Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Reid.
Hi Erica, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a Sagittarius. I think that sums up me the best, haha. I love adventure, I love travel and love truth, and I learning, and hanging with my animals. I am blessed to be a servant to a German Shepard, a DSH cat, and the most stunning red dune quarter horse. I was a Veterinarian Technician, then got into Vet school as well as offered a full scholarship to a university to study Psychology, but in a career center found Occupational Therapy. I choose this profession as it allowed me to work with people more holistically for their physical and some psychological needs- as well as use animals for their healing journey. Win Win Win. My roots started on a farm in Upstate New York where I lived until my 11th birthday. At that point, my family left the beautiful countryside and traded it in for the sunny beaches. At 29, I shifted once again leaving behind a new house, great job, and a fiancé and moved to NYC not knowing a soul. That was quite the adventure ha! It was a tough beginning but I made lifetime friends and learned a lot about myself and the world at large.
After 9/11- NYC came together more than ever as family, everyone was grieving and supporting each other. However, I made the decision to leave once again. This time for a guy. Oops! Hawaii was up next just for a short few months. Long enough to reside on Sunset Beach and become a ‘stunt’ women, stand in, and photo double in the movie Blue Crush. Then it was off to LA, where I have now spent 19 years of my adult life, built my therapy practice and enjoyed the diversity of this City of Angels. Although I’m nowhere near the white picket fence /2.5 children lifestyle I once thought Id have as a naive child, I do love the freedom and adventure I have embraced and continue to enjoy. When I was three and half, I lost sight in my left eye. I gained it back after surgery which changed my baby blues to a unique set of green with yellow highlights. I don’t think I look at the world in an average way thru this lens either. That combined with my near death experience at 11 years old, involving a ruptured appendix that didn’t get attended to for 12 hours while my youth and body were scarred for life, have given me a holistic and spiritual approach to health, healing and happiness. Ive learned we have to seek it out on our own and sometimes battle against the mainstream to get there, because none of the really good stuff comes in a bottle with an RX pad. My goal, my passion, my work, and my story & my life are filled with the desire to live fully, with joy, love and health… Whilst being an inspiration for others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s not been a smooth road, but I look at that as a good thing. Smooth would have been boring and no opportunities or motivation to grow. And I’ve done a lot of that 🙂 Because of some childhood experiences, I became quite shy around middle school. When we moved to a new school, my shyness caused one unhappy classmate to decide to talk dirty about me – and I didn’t know how to stand up for myself. I guess I got bullied in a way, and it had its effects. But I look back now and see my transformation and how I overcame the shyness and the belief that I wasn’t a worthy person. Now I can relate to those going thru it, and I still challenge myself constantly to continue to reshape my beliefs about myself and my place in this world. So, thank you Vicky M haha! I think being a tomboy but also not knowing how to appreciate and embrace my feminine without feeling like I was ‘asking for trouble’ held me back from true expression and therefore joy as well that mindset has also changed. I’ve found my life abundant with many leaders, coaches, and shining examples of how to be fiercely feminine – and the best part is many of these mentors I can personally call friends. Having been failed a few times by the mainstream medical system, and having a mom who was ahead of her time in natural /alternative medical environment, gave me the teachings & the tools to get a science-based degree combined with a holistic functional approach which I find the most rewarding for me and for my clients.
We’ve been impressed with Erica Reid/Head2Soul, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a private Occupational Therapy practice. Most people don’t know what that means- do I help people find jobs? Nope. I do help people overcome pain, PTSD, posture and other physical and emotional limitations keeping them from doing their ‘ADL’s’. Activities of Daily Living. In other words, anything you do to be you 🙂 From dressing yourself to expressing yourself. I don’t have a ‘normal’ OT practice however. Instead, I’ve had extensive training in manual therapy techniques addressing the fascial and connective tissue system which extends to every cell in the body. By addressing this web of tissue, relief from pain can occur not only where the person is having symptoms but also gets to the root of the problem. Traditional therapy usual just treats the area affected and therefore clients have only temporary relief, whereas MFR/visceral/cranial sacral type techniques can and are able to provide long-term reduction of pain. My treatments are all hands on one on one sessions, for babies to elderly and yes, I even treat animals!
After going through my own healing journey with pelvic floor pain, I also became specialized in pelvic floor therapy for both male and female clients through the Herman-Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute as well as a handful of other credited and amazing teachers. Incontinence, pregnancy pain, posture dysfunction, neck and back pain, and pelvic floor pain & sexuality are just a few of the conditions I provide education & treatment for.
My tag line is “Helping Women get Magical with their Mindset, Movement and Medicine”.
My pride and joy however, is my nonprofit foundation A New Dawn of Shinah. This was created to help sex trafficked, exploited and abused survivors find mind-body balance through holistic healing approaches and alternative medicine. The “alternative” approach is founded on a fundamental principle of viewing the individual as a whole person. This approach also embraces the belief that a person does not need to be ‘fixed’, as there is nothing ‘broken’ to begin with. Instead, it seeks to uncover or reveal the innate health and wholeness that lies within.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Hmmm, lots of things. Laughing with my lover. Being in nature. Riding my horse, hiking with my dog, laughing at my cat 🙂 TRAVEL. Hiking. Sharing stories of healing with my clients. Spending time with family… and friends that are family! Sunshine… But I also think being happy can be a choice at times. I try to fill my thoughts with Gratitude on everything. It really does shift the narrative…
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.head2soul.net www.anewdawnfoundation.org
- Instagram:@head2soultherapy @anewdawnfoundation
- Facebook:@head2soultherapy @ANewDawnofShinahFoundation
Image Credits:
Michael Estrella Yon Thomas Victoria Smith
