Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why and How Shelly Gorman Of Global Divine Alchemy Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Embrace Authenticity From The Start: Stripping away masks to reveal your true self fosters genuine connections and inspires others to do the same, creating a ripple effect of authenticity in the community.
As a part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shelly Gorman.
Channeling her passion for helping to empower personal transformational journeys, Founder and Coach Shelly Gorman helps individuals to radically accept themselves. As an established and influential coach, Shelly previously held leadership roles across North America for leading coaching companies and possesses numerous gifts from the universe including channeling and mediumship.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up overseas in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where both of my parents taught at an international school. As a result, we received free housing in a compound and standby travel benefits since the school was owned by the airline. Although we were considered lower middle class, I was fortunate to have much of my upbringing centered around community, education, sports, and a broader understanding of the world.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
I am currently on a mission to start a transmutation revolution. At its core, we are dedicated to helping humanity courageously to show up exactly how they authentically are; to radically accept themselves and own their own “ish”. While there are many avenues that historically helped individuals deal with the subconscious boulders that they have been carrying from family dynamics, social fabrics and in some cases trauma, I wanted to provide a new option and path through spiritual wellness in what some call the Hermit’s journey. What I mean by that is each person’s path is unique and wading through the mud and tackling personal boulders in a way that works for them. In helping individuals become their true authentic selves, the domino effect will increase the collective oneness and humanity embrace unconditional love and faith.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I deeply understand the journey and empathize with the challenges faced — I’m living proof that transformation is possible. After experiencing my own dramatic personal transformation at 50, I can’t fully express how many lessons I learned throughout my healing journey. The newfound freedom this transformation brought, combined with the realization that every one of my 10,000+ past clients was carrying their own self-limiting burdens, inspired my new mission. That’s the heart and soul of why I built my company — to inspire, challenge, grow, evolve, and uplift.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I am honored to have discovered some incredible gifts throughout my journey. While I don’t believe in labeling things, I realized that I am clairvoyant and receive channeled intuitive downloads. The ‘aha moment’ came when I received a download with the exact name of my organization and the direction to share my journey to help others. I knew I was being called to do this, so I followed that call.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
I coach entrepreneurs, so I could talk about this topic for hours. However, I like to distill it into a simple philosophy that I share with others: anytime you start something new, it begins with a seed. For me, it started by putting my own face and personal story out into the world through YouTube. As you plant the seed and it begins to germinate, you enter a phase of growth and evolution. By sharing my entire healing journey — without personal or professional masks — I aimed to vulnerably showcase every aspect of life and offer examples of how I tackled challenges to help others face theirs. Many people want immediate results and get frustrated when they don’t see them. But I believe that if you consistently take disciplined daily actions, your journey will unfold — one step at a time. As you can tell, I love analogies, and this reminds me of the old adage: ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
There were many pivotal moments in my journey when I had to leap out of my comfort zone without any assurance that things would be okay. One such leap was the decision to go public with this initiative on LinkedIn and with my existing client base. I was concerned because my business had historically relied on word-of-mouth referrals, and my clients were primarily senior-level executives from traditional organizations with conventional coaching topics.
To my surprise, several C-level executives opened up about their own significant challenges, or ‘boulders,’ that they were still carrying. They shared how unburdened they felt after I created a space that allowed for reciprocal vulnerability and enabled the foundations for deep personal transformation.
This experience validated the very reason I started Global Divine Alchemy. Thankfully, the universe caught me during my trust fall.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake that you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from that?
I believe I’ve shared this story before, but it was a pivotal lesson for me. When I first began exploring my spiritual gifts, I had no idea what was happening. Although I could read people and had strong intuition, that was the extent of my understanding of spirituality. During my personal transformation and early experiences with receiving messages, I lacked a frame of reference and couldn’t grasp what was going on. After extensively Googling in an attempt to disprove my experiences, I enrolled in a top global spiritual school, convinced it was all nonsense. However, once I began taking classes and reading for others, I was proven completely wrong. I delivered messages filled with specific details about strangers’ intimate lives, leaving me floored and unable to deny the existence of spiritual gifts. It makes me laugh now to think about how stubborn I was back then. It taught me to look beyond what my mind and eyes perceive — much like believing in gravity without ever seeing it.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Many mentors have impacted my journey, including both past and present masters like Rumi and Andrew Huberman. Along the way, I was guided to individuals who taught me valuable lessons or provided insights that helped me advance to the next step. I believe everyday interactions and micro-insights are highly underrated, as they truly form the foundation of learning in our journeys — if we pay enough attention and don’t let ego serve as our primary guide.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Absolutely, and I am grateful for the question. We can take steps on both a micro and macro level to support and address the root of the problem. From both individual and community perspectives, normalizing the radical acceptance of others for exactly who they are in every statement, action, and intent would go a long way in empowering individuals. Embracing unconditional love in this way — remembering that I am you and you are me — can have a tremendous domino effect on the global collective.
We would also benefit from programmatic advocacy, both in terms of funding and execution, regarding the far-reaching impacts of spiritual wellness on humanity. With greater understanding, we can contribute to targeted and beneficial interventions around topics such as community cohesion, health and wellness, and support for young adults. By investing in studies that explore these connections, policymakers can develop evidence-based programs that promote holistic societal well-being.
Curiosity and global openness toward quantum societal evolution would cultivate a deeper understanding, support for uniqueness in individuals, and foster the breakdown of division. Politicians and community leaders can facilitate forums and dialogues that encourage curiosity about different views and practices. By consciously creating spaces for discussion and exploration, this openness can foster global cooperation and understanding, paving the way for a quantum societal evolution that embraces diversity and innovation for the greater good. Together, we can inspire a collective evolution that embraces the interconnectedness of all people, leading to far-reaching impact and enhanced unification.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
There are so many things that I have learned since I first started. That said, the top five that come to mind include:
Embrace Authenticity From The Start: Stripping away masks to reveal your true self fosters genuine connections and inspires others to do the same, creating a ripple effect of authenticity in the community.
Celebrate Your Unique Journey Vocally: Recognize that each individual’s path is distinct, and transformation often arises from navigating challenges. Your personal journey can serve as a powerful example for others.
Integrate Spirituality with Daily Life: Advocate for spiritual wellness for yourself as a priority, while still navigating the needs of your organization. It is imperative for long-term success.
Know Your Energy Is Your Most Valuable Asset– Everything operates based on the foundational laws of frequency and vibration. Surrender to the fact that you need to release the need to force outcomes or rush a process. Practice patience and faith in knowing that things will happen in the timing that is for your best and highest good. Trust that your daily steps will create the unfolding of what you are meant to have.
Cultivate Open Dialogue: Engage with people across the spectrum of beliefs, inviting conversations about perspectives, gifts, and experiences to foster understanding and connection, regardless of differing viewpoints.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I like to think of quotes as daily sources of inspiration. I spend a few minutes each day pondering the meaning and wisdom I can gain from them. Today’s quote that resonates with me is, ‘Teach the tongue to say, I do not know, and thou shalt progress,’ by Maimonides. I would actually broaden that quote to include both the tongue and the brain. For me, in exploring the concept of not knowing, I find that it leads to the greatest personal growth.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
There are so many amazing people in the world, and I could spend a lifetime learning from the masters and everyday people. If I had to pick two, I would cite His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Ray Dalio. In fact, having lunch with both together would lend to an incredibly fascinating conversation. Let’s make that happen!
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow the evolution of my journey on YouTube, join the community tribe for your own transformation, visit our site or contact us. We look forward to meeting you.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why and How Shelly Gorman Of Global Divine Alchemy Is… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.