In this powerful episode of Spiritual Infinity, host Zenzi Sewaah speaks with Cristiano Colla, an Italian-born former footballer whose life journey took him from the pitches of Italy to the jungles of Peru in search of healing, truth, and self-liberation.
Cristiano’s early life was shaped by ambition, trauma, and deep emotional conflict. From the age of four, football defined his identity, but rejection, family betrayal, and loss of trust left lasting wounds. When a promising career opportunity in England collapsed, he spiraled into self-blame and disillusionment. His parents’ painful divorce compounded the fracture—his mother’s manipulation and emotional neglect left him questioning love, worth, and belonging.
By his mid-twenties, weighed down by anger and disconnection, Cristiano left Italy in rebellion, seeking freedom and purpose in Australia. There, he became a personal trainer, helping others rebuild their lives while unknowingly beginning his own healing journey. “As a trainer,” he reflects, “you become a mirror for people’s struggles—and they become a mirror for yours.”
In Australia, Cristiano discovered meditation and the profound stillness of Buddhist silence retreats. Through solitude and reflection, he confronted the suppressed pain of his childhood and began dismantling the egoic layers that had long defined him. Therapy and hypnotherapy opened new inner doors, but it was his decision to travel to Peru that changed everything.
In the Peruvian jungle, working with ayahuasca and compassionate shamans, Cristiano experienced what he calls a “total stripping of the self.” He learned to let go of victimhood, self-judgment, and the craving for external validation. “Ayahuasca left me naked before my truth,” he says. “It tore down everything false I’d built around my heart.”
Today, Cristiano lives in Italy, completing his memoir Awakened by the Forest: A Memoir of Ayahuasca and Inner Evolution, while preparing to open a studio dedicated to Tantric energy and body work for women. His practice integrates spirituality, sexuality, and somatic healing—helping others reconnect with the balance of masculine and feminine energies that he spent years rediscovering within himself.
“You don’t have to be a slave to your past,” Cristiano reminds us. “Pause, listen, and be gentle with yourself. The body knows long before the mind understands.”
Guest Contact & Bio
Cristiano Colla is an Italian transformational guide, energy practitioner, and author whose work bridges physical training, emotional healing, and spiritual awareness. After seven years in Australia, he returned to Italy to establish a holistic practice rooted in mindfulness, Tantra, and somatic balance. His debut memoir, Awakened by the Forest, explores the path from trauma to inner freedom through ayahuasca, meditation, and self-love.
Website: www.cristianocolo.comEmail: info@cristianocolo.comInstagram: @cristiano.collaFacebook: facebook.com/cristianocollaYouTube: Cristiano Colla – Awakened Path
Closing Reflection
Awakening is not perfection—it is presence.It is the courage to meet yourself where you are and to stay there long enough for truth to unfold. Cristiano’s story reminds us that light often enters through the cracks we once tried to hide. When we stop fighting, judging, and striving to be someone else, the real self emerges—quiet, whole, and free.
Affirmation:“I pause. I listen. I return to the truth that already lives within me.”
