16. Connecting and Healing, with Vicki Zaharopoulos

Vicki talks with us about her dog, her mother, her wife Stephanie, and why all of them combined make her happy.

Show Notes

Vicki Zaharopoulos is a massage therapist, holistic health coach, massage practitioner and Reiki practitioner from the Philadelphia area. Vicki would like you to know she also enjoys the outdoors!

Vicki brought a list of things that make her happy.The first thing on there? Her dog, Zoe. Vicki tells us that Zoe has brought an incredible amount of unconditional love into her life and has helped her to appreciate things on a deeper level. She enjoys the greetings Zoe gives her when she gets home and the fact that, just by being herself, Zoe helps Vicki to stay still and observe aspects about life she otherwise wouldn’t have taken the time to experience.

Vicki, who is a healer, didn’t know she would be getting an animal with health issues when she acquired Zoe. In the end she feels she was paired with exactly what she needed. In essence, Vicki tells us she believes you are matched with what you need. She dedicates her time in part to taking care of Zoe and it doesn’t feel like a burden. Instead, Zoe just became a part of every decision, and a being with whom she has an incredible relationship.

“Happiness means to be your true self, to do what you love and to keep your life peaceful.”
Vicki Zaharopoulos on @thehappypodcast
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Vicki’s mother and her mother’s food also make her happy. She’s incredibly close with her mother and food is a huge part of their relationship. Her mother is a non-traditional, out of the box cook and makes loads of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired dishes with lots of love. Vicki tells us that she never feels guilty about eating anything her mother makes because it’s all fresh and organic. No matter what she makes, to Vicki it tastes like home. And even Zoe gets special meals!

Who else makes Vicki happy? Her wife, Stephanie. They laugh hysterically every day. Stephanie was an apprentice at the Reiki School she now owns and Vicki attended as a student. What began with hanging out as friends, turned into a crush and an easy unexpected partnership.

Vicki tells us that the best, longest lasting gifts in her life occurred when she allowed herself to let go and just let things happen. Keeping Zoe, getting her job at the spa and meeting Stephanie were all the result of letting things happen and flow as they are meant to be.

Stephanie never dated women before she met Vicki, yet she taught Vicki how to be more open with the fact that she is gay. Vicki is Greek. With the exception of people like her mother, who is modern and open minded, Vicki tells us that the assumed thought is that a Greek woman should marry a Greek man. Thus, she always felt as though she had to tailor who she was based on the people around her. Stephanie came out and from moment one was loud and proud to be gay. This helped Vicki become more comfortable with that aspect of herself.

“Love is easy. Life’s what’s hard.”
Vicki Zaharopoulos on @thehappypodcast
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There is a deep connection between Vicki and Stephanie. It’s not that other people Vicki dated in the past weren’t great, they just weren’t for her. With Stephanie, it is light, drama free and just easy. They are both healers and know if something is wrong with one another. They call at the same time. Meditate together. In fact, they sync completely with the exception of music. Because she has a love like this which is so open, Vicki feels the opening to do other things in life and be herself.

Vicki’s connects best with people who are open minded, willing to grow, open their eyes and see the bigger picture.She tells us she has set herself up to learn and gain meaningful things from relationships. Unfortunately, she’s had to let people go because her relationship with them became frustrating. She does wish them all the best, she mentions, but knows that the most important thing for her to do in life is spread the word of that which is most important to her.

You can catch up with Vicki by heading to Joseph Anthony’s Retreat Spa in Glen Mills and Springfield, PA. She also has a line of essential oils called Branch of Wellness you should definitely check out (More soon when her website is up!)