“Mum and I were like witches at midnight: drawing cards, writing with the guides and channelling all sort of wonderful things,” says Charlie Christie, founder of Thyme with Charlie. Here, we talk spiritual beginnings, following your intuition and growing a global sound healing brand…
Charlie Christie is a sound healer, teacher and entrepreneur. She lives in the Middle East.
Were you raised in a spiritual home?
Thanks to my mum, yes, very much so. The women on my mother’s side of the family were very open-minded and natural healers. From reading tea leaves to reading energy, being open to receiving psychic messages to seeing spirit guides and everything in between.
This was the awareness I learnt from them that I still use as an automatic response to life to this day. The Creator/Source/Divine/Guides were present in our lives as a normal and natural day to day occurrence not conforming to anything like a religion, there was no separation or name given to it. Simply living and being human with awareness and connection.
As kids, my mum used to give us little tinctures and homeopathic remedies before taking us to doctors if we were ever sick. Natural medicine was always the go to before GP intervention. She took me to my first yoga class at 13 years old and taught me Reiki at 15. I’ve been using both modalities as a way of life ever since. My mum was – and still is – an earth guide for me on my path.
My father – although loving the nurturing attention from my mum that helped him to heal naturally, and despite being incredibly intuitive – wasn’t very open to spirituality and didn’t believe in it. Maybe this was because he didn’t understand it or have anyone there to help him understand it like I did growing up. So Mum and I were like witches at midnight drawing cards, writing with the guides and channelling all sort of wonderful things, so as not to upset anyone else’s beliefs.
Until I reached an age where I didn’t know why I wasn’t being open about this and why did I have to hide it so as not to offend anyone, surely I was offending myself by not being truthful about my beliefs? So I unapologetically began to talk about this way of life with anyone and everyone who I could feel was open to it. Including the rest of my family. And now they all love it and are much more open to the conversations around it too.
I grew up believing in the things the eyes couldn’t see. I still see and feel spirit guides and more every day. I connect to The Creator in every moment of every day, big decision or small – or no decision at all. Intuition isn’t just a knowing or feeling. It’s a gift of pure unconditionally loving wisdom from a higher power. It might sound pretty out there to most, but for me, it’s the embodiment of my truth and I love everything about it and how it continues to evolve, as the world does. It teaches me more every day.
What led you to becoming a sound healer?
After my mum taught me Reiki at 15, I used to use it on anything that moved: friends, family, family pets, plants. My professional dancing career ended due to injury in my early 20s which left a big void in my life. I went in search of trying to fill that void doing something I loved and was just as passionate about dancing.
This led me to living in the Middle East where I discovered sound healing. After my first session, I was hooked. I went to every session I could (which was about 3-5 sessions a week).
I could see and feel the benefits instantly. I had more mental clarity at my very corporate unfulfilling job and physically I cleared my long battle with IBS and lower back pain by putting my awareness into my body and connecting and working on the manifestation of emotional pain in the body. The bowls helped me realise so much about what my mind was doing to my body that I changed instantly. I still don’t suffer with any physical ailments to this day.
My father was a singer, my mother did healing work and I was a dancer – music and healing was a huge part of my life, so it was inevitable I was bound to do this great work. Sound was also a natural compliment to the Reiki I was doing, as lots of elements of each healing modality overlapped.
I knew I had to incorporate this in to my life and anyone who wanted or needed healing to help them the way it helped me.
Your business is based around sound healing – delivering sessions, training other sound healers and selling bowls – did you set out with the intention of creating a multifaceted business like this, or has it evolved over time?
It’s very much evolved over time.
When I first became a practitioner, I purely wanted to help people who needed and wanted healing. But then people started to ask if I taught this. I told them no, I had a lot more work to do before I could create a course.
I created the courses about a year later and thought I would only teach one, possibly two. I ordered a few bowls from my supplier in Nepal and both the courses and the bowls sold out with the calling for more.
At the end of every level 2 course I taught, someone in the group would always ask me, “when and what’s level 3?”. I had no idea and said I’ll think about it (I was clueless and shocked they wanted more after I thought I’d only teach one course).
The pandemic prompted me to put my courses online which was something I’d been toying with for a long time. What a wonderful nudge to making it happen as I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible people I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for the online space. I didn’t slow down during the pandemic, I grew and expanded more.
Three years later, at the start of 2022, I created and taught my first level 3 which also has an instructor certification option if they wish to be able to go forth and teach my courses.
I’m now nearly in my 5th year of Thyme With Charlie (TWC) and I have over 120 TWC practitioners all over the world and five TWC instructors.
I listen to what people are asking for and wanting and I respond. I evolve with them.
There are many more cool things coming now I’ve moved back to the Middle East and a different market, with lots of travel for 2023, back to teaching my courses all over the world in real life again.
What does an average work day look like?
