My Story.
The experiences that shaped my heart, my work, and the philosophy behind After Rain.
The Beginning
Before I became a massage therapist, grief became a familiar part of my life.
Losing my mother at a young age, saying goodbye to my soul dog, and living with the ongoing heartbreak of addiction within my immediate family taught me that grief takes many forms. And while life around me continued moving forward, my body didn't always move forward with it. There was an unspoken expectation from society that I needed to “get over it” already, despite my body and mind telling me otherwise.
My grief experiences shaped who I am and the way I care for others. They also taught me that grief and trauma aren’t only emotional. They affect the body, too. During seasons of loss, trauma, chronic stress, or major life change, our nervous system shifts into protection. We hold tension. We brace. We disconnect from ourselves. Sometimes we don't even realize it's happening.
During my seasons of grief, I longed for a place where I could simply feel cared for. A place where my body could rest and my nervous system could settle. A desire to be held with no expectation of speaking.
“Before we ever understand words, we understand being held.”
Finding Grief Massage
Throughout my life, I’ve found myself continually drawn toward people carrying emotional burdens. I knew I wanted to help in some way, and my own journey through grief opened my eyes to what is truly missing in the grief community: a place for compassionate touch. This led me to Massage Therapy.
At the time, I had never heard the term grief massage.
The day I discovered it felt like a sign from the universe. It felt like finding the very thing I had been searching for without ever knowing it had a name.
For the first time, everything came together. I realized compassionate touch could become part of caring for people during some of life’s most difficult seasons.
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
The Meaning Behind
After Rain
After the rain ends, life doesn’t suddenly become bright and carefree.
The storm may have passed, yet the ground is still saturated. The air feels different. Everything needs time before new growth begins.
Grief often feels the same.
The loss may have happened weeks, months, or even years ago, yet the body continues carrying the weight of the experience.
After Rain was created to honor that season.
I wanted to create a place where people feel welcomed exactly as they are. A place where compassionate touch supports the nervous system, acknowledges what the body has been carrying, and creates an environment where healing can unfold at its own pace.
