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Conversations with the Inspiring Zoe Levine

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Levine.

Zoe, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Dance was probably what originally led me to a devout curiosity of the human body. It led me to seek out Biomechanics and Anatomy & Physiology as part of my dance major in college. It led me to NYC where I could people watch all the time (read: stare at people constantly without anyone caring or noticing), and dance more, and begin a career in the fitness world where I could continue my study of the human body.

As a dancer, I love the freedom that comes with really inhabiting a well-working body. I wanted nothing more than to share that freedom, strength, pleasure, and connection with everyone. I entered a fitness world dominated by people that were not only disconnected with their bodies but also in pain – injuries were everywhere. And the biggest answer we had as new trainers was basically, “don’t do that”. It was just to avoid it completely. Don’t worry about it, just move another way. We can modify.

I was not a huge fan of this “forget about it and let it go” method. So I have spent the past 18 years looking for a better way. Or in my case, better ways.

I am more interested in why those aches and pains are there in the first place. And even better what we can do not just with exercises but in daily life to not only reduce pain, but to live with more awareness, more movement, more adventure, and maybe most importantly more embodied lives.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
What I do has never really been a straight path. I have often envied people that had that clear straight path. The doctors that always knew exactly what they wanted to be and how they wanted to heal the world. That clear path of medical school, one step after the other, with the clear end goal.

Mine has been the winding path of being a dance major and not knowing for sure how I would ever make a living, and in so many ways being led slowly to where I am now- which still is certainly not a point of arrival. I don’t know that I believe in a point of arrival anyway.

This road is full of points where you don’t know what is next. There is no one there to tell you this is what you need to work on next, or this is what you need to do, or even if you are doing a great job. You’ve got to find all that within first.

My advice for those moments might be to look for one thing that you know to be true and follow that. You might not see the next step or even the final destination, but don’t let that stop you from taking that next step. (I swear I wrote this before seeing Frozen 2!!)

Honestly, those were my biggest struggles before cancer crept into the picture.

It’s hard to write about struggles without talking about my recent journey through cancer and cancer treatment. Although calling my experience with Stage 4 cancer a “road block” or “struggle’ seems laughable at this point. It was so much more profound than that. So much heavier. So much deeper.

But it was certainly a roadblock to any business building. I had to stop most of my work during the year of 4 surgeries, radiation, and months of chemotherapy. The cancer treatment year was essentially facing all my biggest fears head on – cancer, surgery, hospitals, being fully immersed in the medical world where it’s hard to feel embodied or powerful. One of the main things that got me through was the thought, “go ahead! Do whatever you want. Break me completely, tear me apart, cut me open a million ways, destroy me. Whatever you do to me, I will fix it. I will learn how to heal it all. AND then I will teach others how to do the same.”

I wrote a more detailed blog piece about what I learned from my experience through cancer treatment – you can read that HERE. http://www.thethrivingbody.com/dailymovementadventures

I also tend to dance through everything. I dance when I feel stuck. I dance when nothing seems to be working. I dance to shake off the fear or anxiety or rage. I dance to celebrate. I dance to be more present to more fully experience life.

I highly recommend it.

Dance and playful movement is part of being human. Some of us have just forgotten. I love helping people find their way back.

What should we know about The Thriving Body? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The big over arching umbrella is that I help people MOVE through life’s tough transitions. There are so many transitions in life – childbirth, injury, aging, cancer treatment or surgery, and even dealing with chronic pain – that tend to leave us in a different place that where we started. Movements or activities that we once loved may start to feel either inaccessible or just not the same. We start giving up movements (sometimes even without noticing), feeling disconnected, and feel stripped of our own power. It’s that point that I love to step in and change. I feel like I’m here to say that it is possible to come back. You can burn it all to the ground, or get completely knocked over and start fresh to rebuild something maybe even better than before. I’ve done it myself and I watch it in others all the time.

My background includes a lifetime full of movement in a variety of dance, fitness, yoga, Pilates and meditation in addition to advanced training in the MELT Method, extensive study of core and pelvic floor health, and certification as a Restorative Exercise Specialist through Katy Bowman.

I can help you understand why your tension and pain patterns are showing up and get you moving in new ways (both in daily life and with corrective exercises) that will help to resolve the issue so you can get back to the movements and activities you truly love.

The fitness world is very bossy and spends a lot of time being the big authority on YOUR body and moving us through a very limited number of specific movements. I am always putting the ball back in your court and teaching you how to understand and work with your own body so that you can do YOU better.

The dancer in me also loves reminding people of the vast range of possibility of movement that we have access to. There is more to movement and life than lunges and bicep curls!

I do all this through private sessions in person and virtually as well as a variety of in person (and coming soon online) workshops and programs.

Here’s an idea of some of my programs…

Strong As A Mother – Midwife and Women’s Health PT recommended 12 Week postnatal healing and strengthening program with a focus on core and pelvic floor health and whole body alignment.

MELT for Cancer Treatment Recovery

Morning Movement Adventures – 30 days of guided dance, movement, and play 1st thing in the morning.

Alignment & Movement Makeover

Wild Women Full Moon Circles

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
There seems to be a lot more room to create a living on your own terms these days. More and more people, especially women are carving their own way as opposed to working for someone else. Many of us are looking for balance. Many of us are looking for ways to contribute to healing the world… and family finances, but also being home for the kids after school.

More and more heart lead businesses are popping up everyday. Ideally, we are lifting each other up. When women tap into this, it’s a beautiful and powerful thing.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Some of the photos are Lulubea Photography. (says in the corner)

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