Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Flip the Script with Vic is a sacred space for real conversations with real women 🩷 Hosted by Victoria Nielsen—intuitive healer, mama, and space-holder for the divine feminine—this podcast amplifies women’s voices through raw interviews, intimate solocasts, and unfiltered conversations on motherhood, mysticism, psychedelics, ancestral healing, spirituality, identity, and more.
What began as a personal exploration is now a communal prayer: a gathering place for cycle-breakers, mothers, mystics, creatives, witches, and wild ones redefining what it means to be a woman in today’s world.
Every episode is an invitation to remember that your voice matters. That your truth matters. Together, we walk in beauty, become the prayer, and flip the script.
Hello, hello, hello.Welcome back to another episode of Flip the Script with Vik.It's your host, Victoria Nielson.I'm always so excited to be here because I get to hype other women up as my job as part of Flip the Script with Vik.But I also get to have really open-hearted and deep conversations with some really amazing women that have stories to tell, have things to share, and one of those women today is Parisa Hirvani, one of my dear friends, uh, a yoga studio owner, a all-around, I wanna say, like, wellness guide truly, um, who I feel like has really found herself and transformed over the last year with SHAKE Rising and some of the other practices that she does.And yeah, I just wanted to bring you on to have, like, a, a chat because I feel like whenever we get together, we always somehow go, like, really deep but also, like, really weird at the same time, like, talking about, like, crazy past lives and the energy we feel andMm-hmm.I don't know.You're just a soul sister, and I love it.Likewise.Um, thank you for having me.Happy to be here everyone.It's funny, you said, like, she found herself over the past year, it's like I found a version of me and then I completely broke it, and I'm creating a whole nother one.But I love that from the outside it looks like, uh, I've f- I've been found because wouldn't that be nice?Right.I mean, I guess it's true.We never are totally found, but I would love to chat more about this kind of new unfolding, this new alchemy if you're open to it, because I do think you are not shy about allowing yourself to, like, death and rebirth over and over again.And I remember, like, the very first time we met, I was coming to the studio to, to try out to be a kundalini yoga teacher, and there was a weird instance at the studio where, uh, a teacher was there that wasn't supposed to be, and anyway the energy was weird, and I remember afterward, I liked you, but I was like, "Hmm, I don't know, there's something about her energy."And then we met for lunch, like, months later, and your energy was totally different, and you were like, "Oh yeah, like that version of me is, like, completely gone now.Like, I've just-" "stepped into a whole new version."And I was like, "Wait, but I can actually feel the difference.What do you mean?"Yeah, I think when we met, um, there was a lot of stress in my life, and, um, I think I had, like, recently opened the PeachTree Hills location and- Yes.there was new teachers and just boundaries and guidelines that hadn't been set yet, and so that was the day that you caught me on learning that lesson, but, um, yeah, all- Remember we chatted about being projectors for a long time?Love that for us.We're the guides, yo.Um, yeah, I think since we've met it's just been like a rollercoaster.Like this time last year I was feeling so fulfilled and, like, was walking in such purpose and th- that's such a beautiful part of our journey, right?But, like, if we just stay in those places, we don't grow.So there's all these astrological forces, I believe, or, like, life forces or univer- versal forces pushing us, creating tension, creating stress and forcing us to grow, otherwise we wouldn't.We would just be like, "Oh, this feels good, I'm gonna stay here."Um, and so it's beautiful to, like, witness that m- feeling of a year ago of, like, me reaping the rewards of all of the work that I had done and I guess, like, living in the harvest of the seeds that have been sown.And now I'm in another sowing phase and is it sow or sow?I don't know but I'm in that phase.I think it's sow but- Mm-hmm.but I love that you're bringing it back to the inner seasons, right?Because e- everyone is always going through inner seasons just like there's outer seasons.And if we were always in that summer, we were always in that bloom, we wouldn't appreciate the winter, we wouldn't appreciate the fall, we wouldn't appreciate the spring.And so I, I don't know, I just love that you're- you brought it back to that so naturally because we're never always gonna be in one place, and actually we're doing ourselves a disservice of thinking that we, that we need to always stay the same.Like, change is what we came here for, so