Meet our Members!

-Would you like to give a background summary of who you are personally aside from reflexology? 

“Reflexology is the fourth or sixteenth job or profession I’ve involved myself with. I might say, it is one of my favorites, and the only one (except motherhood) that makes me feel more centered, cheerful, satisfied, and interested than most. I was married at one time and have two wonderful daughters- both lovely people with varied talents, abilities, personalities and skills. One lives outside of DC in Virginia, and the other lives in middle Tennessee. Both have two children- one male and one female, who are all excellent, in their own right.”

-Personal hobbies/interests? Other skills outside of reflexology?  

“Lately, I’ve taken to reading a lot of books. It began more defined when Covid took over our lives. I volunteer a couple times a month at my local library’s Book Market. People give used books to the library (probably any library), and we have a yearly Book Sale for a week, and we have a room stocked with used books for sale. they sell for 2 dollars, paper backs, one dollar; kids’ books are half that. It doesn’t seem like much, but over time, it adds up. “The latest BOOKMARKS check this Spring was a $25,000 donation to Marion Public Library and brings the total donations of the Bookmarks’ Friends of the Marion Public Library to $117,500 since their inception in 2015. So, if you are looking for a big project in your town, this might be a good one. Also, I volunteer at St Vincent’s Food Pantry and Retail Clothing Store a couple times a month. I’m not a Catholic, but all the clothing money goes to their food bank, and no money changes hands in the food bank. I also used to volunteer with the Ohio State Alumni group for lunches we used to serve free to the students at the Marion campus. Looking forward to this starting up again. I volunteer once a week for a couple hours at Mobile Meals and help get out hot meals to some seniors and folks who don’t like to cook. For years, I played the organ for a variety of churches. I was never a great organist, but I enjoyed it and, mostly, so did the church goers 🙂 In Juneau, AK I developed and accompanied a Children’s Peace Choir for five years until I moved back down to the Lower 48.  I had around 15 piano students there. In the Baltimore area, I had maybe six students over the years. On piano, you only get better if you practice – unless you are like this one young man around nine years old, who, I showed how to play the C major scale, and he proceeded to play that and moved on up the keyboard and did all the rest of the major scales during his first lesson. (I was thinking that this guy needs Chopin or Mozart, not me, to teach him.) I rent a lovely reflexology room in a massage therapist’s office. It’s very convenient- easy parking and access for my small number of clients.”

-Where did your interest in reflexology begin & how did your first experience with reflexology take place? 

“When I moved to Baltimore, I got a job at Social Security (the home office), I developed plantar fasciitis- I think from walking from the car in the huge parking lots through the huge buildings to my cubicle. My sisters got me a session and it was so wonderful. I remember thinking, “What a wonderful, relaxing treatment this is, but who in the world would want to work on someone’s stinky feet all the time.”  I went back a few times, and my pain level would diminish for a while after a session, and it finally went away.”

-How did you realize that being a reflexology client wasn’t going to be enough & you wanted to become a reflexologist?

“My sister, Kim Novatny, took the reflexology training from Chari Moye in Maryland first. Of course, she worked on family feet many times for certification and then for her ARCB requirement. But then, when she got her credentials, she got a paid job in a rehab center, and didn’t really want to work on family feet for free anymore. So, I decided that I could take the reflexology training, and I could work on family feet. Little did I realize that working on people’s feet, hands and ears would also make me feel better and more grounded in addition to helping the clients feel better.”

-Once you began practicing reflexology, how did your perspective change between being a client & now as a practitioner? 

“I am always so impressed with the improvement, relaxation, and better health that reflexology gives to our clients. It’s nice to be a part of that circle.”

-Has reflexology changed your life in any fashion as a “hands on” practitioner? 

“Yes. I feel I am contributing a wonderful benefit to anyone who is on my table, or chair.  I’ve even gotten rid of headaches (ears) and back pain (hands) while at work at SS and at a lunch. I tell almost everyone I run into about reflexology and give away many free sessions- especially to a senior center, group events and fundraisers, and to a few folks I run into who look like they really need an hour of relaxation.”

-Are there any specific techniques or reflex locations that you find are always beneficial that you try to incorporate into every session? 

“I always work the whole foot. I usually do ears first, then hands, and then feet. I can tell different things from the hands and feet. I don’t usually get info from the ears- although I do wait until the heartbeat balances on each side. And then I send a little reiki through and out the feet. I think reiki and qigong were both valuable information for me to know as a reflexologist. I also continue to take additional classes – several a year- to further my knowledge and skill levels. I firmly believe in continued education- especially for us to be approved by medical societies and accepted as professionals.  Would you go to a doctor who had only XXX hours of training? Also, I have a BS in Education from Ohio State–may have some bearing on my opinions.”

-Would you like to give any info on your practice or your business operation?  

(Business office/store location/hours of operation) and/or (address/contact info/Web presence) 

I have an office space at 309 South Main Street, Marion, Ohio 43302

Website is:

ReflexologyForRelaxation.com

443-839-7920

I charge $60 for an hour and $40 for a half hour.

I have a BioMat on the table, and folks really love this added benefit. And, sometimes after a session I lay on the table and soak up the good energy from the amethyst crystals. (Of course, after I’ve taken off their sheet. 🙂

 -And lastly, if you had one message for the world around you, what would that message be? 

“FIND YOURSELF A WONDERFUL REFLEXOLOGIST & PASS THE WORD ON! BE KIND! PRAY FOR PEACE!”