Hidden Gems: Meet Steffani Salter of Divine Gypsy Urban Ashram

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steffani Salter.

steffani, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
How I Became a Life Coach: The Spiritual Awakening That Changed Everything

People often imagine that I became a life coach after discovering my passion for helping others. But the truth is far more intricate—woven with grief, spiritual awakening, and a calling that found me long before I understood it.
Sixteen years ago, I became a certified life coach at a time when the field was still emerging. There were no big Instagram coaching accounts, no booming industry, no blueprint for how to build a career out of helping people transform their lives. There were barely any opportunities for life coaches at all, so after receiving my certification, I did what many of us did back then: I volunteered.

I began volunteering at a women’s shelter, simply offering what I could—support, empowerment, a listening ear, and the coaching skills I had learned. What I didn’t know then was that those volunteer hours would become the foundation of my entire professional life. I grew inside that organization, eventually becoming a domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking advocate. My work expanded across social impact spaces—from the United Nations Association to advocacy roles supporting immigrant women and survivors of religious cults.
But while I was helping others heal, I was privately navigating a series of losses that changed me forever.
I experienced three miscarriages—each one leading to emergency surgery. Those moments pulled me into the deepest parts of myself, the places where grief and surrender meet. It was during this time that I entered a profound spiritual awakening. My entire understanding of life, purpose, and healing shifted.

That was also when I met my teacher, Maria Castello.

Maria taught me about the world of energy—how trauma lives in the body, how healing can move through breath, intention, and alignment. She taught me practices and techniques that helped me not only heal emotionally and spiritually, but reconnect with the truth of who I had always been. Under her guidance, I learned that healing is not just cognitive—it is energetic, intuitive, and soul-deep.
This was the bridge between who I had been and who I was becoming.
My coaching began to evolve. It was no longer just about goals or productivity—it became about wholeness, self-remembrance, and alignment. I started helping people reconnect with the parts of themselves they had abandoned while surviving life. I began integrating the practices Maria taught me with the structured, grounded coaching tools I had learned years prior.

Over time, this became the foundation of my signature philosophy: Do Less, Be More.
A movement. A mindset. A way of life.
I watched clients find inner power they didn’t know they possessed. I watched them break lifelong cycles, transform their belief systems, and learn to live in alignment with their truest selves. Their breakthroughs mirrored my own journey—the realization that healing isn’t about doing more, but about returning to who you really are.
So, how did I become a life coach?

Not by accident.
Not by ambition.
But by awakening.

My career started with a certification, yes—but the real trajectory of my work began when life cracked me open and invited me to rebuild myself from truth, from depth, from spirit. Coaching became the vessel through which I healed—and the vessel through which I now help others do the same.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not—my road has been anything but smooth. In fact, the uneven parts of the journey are what refined me the most.

One of the earliest struggles was simply figuring out where I fit in an industry that barely existed when I became certified. Sixteen years ago, “life coach” wasn’t a mainstream profession, so I had to create my own lane. I explored different paths—leadership coaching, wellness, advocacy, energy work—before finally understanding that my true niche was helping people reconnect with their wholeness through alignment and spiritual transformation. That clarity took time, experimentation, and a lot of self-trust.

Another major challenge was finding my tribe.
I had to learn the hard way that not everyone is meant to walk with you. The people who critique your vision are not the same people who are meant to help build it. I had to release networks, rebuild communities, and intentionally call in people who aligned with my mission and my frequency—people who believed in healing, wholeness, consciousness, and transformational leadership. Finding my tribe has been an evolving process, but every aligned person has expanded my work in ways I could never have done alone.

And then, of course, there’s capital.
Building a coaching and wellness ecosystem takes more than passion—it takes resources. Whether it was launching physical spaces, expanding programs, developing my app, or creating wellness experiences, capital was often a limiting factor. I’ve had to be creative, strategic, resilient, and sometimes downright scrappy. There were seasons where I had to pause projects, shift timelines, or fund things myself because the vision was bigger than the budget.

But here’s the truth:
Every misstep, every delay, every moment of not having enough forced me to become resourceful, innovative, and aligned. The struggles strengthened my discernment. They sharpened my voice. They clarified my purpose.
Looking back, it was never supposed to be smooth.
Smooth roads don’t build leaders.
Uneven ground does.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is a holistic coaching and wellness ecosystem built around one powerful philosophy: Do Less, Be More.
It’s not just a tagline—it’s a transformational framework that teaches people how to shift from a life of overdoing into a life of alignment, authenticity, and energetic clarity.

What I Do & What I’m Known For
I help people reconnect with their wholeness.
My work blends life coaching, energy healing, spiritual development, and intuitive transformation into a unified experience. Clients come to me when they’re ready to break patterns, heal emotionally and energetically, rebuild self-trust, or redefine their identity in a way that honors their highest self.

