I'm filled with gratitude that you're here. This course has been such an honor and delight for me to create with you in mind.

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I dreamt this course up while I was soaking in nature one day. It was such an obvious answer to all I've experienced in my own life of fear-based religion. I just knew: I had to make this intel available for anyone else out there thinking, "what the heck did I learn?!" It's my sincere hope that my own searchings and what I've learned as I shed my own trauma from religious control can be of use as you journey in your own path of discovery back to your body.

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I grew up immersed deeply in a religious system rooted in shame, discipline, and belittling women. I come from a lineage of missionaries and even lived overseas myself for a bit. I went to a teeny Bible college in the middle of nowhere and at the tender age of 20, got married and started my adult mininstry—serving in various religious capacities alongside my pastor husband for nearly 20 years. Do I cringe at how many folks I was responsible for leading in this mindset as an adult? You betchya; yet, I know after years of unwinding my beliefs, that I wasn't to blame. It was this system so deeply wired in my nervous system.

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Finally, the voices of nature and wonder began to whisper through my numbness in this system. And I was off on my journey of [first: reckoning, and then ] coming back to myself. 

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I've used my upbringing as fuel to learn about shame. To understand why my body still reacts certain ways. To then, help others do the same. I opened Riverways Somatic Studio to do just that. As a trained craniosacral therapist and integrated somatic practitioner, I walk alongside folks from all walks of life to unravel the stresses and challenge of their own unique situations and ultimately find a deep sense of embodiment and purpose. 

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If you have any questions about me or the RETURN Course, please reach out! I look forward to hearing more about YOUR story!

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Best,

Kristen

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