025: Healing Through Touch: Blanca’s Journey with Massage Therapy, Mindfulness & Self-Acceptance
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Speaker 2
[00.00.00]
Hey, hey. Welcome back. Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Blanca Rodriguez. She is a massage
therapist and a holistic life coach in Florida. If you are interested in the physical therapeutic modalities
such as massage therapy, yoga, chiropractic. This episode is for you. We also talk a little bit about
mindfulness, a little bit about Blanca. She is the dynamic owner and CEO of Wounded Healer, LLC, with
over 20 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist and certified Canine Massage Therapist.
Blanca is dedicated to improving quality of life, one soul at a time. Her expertise extends to fitness
instruction for individuals aged 55 and above, and she brings over 30 years of experience in Zumba and
dance teaching. As an Amazon bestselling co-author and holistic life coach. Blanca's mission is to
empower others through her multifaceted approach to wellness. Welcome to the Real Food Mental
Health podcast, where we explore the powerful connection between mental and physical health. My
name is Cody Cox, a holistic nutritional psychotherapist, and I'm here to guide you on a journey to true
wellness mind, body, and spirit. If you're tired of quick fixes and want real solutions that address the root
cause, you're in the right place. Let's get started on your path to lasting wellness.
Speaker 1
[00.01.36]
Welcome back to Real Food Mental Health with Cody Cox. Today I have Blanca Rodriguez. Welcome,
Blanca.
Speaker 2
[00.01.43]
Thank you so much for having me here Cody. What a joy it is.
Speaker 1
[00.01.46]
So tell us a little bit about your story. So you were telling me that you have a little bit of some things to
share about mental illness particularly. But then also I want to hear more about your profession.
Speaker 2
[00.02.01]
Yes, absolutely. Um, when I was eight years old, my well, all the family, we moved from Puerto Rico
back in the 70s. My father moved the whole family to New York City and search of the American dream.
And unfortunately, he did conquer the American dream. He was a very abundant man. He had three
different businesses. And in one fateful night in 1973, uh, and a robbery gone terribly wrong, he lost his
life. And with that, uh, tragic circumstance going on, my mother, she The decline into she she really
drown in a very deep, deep depression that she basically never recovered from. She had chronic,
untreated mental illness for most of her entire life. It was the time in the 70s when speaking about mental
illness is was totally prohibited. It was taboo. Nobody will have an open conversation about mental
illness, mental health even more so, mental health. I grew up around a family where there was a lot of
treated and untreated mental illness, but the way that mental illnesses were treated back in that day was
basically with horse tranquilizer, and that's what my uncles would call it. Oh, I'm having my my horse
tranquilizer because they will become zombies when they will have these medications. So it will be to
just numb them, numb them. And there was not ever a solution to their problem. There was not like it is
today that you can still have a very productive life. Even if mental, if people are challenged with mental
health. That was really not the case at all in those times. It was the age when if you had some kind of
mental health issues, it either was hidden or if it was exposed. That was basically the end of a productivelife, because it would be this. These people, unfortunately, will fall in the category of they were useless,
to be honest with you. And fast forward all these years later, my mother, she is 94 years old right now.
She has advanced stages of dementia and my mother did the best that she could with the few tools that
she had to make it better for the family. But in the midst of her being so unstable mentally, it really took
us to a very unstable lifestyle. We didn't know when she would have good moments, when she would
have bad moments. My mother was a very, unfortunately, a very violent person. So my father died
violently and my mother became a very violent people. Her mental health took the best of her. So I could
say that with the death of my father, in a way, I lost both parents because my mother was a very different
person before my mother. My my father died, and then she became an entirely different person. So that
absence, the the physical absence of my father and then my mother being emotionally absent, it was like
a double loss, not only for me, but for my two siblings as well. And growing up in an environment like
that was really, really hard. Of course, it took a toll on me and my siblings and me. Definitely. It took a
toll of living in shame, low self-worth, low self-esteem. I was with living in a pattern of self-destructive
self-destruction entirely. But. Time passes. We do change. We do? He'll put in the work in. Definitely.
The results are seeing. I are seeing, but it wasn't without going through very dark seasons of loneliness,
living in isolation, believing that I was not worth anybody's time or effort or support. Because I grew up
in such an isolated world where it was almost literally a jungle out there, it was. I'm here to survive. And
this I had to learn very quickly in a blink of an eye. It was life before my father's death and life after my
father's death. And when he died, I had to jump into survival mode. And I didn't even know how. I didn't
even understand what was that all about until it happened. And with those terrible circumstances that we
grew up on that I grew up on, definitely the lessons are learned. That is for sure. Fast forward many
decades later, I am still here. I am very grateful for everything. I am very grateful for the lessons because
it gives me an understanding that the more informed we are about something, the better it is to
understand. The more support we seek, the more support we will receive. And my message to everybody,
including starting with myself, is don't do it alone. There's no need to do it alone because the help will
always be there. If we only reach out and get it, if we only reach out and pick up those tools and actually
use them, because the tools are always there, available to us to use as well. So yes, definitely we can all
the tools to make it better for ourselves, but if we don't use them consistently, then we will definitely be.
