Martina Hughes - Wall Street Powered by Sex

“I have no doubt that sexuality is expressed through finance and power…It activates their desire to consume and possess.” Martina Hughes, Director Tantric Blossoming.

Suddenly, during the 1980s money, power and corporate deals became sexy and Wall Street was the place to be. Traders, bankers and corporate brokers went from being overlooked by society to being perceived as glamorous.

Lust for money led the way. As credit cards increased in popularity, consumers enjoyed freewheeling spending, borrowings reached new heights, and regulations loosened around finance and lending institutions.

Corporate greed and material aggrandization were lionized and celebrated. Moneymakers pushed the boundaries of what was possible, striving for status through deal size and risk.  But the lust for bigger deals led to major crashes. The financial crashes of 1987 and 2008 were fuelled by the desire for a bigger game and more money.

Life in the 1980’s reflected the shift in material values.  Whilst capitalism boomed, men and women wore power suits, plastic surgery increased and everything became bigger and more polished. People focused on building empires and images of success, rather than family and community.  

The recent Oscar nominated movie, The Big Short, details the true story of the USA 2005 mortgage crisis, which led to the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008. Essentially banks took advantage of people; millions of home loans were issued without appropriate credit checks and bonds written against loans that had no value.

Creating an illusion of value, when there was no substance or foundation – bankers treated it like a game, but people’s livelihoods were at stake. This particular example led to the financial and emotional devastation of millions of people as they lost homes, life savings and retirement funds.  It was not sexy at all.

Even bankers, who not long before, were revered as respected community members, had flouted the law. They ignored people’s wellbeing and followed their greed to pursue personal gain.

I have no doubt that sexuality is expressed through finance and power. My clients even describe the feeling as a sexual charge in the lower body.  It activates their desire to consume and possess. They report sexual feelings and are certainly consuming and possessing, so why do they feel so bereft and empty?  

Drug, alcohol and sex addiction often become the trap for traders and business executives chasing the next high. Wolf of Wall Street, the real life story of Jordan Belfort, (former stockbroker jailed for stock manipulation), depicted how intrinsic drugs, alcohol and sex were to the fast lifestyle of a trader.  And why do they need more consumption in order to feel as good as they once did, when they had less?

Let me try to answer this for you. I’m going to talk about sex now. We all know the exhilaration of sexual charge in the body, the feelings of lust and the desire that increases until the moment of penetration. This same lusty desire can be mirrored in the negotiation of a business deal. However there is one critical difference. The business deal does not come from, nor activate, a key part of our body and psyche. While the deal turned you on, your heart was turned off.

My clients are often drawn to Tantric work because they have been successful in the external world, but struggle with an inexplicable sense of emptiness. I traversed this landscape myself, from immersion in pursuit of corporate achievement as a Chartered Accountant, all the way to burn out. In the end, my heart wasn’t in it and my body couldn’t keep up. Staying healthy in this environment was impossible. It was like trying to exist on food without calories. My heart was starved, my life force diminished.

Since I made this transition thirteen years ago, I have supported many others to take similar leaps. I want to be clear here. This is not about completely denying external achievement. Rather, it’s to create opportunities to feel, express and be informed by your inner world. Living a life where my inner feelings and sensations inform the outer direction has been a great step towards my wellness and thriving. I can run a successful business and keep my heart fully engaged.  

Sexual power increases more naturally this way, with the heart in tact. Connection to myself and others opens the heart to feel both the beauty and tragedy of everyday life.  We need to let ourselves feel.

Through working with business executives, I see the struggle created in a life of disconnection. This fear of feeling their vulnerability has often been the catalyst to focus externally. But being in touch with the capacity to feel, supports them to be more whole leaders, supports them to make more humanitarian choices and truly relate to the people who are their employees and customers.

When corporate executives learn to say yes to their inner fears and desires and tap into the alchemy of living from the inside out, their lives change dramatically. They discover a world of inner connection that greatly enhances their relationships and businesses.

We need leaders who follow their hearts and lust for inner connection. They can use the newfound energy this brings to fulfill their purpose in the outer world. Let’s bring this possibility to Wall Street and all the major financial centers around the world. Yes, a Wall Street powered by sex.

Martina’s vision is to create a world where people know how to express themselves in an embodied and authentic way. She created Tantric Blossoming, the largest Tantric Community in Australia, 11 years ago, offering workshops, private sessions, retreats and training. Since then she has supported 1000s of men and women to feel their hearts and open to sensations of aliveness throughout the body. Martina’s wish for humanity is for each man and woman to know themselves as a powerhouse of love and sexual energy.

Martina Hughes - Don't Quit Your Day Job

“People laugh when they meet me now as a Tantra Teacher and discover that I used to be a Chartered Accountant. To me, it seems natural. My business skills have come in useful many times over the last 11 years of creating and growing my business, Tantric Blossoming.”  Martina Hughes, Owner Tantric Blossoming.

