Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Kerrick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
I discovered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) while grieving after the sudden loss of my brother in December of 2000. During this difficult time, TCM led me to Shiatsu. I was sent into the worst physical, and emotional pain. The grief was unrelenting and I realized that it cannot be rushed. After sitting and holding onto those terrible feelings for what felt like forever, I had a sense that through movement I could start to heal. I decided to start rollerblading, it was 2001 after all. I took my rollerblades to Kelly Drive in Philadelphia, PA. I would rollerblade and openly cry, and it felt so good. I called it ‘rollerblade crying’, it was my therapy. I did this once or even twice a day for a while. I started feeling like myself again and continued with a mindset and goal to connect to all the things I had a passion for. This process focused my attention toward my passions: a positive mindset, mind-body connection, spirituality and a healthy lifestyle. But I needed to find a way to integrate my passions. While researching how emotional pain manifests itself in the body, I found TCM and dove straight into the practice and principles. Immediately, through my discovery of TCM, I recognized that to heal physically is to heal emotionally and vice versa. My ‘rollerblade crying’ made so much logical sense in TCM. In TCM the lungs are related to the emotion of grief and to get moving in such a vigorous way, all while crying was a huge release. This was the connection I had been looking for. I found a school an hour away and started my journey into healing with Shiatsu.
Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Elizabeth Kerrick, and my Shiatsu practice is based out of my North Wilmington, Delaware, studio. I live in Wilmington, Delaware with my husband, two daughters and beagle. We love to road trip and are on a quest to go to every national park in the U.S. My goal with each treatment is to bring balance to the body and heal the root cause of any emotional and physical pain in the body. My practice includes Shiatsu, Manual Lymph Drainage, Acutonics tuning fork therapy, and vibrational drum healing treatments. My goal is always to provide specialized care that each person needs in that moment. Shiatsu and Acutonic treatments are therapies that can go beyond words to heal the body. Healing Shiatsu is an energetic bodywork that taps into the parasympathetic nervous system through the meridians. Shiatsu treatments allow my clients to be present, pause their busy lives, and find space to organize what’s going on in their brain and let overwhelming feelings and stress float away. Simply put, Shiatsu calms your body and allows your body to do what it’s meant to, heal itself. I see clients with varying physical complaints and tension. Through my treatments, my clients can connect the stress that is causing the physical pain or tension. My Acutonics’ treatments apply precision-calibrated tuning forks to specific acupuncture points to access the meridians. Acutonics combines the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, psychology, science, and sound healing. My clients who are overwhelmed, stressed, or do not know the source of pain can benefit from Acutonics too. Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is a gentle, rhythmic treatment that speeds up the flow of the lymphatic system which can become stagnant from diet, lifestyle, scar tissue, pregnancy, allergies, surgery, etc. MLD drains toxins faster to boost the immune system. These services are offered individually or combined as one treatment. With these modalities, we are physically rebalancing energy and watching how it ripples out into all areas of life. My mission is to help each client “Create harmony within to create harmony all around”.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I am a real person, just like you. I pride myself and my practice on being ‘down to earth’ and authentic. So even though I eat in balance with the seasons, I can still get down with some girl scout cookies (in the right season). I work on myself, and seek help from other practitioners when needed to keep myself balanced and to be a clear channel. What you see is what I am.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Being part of a community is what I think is most important. When I lived in Philadelphia, the market was saturated and in a bigger city it’s not always easy to tap into a community. I moved to Wilmington, DE and became a mom. I didn’t really know many people at all. I joined and connected with different communities and groups like our local birth center moms’ group, mom and baby classes, and exercise classes. By learning about my community and making an effort to build a connection to Wilmington, I found my people. Most of my clients found me through client and professional referrals.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Elizabethkerrick.com
- Instagram: ShiatsuwithElizabeth
- Facebook: Shiatsu with Elizabeth
Image Credits
Angie Gray Photography Della Schweiger Photography Acutonics.com