I inhabited a body

For years

that trauma

had disconnected me from.

I didn’t listen to it. (I couldn’t even hear it). I didn’t feel that it fully belonged to me. I didn’t know what it needed. I didn’t trust its instincts.

That kind of disconnection shows up in so many ways: maybe you go numb, second-guess yourself, can’t feel your desire, lose your spark.

For me, it meant I had a successful career and a perfect family, but inside, something felt off. Maybe something was wrong with me…. Why wasn’t I enjoying my beautiful, wonderful life more?

For over a decade, I was a successful international wedding photographer with my partner Daniel - a career I loved, until I didn’t.

I began to feel disconnected from my art and burnt out. So I put the camera aside and turned toward my own healing.

That path led me to plant medicine, working with indigenous wisdom keepers for whom I am eternally grateful. Those experiences cracked me open and reminded me that the body remembers, nature teaches, and transformation is possible. They also lit a fire in me to understand human transformation more deeply, and eventually led me to pursue a Master’s in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology.

Around that time, my family and I moved to Costa Rica, where we’ve now built a home (Casa Luna) and a life abundant with nature and community. Here, with my partner of 18+ years and our two children, I’ve been raising both my family and myself, learning to live in rhythm with nature, and reclaiming my feminine spirit one practice, one breath, one choice at a time.

Slowly, I began picking up my camera again - this time not for weddings, but for women. Wild Radiance photoshoots were born out of this season of remembering, a way to mirror back the beauty, strength, and untamed aliveness I was reclaiming in myself.

Alongside this work, I dove deeper into embodiment practices: breathwork, sacred sexuality, shadow work, and nervous system work. I began leading women’s groups and retreats, and enrolled in an intensive coaching program to be a Sex, Love, and Relationships coach. My Master’s research explored how portraits of women in nature can serve as rituals to reconnect with themselves.

This work is ongoing. It’s messy. It’s painful. It’s sexy. It’s wild. And it’s very much alive.

It’s a daily commitment; to listen, to honour my body, to feel all the feelings no matter how painful or messy, knowing that they are sacred. To remember who the f*ck I am.

And let me tell you, life is more delicious, sparkly, and colourful than I ever thought possible!

It is a profound honour to guide others on their own journey, helping them come home to their bodies, their desire, their aliveness, and their pleasure. To witness people rebuild their relationships to themselves and others, and step into the full colour of their lives… well, it’s magic.

The image features the name 'Aarina Palik' written in a white cursive font on a black background.
A collage of various personal photographs with captions, including childhood photos, wedding moments, retreats, artistic projects, travel, and family memories, spanning from 1989 to 2023.