Introducing
Dr. Amynta Hayenga
Coach • Psychologist • Tea Enthusiast • Dog Mom • Yogi • Bookworm • Professional Student of Being Human
Hi. I’m Amynta
I have a doctorate in psychology, an alarming number of books, strong opinions about playlists, and a lifelong fascination with why human beings do the things we do.
I can happily spend hours talking about emotional regulation, attachment patterns, nervous systems, beautiful writing, Taylor Swift lyrics, delight, meaning-making, and the peculiar ways people accidentally make life harder than it needs to be.
I take emotional wellbeing seriously. I do not take myself quite as seriously. Which is probably why Life Alchemy Co. exists.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in what helps people suffer less and live more fully. How we heal. How we grow. How we make meaning out of this strange, beautiful mess of a world and the humanity that ended up in it. Those questions eventually led me to psychology. They’ve kept me learning about the human condition ever since.
Why Life Alchemy?
After more than fifteen years of training and clinical practice, I noticed something. Again and again, I found myself teaching many of the same skills:
How to understand emotions instead of fearing them.
How to respond to yourself with compassion instead of criticism.
How to navigate difficult moments with a little more steadiness and a little less suffering.
How to build a life that truly feels like home—not just successful on paper.
Sometimes I’d create a resource for one client and realize five others needed it too. Sometimes I’d discover a practice that genuinely improved my own wellbeing and immediately want to teach it to others. Or I’d find the perfect metaphor for Saying No (preview: it’s roast chicken) and see a new skill click for someone. Over time, I accumulated a growing collection of tools, worksheets, exercises, analogies, frameworks, questions, and experiments that seemed to help people live a little more sanely and a little more kindly.
Life Alchemy Co. was born from the desire to share those helpful practices beyond the therapy room.
It’s a place where I can teach. Write. Create. Experiment. Offer practical tools. Follow sparks of curiosity. And help more people access the skills and insights I’ve watched support growth, healing, and self-trust year after year.
It’s also where I get to do wonderfully unnecessary things.
Like create a new framework for making my to-do list subject to my needs and desires instead of the other way around.
Where I can set up an advice pop-up station.
Write field guides.
Design bookmarks.
Or spend an absurd amount of time thinking about how to make emotional skills more useful, accessible, and joyful.
In many ways, Life Alchemy is simply an extension of what I’ve always loved doing: helping people build lives they genuinely enjoy living.
How I work
My approach blends psychological depth with practical application.
I care deeply about insight. But I’m equally interested in what happens after the insight:
💡 How do we take an idea and turn it into a skill?
🌟 How do we create change that lasts longer than a burst of motivation?
🕊️ How do we work with a nervous system instead of fighting it?
🪴 How do we design our lives around the realities of being human?
The influences behind my work include clinical psychology, mindfulness, behavioral science, emotional skills training, burnout recovery, self-compassion, wisdom traditions, and a long-standing curiosity about what actually helps.
I tend to be skeptical of both hustle culture and magical thinking.
Most meaningful change, in my experience, comes from a combination of good tools, honest self-awareness, repeated practice, relational engagement, and a surprising amount of kindness.
Not too fancy, perhaps. But remarkably effective.
A Few Professional Notes
I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology and have spent years helping people navigate emotional challenges, life transitions, burnout, stress, relationships, and personal growth. In my therapy practice, I treat symptoms of suffering and support people recovering from mental health conditions.
Life Alchemy Coaching draws from that background while operating as an independent coaching and educational practice.
You can learn more about the coaching-versus-therapy distinction here.
A Few Human Things
I love hoarding books, composing playlists, wandering through bookstores, sharing meals with friends, reading on rainy afternoons, cooking soup, maximal delight, emotional processing, and lingering conversations that span the meaning of life and the memes that made me laugh out loud that day.
I appreciate both cozy evenings at home and an occasion to dress up.
I believe humor belongs in healing.
I think most people are carrying more than anyone realizes.
I suspect play is more important than we give it credit for.
And if I make it to eighty, I hope I’ve spent more time savoring life than rushing through it.
Welcome to Life Alchemy Co.
Whether you’re recovering from burnout, trying to understand your emotions, navigating a season of change, or simply looking for a kinder way to grow, I’m glad our paths crossed.
Take a look around.
Read an essay.
Join the list.
Stay awhile.