We will stay in the same slippery slope and not go anywhere. And I give the biggest example of this.
Definitely, I go back to my poor mother that she didn't know how to deal with her mental illness. It was
profound. It lasted for a very long time. Most likely her entire life she was struggling with with chronic
mental illness. And it wasn't until she was put in an institution at almost 80 years old, that she finally got
the help that she so very much deserved and needed. But it wasn't until it went to an extreme that my
grandmother was Baker Act and then put it into an institution. And I can tell you this, Cody. These are
things that. Honestly, with the proper help can be avoided. There's so. There's so many other things that
we can do to avoid getting to that extreme. But this was her story, and I know that she doesn't mind me
telling her story, because I we know in our hearts that it can help others as well.
Speaker 1
[00.08.59]
Yes. And you mentioned tools. As long as people are consistently applying them, they can make a huge
difference in how a person feels and their recovery. And you also mentioned that your your mother
finally got the help that she needed at the age of 80. What help was that? Was it medications? Was it
Speaker 2
[00.09.18]
therapy? Well, when the time bomb, I called it a time bomb because it really was finally imploded. She
she went into a very dark place. She thankfully, she doesn't remember where she was, but she went into a
dark place, and she was put into an into an institution. And after her being in that institution, she was put
into, of course, intensive therapy. And she is with medication, of course. My mother's world, medication
is the answer to everything. But in my understanding, uh, working as a holistic life coach and doing
everything holistically, East meets West. There's so many other tools that can really help anybody in this
journey of healing. Recovery, uh, healing those wounds. Childhood trauma. I come from a lot of
childhood trauma, untreated childhood trauma. And it takes a village to. For to to get that help to healthose wounds and the healing to to me, the healing. It takes a lifetime. I know in my at least in my story, I
I'm in in this process for the rest of my life. The process never ends. It's very important for people to
understand that this is not about I am cured for some from something, and it will never come back to me.
No, the triggers can happen. Anything can happen that can trigger us, and it can take us back to a terrible
memory of whatever the case may be. And it's about, how are we going to deal with those triggers? How
long are we going to allow those triggers to dominate us? Or say to ourselves, I'm triggered, but I am
safe? That was then. This is now. I'm in a safe space now. It's going to be okay. This too really does pass
and this too shall pass as well.
Speaker 1
[00.11.21]
I like to teach a lot of mindfulness, and in that instruction that I give to my clients, I say 99% of the time
you are safe and everything's okay. Absolutely. So often, often we feel this, this anxiety in our gut or, or
this heavy burden of stress where we feel like we're unsafe. But as we remind ourselves that we actually
are physically safe and you might even say emotionally safe.
Speaker 2
[00.11.52]
Absolutely.
Speaker 1
[00.11.53]
It can reduce those negative emotions and help us feel more at peace. Mhm. So you started a practice
called Wounded Healer. I know what a wounded healer is, but just for the sake of my listeners who might
not know, can you explain what that concept is?
Speaker 2
[00.12.09]
Well, us, the wounded healers concept started in very ancient times. Actually, there is this story of I think
it was, and I'm paraphrasing here, I think it was in the in Greek mythology about this warrior that he was
wounded by an hour and an arrow and he became a healer. So he was most likely the beginning of a
wounded healer. Us wounded healers, we take all of these experiences that has broken us, that has
scarred us, and take it as lessons to help others improve, basically improve their quality of life through
our journeys, helping them with our stories, being there for them, embracing their situation because they
can. We can be so similar in so many ways because we've been so wounded before, and I'm definitely all
of the times that I've been wounded in this life. I take it with everything I am to help others, that is for
sure. And because where I was in life, I was wounded and I was lonely and I was alone and I was
isolated versus still being wounded but becoming a healer. I'm a licensed massage therapist for 20 years.
I'm a canine massage therapist. I'm a life coach. I'm a fitness instructor. I help others improve their
quality of life no matter what age we are and wounded healers, we're all about that.
Speaker 1
[00.13.53]
I think there's something to be said about being a wounded healer, because we're coming from a place of
compassion and wisdom, where there are health care practitioners who, frankly, they don't have that
experience. They don't have that experience of suffering in a similar way to their patients. And so I think
many of them are well intentioned. They're trying their best, but they're just not doing the best job. I'm a
licensed psychotherapist, and I would say that most therapists are actually wounded healers. We're
coming from our own place of suffering because, quite frankly, it's not a very, very highly paidprofession. And so nobody's going to go into it unless we have some experience with that suffering and
that desire to help other people through their suffering, because we're definitely not doing it for the
money.
