Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Gentry.
Hi Natalie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you for inviting me to contribute! I’ve always been fascinated by the human condition, beginning with my interest in inspiring stories of how public figures overcame personal challenges when I was a child. My interest evolved into a full-blown passion through studying influential writers in college and the opportunity to work with unsung heroes after college graduation. As I look back, I think my passion for understanding people evolved from a deep need to know myself, to understand my challenges, to find my solutions, and to be true to myself.
I have to admit, I experienced a lot of verbal and emotional trauma while growing up and ended up spending years in therapy. What I began to notice, while in therapy, was that I was fearful of being truly open about how I was feeling because I was afraid to trust the therapists I was working with. Additionally, I spent a lot of time feeling that there was something wrong with me…I felt broken and that I needed to be fixed, somehow. But, regardless of how much therapy I received, I couldn’t allow myself to be vulnerable.
Attending massage school from 1997-98 was one of the best decisions I made for myself. It was my formal introduction to listening to the wisdom of my body and it was the first confirmation that I have a strong personal compass that is worthy of my attention. Up to that point, I appreciated my intuition but I still relied on outside validation to feel good about myself. Honestly, oftentimes, relying on messages outside of myself ended poorly. However, during massage school, I began to understand more fully WHY listening to my intuition and my body’s signals was important. I wanted more.
My curiosity led me to receive certifications in Maya abdominal massage, Spiritual plant healing, Transformational Breathwork, Soul Motion conscious dance, and Wilderness Walk Shadow Coaching. All of these modalities have taught me so much about myself and have inspired me to share what I know with others. And that’s where I am now.
Who am I? I’m a curious, smart, wise, funny, kind, honest, thoughtful, sincere, creative, and passionate woman who loves my life and who can see the beauty that others possess, whether they know it or not. I know who I am, I see other people’s amazingness, and I’m truly grateful for my journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
God, no! It’s been a trying journey and I’m grateful for my struggles, for they have helped to shape the person I am today. I’ve dealt with racism, sexism, colorism, and classism. I’ve had many people, including those close to me, question my wisdom, my life choices, and who I am. I’ve been sabotaged in my business and my personal life. I’ve been raped and have been emotionally and verbally abused by several people, including people who were close to me. What I say may be shocking to some but I guarantee, my story and experiences aren’t that different from many women who go through this life.
I’ve made it a point to learn how to face my challenges. I sought therapy and then coaching to get comfortable with the truth of myself and my life experiences and to learn how to deal with my life experiences more effectively. I received bodywork to keep me sensing what I was feeling on a visceral level. I took breath classes to keep me breathing since we tend to start breathing more shallowly when faced with stressful situations. I started participating in conscious movement because I noticed that it helped me to express what I was feeling more fully than other types of movement. I worked hard to prevent myself from stuffing my emotions and negative beliefs and conditionings so I could face them, feel them, question them, and release them. These practices have served me so well that I don’t regret any of the challenges I’ve experienced in my life.
What I’m grateful for is my determination to not let my struggles define who I am or derail me. Granted, I’ve stumbled and tripped up lots of times. Many of us do. That’s where the learning comes from. The hardships helped me to uncover, define, and refine who I am. I’m learning from my challenges, regularly. My hardships, along with the beautiful, enriching moments, are why I feel so good about who I am today.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Of course! I guide women to unearth their truth and to embody their voice, power, and unique gifts through body-centered shadow coaching, Maya abdominal massage, breath guidance, and conscious movement facilitation. While I offer Maya abdominal massage for women who are in various stages of fertility and have offered breath facilitation and movement for several years, I have expanded my work to include body-centered shadow coaching because I believe in bringing the body, mind, and emotions together to affect deeper healing in my clients.
What sets me apart from others in my field is that I address physical and emotional challenges through a body-centered experience. My massage school used to share this saying, “Your issues are in your tissues”, meaning that the emotions you experience in response to a life situation can result in emotional energy getting stuck in the cellular memory of your muscle tissue. The work I do can help you to expose subconscious and unconscious beliefs and behaviors that you haven’t wanted to face so you can either release them or integrate them so you don’t get triggered by them and so they don’t run your life. I also teach you how to understand how your body talks with you so you can respond more readily to your needs.
Your body expresses wisdom with you all of the time, and it gets rather loud when you ignore your own needs and emotions. When you can process events or behaviors that trigger you and incorporate what you sense in your body to support you in your healing, you can heal faster and more completely.
The series of modalities I offer are important to me because they are what I’ve used to help me ground, expand, heal, and grow. I offer one-on-one services right now but I will be expanding my offerings to include groups. Join my mailing list to stay up to date on current and new offerings including conscious movement classes and breath workshops!
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Life is about taking risks. I don’t think anyone grows or succeeds if he/she/they are unwilling to push limits. I believe in growth, expansion, and doing new things; I’m naturally curious. I’m also a strong believer in being true to myself despite what others think. If you don’t honor your own needs and passions, you’ll fall victim to living other people’s dreams regardless of whether you believe in those dreams or not.
Starting my business on my own is the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, especially as a divorced woman living in what has become one of the most expensive cities in the country. My dream of marrying physical and emotional healing is something no one was thinking about when I graduated from massage school in 1998 and, despite evidence in the mental health field that supports making the body part of one’s healing process, few people offer a combined approach.
The road I’ve taken to get to where I am in my career has been long, hard, and exhausting. I’ve made plenty of mistakes but I’ve learned that mistakes, though unavoidable, are important learning opportunities. You have to be willing to make mistakes. I’ve also had times when I’ve wondered how I was going to pay my bills or eat and have had people in my life who were completely unsupportive of my dream and career. There have also been times when I’ve questioned why I’m on this path and have considered quitting. But I have also received signs that I’m on the right track…signs that have encouraged me to not give up. The signs have looked like receiving money I didn’t expect, receiving clients who reminded me why I do what I do, and new people entering my life who celebrate and support what I offer and how I show up in the world.
I’ve had a lot of setbacks and I’ve lost a lot, but I’ve also received a lot of gifts. I’ve accepted all of my experiences as part of a very necessary growth process. Recognizing and honoring my growth experiences has helped me to support others who are on similar journeys. Sure, despite the challenges, I’ve learned more amazing things about myself, begun to value my strengths, accept my limitations, honor my tenacity, and truly embrace my gifts. I appreciate the people in my life who love and honor who I am and what I bring to the table. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’m doing what I was born to do and my life gets better every day.
Pricing:
- Body-Centered Shadow Coaching, $160/60 minutes
- Body-Centered Shadow Coaching/Mini massage, $225/90 minutes
- Body-Centered Shadow Coaching/Maya abdominal massage, $275/120 minutes
- Maya abdominal massage, first session $230/2 hours
- Maya abdominal massage, follow-up session $180/90 minutes
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nataliegentry.com
- Instagram: @nataliegentry_returntoself
- Facebook: facebook.com/HealRestoreTransform
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/natalie-gentry
Image Credits
Amy K. Wright Photography, Suzanne Hanna, and SuzanneHanna.com