Being my own boss, I can create my working life around my personal life. I love a spreadsheet and admin, but I love my freedom and appreciate the time to myself in equal measure.
Routine wise, I’m an early bird, up before or with the sun. I sit with the cat whilst he eats breakfast for as long as it takes me to check messages and emails etc. Being on a different timeline, I like to check things first thing in the morning in case there is anything to add to my list for the day.
I always check my calendar for what’s happening that day before I get ready for the day. I don’t look at my phone again until around 12pm – unless I really need to because something in my diary requires it.
I set my phone up to enable screen limiting – Best. Thing. Ever. Game changer on every level. All my apps and therefore notifications only wake up at 12pm and go to sleep at 8pm each day. You can override apps for 15 minutes if needed, but I try to avoid that. I also have a time limit on all social media apps set to two hours per day – let me tell you how quickly two hours passes. But I’m now at a stage that I only use the two hours a day by the evening time – even though I use SM for my business.
Each day is different. I have certain days in a week that I make myself available for Zoom calls with existing and potential new online students and clients.
Other days I have one-to-one and group sessions.
I aim to get outside everyday. And if I have a long day on the computer, I like to break it up with “exercise snacks” (inspo: Joe Holder, Nike trainer). I tend to do about 200-500 skips with my skipping rope. Gets the blood and oxygen pumping and keeps me inspired, plus I can move easily by the end of the day.
Days off are spent doing something that lights me up, usually something creative alone or with my close friends/family. Plus I love being at home and chilling out, too.
And, of course, I play at least one instrument a day for me or for the animals at home.
Do you have daily ’SQ’ rituals?
Mornings are my favourite. Being up around 5-5:30 feels like I’m the only person in the world awake. It’s so peaceful and is perfect for my intention setting and pre-empting the energy of the day ahead.
Each day I cover myself and everyone I love or who ever comes to mind with white light. I do the same for the house I’m in, the cars or anything else I’m driving for that day. I do the same for my business by connecting the the energy of the place I’m in as well as connecting and manifesting the people who are yet to materialise in the physical for my business and personal life.
My cat is very good at clearing my studio space before and after each one-to-one or group session. When he’s finished I always create and close each session with incense and the frequency of intention. I do this for myself outside of sessions whenever I feel the need, which can be most days, I just don’t notice it as much as it’s such a natural part of my life it happens automatically.
What’s in your SQ toolkit?
The physical items are bowls, tingshas, oracle cards, incense, crystals and a candle for sessions to bring in the elements whilst I work.
More importantly to go along with the physical items are the ones you can’t see. My SQ tool kit is primarily mindset, awareness, love and connection to the wisdom of self and source. If I didn’t have these things, how can I effectively use the physical items for healing purposes.
What do you find hardest about running your business?
Not having someone to bounce ideas off.
I am a good self-motivator but sometimes I am also a very good procrastinator too. This is where having someone to bounce ideas off of would be great, as it would keep me accountable too.
Currently, I have so many moving and floating pieces and ideas that I feel I need to hire a wee team of sorts, but then also reminding myself that that will all come in time and I can do all those things myself until then. I guess it’s knowing I need/want someone to help put my business plan into action, but not knowing who or what role is best to hire and if that will put undue pressure on me or rather motivate me. But I also know and trust that they will come when it aligns.
What has been your greatest success, or achievement, so far?
I was speaking to someone about this the other day. They said, “wow, you’ve done so much, you must be really proud of yourself”. I looked at them like, “yeah, but no, but…” And I said that I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near where I want to be, I still have a long way to go.
I then looked at the last five years and followed that up with: what I’m most proud of is maintaining/staying true to the core foundation of why I started TWC five years ago – which is to help people heal because when people heal, everyone around them benefits, which in turn benefits the world.
I love working with people who are ready to make a change and facilitating that space for them to guide themselves to their own place of healing. What I do works and people get results. To be witness to these transformations is a such a gift.
Also, empowering my students to create their own reality doing something that lights them up is pretty cool to be a part of, too.
What are your dreams – work/life?
Personally, I am finally home. I searched for a physical home base for such a long time knowing that when I do I will come home to myself too. That happened this year. I know the manifestation of my man and everything that I would like to come with that are just around the corner. I have heard his voice and can feel him coming together like stardust.
Work-wise, as I mentioned, I can finally go back to teaching all over the world again and have places to go that I couldn’t in the pandemic, that are still waiting for me.
The Middle Eastern market is interesting and exciting. I have been told I have lots of work to do here.
I have a few more qualifications and courses I’m currently doing and more that I’d like to do, which will mean I will adapt and evolve my courses. Which means I can share more information with my students for them to evolve their practices too.
The world of spirituality is changing and I’m being called to help facilitate that change. I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet, but it’s manifesting in me already.
Next though, I need to hire a VA at least.
Thank you for introducing Charlie. A lovely new follow on IG now! Absolutely beautiful interview that sings with love and truth. xx