Speaker 2
[00.14.48]
Very true, very true. I cannot agree with you more. I'm definitely not doing it for the money because I
know I'm not a high paid practitioner. I mean, I wear many hats and all of my hats that I wear, they're not
they're not high pay is something that it comes from the deepest of my heart. It comes from the deepest of
my soul that comes from a place, just like you said, of compassion and knowing, say, and saying to all of
these people, I feel you, I get you, I totally I understand where you're coming from more than you think I
do. And definitely that place of compassion makes all the difference in the world of what we do. Because
everyone, when it comes only about money and I have met both sides of the story. I, I have worked for
wellness centers that are very, very abundant financially. But it becomes it becomes like a money making
machine. The essence of the of the the purpose is gone. It gets lost somewhere and then it becomes
something that is for universal or 1 or 1 size fits all kind of situation when it's and it's not. It has never
been about that. Wounded healers. We are not a one size fits all kind of helpers. We help one person at a
time with one situation at a time, and we definitely cater to the needs of whoever comes our way. It's it's
not it's not like, oh, I recommended this to 20 other patients and they will work on you because they work
on them. No, it's really not about that. Everybody is different and it's meant to be respected and definitely
embrace in this process.
Speaker 1
[00.16.41]
And unfortunately, we live in a society where the cost of living is high, the cost of goods are high, and I
can see how some practitioners would do it for the money just because they have bills to pay. Right. And
that's it's a very difficult balance to to achieve where it's like I have to support myself and my family if I
have a family. But then at the same time, I need to support my patients because I'm trying to make a
difference in their lives. I'm not just trying to make money. Yeah. So how do you balance that, Blanca?
Speaker 2
[00.17.19]
Well, I can tell you this. And I was talking to someone just today about when it comes to paying my bills
and taking care of the patients I am. I think I am one of the most affordable massage therapists in all my
area here in South Florida. I have out of curiosity, I was like, well, let me see how much this person
charges for a massage for a life coaching session, whatever the case may be like. Wow, okay. I definitely
I am one of the most affordable. Practitioners in the area because in my experience, it really isn't about
the money. People will come, the bills will get paid. I am and I to me the most important thing is not
money. Because if I mentor myself into that, I will lose touch with myself and I will lose touch with what
my purpose in this life is. My husband says that as long as I have a mine and a voice, I will never stop
working. I will never stop delivering a message. And that is what is all about most. I do many things for
absolutely. I don't get paid for absolutely anything. I'm a book author and most of the time what do I do?
I give away the book. I give away my chapter because it can help someone who likes reading a good
book. About 29 different co-authors going through many things in life and coming back on the other side,
or coming or getting out of that rabbit hole. Then if I make it my mindset of no, they have to pay me and
I have to get paid for absolutely every single movement that I do, then my purpose is kind of gone there.
And I really I have never been about that. I've been doing massage therapy for 20 years, and I always was
the most affordable one in town, and I'm very proud of it. The the patients always come. The clients will
come. Word of mouth is there. I am based on recommendation. I mean, most of the time because I don't
really do any ads or anything announcing my services. So I'm very grateful about that, that the essence of
Wounded Healer is not gone because I gotta pay my bills. So I'm very grateful for that. Yeah. As long as
your bills are paid for, it makes it a little bit easier. I wish we could, uh, reform society so that we're not
so focused on money, but so true. Maybe someday. Who knows, right?Speaker 1
[00.20.00]
It'd be nice to just focus on the work that we're passionate about and not worry too much about the return.
