Clearing Pathways for Success

In this month’s Ascension contribution, Ray Hippolyte, internationally known, leading life and relationship architect, guides us on how to become our best selves so we can co-create the life and relationships of our dreams.

Hippolyte provides his insights and practices for guiding individuals through their becoming process, sharing the common pitfalls and struggles that challenge us all, and his tested methods for unlocking joy. Hippolyte shares from his own inner transformational journey, as we discuss how the power of sacred breathwork can become our most valuable tool in reshaping our thoughts, moods and behaviors; as well, the scientific and neurological benefits that give us an invaluable edge as executive leaders in a heavily rattled and emotionally suppressed world.

Describe how your own path to self-transformation initiated.

HIPPOLYTE: “My path began with pain - deep, invisible pain. I grew up in a culture that rejected my identity before I even understood it myself. Being raised in a homophobic, traditional environment left me carrying a shame that was never mine to begin with. Coming out to my family was a necessary act of truth, but it came at the cost of losing the approval of the person who mattered most to me at the time: my mother.

“Then came my HIV diagnosis, which shook me to my core, stripping away any illusion of safety. It cracked open everything I had built to hide my fear, guilt, and grief. That pain followed the loss of my sister Nadim, a brilliant light in our family, whose assassination left an indelible mark on my heart. That loss was soul-wrenching, and I made a vow to live fully and purposefully, not just for myself, but to honor her. I became certified in Co-Active Coaching and Leadership at The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) in California to honor her life and confront my own limitations.

“From the outside, it looked like I had made it—a thriving career in diabetes care, leading a team of healthcare professionals, a marriage to a successful man, a beautiful home where I hosted retreats, and a radiant daughter. But inside, I wasn’t whole. Just one month after my daughter’s birth, my marriage collapsed into a bitter divorce. I found myself in a new city, fighting for custody in a small conservative and racist town, battling for stability and my sanity. That crisis became my crucible.

“I had to rebuild from scratch. Through the chaos, I made a vow: to show up for my daughter not as a shell of a man pretending to be whole, but as a joyful, grounded, loving father. That required a radical surrender of the ego and a full-on spiritual excavation of all the guilt, grief, fear, and pride I had buried.

“True transformation didn’t come from fixing myself- it came from freeing myself. I no longer wanted to survive. I wanted to live - boldly, joyfully, unapologetically. That changed everything. That’s how I came back to my wholeness. My addiction to external validation - approval, success, performance - transformed into an addiction to joy. According to Dr. David Hawkins’ work on consciousness, joy is a state of effortless flow and inner radiance that arises when the ego is transcended, and we align with the energy of unconditional love and surrender.”

How do you work with your clients to reveal their blockages and get out of their own way?

HIPPOLYTE: “We begin by slowing down. I guide clients into radical honesty about what they’re truly feeling beneath the surface without judgment. Everything just is.” We use tools like muscle testing to bypass the analytical mind, breathwork to release trapped emotions, and laughter therapy to rewire the nervous system for joy.

“I weave in spiritual teachings drawn from ancient wisdom traditions like Kabbalah, The Law of One, and Dr. Hawkins’ studies of consciousness, to help clients reconnect with their authentic selves and ignite their deeper purpose. I also facilitate energy healing and chakra alignment to restore coherence in the body’s energetic field. These aren’t just techniques, they’re portals back to truth.

“David Hawkins reminds us that consciousness is hierarchical. My aim is to help clients rise out of the dense frequencies of shame, guilt, fear, and anger and into the elevated energies of courage, acceptance, joy, and peace. We don’t resist anything; we welcome everything. Because when we stop resisting our experience, what needs to be healed naturally reveals itself.

“The deeper we go, the lighter we become. And the higher we vibrate, the more authentic and joyful we feel. This emotional and spiritual clarity doesn’t just transform our inner world; it reshapes our relationships, our work, and our sense of purpose. It’s not about doing more. It’s about letting go of what’s in the way.”

What type of results do your initiates experience when working with you?

HIPPOLYTE: “They begin to feel again, fully. Clients laugh, cry, breathe deeper, and reconnect with the parts of themselves they had abandoned. One called it a “soul exhale.” Many are high-achieving individuals who appear successful but feel disconnected. They often carry generational trauma masked by an addiction to productivity, status, or wealth.

