Exploring Life & Business with Tierra Lynn of Maitri Family Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tierra Lynn.

Hi Tierra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
When folks come in for a first session, I often get asked “How did you find this work?” And the answer is non-linear because, that is how my life, both personal and professional has been. For as long as I can remember, I have been deeply interested in the inner and outer workings of the human being.

In undergrad, I had a really hard time deciding whether to be a Psychology or Cultural Anthropology major and decided to become a yoga teacher instead. That journey led me to deepen my passion and interest: pregnancy and birth. I spent the next decade as a private nanny, prenatal yoga teacher, and birth attendant. During this time I also had 4 children and, through the journey of mothering, found myself facing old wounds and challenges from my own childhood and learning about trauma, the nervous system, and the process of healing.

I have an insatiable curiosity for learning and a knack for seeing patterns and connections. After studying pregnancy and childbirth with many different midwives and schools, I found my way into the fascinating world of prenatal and birth therapy, which is a form of Somatic Therapy that works specifically with our earliest experiences.

When I found this work in 2018, so many of my personal and professional learnings and wonderings sort of “clicked” into place. I began to deepen my understanding of the baby’s experience of pregnancy and birth, how we store memories in our earliest years, and how the environment and the health of our parents impact us. My first teacher in this field was Ray Castellino. He passed away during my studies with him in 2020, and it was during his celebration of life that my path to Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy opened up.

When a woman named Anna Chitty spoke and led a mindfulness meditation to open Ray’s celebration, I knew immediately that I wanted to learn whatever it was that she taught in Boulder, CO. Without hesitation I put myself on the waitlist for their next training, which didn’t occur until 2022 due to the pandemic. The next training was a 2-year professional training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. On the first day of class I didn’t even know what BCST was, I just knew I had to learn from Anna. And I am so glad that I did.

In my lifetime, in an attempt to feel better, I have spent many hours in talk therapy, doing yoga, managing my nutrition, working with plant medicines, going to acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, womb healing, breathwork, somatic therapy, trauma therapy, art therapy, prayer, etc all as ways to seek a state of healing and wholeness. Many of them helped and ultimately contributed to my well-being, but most of them were a band-aid that didn’t create lasting change and resolution. I had to keep doing them if I wanted to keep feeling good.

When I found Somatic Therapy, specifically Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, I realized the fundamental difference between managing and healing. I found, for the first time in my life, a gentle and sustainable opportunity for lasting transformation and healing because the modality itself orients to the HEALTH that is always present in the body, rather than to the trauma and wounding or disease.

The places that were stuck and frozen in my body were gently supported to unwind and with that came effortless and joyful healing of challenges and past trauma. What I discovered is that when our body is no longer holding onto the past, there is an abundance of energy available to thrive in the present moment.

The experience of going through the two-year program was deeply transformational on a personal level. But it also tied so many threads of my educational and professional journey together. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share this work in my community, especially with babies and children. It is such a joy to see the little ones relax and feel ease and freedom in their bodies after just a few sessions.

As I said, the answer to the question is not straightforward, but I believe that this journey to where I am now and the work that I offer began the moment I came into being in the Womb of my Mother. And I can’t wait to see what else unfolds!

Alright, 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?
Opening Maitri Family Wellness has been incredibly smooth. I am thankful every day that there has been so much support and ease in the process. Even finding my office space was a Kismet experience. I believe that this is a reflection of the growing capacity of my own nervous system as a result of the sessions that I receive from my mentors and teachers. The work works!

There have definitely been some learning curves around business management though. Thankfully, I have some amazing women who have walked this road before me rooting me on and supporting me as I learn and grow. I think the biggest challenge is learning how to navigate business ownership and Motherhood. I have five kids and they will always be my priority, so sometimes that has meant canceling sessions due to illness and learning how to show up in both places to the best of my abilities.

I think it can be a little shaky to step out on our own and put into practice everything we’ve learned in training, no matter the field. The true test comes in our ability to meet the challenges and ask for support when we need it!

As you know, we’re big fans of Maitri Family Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Maitri Family Wellness is a somatic-based Wellness Practice in Fort Collins serving people of all ages who are seeking integrative, Holistic Healing through a body-centered approach. Our philosophy and approach are focused on compassionate, attuned care that meets the unique needs of each individual and family. We offer therapeutic Somatic sessions to clients of all ages and in all life stages.

I am currently the only practitioner but hope to have several more complementary practitioners join the practice in the coming 5 years. I am a Biodynamic Craniosacral Practitioner specializing in perinatal support and infants and children. I also work with adults who are healing from early life challenges and attachment trauma and those who are seeking a deeper, embodied transformation.

I have worked with a wide variety of clients including newborns struggling with feeding/sleeping and settling, children who have medical or birth trauma, children who are experiencing emotional regulation challenges, children and adults with special needs, adults who have suffered from TBI or other traumatic injuries, people with significant trauma. I also work with folks who are simply seeking gentle and effective ways to support general well-being.

Something that I am proud of is the depth with which I see others and my ability to listen to the subtle expression of health in a person or family. Through this, I am able to support a person in finding their own path to well-being and expression of their joy. I have been called “the baby whisperer” for my ability to listen to and understand the communication that babies are always giving and because they are often so much happier and more settled after a session.

I have put a lot of intention into Maitri and also into the development of myself as a skillful and attuned practitioner. It is my deepest prayer that people come into the office and immediately feel a sense of safety and warmth. I pay attention to the details and take my time with my business and my clients.

It is important to me that I meet each person as they are and support whatever intention it is they hold for themselves. One thing I would like the community to know is that I do home visits for babies and am always willing to extend my home visits to children and adults who require or prefer support in their own environment.

Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am terrible at this! I feel super lucky that my practice has flourished and grown without much in the way of marketing or networking. My advice? Be you, share what you do, and trust that what is meant to be will find its way. I had someone tell me that all of my years of sharing candidly and openly about my personal challenges and healing on social media was a great business strategy. I still mostly consider it luck.

Pricing:

• Adult sessions are 90 minutes for $125 or 60 minutes for $75.
• In-office pediatric sessions are 45 minutes for $50
• In-home pediatric sessions are 60 minutes for $65
• I also sell 3 packs for all of my sessions with a savings of $15

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maitrifamilywellness.com
• Instagram: @maitrifamilywellness
• Facebook: facebook.com/maitrifamilywellness