Teresa Lodato: From Wall Street to Modern Day Oracle, Guiding Women from Stress to Soul-Led Success
Interview by Heather Anderson
After two decades in the high-pressure world of finance, Teresa Lodato’s life took a sharp turn when a rare neurological condition brought everything to a halt. Forced to leave her Wall Street career, she began a healing journey that led her to embrace psychology, neuroscience, trauma-informed coaching, reiki, and intuition as tools for resilience and transformation.
Today, she’s known as The Modern Day Oracle—a Navy veteran, trauma survivor, and Nova Global East Bay Luminary who helps women shift from high-stress living into high-performance leadership rooted in awareness, intuition, and self-trust.
You’ve been called The Modern Day Oracle, but before that, you had a high-pressure career in finance and investments. Can you take us back to the moment when everything changed—the health crisis that forced you to reimagine everything?
I spent more than 20 years in financial services, working in retail and private banking and investments for top Wall Street firms including Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. It was high-stress: long commutes, a young son at home, and a toxic marriage. I’d had migraines since childhood—doctors traced them back to when I was nine and my father passed away. But eventually, I developed an incurable, rare and serious form of migraine that causes stroke-like symptoms called hemiplegic migraine.
That condition ended my career—and ultimately my marriage. It forced me to re-examine everything. As devastating as it was, that turning point made me face the reality that I’d been living from trauma, not awareness. That realization set me on the healing path that eventually became my life’s work.
You’ve navigated some very different worlds—Navy veteran, Wall Street leader, and now trauma-informed coach. What threads have carried through all those transitions?
Resilience has been the through-line. I’ve survived a lot—losing my dad at eight, abandonment by my mother, sexual assault in the Navy, the collapse of my marriage and career. For a long time, I didn’t even realize how those traumas shaped me.
The big shift was awareness. Resilience kept me moving forward, but awareness gave me tools to recover and heal. Once I learned to recognize triggers and patterns, it enabled me to calm my nervous system and self-correct when stress hit. That daily awareness practice has made all the difference.
“Our body does come with an instruction manual—it’s just written in the language of feeling. Once you tune into that language, it changes how you handle everyday stress.”
You combine psychology, neuroscience, trauma coaching, leadership training, energy modalities, and intuition. That’s a rare mix—how do all those pieces fit together?
I see people as whole human beings—there’s no dividing line between personal and professional, past and present. I think of it like a layer cake: each discipline adds a layer of depth and richness. When you work with me, you don’t just get one piece—you get the whole multi-layered slice.
For leaders, this often means shifting from looking outward to looking inward first. When you recognize your own humanness, you’re better equipped to connect with others. At the end of the day, all of us want to feel seen, heard, and understood. The integrated approach makes that possible.
Many people only listen to their bodies when they “hit the wall.” How do you teach clients to recognize the signals before they reach crisis mode?
Our bodies are always sending signals—it’s just that most of us have learned to ignore them. For me, I discovered that half an hour before a migraine, I’d start yawning nonstop. Once I noticed that pattern, I could intervene earlier and manage the pain.
One client realized his toes tingled during stressful meetings. That was his body’s way of signaling a blood pressure spike before things escalated. Another notices her hands begin to clench when she is under stress. Once you notice your body’s early cues, you can respond before burnout or breakdown.
Our body does come with an instruction manual—it’s just written in the language of feeling. Once you tune into that language, it changes how you handle everyday stress.
For example, I once had a stressful travel day where everything went wrong—tight connections, spilled my Jamba Juice all over the airport floor, couldn’t locate my rental car reservation. A few years earlier, that cascade would have ruined my whole day. But because I could pause, reset, and not spiral into “the world is against me” stories, I kept my energy light.
When I finally got the car, the woman at the checkout counter—whose name, unbelievably, was Heaven—listened to what had happened. She smiled and said, “You know what? Don’t worry about refilling the gas tank when you bring it back. I’ve got you.” That little act of kindness was the universe reflecting my own energy back to me. Had I been bitter or angry, that moment never would have unfolded.
Your work often focuses on helping women move from “high-stress to high-performance.” What does that transformation look like in everyday life?
One story that still gives me goosebumps is a dear client who, through our work, became much more aware of her body. She started noticing small symptoms and got them checked out. Doctors discovered brain cancer—caught so early they were shocked she’d even noticed anything.
Normally, that type of cancer isn’t detected until stage four. But because she’d cultivated awareness, she caught it early, had surgery, went through light chemo, and is now in remission. She credits the practices we worked on for saving her life—not just physically, but mentally. Her attitude through the entire ordeal stayed grounded and positive, which even her doctors said made all the difference.
That’s what high-performance looks like: not more pushing and grinding, but being so aligned and aware that you can navigate challenges with clarity and strength.
You’ve said that learning to trust your intuition was a turning point. For readers who feel disconnected from theirs, where should they start?
Start with awareness. Give yourself pauses to be present and notice what your body is telling you. Intuition is really just body wisdom.
We’ve all felt it—walking alone at night and suddenly the hairs stand up on your neck, or sensing the tension in a room after an argument even if no one’s speaking. That’s intuition. Animals have it, we have it, but we’ve layered so much noise on top that we don’t hear it anymore.
Quieting your stress response gives you access to intuition. And when you’re in that calm, neutral state, you’re at your most powerful. You make decisions with clarity and full trust, regulate emotions better, and step into leadership with confidence.
Your approach isn’t “one-size-fits-all.” How do you tailor your work for someone’s unique life and history?
Every person I work with is creative, resourceful, and whole. My role is not to “fix them” but rather to help uncover the root cause of what’s holding them back.
I don’t hand out cookie-cutter formulas. Instead, I give people tools to clear their energy, reconnect with themselves, and notice their own signs. One client’s intuition might show up in tingling fingers, another’s in sensations elsewhere in their body. Pregnant women know this instinctively—your body tells you exactly what it needs. I had a client who craved sucking on coal because it contained minerals she was deficient in. Another craved hot baths with epsom salt (turns out she was deficient in magnesium). Our bodies know. We just have to listen.
You’ve just been named East Bay Luminary for Nova Global. What does that role mean to you, and how does it expand the work you’re already doing?
I’m deeply honored. Nova is a national women’s leadership community located in select cities, and each local chapter is called a “constellation.” As the East Bay Luminary, I’ll be facilitating monthly gatherings where ambitious, soul-led women come together—not for surface-level networking, but for deep, facilitated connection and growth.
Nova is about anchoring into who you truly are—not the version you think the world expects—and leading from that place. It’s part personal development, part professional leadership, and part community support. It’s exactly what I’ve been craving locally and what so many women here need.
Looking ahead, what’s the bigger vision you’re working toward—not just for your business, but for the women you serve?
My vision is to expand spaces where women can reconnect with themselves and each other. Most of my clients are scattered across the country or globe, but bringing this work to the Bay Area feels deeply important.
I believe women are powerful. We don’t need to prove anything—we just need safe spaces to shine together. With Nova, my retreats, and coaching, I aim to build those constellations where women can rise, lead, and thrive—without burning out.
For those feeling that spark of possibility right now, what’s one step they can take today to move toward a life with less stress and more joy?
Take my free Intuitive CEO Type Quiz to start uncovering how your inner wisdom can guide you.
Explore the upcoming Nova East Bay constellation gatherings and experience community with other soul-led women.
Watch for my future in-person retreats, designed to help women “power down” for restoration or “power up” for renewed energy and leadership.
Connect with Teresa Lodato on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
You can also find Teresa on The M List, The Mamahood’s searchable database of mom-recommended resources, or connect and collaborate with Teresa inside The Club membership for women Founders.