“Through our work, they experience more harmonious relationships, rediscover joy, clarify their purpose, and often make bold life pivots from career shifts to family healing. They stop outsourcing their worth. They stop performing and start living. They become better leaders, more present parents, and more loving partners, not because they learned to “act” better, but because they remembered who they truly are.

“They also redefine success, not by the standards of a culture addicted to performance and consumption, but by values rooted in health, purpose, and presence.

“This is the heart of my motto: ‘YOU, Better.’ I’m not here to change people, I’m here to help them uncover who they truly are underneath the pressure, pain, and programming. My work is about amplifying your essence, not fixing your flaws.”

How long do results typically take?

HIPPOLYTE: “Transformation isn’t linear, it’s layered and cyclical. Some shifts happen instantly. Many clients feel lighter and more aligned after just one session because they’ve finally been given permission to be real. But deep, sustainable change unfolds over time.

“I’ve seen life-altering transformations in six months. For others, it takes longer, depending on the depth of trauma, the weight of their conditioning, their level of consciousness, and their willingness to surrender. This isn’t about speed - it’s about integrity. It’s not about fixing - it’s about aligning with truth.

“Those who are coachable and committed experience the most rapid evolution. But no matter the pace, every step is sacred.”

FROM SUFFERING INTO GENIUS THROUGH SACRED CONNECTION

We all experience suffering within our lives. When the suffering is at our own hands, that is, as we realize the pain we create is within us, we can master our paradigm to elevate our own thoughts and habits, and focus our inner radiance on burning through the heaviness of our own painstaking realities. Through the fire of our pursuit, it is the connections and values forged that compel us forward.

According to research by the Columbia University Department of Surgery, approximately 40,000 neurons comprise the human heart’s intrinsic cardiac nervous system, also known as the “heart brain.” Through sacred breathwork, we can directly impact both the heart and the brain, and how they communicate with one another to ease the natural unfoldment of our inner power.

The effects of breathwork include regulating heart rate and blood pressure, vagus nerve stimulation, heart rate variability, and improved cardiovascular function. Experienced results range from: emotional regulation, neuroplasticity, brainwave regulation, reduced stress and cortisol levels, cognitive improvement, and mindful heart-based awareness.

Please share your insights on communication with the outside world and tools for reshaping our expression during transformation.

HIPPOLYTE: “How we communicate mirrors how safe we feel being ourselves. Most people are stuck performing, managing perceptions, or reacting from old wounds. I teach clients to pause. To breathe. To ask, ‘What am I really feeling right now?’ or, ‘Why is this in my movie?’ That one-second pause can change everything.

“We use tools like the Inner Awesome Peace Process to dissolve negative emotions before expressing ourselves. I help clients shift from reactive habits to intentional responses, grounded in clarity, compassion, and courage. Communication becomes less about defense and more about curiosity. Less about winning and more about connection.

“We move from competition to collaboration. Vulnerability becomes a strength, not a liability. And our relationships at home, at work, in community, transform from battlegrounds into sacred spaces for truth and growth.”

Describe your passion for food and how your approach revitalizes connection to the Earth.

HIPPOLYTE: “Food is more than nourishment, it’s a sacrament. A sensory gateway to presence, pleasure, and gratitude. I used to use food to numb my emotions. Now, I use it to awaken them.

“Cooking and eating mindfully brings us back into harmony with the Earth, our bodies, and each other. Raised in Haiti and shaped by life in cities like D.C., San Francisco, and NYC, my culinary style is a vibrant fusion of Caribbean, French, Indian, Thai, and Mediterranean influences. I cook with color, texture, spice, and soul.

“When we eat with reverence honoring the land, the farmers, the ingredients, and the act of creation, food becomes a healing ritual. It grounds us. It energizes us. And most importantly, it invites us into a joyful, embodied relationship with the present moment.”

How do you employ food to build sacred relationships in modern life?

HIPPOLYTE: “The way we eat reflects how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to life. Do you eat mindlessly? Binge when anxious? Restrict when you feel unworthy? Those patterns show up in your relationships too.

