This latest edition in our LIT Interview Series features Natalia Amari, who made her dreams a reality when she launched into life as a location independent online therapist. Currently based in Australia, Natalia offers relational somatic therapy in English to clients around the world.
Read on to find out how Natalia started out on this journey, how she manages work-life balance and self-care as an online therapist, and the joys (and challenges!) of being location independent.
Tell us more about your work and who you support in your practice.
As a Relational Trauma Therapist and Somatic Sexologist, I help my clients reclaim their peace, power, and pleasure through individual and relationship psychotherapy services and (soon to be) courses. My work is rooted in my training as a DEEP-certified therapist, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. My approach blends attachment theory, nervous system wisdom, depth psychology, and creative approaches to create vivid, reparative experiences in psychotherapy.
I’m passionate about working with people who want to live a creative life. Meaning, they don’t just want the life that was handed to them – they want a life that they actively create that is of their own unique design.
In particular, I work with survivors of relational trauma. This can include interpersonal trauma and/or collective/cultural trauma. I have gained ample experience working with the LGBTQ+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, kink, poly and sex worker communities, and I am a fierce advocate for these communities.
Alongside practicing psychotherapy, I have been diligently working on some course offerings related to learning how to show up as your own ride-or-die through exquisite self-care informed by the nervous system. I also enjoy writing a blog, called Real Talk, where we get real about trauma and attachment healing and another called Roam with Me about post-traumatic growth via my travel experiences. People can learn more about both by signing for my newsletter on my website or finding me on substack.
We’d love to hear more about your journey. What inspired you to become a location independent therapist, and how did you make it happen?
First of all, I’ve always desired to be a “citizen of the world” rather than just one place and I dearly love to travel. But, quite honestly, after getting divorced in 2021, I spent a few years hanging out in Austin and doing a bunch of my own healing work and decided that I wanted to live into this idea of being the woman of my wildest dreams in 2023.
The stars aligned, a roommate asked to live in my house, and I took all of my clients back online (which they were amenable to after COVID) and took off, one slow-mad trip at a time. The more I have been away, the more grounded in myself I have become. It’s been one of the most healing experiences of my life, attachment-wise, and I love sharing this with others.
What do you like most about your work as a location independent mental therapist?
I love working and existing cross-culturally. So, living elsewhere and working with clients in Texas gives me a sweet spot of novelty, mental stimulation but also nervous system rest. But also, getting to work with international clients in other continents is endlessly fascinating to me. I like to joke about the fact that I would have elected anthropology as a major if I’d known what it was in 2004, so this scratches that itch for me.
And what do you like least about your work?
Scheduling. Good grief! With one offs, I am happy to look up the conversions and give availability via email, but it definitely cannot be a regular thing – too many mistakes will happen otherwise.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a location independent therapist?
Trying to network. I am great at navigating this in US culture, but other cultures, where there are other biases/norms/systems mean that plenty of other therapists have no interest in networking. I literally emailed 50 therapists with shared clinical orientations and got crickets, whereas in Austin when I first started I managed to meet 100 professionals in 100 days which was GOLD. So, that was a bit surprising and while not insurmountable, it is something to account for.
What strategies have you found most effective for marketing your practice?
I still have a strong base where I am from, so that’s a massive help. Listing on directories in the new locales has also been important given the networking challenge. But in the places where it’s been a bit harder to find an in, taking trainings has been the way.
What has been your biggest achievement so far on this journey?
On a personal note, facing my fear of loneliness in a way that helped my nervous could handle. On a professional note, I feel so much expansion that I am really excited about!
Let’s chat about travel – what does it look like for you as a location independent therapist?
I am more of a slow-mad, and have spent a lot of time bopping between Melbourne, Austin/the States, and Barcelona/Europe. I like to go where my people are as a base and then travel around from that base. It gives me balance this way. Doing travel this way, I have also visited Bali, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Amsterdam, Rome, Tuscany, Glasgow, and Sevilla in the past 2 years.
I just got PR in Australia, so I will be spending more time there, but still have travels lined up to the States and Europe in 2026. Aside from those trips, my dream would be to split my time between northern and southern hemispheres, learn Italian and Spanish properly, but also check out Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and South America!
What was your main reason for joining the LIT Community, and how has the community helped you?
It’s been really lovely to meet other like-minded therapists in the LIT Community. Yes, there’s the spirit of travel piece of it, but I feel like I share a lot of liberation-minded values with many of the members, too. It’s been nice to foster community like this outside of my native homeland.
If you’re thinking about joining the LIT Community, do it! There’s a lot of support in terms of business and clinical aspects and it really is a lovely community!
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a location-independent mental health professional?
It’s more doable than you think! While there are a lot of hurdles, you just have to take it one step at a time and if you can do that, then it will be a lot more doable than it seems.
People care less about the credentials and way more about your experience and skills that you can bring to the table. The logistics are hard at times, but if travel nourishes you, then you will also get this gorgeous boost that will help you navigate it all!
What are your future goals for your business and life? They can be as specific or as broad as you’d like!
I feel so staunchly against the oppressions happening in the world, and I am diligently working on how to translate my gifts into more accessible formats like courses/workshops/retreats to help people connect with the wisdom of their bodies to, relate more healthfully, reclaim their pleasure and work through intergenerational and cultural trauma so that they can show up more empowered in the world. The world needs ALL of us to step into our power and I am just trying to figure out how to do my part here.
Find out more about Natalia Amari and how to work with her here:
If you want to find out more about Natalia Amari, stay up to date with her work, or enquire after her services, here’s where to find her:
- Via her website – sign up for the email list here to get the news on offerings and her letters from elsewhere
- Natalia’s LIT Directory profile
- Follow Natalia Amari on Instagram
We hope you’ve found this interview with Natalia Amari inspiring! Are you thinking about launching out on a location independent journey to follow your dreams? We’d love to hear from you – share with us in the comments below.
And if you’re looking for more support, join us inside the LIT Community! Within, you’ll find the support of a network of like-minded colleagues on similar journeys. Plus, you’ll get access to all our live events to support both the business and clinical aspects of your practice, and our detailed guide to starting and growing your location independent practice.
