I am a heart-centred somatic coach, supporting those who are looking for more ease, freedom & joy, in their bodies and in life
Find out more about me and my work below...
Hi, I’m Emilie. Welcome to this space. This is where you get to find out a bit about me and what makes me tick! In my work, I am a Somatic Movement instructor, a salsa dance teacher, and a dance fitness instructor. I support those who are looking for more ease, freedom & joy, in their bodies and in life. This feels increasingly important to me as I move towards the end of my fifth decade of life - I want to keep moving and grooving for as long as I possibly can!
My work encompasses the gentle but incredibly powerful practice of Somatic Movement, low-impact, accessible, light-hearted fitness through my SOSA dance fitness classes, and introducing people to the wonderful world of salsa dance.
I am a one-woman business, and work few hours in the week. You won’t get immediate answers to queries, nor the slickest, sleekest experience working with me. You will, however, get personal connection and support, and someone who takes responsibility for their part (and gets things sorted) when things don’t go smoothly. People who connect well with me are respectful of my humanness, own their own feelings, and can expect a high quality, personal service from me. If this doesn’t sound reasonable to you, we are probably not meant to work together - and that’s completely ok!
I have always loved working with people. Formerly a paediatric speech and language therapist, I enjoyed getting to know children and their families, and working with them on speech, language and communication issues. But what really drew me in was finding a place in myself where I would see these children and parents for who they each were – where I could hear and honour their perspectives, meet there where they were at, and work collaboratively with them to help them find their path.
And then I became a parent myself – and that has been my deepest, biggest and most challenging learning curve. I realised just how under-resourced and under-recognised parents are – and how impossible it was to parent well in such isolation, as we do in our culture. My focus shifted from speech and language therapy, to training as a Hand in Hand Parenting coach and walking alongside other parents, as we all did the necessary learning and inner work to be less tied by our own conditioning and traumas, and to become more conscious and intentional on our parenting path.
Finding myself on a parenting path that included neurodiversity, anxiety and reactivity amongst my children, as well as chronic health conditions in myself, led me increasingly down the path of trauma and the body, and the realisation that this body-centred work is where my heart lies. I found, practised, and trained in Somatic Movement, went back to teaching salsa (one of my big, pre-parenting loves!), and then added the dance fitness work to my repertoire. And this is where you find me today!
I work both with groups and individuals, and in-person as well as online. Wherever and in whatever form I work with someone, my aim is to meet them where they’re at, and support them in the work that takes them to where they want to be. And that looks really different for each of us! My guiding principle is around bringing people home to themselves, through the body, so they can live life more fully, whatever that means to them.
My work aims to be as inclusive as possible. As a white, cis, straight woman, I have a long way to go. I continue to learn and change in my own ways, and am open to guidance and correction when it is needed. All are welcome in this space – racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression will not be tolerated here, although discomfort is held with care and gentleness as we learn on this path.
Parent and home educator to 3 beautiful children
Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor
Certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher
SOSA Dance instructor
Salsa dance teacher
As I have travelled this path over the years, I have also explored and gained certifications in a number of other supportive practices, such as Way of the Luminous Heart, circle holding, Chakradance, and reiki.
I am also an avid reader, and taker of relevant courses! I am constantly learning and evolving, as I dig deeper into my explorations around connection, authenticity, trauma, the nervous system, ancestral wisdom, movement, massage, and dance, amongst other things.
It is tremendously important to me to create balance in my life – to tend to my own needs, as well as those of others, and to find joy and gratitude, alongside the challenges that life brings. Here and there, in the windows that I create or that open up to me in any given moment, I put time towards natural and conscious movement practices, dance, and rest. I am a dog lover and owner, I both frustrate myself with and enjoy making a mess of the gardening, and I love to laugh with my partner, be silly with my children, and connect with friends. I write, crochet, drink tea, and read. Around the washing up, the (occasional) cleaning, and the supporting of my family’s needs (as well as all the other parenting and life ‘stuff’), I make space to do the things I enjoy. It makes all the difference.