Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoë Etkin
Hi Zoë, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been working in women’s health and the motherhood space for many years, as I believe wholeheartedly that women, especially mothers, are undeserved and undersupported in this culture. Over the years, I have found a variety of ways to support those needs. I had worked for about a decade as a birth and postpartum doula, both in Memphis and Los Angeles, but I wanted to take my work in a new direction, so I took a training called STREAM (Scar Tissue Remediation, Education, and Management) with Ellen Heed. In her training I learned how to support trauma healing through a somatic lens–working with the nervous system and body to help resolve scar tissue, tension, and stuck emotions. Many clients work with me after having worked with a lot of other types of modalities/practitioners. Somatics is often the missing piece–bridging the mind and the body. I have personally had so much of my own growth and healing from making that connection.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s always a fine balance to be a mother and a business owner, but I feel grateful to work for myself and get to schedule my work in a way that creates space for my daughter’s needs as well.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What sets me apart from others is that the bodywork I offer is non-prescriptive. Each session is co-created with the client, based on what their body and nervous system need that day. Working with the nervous system also isn’t something most people experience in a coaching setting or bodywork setting. We are looking for information, mapping the body, mapping tension/sensation, and mapping the nervous system and emotions. I work with a lot of women who have had cesarean births, but I don’t only work with women, or mothers. Many clients come for a variety of reasons: other types of scars, injuries, discomfort, stuck emotions, or simply a desire to know their body and nervous system better.
I do still often work with pregnant and postpartum moms, teaching birth classes, doing bodywork, or coming over after the birth to offer specialized traditional postpartum care practices.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t know that I believe in luck. I think everything that has happened in my life and business has been because of choices I made and hard work I put in, as well as support from my amazing mentors, teachers, family, and community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.memphissomatichealing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeetkin
