Episode 182: Our Karma is Our Greatest Gift with Kristii Ryznar

I have Christy Rizner with me and you are just a bundle of energy and of light. The very little that I got to know you at our recent collective, our recent conference—there is something special about you. I really wanted to have you on and have you share your story and your work, and how you got to where you are today. Tell us all your secrets and all the magic.

Man. It has been magic, that’s the thing.

I believe you.

Yeah, my life has just taken these beautiful little turns and twists and I’ve learned that it was pretty much my heart the whole time, and my knowing, that’s just kind of led me into all of these little open doors along the way. It’s been just so much fun seeing where my life is going to go, seeing where this is going to take me.

That’s always the best—when you dip your toe in the unknown, then you put both feet in, and then you just jump all in, and things work out more spectacularly than you could have ever imagined. All it required was for you to just exercise a little bit of faith, belief, confidence, and listening to your knowing, like you say.

Trust in the flow of life, and I feel like that is what I have done my whole life. I’ve said yes to things that I had no idea what I was saying yes to, just saying, “This is where I’m going to fly now.” That has been probably my best experiment in life—just saying yes.

Well, let’s get to the heart of all of this. Tell us first a little bit about your background—how you grew up, where you grew up, your family, your faith of origin, maybe your educational pursuits. Just all the things that make up your foundational story.

I was born in Ohio. I don’t know anything about Ohio except that it’s cold, and I moved out here when I was two. My parents converted to Christianity, and they moved out to Phoenix to begin life again. My grandparents were out here, so we moved when I was about two, two and a half. We began a church here—a nondenominational Christian church—and I stayed in that until I was about 30.

Religion was a huge part of my upbringing, but I also knew I had this other wild side of me that would make fun of songs, always laughing and getting into trouble sitting on the pew. I tried to make as much fun of it as I could, making it fun for me. I loved being with my friends. That social interaction is what got me to church. I also had the soft heart where, if the preacher was talking, I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I’d be shrinking in the pew going, “You’re literally talking to me.”

It was interesting. I gained a lot of knowledge about who God was—but who God was to me then is not who God is to me now. That’s been a huge revelation. The God I knew back then required me to stay in a box: sit in the pew, pray five times a day, follow all these rules. Now, I pray more than I did back then, and I sing more too—but it comes from my heart, not a place of obligation or being spoon-fed.

I knew there was more. I knew there was a place I belonged, but it didn’t feel like it was in the pew. I belonged with my friends, but even then it didn’t quite feel right.

When I was 19, I wanted to become a nurse—but to get there, I had to do math. I thought, “This is so not for me.” I was getting massages from a lady at the chiropractor, and I loved it. I asked her, “What are you doing? This is great.” So at 19, after one year at community college, I quit and went to massage therapy school. By the time I was 20, I had started my own massage therapy business. I worked in a salon and a chiropractor’s office right next door, hopping back and forth, building a clientele.

I loved watching people do hair—color, cuts, creativity. I realized I had something more in me—a creative flair to go with my healing work. So at 21, I went to cosmetology school. From then on, I combined hair and massage therapy. It was fun being versatile. I’m a manifesting generator in human design, so doing multiple things every day makes me come alive.

At 25, I decided to go to Australia for six months. I’d done well in my work and had money saved up, so I “retired” for six months—lived on the beach, surfed every day. It was incredible. But something was missing. Being a beach bum wasn’t enough—I wanted purpose.

I came home because my nephew was born. I took being an aunt very seriously. Around 27, I got married quickly. Six months in, I realized it was a course correction—I needed to learn something from that relationship. It lasted three years. I learned who I was and who I wasn’t, and carried those lessons into my next relationship.

That next one lasted eight years. We had freedom within the relationship, alignment, fun. We created a photography/videography business together—it was more his dream, but I pushed it along while still pursuing my own path.

At 35, we left our high-rise loft, bought an RV, refurbished it, and hit the road. From 35 to 38, we traveled all over—Florida in winter, Montana in summer, visiting Arizona for family. RV life taught me minimalism and flexibility. It felt like luxury—kitchen, clothes, bed, all with me.

Eventually, we separated. At 38 or 39, I was in yoga teacher training. Learning the Gayatri mantra lit something inside me. After training, I went to a full moon festival as the assisting yoga teacher. I met a man who said, “You have cool energy. You need to meet my tribe. We do ayahuasca ceremonies.”

That was fall of my 39th year. Two days before ceremony, I happened to already be on the perfect diet for it. I knew little about ayahuasca, but my body said yes. The experience was life-changing. I saw and felt things I’d never experienced. After six ceremonies, I was asked to start facilitating. In one year, I did 40 ceremonies.

Ayahuasca showed me that healing doesn’t have to be long, hard, or full of suffering—it can be full of humor and joy. I saw childhood moments, like second grade when I wasn’t heard, in a new light. I realized my teacher was doing the best she could. I even healed my old fear of math by reframing it through numerology, which now plays a huge role in my work.

I now offer soul contract readings—using a person’s birth name to reveal their karma, talents, goals, and soul destiny. For trans or non-binary clients, we overlay their chosen name to see how it interacts with the birth name frequencies. I’ve done readings for children, unborn babies, and entire families—helping parents understand and support their kids.

I’m also writing a book with Joan of Arc Publishing, titled Intoxicated by God.

Living beyond the shadow of doubt, for me, is living without fear—saying yes to life fully, like plunging into an ice bath, knowing something amazing is on the other side.

Now for some quick “get to know you” questions:

• Favorite book: The Sophia Code.

• Introvert or extrovert: Extrovert.

• Favorite artist: Pink.

• Night owl or morning lark: Morning lark—wake me up early.

• Celebrity crush: Jesus.

• Preferred drink: Flat water during the day; carbonated in the afternoon for “happy hour.”

• Farthest place traveled: Australia and New Zealand.

Australia and New Zealand’s laid-back, welcoming nature fits me perfectly—they’re very much instant-family cultures.

It has been a privilege and so much fun to have this conversation. If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram at Christy with double I’s at the end underscore M underscore Rizner. You can also book directly through my Stan Store, which is linked in my Instagram bio.

Thank you again—it’s been so much fun.