let's lean into that, right?No, 100%.Um, I don't think it is possible to have the summer w- without the winters.Like, not just in an appreciative fashion way but I don't think it's sustainable.Um, and it's like this idea that we learned, you know, the happy ending, the Disney movies that, like, "Oh, and they lived happily ever after," and that was it.She reached this level- And it stopped.and, like, that and I was, and I'm like, "I'm waiting for that."I'm like, "When is that gonna happen?"But it's not.It's, uh, a layering.This human experience is pulling back every layer of conditioning, getting deeper and deeper into an unlearning of and discovering and remembering of who we truly are.And right now I'm in a really interesting part of that where it was, like, you know, a year ago I felt, like, really strong.Even, like, as little as, like, 9 months ago I just felt really, really strong and so much has changed since then.Not that I don't feel strong anymore but I've, I'm 6 months into a new romantic relationship with someone who's clearly, like, a soul contract, and so I've been seeing all my wounds in the context of intimacy and that's where a lot of my wounds were created so I couldn't feel or heal or address those things without being back in this intimate space.So just that vulnerability and, you know, I thought like, "Oh, I have my life figured out."Like, "Okay, she's got a studio, she's figured out.Now she has a boyfriend, okay, she's figured out."But it's, like, the way that I have been conditioned to seek validation externally rather than to go within is so apparent right now and I'm just, like, none of that's actually fulfilling for me and, um, so I'm having to do, like, a lot of going inwards and just realizing these, like, wounds in place of hurt and, like, holding them and just allowing them to be there and, like, watching myself-like, grow by being in it.Like, I'm growing by crying.And so, it's like I'm feeling happy and I'm feeling in love and all of these great things, but at the same time, I'm feeling, like, profound hurt that's, like, years and years old and, like, having that come up.And it's just been a whirlwind of a month.I'll tell you that much.But I resonate with that so deeply.I actually posted, I think it was an Instagram Reel yesterday, that talked about that.That I'm, you know, simultaneously feeling happy, but you're healing, but you're also hurting because all of these things can exist at the same time.And, you know, relationships, we only see that sunny side, right, from Disney of like, "Oh, they got together, yay."They don't see that, like, to make a marriage or make a partnership work, like, it is w- it's work.It's a constant, like, give and take in having to look at your wounds.And I do believe that there are soul contracts out there.My husband, I think too, is a soul contract that I made that we were like, "We're gonna do this together, because we're gonna grow actually further by testing these wounds in one another."Um, and it's challenging, right?But I, it all comes back to that same thing for me too, of the self-worth and of, like, childhood really, of like, how was I talked to, how did I talk to myself?Um, those things were formed back then, and how I react was formed back to then, you know, back then.And so, like, there are some days I still find myself reacting and I'm like, "Oh, wow.Okay."Like, I see where that came from, but like, all right, 36-year-old Victoria, that's not cute.Not cute to act that way.I, it's, I don't know if it's like a collective consciousness, but I'm going, I'm so in sync with what you're saying, and I don't know if this is gonna be helpful for anyone out there so I'm just gonna share it.Um, a lot of the ways in which I live my life are outdated, like nervous system ways.And, um- I love that.It's just like, I think, as soon as I get stressed at work or in an intimate relationship w- where I become vulnerable, I go back to, like, this fight or flight scanning for danger, right?And that's, that was meant to protect me because I had to be hypervigilant.My needs weren't met.I didn't feel safe in a lot of places as a child.And like, I'm not shitting on my parents or anything.They did the best that they could and, like, from the outside, it may not look like, oh, she didn't have, like, a hard life.She was, she, you know, she had 4 parents.She's lucky.But, um, there was a lot- It doesn't have to be trauma with a capital T.Yeah, there was a lot going on.And so, I learned to be hypervigilant, to notice any change in rituals and, like, routine, to just be constantly on the lookout.And that's why, like, so much of what I remember from my childhood is negative.And I was on the phone with my best friend since I was 8 years old this week, and she's like, "We had so much fun."And I was like, "Tell me about it."And she's telling me all these times and she's like, "Do you remember this?Do you remember that?"And I'm like, "No, but I remember this heartbreaking