I am no stranger to pain. In 2006, while working at the largest US research station in Antarctica, I lost most of the function in both of my hands due to an overuse injury.  It resulted in me eventually needing to leave my job, and also my career in IT. 

Over the course of the next decade, I searched high and low for pain relief. I tried traditional medicine before beginning my journey into alternative methods.  Everything brought a little relief, but not enough…anti-inflammatories, yoga, exercise, physical therapy. Meanwhile, I had stopped doing many of the things I loved because I was often frustrated or embarrassed about my weak, clumsy hands.

I became immersed in the movement industry because the only way I could manage my own pain was to keep moving. From 2009-2019,  I partnered with the owner of a local gym for mature adults to offer classes such as Yoga for Non-yoga People, balance recovery, fall prevention, HITT over 50, and Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s Disease.  I trained older women to swim, prepare for sprint triathlon completion, and how to adapt exercise for various chronic illnesses. 

In 2015, as part of my doctoral research on myofascial release, I attended training, with remarkable results in my own pain levels and function. Wanting to share it with my clients, I opened a private practice in Alaska in 2016. My fascial-based therapy programs took off and I helped countless people to manage pain from injuries, trauma, and conditions such as fibromyalgia. For the next 4 years, I focused on providing fascial bodywork in combination with movement therapy and self-treatment programming.    

At the end of 2019, I moved back to the east coast to be near family…just in time for the pandemic! In the same year, I also began teaching at a local massage school and also experiencing unexplained symptoms which resulted in a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.  Once again, my own rehab process began.  I have used a combination of traditional medicine including immunosuppressant drugs, plus my own fascial, lymphatic, and exercise therapies to manage my symptoms and allow me re-open my business locally, in May of 2022. I know the struggle that comes with chronic conditions and long term illness, but I also know that things can improve.  I would be honored to be a part of your healing journey.