Testimonials
“I’ve reached the point where the FierceOver50 Gathering is the highlight of my week. It’s self-healing but also this connection and sense of belonging with this fascinating group of women.”
Melissa, 57, Oregon
“I am developing a self-healing plan for me, and it means more rest, really feeling what’s going on in my body, and asking myself how I can care for myself better. I’m not saying I’ll never see a physical therapist again, but when I do, I will bring the identity of someone who knows about self-healing.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“In any challenge we face knowing that we're not alone is invaluable. We're all there and we can all take off our masks. We can just be ourselves in front of each other. That might be the greatest gift of all.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“I have always been so eager for quick results. But you can’t go to just one session and see whether this is what you need or not. It is so all-encompassing. It's so rich and layered. We are approaching our bodies holistically and opening to those connections.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I absolutely love the breath work: part of my practice is counting five big deep breaths, and I can make them extend a full minute, which just feels so good.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“Since working with you, I feel much more confident setting boundaries and protecting myself. I’m learning to take a stand. You’ve shown me that you need to be able to feel your body to do that. Because if you don’t feel your body, then your mind takes over. And then the old patterns come up.”
Melissa, 57, Oregon
“I have a completely different approach to working my body. I always thought someone else had to fix this for me. But learning to use my breath helped me to see how I could be my own self-healer.”
Laura Graham, 64, Ohio
“I’m getting much better at this process and the results are amazing. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like I’m getting lighter and lighter.”
Melissa, 57, Oregon
“Until I found you, [after breast cancer and reconstructive surgery] I felt like my lungs were encased in scar tissue and I couldn’t take a deep breath. You asked me to inhale and exhale while I lay over a soft, squishy ball under my upper back and suddenly … I could breathe! That was an awakening for me. I felt a huge release of tension. And expansion!”
Laura Graham, 64, Ohio
“Since working with you I’ve come to understand that my push, push, push orientation was keeping my body tight and stiff and that’s why it was so hard to heal.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“Self-healing, the way we approach it in the Gathering, has more to do with how we move through our days and just knowing how each of these women goes about a different self-healing practice helps me see what’s possible. More than that, the support among us is incredible.”
Laura Graham, 64, Ohio
“So many of my friends have back and neck problems. My friend’s back goes out and she can’t move. Then she goes to physical therapy or a chiropractor. A few months later—her back is out again. Whereas I’m learning to take care of my whole body and I’m growing more and more confident in how to take care of myself. I’m so thrilled!”
Laura Graham, 64, Ohio
“Through you I learned about the importance of working with my fascia.I have been so surprised at how gentle yet powerful it is.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I’m getting such good results from this program. I don't get headaches anymore.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“I have always been so eager for quick results. But you can’t go to just one class and see whether this is what you need or not. It is so all-encompassing. It's so rich and layered. We are approaching our bodies holistically and opening to those connections.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I have always been so eager for quick results. But you can’t go to just one class and see whether this is what you need or not. It is so all-encompassing. It's so rich and layered. We are approaching our bodies holistically and opening to those connections.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I came from a family that set me on this achievement highway. If I overachieved then I was pleasing and worthy. I got so many tension headaches – in my neck, my shoulders, the base of my skull. At first these ailments are little reminders, little whispers and then they become two by fours up against the head until we finally see how we're exhausted overachievers.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“I have set some boundaries and I guard these pockets of time religiously. I get home, change clothes, and then I set my timer for 15 minutes and do my pelvic rocks. It’s absolutely meditative. The breathing calms me right down. I feel like I’m letting go.”
Melissa, 57, Oregon
“I’m learning to ask, “Am I in my body? How can I be in touch with my feelings, my physical sensations, and be more present?” You’re helping us develop the intuition and instinct to set personal boundaries and guard these boundaries.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I knew I should do something to relax, so I went to a yoga class. But then I panicked because all I could think about was whether I was doing it right. I’d look around the room and say, “Oh, I’m not as good as she is.” That’s why I love the FierceOver50 Gathering. It’s a small group. It’s practical. We’re doing stuff to get into our bodies. Just being in our bodies for these sessions, twice a month is so much more than I ever did for myself.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“I come into this tight-knit group of women with my breath and my body. I turn off my “exhausted achiever.” I can just feel my body learning this new way: breathing into my pelvic diaphragm, massaging my calves, sending breath into my heart, relaxing my neck and shoulders. I am transitioning into a new way of being.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“My low back is so much better. I have a lot more mobility and a lot less pain. I really credit all the breathwork and those pelvic rocks. I’ve never done anything so gentle before. It’s kind of funny, but I still expect healing to be hard work.”
Melissa, 57, Oregon
“When I think of what I spent on self-help books and yoga and massages, this is the best investment I’ve ever made in myself. AnnMerle helps women understand the root of what got us to the end of our ropes and helps us climb up the rope so we can get back onto solid ground. And we are all on this rope together, helping each other so that one person will get a couple of feet above and then reach down for the rest of us. I love this group of amazing women.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado
“I love it when we start our sessions with resting. At first, I’d still be so gung-ho that I’d race home from work thinking that I’m going to an exercise class and my mind would immediately go, “Let’s fix what’s broken.”
Genevieve, 65, Saskatchewan
“I used to get a massage every week. But now, I just say to myself, hey, this part of my shoulders could use some work. I don't have to wait until next Tuesday. I always used to joke with my massage therapist, “You know, you do all this hard work, but five seconds after I leave, I get a phone call from work and my shoulders are up by my ears.”
Leticia, 58, Colorado