incident and this and that."And, um, so like, I was cleaning out, uh, an old console and I found an old photo album.And this is what had led me to call her, is I found all these pictures from elementary, middle, and high school.And I'm like, she's in a lot of them and I'm like, remembering them.I'm like, "Oh wait, that was fun.That was fun.That was safe."But there was this need for me to be hypervigilant and that's the nervous system response, right, that we have just as human beings, that, as we evolve to, like, be on the lookout for danger.And so, it's why I remember a lot of the negative and why it's so hard for me to focus on gratitude.And so, when I'm triggered in current life, even as a 37-year-old Parisa, I'm, or I get into a situation where I'm vulnerable again, I'm finding myself falling back into that routine and wondering, "Why I'm not happy?Because I have so much to be grateful for."And so, what's really been working for me this past week, like literally this healing is, like, days old, um, is, the body doesn't know the difference from the mind.So, or like from actuality, like from real or fake.So, if we can, first thing in the morning, go to our safe space, do some deep breathing and, like, when I wake up before I even walk out of bed or, like, get out of bed, I sit up straight and I put, like, a safe space meditation on from my inside timer app.But you can just do like a visualization and breath work, like 4, 6 breathing.inhale for 4, exhale for 6, for like 3 minutes.And just picture your safe space, and that's gonna, like, help your body and your nervous system to set for the day like, "Hey, I don't need to be in fight or flight."Um, and you can orient by, like, saying, like, things that you see and feel, and, like, that'll just help you reset.And you start the day with that way, and then I go right into my gratitude journaling, and that has been, like, tremendous, because- I love that.I heard a metaphor and it was, I think it was Brené Brown, and she was like, "I have a lot of yoga clothes, I have a yoga mat, I live in a lifestyle of a yogi.Like, a lot of the things I do align in a yogi, like, in a yoga tradition.But when I get on my mat, does that matter if I'm not practicing yoga?Like, can I do a handstand or, like, any of those things?"And I was like, "Wow."As a yoga teacher, that hit me, 'cause it's like, I can do all the handstand things.No, I'm just kidding.Um, it was like- Yeah, but you can.You're really fucking flexible.But I was like, "Wow.Okay, so how can I apply this to gratitude?"Gratitude is a practice.How am I- Mm-hmm.Like, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm aware of what I'm grateful for any moment, but, like, I'm aware of how I could list that, but I'm not practicing it.So now, in the morning, by, like, journaling and writing down and feeling those frequencies of gratitude, it's changing my whole day.Like, I'm only, like, 5 days in, but you know?No, but I love that, because it's really true.I mean, that's really what, after my miscarriage, I did something kind of similar where I just, I stopped reaching for my phone first thing in the morning.And I was like, "Let me move my body first thing in a very intuitive fashion," you know, whatever way my body wanted to.And then I would free write and just, like, let everything out, and a lot of the times I'd come back to gratitude.Um, and it's a choice.You have to choose in every moment to be grateful for what you have, but when you do, then that's when that energy amplifies.That's when you're actually attracting more.Because if you're not grateful for what you currently have, the universe is gonna be like, "Bitch, I'm not giving you anything else like, until you are," you know?But I love that you start the day that way, 'cause I, it's a frequency thing.Like, you're, you're almost, I call it, um, a quantum leap in the sense that, like, you're bringing the feelings and emotions that you want to experience in the future to the present, and you're fully embodying them in, like, every single cell in your being.Um, so how can that not travel throughout your day?How can that not, like, collapse timelines essentially, um, and bring you any future happiness now is how I think about it.So, I love that you've been doing that, and I think it's a great practice for anyone listening to start your day a little slower, start your day a little more inward.Like, how many of us just jump outta bed in the morning, um, and don't really, like, stop to think?Or maybe we just grab our phone first thing and we don't think at all and we're just scrolling, you know?Yeah.I've been there.And I think it's just so important to find that, like, to train your neuroplasticity, like, to find that nervous system reset, like, to, that part was really hard for me, 'cause it's like I can intellectualize all I want, but, like, my body can't feel it when triggered.And, like, sometimes the breathing doesn't work, but when you start your day out by getting