“Lee possesses warmth, dedication and a keen intellect; she is an astute, inspiring and compassionate teacher and practitioner whom I would recommend to anyone.”
- Stefanie Cohen, MA, RSME, Intertisciplinary Artist and Somatic Movement Educator

My experience and training spans the physical, mental/emotional, creative, energetic and spiritual realms, which all interrelate at the intersection of our living bodies.  Being aware of our many aspects of existence in each moment is how I serve you best.  I am a Registered Somatic Movement Educator & Therapist, Reiki practitioner, Certified Aroma Freedom Technique Practitioner, Certified Franklin Method Educator, and student of Shamanic Studies. I hold an MA with Distinction in Dance and Somatic Wellbeing from the University of Central Lancashire, a BA in Dance and Visual Arts from Oberlin College.

I have taught in a wide range of settings, including colleges and universities, women’s shelters, wellness studios, schools, camps, HIV/AIDS wellness organizations, and conferences.  I’ve served on the Board of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, and was founding co-chair of their Diversity & Inclusion Working Group.

My winding path of learning and teaching…

I started teaching healing and wellbeing through the arts over 20 years ago as a high school assistant to an classes for kids with developmental and physical delays. I was awestruck witnessing how art motivated children to move and express in ways that they and their caregivers had never seen before. This was especially delightful to me as my own experience growing up in the arts had always been source of refuge and personal growth.

I began my somatic education officially in college, where I was studying interdisciplinary arts with a focus on improvisational dance and installation art. Following my creative interests honed my skills of manifesting ideas in physical reality, as well as served as a foundation for following my body’s wisdom in all aspects of life.  I also sustained a significant fall and spinal injury while in college, which led me deeper into the study and practice of healing arts.

After college I spent a year teaching somatic practices and creative arts in New Orleans, where I also began my Reiki studies. Among the many blessings of my time in New Orleans was getting to see an example of a cultural fabric based in creative expression and off the beaten path entrepreneurship.  I then returned to Philadelphia to reconnect with and serve my communities at home. This intention led me to developing The Visioning Body in 2012, to support YOU in doing your lives and work in a way that honors your whole being.

I like to keep my knowledge fresh and inspired through continued creative and somatic research, as well as professional trainings in Reiki, Somatic Movement, Shamanism, dance improvisation, and entrepreneurial leadership. Through all of my work, I am devoted to kindling a sense of joy and empowerment for being alive in our evolving bodies and world.

My Story

As a senior in college I experienced a traumatic fall and injury to my spine. I was literally blown by a gust of wind that caught behind the door to my art studio. I fell 20 feet to the earth. At the time, I had been feeling disheartened about the purpose of my art-making and the direction of my life. I had always known that my creative pursuits fed me and helped me to grow, and that I wanted to be a healer in some way, but I’d been feeling disconnected from these truths.

Somehow, amidst the sheer shock and terror of my body hitting the earth, I heard a voice that simply said,

‘The purpose of life is being alive.’

Amazingly, this gust of wind and fall led me back to my core knowing: I live and create in order to be alive. To feel, taste, and touch life — to dance and to sing life. It also became clear in that moment that healing was indeed a huge part of my personal path and my offering to the world.

Healing and learning from this fall could be the subject of an entire book. Suffice to say, movement has been an essential ingredient to my healing. I found solace, hope, and possibility in the improvisational dance world that was already a home to me. I began to learn somatic approaches to neuromuscular release, emotional and energetic processing, and creating a life that prioritized self-care and play. I quickly regained 95% of my range of motion and strength.

I started teaching what I was learning to friends, dance students, and children and women in the communities where I worked in New Orleans after college, and we were all delighted by the results. I learned Reiki, which heightened my experience and awareness of the movement of energy that connects all life. I began to envision ways of creating personal and community transformation through honoring and nurturing the body.

I enrolled in a Masters degree program in Dance and Somatic Well-being, and became connected with a community of somatic educators developing unique ways of working with the body based on their own lived experiences. I began to see myself as a part of this community, expanding my sensed connection to my body in order to literally expand my experience of my self, the world, and my visions.

Through personal research and experience facilitating groups and individuals in a diverse range of communities, I have come to trust and know that connecting deeply to the body opens vast worlds of possibility in our healing and visioning, and that doing so has profound effects on our lives, our communities, and our world.

As my own story continues to evolve, I am so grateful to be able to hold space for your deepening awareness, thriving, and unfolding visions for the betterment of all.