We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Wolfe-Schacter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.
Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name of my company, Blue Scilla CranioSacral, is from the blue scilla flower. They are spring blooming bulbs, but beyond that, they hold a special meaning to me. My first daughter died during delivery in October of 2012. 6 months later under the window of the room that was to be hers, grew a large patch of these blue scilla flowers. I always saw them as a gift from her. So, when I was starting my own business, I wanted to make it personal and close to my heart. From that desire grew Blue Scilla CranioSacral.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I was an elementary educator for many years. I loved working with children in that capacity and found it to be very rewarding to help children learn their strengths and overcome their weaknesses to help them reach their potential. However, because educators salaries are not the best, I needed another profession to do alongside education that would help me make ends meet, So, I found my second passion, massage therapy and reiki.
For many years I worked in both worlds. Education – teaching the primary grades of kindergarten through third grade, teaching academic intervention in Title I schools, and teaching English Language Learners in a self contained setting. And simultaneously working in the field of Massage and Bodywork – working at day spas, chiropractors offices, in-homes, etc.
My first introduction to CranioSacral Therapy came in 2003, when my sister’s first child was born via vacuum extraction and was prescribed CranioSacral Therapy (CST) through the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. I always remembered how much CST helped him after such a traumatic entry into the world. Then in 2005, my sister’s second child was born via a fairly typical vaginal delivery. But he, as well, was prescribed CST to help with some tension he had early on.
I banked that exposure to CranioSacral Therapy in my memory for a while, then, in 2017 my son was born. As a newborn he presented with oral ties (tongue and lip ties) which made it difficult for him to nurse and he was often very fussy. He also received CranioSacral Therapy and there was a noticeable improvement in his oral motor function and his mood after a session. It was then that I realized, I should be doing this work.
So, throughout my maternity leave, in the midst of nursing and pumping, I began taking the necessary coursework to be a CranioSacral Therapist. I quickly learned that CST is not only helpful for newborns, but it is an amazingly effective modality for so many concerns people have all the way through the lifespan. I decided to go all in and I did not return to teaching when my maternity leave ended.
Because of my personal experience and my training in child development, I knew that I wanted to focus my CranioSacral practice on infants and other pediatric clients, but I also wanted to be able to help as many people as possible. Which is why, though I may specialize in infants, children, prenatal, postpartum, preconception, fertility, and birthing. If someone comes to me who is in need of therapy, I will not turn them away,
One of the things that I think sets me apart from other CranioSacral providers is that I am housed within the Harmony Collaborative Care Center, a co-operative of amazing providers who each have their own specialty. At the moment alongside me we have an amazingly talented Speech Therapist who is also trained in orofacial myology and is an infant feeding specialist, we have an award winning IBCLC who is highly recommended throughout the Austin area and beyond, we have a Webster Technique Certified chiropractor who is takes a whole body wellness approach to chiropractic care, and we have a Doctor of Physical Therapy who is also a board certified pediatric clinical specialist. We truly work as a team. We learn from each other, co-treat clients/patients together, and utilize each other’s expertise when working with our clientele to create the most complete patient centered care experience we can for each individual and family who come to see any one of us.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think the story I have to tell here is about my children, especially my first, Celia Jane. I had been told from when I was newly an adult that I wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally. That news broke my heart. But somehow in my mid 30’s I somehow was able to conceive. I was so excited and proud of what my body could do and I was excited about what was coming next. But then, during labor, my baby was trapped in the birth canal due to shoulder dystocia and my otherwise healthy baby died during delivery. That loss broke me into a thousand pieces. I lost friends who could not deal with how sad I was and wanted me to heal on a semi predictable timeline. Years passed and I was still in the depths of my own grief. But somehow, and with the help of some amazing people, I crawled out of the hole I had dug for myself. Celia Jane was my first loss, but then I went on to lose two more babies Hazel Sarah and Baby B who both had Down Syndrome and developed complications in utero. Hazel was stillborn and Baby B didn’t make it past the first trimester. Those subsequent losses were painful, but Celia Jane’s loss taught me that I could survive, but I had to want to.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
My best source of clients are 1) word of mouth from happy clients and 2) referrals from other amazing practitioners in the area.
To me it is so important to create an amazing network. I do not see myself and my business as being in competition with other providers even providers who practice the same modality I do. I see us all as a team working together to provide the most complete form of care we can for our patients/clients. We all have different expertise and it has been an honor getting to know the other providers that surround me and begin to build a team to help support our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: bluescillacst.com
- Instagram: Bluescillacraniosacral
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluescilla
- Yelp: Blue Scilla CranioSacral