in past life regression, private energy healings, domestic and international retreats, and much more.
In addition, she teaches her own group classes/workshops and offers private sessions in meditation, yoga, Reiki, and sound healing; she continues to lead her own large yoga/meditation events around LA in partnership with brands that share her vision, and she has several international retreats in the works. On top of all these achievements, she’s found herself back in the public spotlight; Thalia was recently featured as a Reiki Master and Sound Healer on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, is helping to develop a wellness series on Reiki and the vibration of food, and is being featured in GT’s Kombucha #InFullBloom campaign this month!
Reflecting on it all, Thalia is proud that the line between her professional and personal life is increasingly shrinking. “There is a lot of expansion happening, and I’m excited to see where things will evolve,” she shares. “I’m feeling like I’m exactly where I need to be, and when you’re on that path, nothing feels like work. People always ask what I’m up to next, and the honest answer is I couldn’t tell you! I truly feel that the best plan is God’s plan, and I can’t possibly know what my highest evolution will be in this life. What I do know is that I want to help ignite that light within every living being on this planet, and I’ve asked for Spirit’s help in doing that. This vision takes many different forms, and I’m open to them all as long as it’s for the greater good!”
