Following your dreams is not always easy. Sometimes, those dreams don't align with society's conventions. But doing something unconventional can lead you to your ideal life.

That's what happened with Lana Gendlin Brooks and Karina Muller, the owners of HeartCentric Divine Creations and our first "Let's Connect" guests of 2024. They started their coaching and spiritual tools and jewelry business in 2021 and have never been happier.

"We decided to follow our own intuition, and amazing things have been unfolding," said Lana, whose accomplished professional journey started in museums and also included working in brand marketing in the corporate world. 

Karina worked with data for years in a successful corporate career, and this was a big switch for her. "We let go of other’s expectations, and we tapped into our own intuitive wisdom," she said. "We chose to follow that intuitive wisdom to build HeartCentric, and we are still every single day walking that road and really listening to our hearts and what it is that we're hearing. And we're just acting on it, because if we were purely listening to our brains, which I have done, you know, as a marketer for three decades, what is intuition?"

Intuition is your inner wisdom, and Lana and Karina help people connect to theirs. The way they do this is with a pendulum. Pendulums are weighted, portable tools that translate intuitive wisdom into answers. 
 
"There are so many different ways that you can use a pendulum, but at a really basic level, you have to program or calibrate a pendulum to your own yes and no movements," said Lana. 

Calibration takes about 30 seconds. Once you determine what your yes and no movements are, you can ask yes or no questions. 

"The pendulum actually bypasses your conscious mind and connects with your subconscious mind, which is where about 90 to 95 percent of everything that we've ever learned, all of our feelings, anything we see on TV, it's like this repository and database of information about you," said Lana. "It's all inside of you. So the power of the pendulum is really that it's able to just tap into that and extract what's buried deep down inside of you and bring it to your awareness in the physical world."

If this sounds a little out there to you, you are not alone. But there is a science to pendulums, and Lana and Karina encourage everyone, including skeptics, to keep an open mind and view pendulums as another form of self-help or self-care, no different than meditation or yoga or breathing exercises. A pendulum is a simple tool to help you find balance, heal, and clear your mind and body from unnecessary clutter. When used properly, pendulums can help you make decisions, solve problems, and get unstuck from any situation. 

"This is actually a tool that's been around since pre-recorded history," Lana explained. "This is an ancient tool, and so many people don't know about it."

Lana and Karina have helped thousands of people discover the power of working with a pendulum. They want to bring information about the pendulum to the masses and get the tool in front of as many people as they can. 

Lana and Karina love sharing their knowledge and empowering others to learn how to use pendulums and find the answers we all have within us. They offered tips on how to start a new year off by being in tune with yourself.

"As you think about what it is you want to accomplish in this coming new year, whether you set resolutions or not, we really believe that you will be able to accomplish your intentions if you tap into yourself and tap in for wisdom and guidance," said Karina. "If you are really, really clear in terms of what you want to achieve, you can ask, what are the optimal ways for me to get there? And if you allow your inner guidance to have a voice and follow the steps that your inner guidance is telling you, you will get there, and your results will be even greater than you can imagine. 

"So what we recommend is just listen to that voice. Don't go in there with any kind of expectation and allow the miracles to show up because what shows up might be so much greater than anything you could ever wish for."

You never know what you will learn.

"It may not be how you expect it to show up," added Lana." It can show up in all sorts of different ways, but really, we like to often say, and this is so hard to do, it's easier said than done, but surrender. Surrender to what is meant for you. We all have a mission and a purpose here. And so we like to set intentions. I don't set resolutions. I set intentions at the beginning of the year. But it's really about just following and guiding yourself. Because again, when you're guiding yourself versus letting any external factor do that, you're just gonna be in alignment with yourself. So, you know, things just show up in so many different ways."

More than just spiritual guides, Lana and Karina also are jewelry makers and handcraft one-of-a-kind pendulums and other jewelry. They find unique pieces, many of them vintage, to create pendulums. They use real crystals and gemstones in original combinations. They put together description cards that describe the healing properties of the crystals in a particular pendulum and pair each pendulum with an Angel Number for greater clarity and guidance. 

When the pendulum finds its rightful owner, the journey inward begins. Investing the time to establish a pendulum practice and seek guidance from within is what begins to awaken each person to their own truth.

Lana and Karina wrote a book, "Pendulums and Intuition," to teach others how to choose pendulums, care for them, and get the practice started with exercises and resources. The book will be released in June 2024.

"It's really about just following and guiding yourself," said Lana. "Because again, when you're guiding yourself versus letting any external factor do that, you're just gonna be in alignment with yourself. So things just show up in so many different ways. If you had asked us if we would be co-owners of a pendulum coaching business three years ago, I would have thought you're crazy, right? But here we are."

Everyone has the power to uncover their true purpose and the potential to live every day with intention, peace, and happiness. Whatever questions you have in your life — whether they are about relationships, business, money, or health — Lana and Karina recommend asking your heart for guidance to find the path to your most authentic life. 

You might be delighted with what you find.

"The journey has been full of joy, full of excitement, and all kinds of miracles," summed up Karina. "Every single day, we're curious about what's going to show up today, and the universe just keeps surprising us."

You can watch the "Let's Connect" conversation with Lana Gendlin Brooks and Karina Muller on the Southwest Connector YouTube channel. Our March "Let's Connect" is with Gina Rautenberg and Karen Binkowski on Friday, March 8, 9-10 a.m. at Everett & Charlie art gallery. Gina is the executive director of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council. Karen is the manager of business development and marketing for the Southwest Business Association. Let us know if you want to be a sponsor.