Trading corporate satellites for nature’s night sky was just the beginning, not the end, for a local woman’s astonishing life transformation
There are career changes, and then there are complete metamorphoses. At 54, Chrystelle Dugimont made the kind of pivot that defies conventional logic: she walked away from over three decades in corporate communications – most recently as media manager at Thales Alenia in Cannes – to become a shamanic healer and writing therapist. It is the sort of transformation that raises eyebrows. Space technology to spiritual healing? Satellite systems to soul work? On paper, it seems like leaping from one universe into another entirely.
Yet for Chrystelle, who now runs her shamanic practice Chrysaik near Grasse, the shift was not a radical departure but rather a homecoming. The corporate world, with its polished presentations and strategic messaging, had been the detour.
Shamanism, energy work, and inspired writing were always the true north she had been navigating towards since childhood. She had simply spent thirty years on a more socially acceptable route.
“But now I have found my freedom to BE again,” she says. “I let my wild woman power express itself. I dare.”
Today, she offers shamanic healing, both in person and remotely, to an international clientele, alongside writing therapy sessions. She wakes up with purpose. She has zero regrets. Her professional life finally has meaning.
From “micrometeoroid orbital debris shields” and “pressurised hulls launched to the ISS” to shamanic journeys into invisible realms … Those many years in technology taught Chrystelle that daring to dream and launch is the first essential step to conquering new frontiers. And she is still essentially a communicator bridging worlds.
Which brings us back to that remarkable 180-degree turn, which is also, somehow, a full circle.
In Conversation with Chrystelle
Let’s start at the beginning. You have said you don’t believe in chance, and that even as a child you were following signs. What were those early experiences that made you feel different from other children? And how did your family respond to this sensitivity?
I grew up in the Paris region, an only child in a traditional family where esotericism was not at the heart of discussions. But I was hypersensitive from the start. I felt a true connection with nature, especially with trees. I spent all my free time in libraries, I was addicted to reading. Books became my way of travelling, and words became my friends.
Through my godmother, with whom I was very close, I discovered spiritual dimensions. She taught me about communication with angels. I understood early on that there are concrete things we can see, and then there are the feelings that envelop us. In my dreams, I would travel to these unseen worlds and find surprising and magical realities. I read and reread books about the Amazon, Mongolia, shamans, healers, witches. I felt understood by these stories in a way I didn’t feel understood in daily life.
But it was not easy being different. It is not easy to let your free nature express itself in our world. So I followed a more traditional path, even though I was always following those signs, like breadcrumbs leading me somewhere.
You worked for major technology corporations dealing with people from all walks of life and making complex stories easy to understand. Looking back, was this a necessary preparation for the work you do now?
Yes, it was, but it took me a while to understand that.
After my baccalaureate, I studied commerce and specialised in communications. I started at IBM, then moved on to a smaller company, and later joined Alcatel handling public and press relations for a start-up subsidiary that built internet portals. Eventually, I joined Thales Alenia Space in Cannes as internal communications manager, spending years of highlighting the work of employees proud of their contributions to space technology. I later became media manager there, which would become the final chapter of my corporate career.
I loved the relational and listening aspects of the work. At the time, I thought it allowed me to be aligned with myself. But really, I was wearing a mask. I was hiding who I truly was. And yet, those skills – the deep listening, the ability to communicate complex ideas, the empathy – they are all essential to the work I do now. The difference is that now I’m using them to help people communicate with their deepest selves, not with the press or shareholders.
Two major losses – your father’s death in 1998 and a miscarriage in 2003 – seem to have been turning points. How did grief open the doorways to the spiritual work you do now? What did those experiences teach you about energy, continuity, and the invisible world?
My father died suddenly in 1998. A few months later, I gave birth to my daughter. That collision of death and birth tore open my well-ordered life. Questions about life, death, free will, and the choices we make as human beings… they all surfaced.
Then I had an extremely powerful energetic experience with my father. I was driving home from work one evening, and I felt him sitting beside me in the car. It was unmistakable. That moment taught me that everything is energy and that everything endures, in one way or another. The little girl I had carefully hidden inside came back to life.
After that, I did a lot of reading on esoterism, spirituality, psychology, altered states of consciousness, and shamanism. It was a personal development that opened new horizons for me.
Then in 2003, I had a miscarriage. Despite the pain, I knew I was connected to this child, who manifested a few years later, when my son was born in 2005. This helped me definitively process my grief. These losses taught me that the invisible world is always present, always communicating with us, if we are willing to listen. Moving to the Southeast of France in 2007 was also a big step. I finally understood that everything was falling into place and made sense. But I still continued to pursue a traditional corporate job.