out of fight or flight, and like, you put yourself in a mindset that says, like, "I'm safe," to your body, not to your mind really, in a body set that says that, "I'm safe," your cup is so much more full and there's so much more stressors and so much more you can handle before you get into that state.And I think that's really the game changer for the quality of your life every single day and your overall happiness.Absolutely.You're not starting in depletion.I was thinking about that, I've, uh, it was a parenting expert that I was, like, reading the other day, probably Dr. Becky, but she was saying that, that like, when your kids are having tantrums, she was like, "Take a deep breath and be like, tell your body it's safe.Tell your body it's not an emergency.Tell your body that, like, you know, you're not being chased by a lion, like, it's just your kid screaming," you know?But it, it sometimes can take a minute in the moment to, like, actually calm your body down.Like, I've had to try to explain to my kids that, like, the noises they make sometimes, I'm like, "That is causing mommy's nervous system to, like, freak out."And I know they don't necessarily get it, but, like, I'm already trying to show them, like, that I'll stop, I'll move my body, like, I'll be in tune with that.Um, and I hope that in getting in tune with it now and, like, talking about it now, it's something that just becomes, like, second nature to them, because, you know, uh, it took me way too long to start listening to my body, and I know that it was the same for you.Yeah, but I love that you're giving your kids that example.Like, that's awesome.And that's how we change, you know, the generations to come.Side note, I see your tattoo for the first time in, I guess you could say IRL but through the screen.It looks amazing.Thank you.It's so cool.Thank you.I had to put on, I was like, it's so funny, I had a flash of what I was wearing and it was like, "Oh yeah, it's a shirt," so that it could be shown off.Yeah.She is, she's in all her glory.I feel like, uh, she's always been there.But that's been my journey with my voice, you know, this last year, and I feel like you've had a similar journey in the sense that when you found Shake Rising, it really helped you, I think, come back to your body, right, and feel safe in your body.And I remember you led a Shake Rising class, which I want you to share what, what that is with folks in a second.But I, I wanted to share the mantra that you brought us through, um, because that root chakra mantra was one that I worked with for months afterwards about, um, you know, like, being born for this.That like, I, you know, like, I was born for this and I am ready, um, and it was just such a game changer for me.So, tell us, what is Shake Rising and how has it helped you?Um, SHAKE Rising is a transformational movement practice that is meant for your liberation, so it's a blend of 3 fitness or 3 modalities of energy work, fitness, and dance.And you're going through the energy body or the chakra systems, as we say in yoga, yoga, with the mantra for each, and we are saying these mantras not to, like, brainwash ourselves but to point out any places in our body and our psyche where they don't feel true.Mm-hmm.And the more easy- Oh, it gets to be easy because I was born for this.That's what it was.I was like, "I can't-" Yes." remember what it is now."It gets to be easy because I was born for this.That's a beautiful one.I love that, because so much of us think that living is equated with, like, working or hustling or struggling, like, you know, to be productive, and we get to be in ease.That's our birthright.And so that's a beautifulI love that mantra.But, um, yeah, SHAKE Rising for me was not only just transformational on, like, uh, self-awareness level and to be connected with my body, but what this gave to me was also safety with women and it brought me together with some amazing women, like-minded, not even like like-minded, just like we're all humans.We're just other human women, and it made it so safe, and Sarah, um, the founder of SHAKE Rising does just a beautiful job of holding that space and helping us connect, and it was really transformational for me to be in community with my sisters in Hawaii last year and then again this year in California.And just so many amazing connections have come through this practice, and I mean, I just love SHAKE.Like, I have a weekly routine where I put it on, like the, I have the SHAKE Rising subscription so you can do this at home for like $30 a month.Um, you can get unlimited access to the recordings and then live calls every week, and I put on the SHAKE Rising call and I shake while I clean.So like even when I don't have time, like I'm vacuuming and shaking and like doing the call with them and, um, it's so awesome, so.I love that.Ah, I mean, really, all of us need to shake our asses more, like truly.I, uh, have been a booty yoga instructor for years now and one of their mottos