Speaker 2
[00.20.06]
Very true, very true. Now, earlier, you mentioned how you feel like mental illness in many ways is
preventable. What did you mean by that? I am a big fan of this inspirational speaker. He is from way
back in the day. His name was Jim Rohn, and Jim Rohn used to say, change your mindset, change your
life. And there's many powerful speakers that they say the same phrase to this day Doctor Joe Dispenza,
Anthony Robbins and so many others. And I believe, you know, there is, of course, in mental illness
there can be a chemical imbalance. I understand that that is the medical aspect. And no, I'm not a
psychotherapist. I'm not a doctor for any means. But I have the University of life when it comes to many,
many mental illnesses. And me growing up, my my entire lifetime, I've been around some kind of mental
illness, either with a direct family member or with many people that I put on my table in my massage
therapy career. I'm a medical massage therapist, so I'm in. I'm in wellness centers. I'm in medical doctors
offices. So it's not I don't do the spa business for anything. And what I have find is that when, for
example, people with stress and anxiety, okay, stress starts with a thought and the thought dominates our
minds. And when we are stressed mentally and emotionally, it will directly affect our bodies in the form
of clouding, clouding our mindset. Headaches, stomach aches, migraines, neck issues, gastrointestinal
issues even. And in severe cases it can become a cardiac arrest or even a stroke. This is what stress, how
a thought of stress can translate into something really, really bad here. So in with the many tens of
thousands of patients that I have had in my career, it is proven that with one session of massage therapy,
the levels of cortisol, which is the stress hormone, the level of cortisol will go down by 30% with one
session of massage therapy alone. And the levels of the happy chemicals of our body, serotonin and
endorphins, will go up by over 35% with one session of massage. I have had people coming in. I mean, I
have had people that are that are war veterans. A lot of people with PTSD, anxiety Pulse cancer patients,
people that have been mutilated. Many, many cases. And I used to work in centers for drug addiction and
alcohol abuse as well. And most of the time, most of these patients, especially in the centers for Drug
Addiction, the root of their problem is untreated childhood trauma. They come from a place of trauma.
They come from a place of abuse, abandonment, neglect, being left to their own devices and not seeking
the help that they so very much needed and deserve. And of course, with these severe cases that I have
encountered in my career, things do get out of hand. And how do many of us humans numb the pain by
the use of alcohol and or drugs, which can obviously take people in a downhill spiral and they just don't
know how to get out of it. The good news is that with holistic help. Whether it is, of course, the help of
psychotherapists specialized in their field. Meditation, prayer, yoga, physical activity can be a healer in
so many aspects of our lives. Yoga. Massage therapy. Chiropractic care by my practice. Well, I used to
work for a practice that when we when we did go to these centers, it was a holistic approach to the
patients recovery and the patients. I could tell you this, 95% of the patients that I had in a three year
period, and I had over 3000 of them a year. They will all say that the best, the best that they have always
felt was with a yoga class, meditation, chiropractic care and massage therapy. They put they have always
put in the last of the lists, the medication that they receive. Actually they said, oh, those medications do
nothing for me. This makes me feel better. So there is so many options. It's about here we go again,
picking up those tools, giving them this, giving this very important information to these patients and help
them navigate through their needs, whatever works for them. And I really hope that this helps somebody
out there because there is options to make ourselves better physically, emotionally and mentally. It's
funny, I was just telling my wife the other day, I don't think I've ever heard a success story from
somebody about medication. That's so true. I've heard so many success stories about holistic health
practices, absolutely,
Speaker 1
[00.25.54]in various forms. But never has anybody said not even not on a podcast or YouTube video, or even just
someone I've spoken to in person. Not. Not ever. Has anyone said this medication changed my life, I am
Speaker 2
[00.26.09]
healed. Oh my God, that is so true. I've been doing I've been doing this for so long and I have never, ever
heard anybody either, I have. I have taken care of tens. I lost count years ago, tens of thousands of
patients with every single situation you can and you cannot imagine from post libel all the way to cancer
patients, all the way to war veterans, all the way to recovering addicts. I have never heard in my entire
career nobody saying, oh, this pill really was a miracle in my life. Never, never, always has. The holistic
has always been the holistic approach to their recovery that has that. They really feel impacted and they
really feel the good effects of it.
Speaker 1
[00.26.58]
Ironically, pharmaceutical medicine seems to be still very popular, very mainstream, and touted as being
the authority on medicine. Yeah, but statistically speaking, it's actually not even the most common
medicine in the world. We've got traditional Chinese medicine as the most common, followed by
homeopathy. Yeah, and Western or conventional medicine is actually a distant third from homeopathy.
And so in terms of popularity, it's not even number one. But for some reason in America, we seem to
think of it that way. You mentioned how mental illness is a chemical imbalance, and I don't disagree with
you. Um, but I want to point out that I think in many cases we're not necessarily born with that chemical
imbalance. Right? A lot of it has to do with that. The childhood trauma that you mentioned. Mhm. In
psychotherapy we might call that aces or adverse childhood experiences, where for example, it might be
instances of abuse or your parents were divorced or just various things that happened in your childhood
that can impact your your emotional health forever.
Speaker 2
[00.28.14]
Absolutely.
Speaker 1
[00.28.16]
But that is the common theme I'm seeing among most people who are struggling, even as adults who are
struggling with mental illness. So. Um, you mentioned physical activity, chiropractic care, massage
therapy, yoga, these are all physical things. And I have to agree with you on that because it's like, I don't
do massage therapy. I'm not a chiropractor, but I am a yoga teacher.
Speaker 2
[00.28.47]
Oh, I love that. And so I do totally understand how we tend to store negative emotions in our bodies.