I specialize in:
• Alignment coaching—helping people tune into their true selves, not their conditioned selves.
• Spiritual and energetic transformation—guided by practices taught to me by my teacher, Maria Castello.
• Holistic wellness using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness as a roadmap for balance and sustainable growth.
• Trauma-informed insight rooted in my years of advocacy with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and cult-based abuse.
• Community-based transformation, where people heal together through Coaching Circles, courses, and my Divine Gypsy Urban Ashram (DGUA) app.

What Sets My Brand Apart
My brand bridges two worlds: the grounded, practical structure of life coaching and the intuitive power of spiritual awakening.
Where many coaches stop at mindset work, my approach goes deeper—to the energetic, emotional, ancestral, and subconscious layers that shape a person’s reality. I am known for seeing the whole person—their patterns, their potential, and their energetic blueprint—and helping them shift from survival mode into self-leadership.
I also bring the lived wisdom of social impact work. Years of walking with survivors taught me the difference between coping and transforming. It shaped me into a coach who can hold space for both sensitivity and breakthrough—someone who can guide people through their shadow while still leading them toward their light.

What I’m Most Proud of Brand-Wise
I am most proud that my brand represents wholeness without sacrifice.
I teach people that success and wellness are not opposites—they are your inheritance as an evolved human being. You don’t have to burn out to become great. You don’t have to abandon yourself to achieve your goals. You don’t have to hustle your way into alignment.
My brand reminds people that when you are in your being state—aligned, grounded, and open—life starts meeting you halfway.
I’m also deeply proud of:
• The Do Less, Be More coaching model
• The DGUA App, where people access courses, meditations, community circles, and transformation in real time
• Signature programs and workshops, including energy healing experiences and transformational journeys
• The Coaching Circles, which offer a powerful group transformation experience rooted in community healing
• Client transformations, where people rediscover their joy, their voice, their purpose, and the truth of who they are

What I Want Readers to Know
If you are seeking transformation that honors your whole self—your mind, your energy, your emotions, your spirit—my work is designed for you. Whether it’s through one-on-one coaching, group circles, online courses, or the DGUA app, everything I offer is created to help you slow down, tune in, and reconnect with the part of you that already knows the way.

My mission is simple:
To help you become the most aligned version of yourself—
not by doing more,
but by learning how to be more.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
Nobody builds alone.
I am a firm believer that you cannot—and should not—try to do everything by yourself. Every successful person needs someone to champion their light, especially on the days when they forget how brightly it shines. My journey, my brand, and my impact exist because of a community of extraordinary people who have held space, lifted me up, and built alongside me.

My Husband – Adolphus Salter
My biggest supporter and my grounding force. Adolphus is not just the love of my life—he is also the technical engineer behind the DGUA app. Every update, every feature, every piece of functionality has his fingerprints on it. He believes in my vision even when it’s still forming, and he has been the steady heartbeat behind everything I create.

My Sister & Creative Partner – Lynetta Powell
Lynetta is the Instructional Systems Designer for all my courses and motivational videos. She has a gift for turning my concepts into structured, transformational learning experiences. Her creativity and clarity help bring my teachings to life in a way that touches thousands.

The Creative & Technical Pillars of the Brand
• Charles Blu, my videographer, who captures the essence of my message with artistry and precision.
• Jason Spencer, my marketing and tech advisor, who helps strategize the digital side of the brand and keeps us moving with innovation and clarity.

The Beauty, Style, and Visual Identity of the Brand
• Halima Sabour, my Beauty Ambassador, whose vision elevates the aesthetics of everything we create.
• Zsa Zsa Sabour, my stylist, who knows how to align visual presentation with energetic presence.

My Business Partners & Collaborative Leaders
• Dr. Shunte Howze
• Dr. Cris Welsh
Both have been powerful collaborators, visionaries, and leaders in building the physical and wellness spaces that expand our community impact.

The Pillars of Light
A sacred circle of women who hold me spiritually and energetically:
Star Baker, Dr. Tamasha Rosser, Erica Ortiz, and La Cooper.
Their wisdom, energy, and presence have been anchors throughout my journey.

Sistercuzzes
My family, my laughter, my grounding, and my safe space. They bring joy, reality checks, comfort, and unwavering love.
My Parents
• My father, the late Erskine Anderson, whose legacy lives through me.
• My beloved mother, Lillian Peterson, whose strength, grace, and love shaped the woman and leader I am today.

My Siblings
James Anderson, Alethea Littlejohn, and Lakenya Carter—each a reminder of where I come from, each a piece of the foundation beneath me.

And finally…
Every Client, Every Friend, Every Supporter
Everyone who has believed in me, trusted my process, invested in my programs, shared my posts, attended my events, or spoken life into my vision—you are part of this work. Every transformation I witness is a reflection of the collective energy that has poured into this brand.

My business is not built on individual success—
it is built on community, faith, collaboration, and love.
Every single person who has walked beside me has shaped the woman, coach, and leader I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.divinegypsies.com
• Instagram: steffani.salter
• Youtube: Steffani Salter, CPLC
• Other: Divine Gypsy Urban Ashram Download the APP on Google Play and Apple Store