was like, "Free your hips, free your mind," and it's so true because I feel like we store so much in our hips as women.And you know, we stop dancing, we stop moving in our own fluidity and our own grace a lot of the time because we're either trying to be too masculine or we're trying to fit into, uh, a different box, or we just forget because we've forgotten to play and we've forgotten to move and we've forgotten to connect, but that sacral chakra is where our passion resides.It's where our purpose resides, and it, we're doing ourselves a disservice if we're not moving our hips, if we're not shaking out the literal shit in our bodies, you know?Because our bodies keep the score and our bodies remember, and that primal shaking, that's really what it is.It's, you're shaking like an animal essentially, you know, and there's a reason that animals do that.They're, they're moving the energy out of their bodies.They're not holding onto things.And so I've had some things from like the deep recesses I feel like come up when I've done, like, SHAKE Rising and just like shaking practices in general, uh, and it, it's, it's surprised me.Yeah, I love that for you.Um, there's like trapped adrenaline and cortisol and, you know, stuff in the body from these experiences that the mind can't flush out, right?We have to do it in the body.And so that's a great part about SHAKE is that in addition to the mantra and the fitness work, we're also doing that shaking, so we're identifying where those things aren't true and then we're shaking out any, like, past resistances or past experiences that are stuck in the body keeping those mantras from feeling true.And so it's like all of that com- combined, and then you do a beautiful meditation at the end to bring that kundalini energy back down and it's just a wonderful practice.I know.I was like, I need to come to like a class soon.I haven't been in a while, but it was so good.Like, it was- Next Tuesday- I feel like every time you leave you're like, "That's exactly what I didn't know I needed."Next Tuesday, 7:15, at Element Yoga.In the evening, I will be teaching a SHAKE Rising practice.Come check it out.Okay, done.I'm putting that on the calendar.Thanks.Yeah.I love it.So in this season of transition, you know, I feel like, uh, we, we talk a lot about like inner child and inner teenager work when we get together.Is that something that you're still focusing on and moving through or kind of what, what's on your heart as you move into 2026?Yeah.I think from 2023 to, like, now, that inner, that integrated family systems, that inner child work, it's not just inner child, it's inner child, inner teenager, your critical parent, and your loving parent.That was, like, a big thing that I was working on.And it's funny to hear you mention that now because I've kind of forgotten it.Like, it's like I know-it's there, but I'm like, "Oh, my loving parent is like, she's woke, she's there all the time.She's always consoling me.She ha- gives me hugs."So it's like, yeah, I'm glad to see that that work that I put in, um, paid off.I feel like my inner child and I have a really strong relationship.Like, I talk to her all the time.Um, and I'm still developing the other, like, versions of myself, like those connections, even like with myself in my 20s.Like, I'll hear a song from like, from college, and like, this, like, thug will come out, you know?Like how we used to, like, listen to rap in our car- Yes.Oh my god.and be like, this badass.It's like, you're a little girl from east cob, sit down.But um- Like I'll feel her come out and I'll be like, it feels kind of cringe, but I'm also like, yes girl.What up?Yes.No, let the cringe out.I'm so thankful for like that version of you.And I love that like real little thug in it right now.And I'm like, "What up 21-year-old Parisa?"Um, and I'm still proud of you, even though I feel a little cringe, but I'm still proud of you.And yeah, just giving love to all those past versions of me.But also like in the moment when that critical parent or that critical voice comes up, being able to match it with a loving parent, and like that took practice um- Oh yeah.to like let that voice in.'Cause you, they, they say that like it's by age 6 that the voice in your head um, is, is the critical parent, what, in whatever form that critical parent took.Um, and then it really solidifies from like 6 to 10.And that like if it's not changed in that timeframe, that that's gonna be like the voice that you hear in your head when, when you don't do well or when you're criticizing yourself.Um, I don't know, that really struck me, 'cause I was like, "Oh gosh, there's probably things that I say to my kids that I should stop saying."Wow.Yeah, that's, that's heavy, man.6 to 10.UmThat's so young, right?Like who, like there's- Yeah.so many things that could have formed that, that inner voice.And especially, again, it's not the fault of our parents.They did the best that they could with what they had, just