Probably positive emotions too. But as we move our bodies, we stretch our muscles. We breathe through
that trauma. It actually helps to release those emotions in a physical sense.
Speaker 1
[00.29.09]
Mhm. Uh, there is an author named Eckhart Tolle. He wrote the book The Power of Now. I think you
wrote a few other very popular books. Yeah. And he said emotions are physical manifestations of our
thoughts.Speaker 2
[00.29.24]
Mhm. Wow. That's powerful.
Speaker 1
[00.29.27]
So how do we change our thoughts. That can be a very difficult thing depending on the brain chemistry
that we have. Like I said, I think in many cases we're not necessarily born with it. Mhm. Uh but it's about
epigenetics our lifestyle the way we're eating. But our thoughts can change our brain chemistry too. Yes,
I mentioned mindfulness earlier. Do you practice mindfulness or teach
Speaker 2
[00.29.51]
mindfulness to you? Absolutely. I practice mindfulness. Mindfulness. I'm a student, an eternal student of
mindfulness, and it has helped me through my journey of healing myself. And no, I have. I have gone to
a lot of support in my journey to healing. I have gone to I have gone to counseling. But the thing that has
helped me the most has been, of course, physical activity, yoga, meditation, practicing mindfulness,
breathing techniques to me. I mean, in when I am in a situation like these centers for alcohol abuse and
addiction, the addiction centers, that is total turmoil around us. It's like a being going through a door and
going into a hurricane. And the one thing that always kept me centered for over three years of my life
was practicing mindfulness meditation, listening to music, putting good music to the patients and my
breathing techniques. Breathing. Has been the most, in my experience, one of the most powerful tools to
keep myself calm and centered in my entire career. And we are beings of vibration. We are beings. We
are emotional beings. We are beings of touch. Touch is the second sensation that us infants feel right
after crying is a sense that we will never let go of. And I am touching. I'm in direct contact with all of
these patients, so what they feel if I am not protecting myself, I may get down that rabbit hole with them
and it has never served. It doesn't serve anybody, starting with myself. So definitely practicing
mindfulness has been a powerful tool not only for my healing journey, but on a daily basis. I practice
mindfulness, I practice being in the present. Even when I'm eating something. It's like, let me just. Focus
on what I'm eating, the texture of the food, how the different flavors are, how my palate is embracing, the
different flavors, and of course, meditation and prayer. I do meditation every single day. I do meditation
first thing in the morning, last thing in the evening. There is a lot of guided meditations everywhere for
whatever it is that you desire and need. There's five minutes, ten minutes, 20 minutes, whatever it is that
you choose. This is why I say that it's like the tools are there. Just reach out and grab them because it's
worth it. It's good for your quality of life. It's good for improving. It's good for recommending to
someone. Oh, what do you recommend? It's like, well, I don't recommend anything, but this is what
works for me. And definitely practicing mindfulness is a powerful tool to keep it all together to deal with
difficult situations, not only as a professional, but in my personal life as well.
Speaker 1
[00.33.05]
Yeah, mindfulness is really accessible right now. I actually I heard about mindfulness in a blog like, oh,
maybe 15 years ago, but back then I couldn't find any instruction on how to practice mindfulness. It was
just a blog article about how to naturally overcome depression or anxiety or something like that. Yeah,
and I was like, how do I learn this? Finally, fast forward to maybe it was like 2017 or 16. Yeah. You
started seeing apps available, and I think maybe headspace was available a little bit before that. But I
found an app called Smiling Mind, which I love, and I recommend that to pretty much everyone because
it's free. It's a lot like Headspace or Calm, but it's a nonprofit organization and because it's a nonprofit.
They offer it for free to everyone.
Speaker 2[00.33.59]
Oh, I love that. I'm writing it down myself right now because I love practicing mindfulness. I love it, I
love it. It's been a big blessing in my life. Yeah. And I've they did, uh, redo their app last summer. It's a
little bit less intuitive in my opinion now, but yeah, they still have great content. They're always adding
new things. It always uh, I think originally it started out as a children's program because they
Speaker 1
[00.34.23]
do have meditations available for like a classroom setting
Speaker 2
[00.34.28]
for children. Oh that's wonderful. Oh so
Speaker 1
[00.34.31]
needed meditations for all ages at this point, from two year olds to 80 year olds.
Speaker 2
[00.34.38]
Oh, I love that. That's wonderful. I'll definitely look into it. Thank you for that.
Speaker 1
[00.34.43]
Do you have a favorite app that you have been using or like a YouTube channel?
