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Carnelian Heart was born from lived experience — grief, awakening, and the remembering of truth.
This is the story behind the work… and the path that continues to unfold.

Nelia is the heart behind Carnelian Heart — a Soul-First brand born from grief, awakening, and the reclamation of truth.
She is a writer, creator, and leader who has walked through the dark night of the soul — and chosen to rise, not by bypassing the pain, but by listening to it.
Her work is grounded in lived experience, not theory. In the unraveling, she remembered who she was — and began living from the inside out.
Through her memoir Seeker of Light and her book Soul-First, Nelia invites others into the same remembrance — offering a grounded, compassionate path back to identity, presence, and inner truth.
Nelia’s story isn’t polished. It’s real.
And it speaks to those who feel deeply, who’ve outgrown survival, and who are ready to return to who they truly are.
I am Nelia—visionary, truth-walker, and founder of Carnelian Heart.
My journey did not begin with a plan, but with a rupture — the profound loss of my mother. In the breaking open, something ancient awakened within me.
Through grief, I met my voice.
Through remembrance, I reclaimed my power.
Through devotion, I returned to myself.
From those ashes, Carnelian Heart was born — a Soul-First mission devoted to healing, truth, and embodied living.
I write for the seekers.
For the sensitive and the strong.
For those who walk between worlds and feel the quiet call to come home.
In my professional life, I’ve spent over 25 years in corporate leadership — learning that leadership and spirituality are not separate.
When led with integrity, they are deeply intertwined.
Beyond titles, I am a mother, stepmother, and nanna.
Life is full and sometimes messy — and my Soul-First practices guide me back to presence again and again.
This is my life.
Raw. Real. Soul-led.
And I’m here to help you remember yours.
Carnelian Heart exists for women who are no longer willing to force their lives forward.
I don’t work from pressure, performance, or fixing.
I work from truth, presence, and return.
My role is not to tell you who to become — it’s to help you stop betraying who you already are.
You don’t come to this work empty or broken. You come already knowing ... just tired of overriding yourself.
I listen beneath the words you use. I name the truth you’ve been carrying quietly. I help you trust what your body, soul, and inner knowing have been signaling all along.
Clarity doesn’t come from more effort. It comes from honesty.
I don’t rush you into the next version of yourself.
Every transformation begins with completion:
I create space for things to finish properly, so what comes next can be real — not reactive.
Nothing here is urgent.
You won’t be pushed, hyped, or convinced.
You won’t be told you’re behind or missing something.
Authority in this space is quiet, grounded, and steady.
It feels like nervous-system safety.
It feels like being able to breathe again.
When your system settles, your truth becomes obvious.
I’m not interested in telling you what to do. I reflect who you are becoming.
I help you notice where you’re out of alignment. I guide you back to integrity — gently, honestly, without force.
This work isn’t about self-improvement. It’s about self-return.
You don’t need more information. You need to know:
I work with simple, grounded frameworks that bring relief and clarity — not more noise.
If something doesn’t create spaciousness, it doesn’t belong here.
Everything I offer is a doorway. You are never chased. You are never pressured. You are never talked into readiness.
If something in you knows it’s time, you’ll feel it. If it’s not time, that’s honored too.
Alignment cannot be forced.
Working with Carnelian Heart often feels like:
It doesn’t always feel loud or dramatic.
But it is deeply steady.
And it lasts.

I don’t lead by pushing women forward.
I lead by helping them stop betraying themselves.
This is the Soul-First way.
This is how I work.

Carnelian Heart exists to create a sacred return to self.
To offer a grounded, compassionate space where awakening women can pause, listen, and remember who they truly are — beyond roles, expectations, survival patterns, and performance.
At its core, Carnelian Heart is about restoring inner truth, embodied presence, and self-trust — so life is no longer built from fear or conditioning, but from the wisdom within.
This work exists to support the inner remembering that changes everything.

I envision a world where people remember who they truly are — and choose to live from that place.
A world where inner truth leads outer life.
Where presence replaces performance.
Where leadership is rooted in integrity, compassion, and courage.
Through Carnelian Heart, this vision unfolds as a living ecosystem — of teachings, writing, community, and embodied practice — guiding individuals back to wholeness and helping them rebuild their lives from the inside out.
As more people return to themselves, the collective story begins to change.

From loss, to awakening, to living from the inside out.
Seeker of Light: Available via Amazon and Balboa Press.
April 2025 interview by The Spotlight Network to share the story behind my memoir, Seeker of Light. A big thank you to Bookside Press for organizing the opportunity, and to Logan Crawford for such a thoughtful interview. I’ve also shared more about the experience in a recent blog post—you can read more about it here.
✨ Want to read Seeker of Light? [Grab your copy here.]

Seeker of Light — a story of loss, awakening, and renewal — recognized among books redefining modern spirituality.
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