like, you know, I'm trying to do.Um, but if you were like me, I mean, my mom was a working mom.I was, I was by myself a lot or, you know, I, I was at camps or at different things where it's like I was exposed to a lot pretty young, you know?And like I, I get that not a lot of kids were like that.But it, it made for a special experience.So I do think I have a lot of criticism in my head from my mom that it is wild to hear like when I say the exact same things or mannerisms to my kids.Like, it blows my mind.I'm like, "Oh, cool.I know where that came from."Oh my gosh, I've done that too.Um, but there's also some other voices too, right?That are like, "Who, what, that random 5th grade girl that said this thing, like fuck you.Get out of my head."LikeUm, yeah.Like, "Who do you think you are?"Honestly, like I've hear, I've heard people talk about voices and I think one of the persons said like, they, they had a girl tell them when they were younger, "Who do you think you are?"And that replays in their head.Um, but what's interesting about the critical parent, it's like our child self's interpretation of what a parent would say, but the reason that it exists is to protect us, right?Mm-hmm.So that critical parent isn't there to criticize you for no reason and try to make you better.It's trying to protect you from pain.So if it's like saying like, "How could you say that?You're so stupid."It's, it's coming from a place of fear and or shame.And so the be- the only way to defeat that is through love.And so you have that loving parent come in and that's where you fix or like, uh, counteract that criticism.And eventually the hope is that that internal voice kind of blends the 2 together and then becomes more and more loving as you go.Love is the answer to it all.It really is.If we could just come back to that.And I, but it's hard, right?You know?So many of us have opened our hearts and been hurt.So many of us have been vulnerable and then been made fun of, you know?And I think the more that each of us travel on these healing journeys, you know, we come back to that love and realize that most of us are made of that love.And that it's only when we let our wounds lead the way or when we let the fear, the shame, the guilt, some of those negative emotions lead the way, that we're just kind of clouding things over.Um, and that really like connecting heart to heart and leading with love is what's gonna bring all the walls down and all the barriers down, um, and bring us like back together.So thank you for saying that.Is there anything going on at Element Yoga, anything going on in your world you wanna share with everyone, um, before we go, to let them know how to reach you, what's going on in your world, all that good stuff?Um, we have some exciting things coming up at Element.We're doing a shake rising and yoga blended retreat in my favorite city, Cartagena, Colombia.I've gone like, I lose count, like maybe 7 times now.It's my, one of my favorite destinations to go to because it's such a great value and it's best from December through March.So I love to escape the Atlanta winter by going over there.So it's gonna be a retreat full of yoga, shake rising, sisterhood, culture, food, shopping, peace, pool time, beach time, whatever you need.Like it's gonna, you can find it there.We're staying in a beautiful villa, um, in this really like policed, walled area that's UNESCO, um, protected center.It's called like the Old Town.And so we're staying- I've seen, I saw the pictures.It looks amazing.Yeah, thank you.Also, I lo- I love Cartagena.Yes.Come on.I want everyone to be there.It's gonna be so much fun.So that's exciting for retreat stuff coming up.Um, we also have some workshops coming up.Uh, arm, uh, David's doing a arm balance workshop, and then we might be getting some special things in for January, like intention setting.So check out our calendar and, um, yeah, I'm really looking forward to those things.Oh, and I might be, I'm still toying with it, but, but I might be starting, um, a women's group called The Well.And it's really like, I'm trying to find a way to create an unstructured woman's group where like instead of like, where we just come together and our experience together and witnessing each other, but like it doesn't have to follow like, oh, we're gonna talk about this and that today.Like where we can just come and bring what we have, but also there is structure in a way that we're not just all sitting there and, you know.So, um, it's gonna be called The Well.I'm not sure when it's gonna happen, but I'm thinking possibly February.So keep an eye out for that and yeah.Yay.Oh, I love it.Thank you for being here with us, Parisa.If you have enjoyed this conversation, please like, rate, subscribe, review, share Flip the Script with Vic, with your friends and family so that we can have even more honest conversations with real women.Thank you for being here.Be good to one another.I love you guys and I'll see you next week.Mwah.