Speaker 2
[00.34.47]
I've been using calm a lot. That is one of my favorites. Of course, you know, it comes with a cost, but it's
really, really helpful. I do many different meditations. I go to many YouTube channels. I, uh, I use
Doctor Joe Dispenza this meditations too. It depends on what my needs are, I will just. Start looking. I
will ask, uh, very important in my experience, to be very specific of what kind of meditation and for what
do you want it? How much time do you want to do your meditation? Because a lot of people are. So we
live in such a fast paced world that a lot of people think that more than five minute meditation is way too
much. And no, it's like the more and the meditative state you are, the better it is for your body. The more
of prolonged health you will have, the more in a state where you will have, the more of a great day you
will have, the more clarity of mind you will have. And definitely meditation is one of those things that is
like, I don't I don't have any certain favorite, but I always go to I always go back to calm, definitely, but
I'll definitely look into smiling mine. I'm very excited about that one.
Speaker 1
[00.36.01]
Yeah, and I don't think there's anything wrong with Calm or Headspace or some of those other options.
In fact, if some people come to me and they're like, I'm already using calm or I already have a headspace
subscription, I don't have them change. I think they're great. If they're already paying for that
subscription, might as well use it.Speaker 2
[00.36.17]
Yeah, absolutely. And this is the thing, just like you said, if you're already paying for any, any
subscription, please use it because then it will bring frustration. It's like, oh, I'm paying all this money
and I'm not even using it. What the heck I'm doing with this. So yeah, but smiling is an excellent, uh,
excellent idea. The field. I'll use it. And if I can get out of paying for another subscription, I'll happily do
so. I'm not really limited into. This is my only preference. I'm really open. I'm really open to many
options. I when I want to. I'm bilingual, I'm English and Spanish, so I when I want to hear a nice guided
meditation in Spanish, I'll just look for one in Spanish.
Speaker 1
[00.36.57]
Yep, there are a lot of YouTube channels to a lot of free resources
Speaker 2
[00.37.01]
out there that are just
Speaker 1
[00.37.03]
great. And for Lord of the rings fans, I'm not particularly a Lord of the rings fan, but there is a YouTube
channel called The Honest Guys and they've got some guided meditations that are Lord of the rings
themed. Oh that's lovely. So I've I've done it a couple of times and they're actually quite enjoyable. They
have like little sound effects in the background and things like that. I wouldn't technically call it
mindfulness, but it is a guide. It is still a meditation, but a guided meditation. Oh
Speaker 2
[00.37.35]
that's lovely. Yeah, that's an excellent option.
Speaker 1
[00.37.37]
Be fun to, uh, a fun way to challenge the imagination a
Speaker 2
[00.37.42]
little bit. Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1
[00.37.43]
Visualize those kinds of things.
Speaker 2
[00.37.46]
Um. Absolutely wonderful.Speaker 1
[00.37.49]
Um. Do you do any like cranial sacral therapy or any sort of specialized forms of massage therapy?
Speaker 2
[00.37.58]
Yes. I don't do cranial sacral, but I do myofascial release. I do bamboo, hot stone, cold stone, lymphatic
drainage, prenatal massage, deep tissue massage. Sports massage. Swedish massage. Oh, wow. Yeah.
Yeah. Um, I do, of course. Medical massage therapy. I do reflexology as well. So. Yeah, I and and I
always integrate whatever of my practices, whatever the craft that I know into the needs as to, into the
specific needs of each individual. For example, uh, today I, I was massaging, uh, this woman that she
had, uh, both of her breasts were removed. She had a very aggressive form of breast cancer. She has a lot
of scar tissue around lymph nodes that were that were taken out as well. So it wasn't only a lymphatic
drainage massage, it was myofascial release to break down scar tissue. So it's very tailored to individual
needs. And then at the same time, I wanted her to be in a calm state because her body was so embedded
by so much. Not only the chemo, the radiation, but getting both breast removed. Going through that state
of mind that she didn't know where her life was going or not going. And she's very happy with her, with
her services. And she is very thankful that, yes, she feels the effect of breaking down the scar tissue,
which is painful. But then at the end, I make sure to apply some warm stones on her back so she can go
into a more calmer state at the end, because it can be a pretty, uh, a pretty tough massage. But she
understands where she's where she's going through. But then she says that her favorite part and she's very
thankful for is that that at the end, the last 15 minutes of her service, she knows that it's going to be all
about, okay, I can breathe now. The worst part is I'm going to get some warm stones apply to my body.