You discovered shamanism in 2017 through Laurent Huguelit’s work, and you trained with him and Angéline Bichon at l’Outre Monde. What specifically about shamanism resonated with you?
In 2017, I read an interview with Laurent Huguelit, a Swiss shaman, in a specialised magazine. He often explains the proximity of shamanism and buddhism. I understood immediately that I had finally found what I needed to be reborn. This was my most beautiful metamorphosis.
All my other practices – energy work, lithotherapy, spiritual elevation workshops – allowed me to travel further and further into invisible worlds. I could discover places I didn’t want to leave. I reconnected with divine energies. But I still felt something was missing. I needed to work on my grounding, my anchor to the earth.
Shamanism gave me that. It is a practice rich in meaning, with drumming and chanting, and it bridges both worlds, the elevated spiritual realms and the grounded earthly practice. My husband and I began our shamanic training together, and I have continued deepening it year after year with our family circle. It integrated everything I had been seeking.
For readers unfamiliar with shamanism beyond stereotypes, can you explain what actually happens in a shamanic healing session? What does the journey look like, and how do you work with clients?
First, it is essential to understand that shamanic healing is an energetic practice that does not replace medical treatment. The shaman acts as an intermediary between the client and the invisible worlds, merging with spirits who perceive and act through them. They connect with what I call the patient’s “inner physician,” which continues the healing afterwards. The goal is the client’s eventual autonomy.
A session lasts about an hour and begins with a discussion to clarify intentions and needs. I merge with my healing spirit and connect with the person (remotely, I use a photo, connecting through the eyes). I scan the body’s energy to identify where energy is blocked or circulating poorly. My chants blend with drumming as the spirits work through cleansing, restoring flow, and recharging. Afterwards, we discuss their experience and I answer questions.
The shaman does not recount their journey; the healing is already integrating, and we do not want the mind to take over. Coming with genuine intention is essential.
In-person healing is powerful as clients feel the vibrations directly. Remote healing is different but equally effective. I practise when the spirits indicate the right moment, day or night, without scheduling.
Not everyone immediately feels energetic effects, but that does not mean it is not working. Effects can appear instantly or weeks later.
You also practice and teach ‘l’écriture intérieure’, inner writing or inspired writing. This seems to be a distinct practice from shamanic healing. Can you explain what this is, how it differs from ordinary journaling, and how it became such an important grounding practice for you?
Words arrived very early in my life. First through reading, to escape and live magical adventures daily. Then through my journal and poems. I live the vibration of words. I have experienced their spiritual power, which allows access to deeper aspects of our being.
Practiced consciously, inner writing allows you to reach your deep inspirations, open yourself to emotions and liberate them, listen to what your inner voice whispers to you. It is much more than throwing a few words on a blank page. It is the gift of a moment to yourself. It is entering your creativity by forgetting the very act of writing to enter a meditative state.
I practise it almost daily. My notebooks are full of poetic texts. This grounding through writing was essential for me, alongside my mosaic work. These tangible, creative practices anchored the ethereal spiritual journeys I was taking.
The quote from Marguerite Duras on your website is striking: “To write is also not to speak. It is to be silent. It is to scream without noise.” How does that capture what inner writing means to you? And how do you guide others through this practice?
The secret of inner writing is to dare. To overcome your doubts and fears and let your intuition flow freely in the moment.
I offer personalised guidance to help people put their imagination and feelings into words. It is about finding that space where you are not performing for anyone, where you are not trying to be clever or correct. You are simply allowing what needs to emerge to come through. That is “screaming without noise”, the release of everything you carry inside that you have not been able to speak aloud.
Inner writing is powerful art therapy, like drawing or dance, and beautifully extends shamanic healing. After sessions, I often suggest patients write about their experience in whatever form feels right. Some share their writing with me for continued work through additional exercises.
For dedicated writing therapy, we discuss needs and I propose specific tools: logbooks to reveal patterns, letters to people that will remain unsent, gratitude journals, or success journals. The common thread is releasing what has been held inside. While you can find exercises online, being accompanied means sharing with someone neutral (you reach alignment and peace more quickly). I also offer creative writing through poems or haikus.
You have also created a book called “Elles en Une.” Can you tell us more about this project? What it is, who is it for, and how does it connects to your healing work?
“Elles en Une” was born in my heart a few years ago. It matured for a long time before taking root today. I dedicated it to all the women of the world, from the youngest to the oldest. It is a story of guidance and connection to Mother Earth. It is the story of women of all ages, from all countries, different and yet identical. It is the story of a unique sisterhood, an invisible bond connecting all women to one another. It is the story of Life and Death. It is my story, it is your story.
