Since I was young, I've had a passion for helping other people. Many of my family members live with chronic and complex health conditions and disabilities, and have been a huge inspiration in my journey. I wanted for the longest time to be a nurse in the trauma field, but after experiencing trauma of my own, I decided that path wasn't the best for my mental health. I knew somehow, I still wanted to practice healthcare.
Growing up in a low income household, I didn't have access to massag...
Since I was young, I've had a passion for helping other people. Many of my family members live with chronic and complex health conditions and disabilities, and have been a huge inspiration in my journey. I wanted for the longest time to be a nurse in the trauma field, but after experiencing trauma of my own, I decided that path wasn't the best for my mental health. I knew somehow, I still wanted to practice healthcare.
Growing up in a low income household, I didn't have access to massage therapy or spas. After graduating from my high school's Allied Health program, I decided to get certified as a pharmacy technician. From there, I was able to make my own income, and I got my first massage.
It occurred to me after that experience that massage was a powerful medical tool. Looking into it, I realized that other countries have been using massage as a form of medicine for centuries. In the US, we tend to either look at it as a luxury or as physical medicine, and underestimate the potential of combining its forms. Further, it is usually only accessible to the wealthy, especially for higher end services.
Through massage school, I got a brief experience of a higher end service that changed my life. I realized that from my upbringing, I felt alienated from luxury spaces that my family previously couldn't afford. Wealthy spaces tended to have a culture that was difficult to assimilate to, and I wanted to change that.
Receiving massage has helped me tend to my emotional wounds, my physical pain, and given me a sense of belonging and empowerment when it became accessible and available. Giving massage has allowed me to share the gift of healing with my loved ones, who have given me experience in aiding a wide variety of conditions, including diabetes, congestive heart failure, autism, epilepsy, scoliosis, visual impairments, depression, anxiety, addiction recovery, and so much more. I now extend this gift of healing to the rest of our local community.
Being a person from a marginalized group in society, experiencing the gratitude of helping others from a variety of backgrounds, and seeing the healthcare system from many angles, whether it be holistic, natural, or pharmaceutical, has led me to the creation of my own practice.
I have a passion for diversity, inclusion, empathy, acceptance, empowerment, and helping others to navigate the systems that have long caused me difficulty. I work with clients of all backgrounds, and I'm especially passionate about the healing and forward movement of trauma-survivors and marginalized communities like LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse, BIPOC, and immigrant communities.
This takes many forms in my practice, including:
Collaborations with artists and other healthcare providers
Informative and educational resources for patients
Diversity continuing education for providers
Patient access to medical records from our sessions
Promotions (and upcoming insurance billing) to aid affordability and empowerment of local communities
Easy access to care coordination
Upcoming multi-lingual access
Integration of luxury and healthcare within treatments