So it's a really good thing. And I'm so happy that I can help people in tailoring what it is towards their
knees. There's many massage therapists that they charge extra for a towel for her stones. If it's going to be
with bamboo sticks, it's going to be 15 more or ten more or five more. It's like, no, I have a flat rate for
everything. That's why I'm so affordable and people are so happy. That's the perfect segue. Kind of going
back to the meditation, actually, you mentioned, um, the importance of having that that rest afterward
because it's a it's a tough process to to go through the you said breaking up the scar tissue and things like
that. And it reminds me of in yoga how for some reason in American yoga, we tend to frame it as a form
of exercise and we just skip through the Shavasana or like maybe we do one, but it's a really short one,
like maybe 20s or something. I was taught I was taught in India, so I was taught more of a traditional
yoga. That is the most important part of the practice, the Shavasana, that meditative part,
Speaker 1
[00.41.24]
that recovery.
Speaker 2
[00.41.26]
Yeah. Yeah. Very important. I took a yoga class today with, um, one of the owners of of the place where
I work at, and she is really into at least ten minutes of shavasana, and then she does a guided meditation
while we are in Shavasana. So it's very powerful what she does. I love her classes. And it's a it's it's not a
full classroom of people, 20, 30 people. It's only just four of us and the teacher, which is a very intimate
setting. It's very powerful. I absolutely love it. Yeah, very grateful that I can do that every Wednesday
morning.
Speaker 1
[00.42.01]
I've even taught classes where I did a 20 minute shavasana. Oh,Speaker 2
[00.42.05]
I love that. That's awesome.
Speaker 1
[00.42.07]
And people tend to appreciate it. Of course, people are coming for the asanas as well. They want that that
physical practice, the stretching, the the building, the core strength. But again, that shavasana is the most
important part. And it sounds like that's part of an important part of your massage therapy as well.
Speaker 2
[00.42.28]
Yes. Very, very important. I am a true believer that the last ten minutes should be something of a more
meditative state, practicing mindfulness and going into that calmer space after, like this person that she
is, pulse breast cancer and the work has to be done. But then that last 15 minutes of the massage is
entirely for her to go in a calm state. And the pressure is is light. Pressure is warm stones being applied to
her back, her neck doing some good, a good massage, or do a good gentle massage on her head on her
scalp. That really takes her to a very calm state. And she comes out of that room every single time totally
renewed. And I'm grateful that she feels that way.
Speaker 1
[00.43.23]
So what made you want to become a massage therapist?
Speaker 2
[00.43.26]
I always been a helper, I always I, I've always been a touchy feely person. My mother said that I will be
everybody's like. I will be glued to people, always hugging and hugging and touching. And my mother
always told me, oh, you are a helper. You are a helper. You're meant to do something that has to do with
helping people. I had the best intentions to be a physical therapist, but then I saw massage therapy. I
didn't have to go eight years to college to be a massage therapist. I went only a year and a half, and of
course I got certified. I got I mean, I did my board exam and everything, but this is a practice that I never
stop learning. And in my experience, as long as I am in student mode, I can go with this profession for
the rest of my life and I will never stop learning. It's the same exact thing with fitness instruction and
dancing. I was a professional dancer for many, many years. I never stopped being a student even though I
was a teacher. I was a choreographer. I did many things on a professional Aspect, but I never I never
stopped being in student mode. And to me that is vital for my profession to be always learning something
new. So that is the biggest inspiration of me being a massage therapy and a fitness instructor
Speaker 1
[00.44.49]
too. I would say continuing education is vital for any helping professional. Absolutely. And I was
thinking too. I mean, I've got a few university degrees, but the most valuable training I've ever gotten has
not been a university degree. It's actually been the shorter certifications. But I think for some reason
people think that shorter is easier. It's not necessarily easier, not at all. Like like my yoga teacher training,
for example, it was it was like 33 days or something in India. That was one of the most difficult trainings
I've ever been through.
Speaker 2[00.45.27]
That sounds extremely intense, Cody. That 33 days is a lot. Yeah, we did, uh, asanas for an hour and a
half every day, meditation for an hour and a half every day. Of course, we had classes to. And we
practiced teaching to each other. And we took we took Sundays off, which was awesome. So we didn't do
any of that on Sundays, but we still had like group activities. We would visit Hindu temples and things
like that. Um, but it was a very intense program. I'm
Speaker 1
[00.45.58]
sure mentally, emotionally and physically wavering. Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.46.03]
I can't imagine. Yeah. Every, every, every single class that I have done for continuing education is
always very intense. It's always I mean, I'm tired at the end of it. We learn a lot and we take a lot with us,
but it's it's always exhausting. But that's to me, that's one of the most fascinating parts of being, uh,
practitioners is that the learning experience never stops. It doesn't matter how experienced we are. I'm in
in two year 21 of being a massage therapist, and I can tell you this, I've got so much more to learn, and
I'm very happy about it. Just openly says, I know. I don't know everything that there is to know about
massage therapy. There's all over 80 different types of massages. It's like, I don't think in my lifetime I
would not learn 80 different massages and had that power of retention. But the more I learned, the more I
can apply to my practice, to my to my patients, to my clients. And definitely that is the most important
part of being a massage therapist is to help others because we are helpers. We are blessed with the
technology of the internet, and I feel like this is such a great opportunity to seek out that training,
certifications, continuing education. And yeah, there are some pretty bad ones out there.
