Meet Julia
Hi - I am Julia Sparkman.
I am “Mom” to two spirited beings and the author of Deeper Than Shallow, here, on Substack.
I am a writer. Journaling is my primary form of catharsis. I love to express myself through written and spoken words.
I am a seeker of all things real and sacred. I guide Rest + Reiki at Sojourn Healing Collective on Fridays at 10:30am.
And, my greatest joys in life are pretty simple:
I love my partner - Alex, our kids - Sloan & Silas, our dog - Mowgli, and my family and friends.
I love ritual - tea, meditation, journaling, movement, and prayer.
I love exploring my curiosities through reading, traveling, visiting museums, meeting new people, and trying new things.
I equally love being at home. I love slow mornings and an early bedtime after a long, hot bath. I love a quiet house. And I love how I feel when I eat homemade meals.
To understand the woman I am today, it’s helpful to know a bit about my past… Interested in learning more? Keep reading below…
A true believer in the power of transformation, I was once a city-girl, spawned from an adolescence rivaling the storyline of a 1990s soap opera. Alcoholism and addiction gripped me at a very young age and by sixteen I had dropped out of high-school and ran 1600 miles across the country. After spending my teenage years swirling in the despair of juvenile delinquency, a divine intervention motivated me to be fulfilled, sober, and healthy.
Having lived on the streets, I was eager to understand intersectionality and inequality. That curiosity led me to Chicago where I studied Multicultural and Organizational Communication at DePaul University. Throughout my time at DePaul, I independently traveled Europe, studied and volunteered in South Africa, and conducted empirical, ethnographic research in Kenya.
In 2012, I received my 200HR Yoga Alliance certification and I began teaching public yoga classes shortly thereafter. On my mat, I transformed. A few months after graduating with my M.A. in 2013, my insatiable desire to teach yoga and be outdoors led me to the West Coast. Today, I live on the traditional territory of Kumeyaay, currently referred to as San Diego, CA, with my family.
Prior to moving on to full-time motherhood, I was a content marketing professional and I managed multiple yoga studios, taught over 4000+ public classes, and facilitated in 12 Yoga Teacher Training programs. In 2018, I had the pleasure of creating the 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training Program for Trilogy Sanctuary in La Jolla, California. And two of my all-time favorite projects were creating and hosting A Podcast for Moms and The Move Into Truth Podcast.
Using the darkness of my past and the gifts of my present, I live a deep life that I love to share with others.
I am Julia Jane Sparkman and the person I am today will continue to change and evolve, so I’m certain you’ll meet a newly metamorphized version of me in the near future.