“Don’t quit your day job!” It was 2002, and, in the eyes of many, I was walking away from the ideal future. I was working as a Financial Controller for a successful company in London that had offered me sponsorship.

It was a very lucrative position, which offered business class travel and they were generous about letting me take extra time for personal adventures. My flat in Notting Hill was delightful; and my savings account was growing to new proportions all whilst I was treating myself to the best of what Europe has to offer.

Yet, it wasn’t enough. All the luxury in the world, the fulfilment of many of my 20-something dreams and the gnawing feeling still existed. The advice giver, Edward, was the director of the company where I worked. He was a generous and caring man who came from a different world to me.

My eyes still boggled after a year of financial reporting that involved billions of Euros. He grew up in the kind of world where billions of euros are a part of regular conversation. He belonged to the privileged class of London society, my family were part of the working class of Launceston, Tasmania.

The advice “Don’t quit your day job!” can be an insult, but I knew the context was one of admiration and respect. Despite being from different worlds, receiving recognition like that from him touched me and I still smile at his words.

I craved to jump more fully into the mysterious world of emotional and energetic healing and personal transformation. My future career was not yet defined but I could feel it. How could I describe to this conservative Englishman why I needed to take a path that was out of the realm of his understanding?

He wasn’t the only one. All my colleagues looked bewildered that a 29 year old would leave behind a promising career in finance. I know I seemed like a curious character to many around me.

I shook when I received a bonus cheque with generous zeroes on the end; however, it didn’t change what I knew to be my path. Living and working in London had been part of a young Chartered Accountant’s dream and I was proud that I had lived the dream in a way that had exceeded my expectations.

Most people didn’t know that I lived with a pain and a discomfort inside of me, something that told me I wasn’t living my heart’s true purpose.

Transitions are such rich and powerful times. Almost 9 months of travelling solo in Europe, South America and North America taught me much more about myself and living in touch with my intuition than anything else ever could.

When I arrived back in Sydney, life was slow and small and I was grateful for that. I lived by the beach, did some part time work, enjoyed running and yoga daily, whilst studying shiatsu and rebirthing. The luxuries were gone, but I was living with myself in a whole new way.

The peace of mind I had been looking for was there in the quiet days I had to myself. Money fears came and went during the transition and thankfully I still had significant savings from working in London.  

Tantra was the missing piece in the jigsaw called my life transition. Tantra brought the most amazing depth of intimacy to my life. Accessing sexual energy as fuel for life and feeling my inner power was transforming beyond anything I had ever experienced. My destiny had come and found me.

People laugh when they meet me now as a Tantra Teacher and discover that I used to be a Chartered Accountant. To me, it seems natural. My business skills have come in useful many times over the last 11 years of creating and growing my business, Tantric Blossoming.

I love people; I love supporting them to feel more whole and alive from within. I love developing and growing a business, and it provides the perfect opportunity to serve many people.

Being a Tantra Teacher is something that many of my past colleagues don’t understand. If Edward could see me now I wonder what advice he would give today? Would he see that the risk of quitting my day job has been worthwhile?

I have taken many risks since then, including relocating to Melbourne, being a pioneer in the world of Tantric events, creating a Tantric training program and more.

Risk taking has become a way of life. Through risk, I discover more of who I am and what my contribution is to the world. These risks are always measured by the strength of the inner calling. What does my heart desire? How does this step add to the overall picture of my life?

When working with clients going through major life transitions, I am very compassionate. I know what it’s like to question one’s choices and take brave steps towards a new path.

Over the last year I have worked with a client who was experiencing significant conflict in his relationship. He was struggling to feel connected to his young children. His work life was overwhelming and he constantly felt the need for sexual release for momentary gratification.

Through tantric experiences, he released past anxiety, found new depths in his sexual expression and overcome inner conflict by aligning his feelings and actions.As a result, his intimate relationship is significantly enhanced, his way of being in the world is more relaxed, he beams when he speaks about his children, and he feels empowered at work. This particular client has found peace in his heart and body.

Supporting this type of transition brings me great joy. I have walked extensively in the corporate world and I have walked extensively in the world of personal transformation. Gifts from both of those worlds have created me as the woman I am today, personally and professionally.

I am grateful to Edward for the role he played in my transition. I am grateful for my clients, as they have helped me create my new day job.

Author Biography

Martina’s vision is to create a world where people know how to express themselves in an embodied and authentic way. She created Tantric Blossoming, the largest Tantric Community in Australia, 11 years ago, offering workshops, private sessions, retreats and training. Since then she has supported 1000s of men and women to feel their hearts and open to sensations of aliveness throughout the body. Martina’s wish for humanity is for each man and woman to know themselves as a powerhouse of love and sexual energy.