Photos courtesy Chrystelle Dugimont
Each handmade book consists of fifteen tableaux – texts and visuals – which can be read one page after another, or randomly: open a page “by chance” and let yourself plunge into your emotions.
Beyond writing, you also create mosaic artwork. How does working with stone, earth, and colour connect to your shamanic practice? Is the creative process itself a form of healing or grounding for you?
Absolutely. I found my grounding in creating mosaic works, in working with stone and earth. The mixture of colours and forms. It is like earthly music to me. You break something to put it back together, better and more beautiful than before.
The mosaic work taught me patience between the different stages of creation. It taught me acceptance of the final result, which is not always in line with the dreamed image. Learning to accept what emerges rather than forcing your vision upon reality is a powerful lesson for anyone on a spiritual path.
Working with my hands, with tangible materials, keeps me anchored whilst I am doing work that involves invisible realms. You need both. You cannot only exist in the spiritual dimensions, you need the clay, the stone, the earth under your hands to stay balanced.
Photos courtesy Chrystelle Dugimont
The final decision to leave Thales in mid-2025 was prompted by misaligned values in the defence industry. That is a significant ethical rupture after so many years. Can you talk about what specifically felt incompatible? And was the decision sudden, or had it been building for some time?
The trigger came in mid-2025. The moment had arrived to offer what I do best to a greater number of people. The values defended in the defence sector no longer corresponded to my own. I can’t be more specific than that, but the misalignment became something I could no longer live with. It had been building, yes, but there was a specific moment when I knew: It is time.
I have no regrets about leaving a position of responsibility with an attractive salary. My professional life has meaning again. Getting up each morning has become a pleasure again. And creating my own business where I can help others to find their equilibrium is a joy.
You now work with an international clientele, both in person and remotely. What are people typically seeking when they come to you? Are there common threads, or particular wounds, questions, or blockages that keep appearing?
People come seeking to rediscover grounding and well-being in their lives. They want to unblock and release emotions. They need time for themselves. While some come simply for self-care or to experience something new, most arrive with emotional tangles or addictions to release. Once healing begins, new layers often emerge for the spirits to address.
Some seek specific work with past-life memories or death-related issues. Each healing is different, each a unique journey.
Having experienced it for more than fifteen years myself, I believe in the rejuvenation of Being. I believe in shamanic journeys that allow healing of life wounds. I believe in the power of writing as a revealer of self.
Your practice is called Chrysaik, which plays on your name. Tell us what Chrysaik represents and how you chose the name.
Today I am whole. I AM, and I write it in all letters: I am Chrystelle: an R for structure, a Y for grounding, two Ls to fly towards the sky, to go meet my soul and my creativity. I am made of multiple facets. And this “multiple” makes me a Unity.
Chrysaik also references creation broadly: my mosaics, yes, but also the creative power within us all. I believe we have the power to create our lives (we attract what we project).
The name Chrysaik comes from that understanding. It is my name, but it has also become bigger than just me. It represents this integration of all parts… the structured, grounded aspects and the soaring, creative, spiritual dimensions. Everything I had fragmented for so many years, living split between the corporate world and my true calling, has finally become unified.
And finally, Chrysaik evokes the chrysalis (the caterpillar’s transformation into butterfly). Hence the mosaic butterfly logo.
For readers who might be feeling that same tug between societal expectations and their authentic calling, who sense that they are living behind a mask, as you once did, what would you say to them? Especially those who’ve built impressive careers in one direction but feel pulled towards something entirely different?
Very simple: Listen to your inner voice. I spent more than thirty years building a career that looked successful from the outside, but I was hiding who I truly was. I thought I was being practical, realistic, responsible. But really, I was just afraid.
The secret, whether in inner writing or in life, is to dare. To overcome your doubts and fears and let your intuition guide you.
I can tell you: waking up each morning with genuine desire, with purpose, there is nothing that compares to that. Not the salary, not the prestige, not the security. If you are feeling that tug, that is your soul trying to tell you something. Don’t wait as long as I did to listen.
Her journey might seem like a leap from one universe to another, but perhaps it is more accurate to say she finally stopped straddling two worlds and chose to live fully in the one that had been calling her since childhood. The little girl who travelled to magical realms in her dreams, who felt understood by books about healers and shamans, who knew that everything is energy, is no longer hiding. She is finally home.
To learn more about Chrystelle’s work, schedule a shamanic healing session, or explore her inner writing practice and book, visit chrysaik.com
All photos and images courtesy Chrystelle Dugimont unless otherwise credited
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