Speaker 1
[00.47.27]
Yes, but then there are also some very high quality, top notch type trainings that you can get
Speaker 2
[00.47.34]
online. Absolutely.
Speaker 1
[00.47.37]
And so for my listeners, I mean, if you are thinking about going to a university, you might not even have
to go to a university to do what you want to do, especially nowadays with all of the options out there.
Yeah, like my nutrition training, for example. It's not a university degree, but it was another very rigorous
program, very high quality. I'm so glad that I did it. Oh, and there are so many other trainings out there.
You just have to do your research. And in many cases, you have to be willing to spend at least a couple
thousand dollars to get a good one. Yeah, but there are so many options for that, for that education.
Speaker 2
[00.48.14]
Yeah, absolutely. And there's it's such a great investment for us. I don't see it as an expense. I never have
seen anything that I do in on behalf of learning something new to me. It has always been an investment is
totally worth it. Yeah. So as we come up on the end of our time here. Blanca, what do you think? One
thing is that people could change about the way they approach health and wellness.Speaker 1
[00.48.44]
If they. If they were to make one change, what would it be?
Speaker 2
[00.48.49]
In my experience, and what I highly recommend to whoever wants to make a change in their mental or
physical health is, first of all, first and foremost, don't compare yourself to anybody, to anybody's
experience because your experience is your own, not to be compared to anybody else's. Go to the most
reliable sources of information. In my experience, word of mouth really does work wonders. But
definitely always look for the most reliable sources of information for the people that can make an impact
on you. Learning to navigate through whatever changes you're going in your life. Be open. That change
is a constant and that we are all capable of changing in the best possible ways. But definitely not
comparing yourself to others is so important in your journey to healing and going through the next level
of your life. Definitely, no matter what age you are. In my experience, I started my real healing journey
after my 40s and it was not meant to be in my 20s. It was meant to be when it happened. And I am
grateful that I am here with you today. Having this very important conversation, because otherwise I
would have stayed where I was in that slippery slope of not going anywhere. When life is about progress,
not perfection. So any progress you do is for yourself, not for everybody. Please keep that in mind. I am
running a nutrition group right now. It goes for five weeks and that's one of the things we teach. Practice
makes progress not perfect. But then also touching back on what you said about self self-acceptance.
Mhm.
Speaker 1
[00.50.50]
These are just pearls of wisdom here. If we can practice that self acceptance, we are going to be so much
happier with our lives even if we live in poverty.
Speaker 2
[00.51.00]
Absolutely. If we have poor health, even if we are in certain circumstances that aren't necessarily ideal.
That self-acceptance is so important for for life satisfaction. Absolutely.
Speaker 1
[00.51.14]
find you?
One other question for you, Blanca. If people wanted to work with you, how can they? How can they
Speaker 2
[00.51.19]
Yes, absolutely. My website is w WW Wounded Healer. All of my information is there. My phone
number. Call me, text me, email me. I'm in all social media platforms as well as wounded healer Blanca.
And Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, you name it on there.
Speaker 1
[00.51.39]
And do you do any remote work or is this all?Speaker 2
[00.51.41]
Yes I do, yes I do, definitely. I do remote work for my life coaching. And yes, that's the most
Speaker 1
[00.51.49]
remotely if they're
important part. I clarified that for my listeners so they can go to your website and potentially work
Speaker 2
[00.51.55]
not in Florida. Absolutely. I'm here to help. It will be my honor. Well, thank
Speaker 1
[00.51.58]
you so much for joining me, Blanca.
Speaker 2
[00.52.00]
Thank you so much for having me, Cody. What a great conversation we had. I'm very honored to be here.
If you've been listening to my podcast or listening to other podcasts, reading books about nutrition and
how important it is for mental and physical health, but you are a little bit confused or feeling like you
don't quite know how to get started with eating a whole food diet for better health. You might be
interested in my small group nutrition program. This goes for five weeks. It's offered online and it's
available to everyone. For more information, go to Beavercreek. As of right now, I have a start date
coming up for April 22nd and another one on May 24th. So go to Beaver Creek Wellness to learn more
and to register. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you leave a review that really helps me out. And
also subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcasts. Real Food Mental Health is intended for
informational and entertainment purposes only. The information presented on this podcast is not intended
to replace any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. While I am a health care provider, I am not your
provider. Always seek the advice of an appropriate health care practitioner with any personal questions
you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in
seeking it because of something you've heard on this podcast. Reliance on information provided by this
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