Falling Awake – A Heroine's Journey

Falling Awake — A Heroine's Journey is a memoir about how we continue to re-create early experiences throughout our lives, until we can wake up enough to realise and set ourselves free.


The story is told in three parts; revisiting Victoria's early life and the events that shaped her, recalling how she then repeated the patterns that had been set, then finally integrating her learning from 20 years as a psychotherapist to set about healing the past and attempting to move forward in a new way. The result is a raw and honest, often funny, often sad, tale of introspection and growth.

This book is for anyone who is curious about the patterns we repeat and how we are conditioned by our early experiences. It is also for anyone who may be feeling stuck and who is looking for some inspiration or has ever wondered…is it just me?!


In 2018, after her two boys had left home, Victoria decided to sell her house, go travelling and re-discover who she was and who she was going to be for the next phase of her life. She stepped into the unknown, trusting what would unfold. What followed was two years of travelling to several countries, training to be a qoya teacher, taking part in numerous ceremonies and rituals, attending 10-day-long silent vipassana retreats, selling the remainder of her possessions, healing some old wounds, and writing a memoir. In sharing her story she trusts that it will find its' way to those who will benefit from reading about it, because when we write to heal and share that writing, others can heal too.


Victoria is a writer, psychotherapist, mindfulness and qoya teacher. Through a blend of these therapeutic practices, she guides others to tell their story and reclaim their truth.


“There are books that tell half-truths, like a manicured garden, where all that is not traditionally seen as beautiful is weeded away. And then there are books that tell whole truths, that compost pain, grief, and confusion into wisdom, compassion, and love, with the courage to ask deeper questions and to answer honestly. Victoria's writing is an example of the power there is in sharing our stories. As we read another's reflection on their life, we receive an opportunity to better see ourselves.” — Rochelle Schieck, author of Qoya: A Compass for Navigating an Embodied Life that is Wise, Wild and Free


“When a woman tells her story, she gives others permission to do the same. Falling Awake — A Heroine's Journey by Victoria Smisek allows us to look into the past as we reach for a more authentic future. Victoria takes us on the road trip of a lifetime. By the end of the book, you'll be inspired to share your story, too.” — Betsy Blankenbaker Murphy, author of Autobiography of an Orgasm


“This memoir, both skillfully and intelligently written, seductively draws its reader into a sometimes gritty adventure of a life thus far… filled with poignancy, humour, and self-reflection in just the right balance that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It was hard to stop reading once I had started… a must-read for anyone also interested in self-discovery and life.” — Sarah Burt ND, author of Getting healthy in 7 simple steps