Today we’d like to introduce you to Leigh Polodna.
Hi Leigh , 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 suppose my story into somatic therapy starts with my career in social work. I worked in homeless services for 12 years and while the work was rewarding and meaningful, I had started to feel like nothing I was doing was changing anything. I worked for an organization that oversaw and disseminated federal and state funding for programs serving those experiencing homelessness. Between being at the whim of constantly changing political agendas, evolving rules and regulations by funders, COVID and a growing toxic work environment, I was really struggling for the last five years of my career in social work. I was burnt out, but had no intention of leaving, since this is what I had worked so hard for.
My spiritual and self-care practices that had carried me through other tough times in my life weren’t cutting it anymore. One night I found this video on Somatic therapy. The woman was talking about using somatic therapy for her depression and anxiety and it really spoke to me. I have always been someone who wants to solve my own problems. I have so much respect for traditional therapy and its benefits, but I had found that never quite worked for me. I was also very disconnected from my body and had been most of my life. When I found this video, I was instantly interested.
I started to dive into somatic therapy and took a program to get certified to use it for myself. While I getting deeper into somatics, I was still struggling with work and starting to realize that I had tried everything to change me and my approach to my work. It wasn’t working and so maybe now I had to change my circumstances. That terrified me completely. I knew I did not want to work as a traditional social worker, or in homeless services any longer. I didn’t really want to go to another organization and potentially have another employer situation that was challenging, so I felt really stuck.
And then, something wonderful happened. My student loans were forgiven and I was suddenly able to see possibility. This huge financial burden being lifted (which was contingent on working in the field at a qualified organization for a certain number of years) and my work with somatics, was the push I needed to get through my limiting beliefs about the world, what was possible and what my future could look like.
I put in my notice in October of 2023 and took a year to heal from where I had just left, primarily using somatics. It helped me get connected with my body, possibly for the first time in my life. My anxiety decreased, my confidence started to come back, my hope and positivity was growing. It truly was life changing.
When I started to think about what I wanted to do next for work, I realized that I wanted to bring this type of healing to others. I hadn’t seen many somatic practitioners in the area and I wanted to offer a body-based way to heal for folks who might want an alternative to traditional therapy, or an additional tool in their toolbox to heal from trauma, troublesome nervous system patterning, limiting beliefs and other mental health issues.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, the road has been challenging, but that is mostly due to my own internal struggles. Every challenging experience has caused me to learn a great deal about myself. I would say there were two main challenges. First, I had never seen myself as a business owner. I come from a family of public servants so the idea of starting a business, being an entrepreneur, taking on the risk of not having an employer to give me benefits and take care of all the liability was scary. I had a lot of imposter syndrome thinking ‘who am I to do this?’ Somatics was helpful to my in these moments, helping me reframe my thoughts to ‘why not me?’ and believe that I could do this. I could figure out paperwork, taxes, marketing, etc. It’s not been a perfectly straight road. There are days when I still feel overwhelmed, but I’ve had really amazing supports from family and friends, reminding me that I can do hard things.
The second, was trying to market/explain what somatics is. It is becoming more popular, but people are still very confused about what it is. Once you start talking about processing emotions in the body, there are many that find that too scary to even contemplate. And that is valid. There is some courage needed to look at things we have been avoiding and building behaviors, habits and strategies around not feeling. The way I practice somatics is very gentle though, meeting people where they are at, focusing on building strength and capacity in the nervous system so that safety can be felt before diving into those big things like shame, guilt, anger, etc.
I want to help people to not be afraid of their bodies or their emotions and be able to process and move through what life throws at them, so they do not get stuck in patterns and habits that cause suffering. It’s really about working through what is there, so that people can thrive and be the person they want to be on autopilot.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about EASE Somatic Wellness and Coaching, LLC.?
I am a social worker and certified Somatic Practitioner. Somatics means in relation to the body, versus in relation to the mind, so the approach is about coming out of the story, the thoughts and judgements of the mind and working with the subconscious communication that manifests in the body. I like to tell people that my job is to help facilitate a conversation between them and their body.
When we have experiences that cause trauma or create limiting beliefs, that unexpressed fight/flight response gets stuck in the body. This can cause issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, chronic pain, because your subconscious is signaling to your body that you are still in that unsafe experience. It’s as if your body is still back in that situation, replaying it over and over even though the threat is gone. When the body is allowed to express itself and release that energy, oftentimes the symptoms that are keeping your nervous system in the sympathetic response, go away. The body can now feel safe being safe.
I take the approach of complete non-judgement, allowance and working at the pace of the person. It is not about crashing through the resistance and muscling our way through to the hard things. It is about honoring what shows up and allowing it to express how it needs.
EASE stands for Empowerment, Awareness, Surrender and Embodiment and these are core practices in my work with people. I want people to feel empowered and know that they are not broken and have the power to heal themselves. It is possible to love yourself as you are and believe you are enough. But we have to start with awareness of what is and surrender to it. Allow all of your parts to show up as they are and listen for the wisdom they have to give. And finally, embodiment is so important. We can practice being who we want to be. When we embody feeling safe, more positive, calm, responsive instead of reactive, we can become that version of ourselves that we wish to be.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One of the most important pieces for me personally and what I want for others, is empowering people to feel like they have control over their own healing journey and to feel like they are enough. We are constantly fed, through social media, and marketing, that we need something outside of ourselves to be worthy. We are either too much or not enough. This is heavy.
In my work, I strive to teach people how to do this modality on their own, so they can do the practice at home, and not feel like they need anyone else to heal them. Each one of us has the answers inside ourselves, and I want to help them access their own power.
Pricing:
- $80 for a 60 minute session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.easesomaticwc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easesomaticwc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573140275664