“At Maison Victoria, I use food as a ceremonial tool. Intuitive cooking classes, laughter-infused kitchens, and communal meals create spaces of presence and connection. We break bread not just to feed our bodies, but to nourish community, gratitude, and joy.

“It’s not just what you eat—it’s how you eat. And who you become in the process. Savor. Laugh. Grow. That’s our motto.

“Cooking is spiritual ritual for me. It reminds me of life. To be a great chef at home is to be a great chef of life. I use food to teach life lessons, and I often speak in metaphors when I cook. It’s a fun and powerful way to inspire growth:

Everything in life is a relationship - how you relate to time, heat, flavor, yourself, and even the mess.

Every ingredient has a purpose - just like every person and every experience.

You can’t rush good flavor - just like you can’t rush healing.

Bitter and bland things, like difficult emotions, can be essential to a beautiful final creation.

Balance is key just like in life - too much sweetness or salt, like too much control or over-giving, throws everything off.

“Cooking with presence is alchemy. I don’t just cook food, I stir joy, intention, and love into life itself.”

THE INTELLIGENT POWER OF PAIN

Pain is a universal mechanism for delivering us the self-reward of higher sense perceptions, greater magnetism and charge and overall subtle energy conductivity through our inner blossoming connection to the creative forces of creation. It is well quoted that as we become more conscious, consciousness evolves, through us and before us. Honoring our sacred breath we can transform our outcomes; rather than becoming enslaved by our perceived threats and burdened by the act of living, the very presence of our enlightened embodiment serves for harmonization of chaos into peace. We exist to breathe.

At rest, the average human produces around 100 watts of electricity, and can comfortably sustain 300-400 watts over a few minutes; in the case of very short bursts of energy such as sprinting, some people can output more than 2,000 watts. The keys to unlocking the intelligence of this innate Universal power is revealed through the alchemical process of transforming emotional pain into our inner brilliance. As our very own beliefs typically are the source of the pain that we both feed and hold, going inwards to marry breath and awareness, we dissolve our chains at their source.

Embracing our pain through sacred breathwork techniques for emotional alchemy, we become more intuitive, more focused and long-term oriented with our journey’s macro view to enhance our leadership competencies and influential abilities to shepherd beings upon a common path for success. As all aspects of our life come into alignment with our personal growth and spiritual expansion, we can find strength in authenticity and excite innovative boldness as we live on the edge of our reality.

How has your calling to serve others enhanced your own transformation?

HIPPOLYTE: “Serving others is how I remember who I am. It humbles me, heals me, and expands me. Every time I support someone in releasing shame, fear, guilt, or grief - whether through coaching, breathwork, Reiki, or surrender practices, I’m also healing a part of myself.

“My mission isn’t to fix anyone. It’s to help them remember their wholeness by embracing and integrating their shadow. That act of remembrance, again and again, deepens my own. Service is reciprocal. And as I guide others through the liberation of generational trauma, I continue to do the same for myself and my daughter.”

What is your view on the connection between empathy, authenticity, and bold leadership?

HIPPOLYTE: “Empathy is intelligence in action. Authentic leadership begins with self-awareness - the courage to meet your own shadow, hold space for discomfort, and lead from the heart. Empathy builds trust. And trust is the foundation of all meaningful connection.

“The leaders we need now are whole. They balance masculine and feminine energies. They lead with strength and softness, vision and vulnerability. They don’t command, they connect. They don’t control, they co-create.

“Empathy isn’t weakness. It’s magnetism. It’s what makes a leader unforgettable.”

How do you deliver empathy and help clients uncover their potential?

HIPPOLYTE: “I meet clients with presence, not performance. I see them before they fully see themselves. My training in co-active coaching and energy work allows me to listen with my whole being, to feel their energy, honor their pain, and reflect their greatness back to them.

“When someone feels seen without judgment, something sacred happens. They soften. They trust. They open. That’s when transformation begins. Their boundaries strengthen. Their relationships improve. Their joy returns. Not because they became someone else, but because they remembered who they’ve always been.

“And as they rise, everything in their life rises with them: their relationships, their purpose, their peace.”