Today we’d like to introduce you to Xanthi Diamond.
Xanthi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was a little girl I was obsessed with all things magic, nature, art and music. As life pulls us into the current of adulthood, we sometimes lose our north star. I am very fortunate to have found my way back to mine.
I grew up in Clarksville, TN, a mid-sized town with a giant dose of Christianity, military and conservatism. This environment made my unique perspective and self-expression feel stifled and conspicuous. This general feeling of weirdo oppression mixed with my father’s strict Greekness grew me into a rebellious, sovereignty-seeking creative. I found my people when college started and melted into the music and art scene, feeling free for the first time in my life. I went to Austin Peay, studying piano performance, creative writing, and art. On the weekends I was dabbling in psychedelics, writing my own songs, and immersing myself in a rapidly expanding social life.
I dropped out of college after two years because the structure of school was suffocating. I quickly obtained my cosmetology license, having accrued all the state-mandated hours while in high school. I thought a hands-on career could balance my creativity and need for income. After a while it felt like drudgery, an old costume that didn’t quite fit anymore.
For most of my twenties I lived a double life. One version of me was the hairstylist who sacrificed body, mind and spirit for a paycheck. The other was my musician self, singing my piano songs at local venues and extravagantly displaying my eccentricity and lust for self-expression. My social network included many musical and visual artists, producers, photographers, and videographers. I always felt surrounded by creative support, and an adoring and accepting scene.
Ten years into my hair career, as my Saturn return peaked, I had an urge to escape and pursue herbalism. I quit my salon job and moved to New England, studying folk herbalism and sacred plant medicine at The Gaia School of Healing in Putney, Vermont. This was the strongest and most dramatic instance of following my intuition. This experience profoundly shifted the course of my life and deepened my spirituality and connection to divinity. I had to accept the glorious truth—I am a witch!
After I completed herbal school I moved back home to Tennessee, taking a hairstylist job at my friend’s salon because of course-money. She encouraged me to start leading herbalism circles at the salon after hours. It was a magical time, blending these two worlds and building a community of like-minded women. I branched out and began offering circles at other venues as well. The gatherings were building momentum and then COVID put a stop to it. My herbalism practice became a home apothecary bursting with garden-grown herbs and secret recipes. My focus shifted to income and stability in that time of uncertainty.
My career in cosmetology lasted 17 years behind the chair, working in different salons until I opened my own space. The autonomy was everything I had been seeking, but after several years of this I felt severe burnout and began experiencing chronic dizziness as my body said no. I decided to close my salon suite.
My father passed away suddenly the night before I planned to take my last day of clients. This tragic but synchronistic culmination of change led me into a period of profound grief and self-excavation. I shed relationships, friendships, and situations that no longer felt aligned with my truest self. I redirected my energy inward—letting the process be liminal, strange and winding.
It has been almost two years since my father’s passing. I have shed many skins since then, and feel myself honing in on my north star. I’ve returned to herbalism and intuitive work, while writing, podcasting, and collaborating creatively with other women in the healing arts. Music is like an old friend who calls to catch up sometimes, but no longer my central form of release.
My desire to live authentically and creatively is no longer up for debate. My career and my calling are integrating more closely with every choice I make.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road, but the rough parts are where life gets juicy! If it’s worth the squeeze, I don’t always know.
I grew up poor in a haunted, historical home that should have been condemned. I felt shame around the house and always hid this part of myself from others. Love was the only abundant resource in my childhood.
My father was overbearing, always yelling and demanding authority in our family. I moved out at 18 when I started college because my curfew was dark. I wasn’t allowed to wear nail polish or color my hair. He had so many rules. Our relationship got better over the years, but his general disposition was abrasive and loud. I always had to fight for myself to be heard.
I found myself in several toxic relationships with men. My darkest hour and biggest wake-up call was a physically abusive marriage. I wasted so much energy on the wrong people. My struggles with boundaries extended beyond romantic relationships—I was an emotional doormat for friends and clients, too. Understanding my codependent tendencies has been foundational in my growth and self-development.
I mentioned the chronic dizziness, also known as neural circuit dizziness. I have been experiencing this intermittently since 2021. This is a kind of hell you can only understand through experience. My body set boundaries for me when I was not able to create them for myself. I see that now. I found relief with neuroplasticity exercises that rewire the brain to bring a sense of calm and balance to the body. Working through this has been the most challenging and rewarding period of my life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I like to think of my work as an intuitive ecosystem—each organism of creation woven together into the overarching realm that is Dreamland. I am a writer, musician, intuitive, herbalist, teacher and energy worker.
Writing is my most potent outlet these days. I write personal essays, braiding my unusual childhood with vibrant characters and emotional landscapes. My songwriting is another facet of this. Driven by vulnerability, I mine my life for lyrics when inspiration strikes.
I started a podcast in the throes of all these life transitions called Let It Be Liminal. I candidly explore the fog-walk I am in, rewriting my story as a single, childfree woman in my late thirties.
I specialize in folk herbalism, plant relationships, sensory embodiment, and divination through nature. My aim is to lead others into relationship with plants, so they can access that divine connection freely. Through circles, meditations, energy healing and divination, I create spaces and experiences where we can be witnessed and held, especially women.
From my matriarchal lineage I was gifted intuitive palm reading. My readings focus on personal and energetic patterns, providing insight that inspires self-reflection. My hope is to pass on the understanding that we are the captains of our own souls and have personal power over our lives.
I am most proud that I have crafted a life that allows me to explore a multitude of gifts. I am proud of myself for stepping out of a career that drained me. I am so grateful to have built professional and creative relationships that have honored and supported my offerings and allowed me to express who I truly am.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
If you are starting from scratch, seek out the people who are currently living your dream. Reach out, offer to buy them a coffee, and ask for a slice of their time. Tell them what you admire about them. Ask where they started and what their story is. We can draw inspiration from those who are already living our dreams, showing us what is truly possible.
When you are seeking community, professional or personal, it is important to be authentic to who you are. Your one-of-a-kind essence is the exact right recipe for the thing you will find most fulfilling.
I found my most exciting opportunities organically through genuine connections and relationships rather than traditional networking. Be open and curious without putting too much pressure on a specific outcome. Let the universe surprise and delight you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xanthidiamond
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@xanthidiamond
- Other: https://substack.com/@xanthidiamond
