Somatic Mentorship

I work with helping professionals and caregivers. Particularly those who identify as women in midlife

Learn to speak your body’s language, prevent burnout and ease into meaningful, satisfying change.

Personal Somatic Mentorship

You do not have to keep going like this. 

Nor do you have to burn down the house. 

Things don’t feel difficult because you haven’t optimized your life…

This life path you’re on truly is difficult. 

Caregivers, helping professionals and clinicians often have an unreasonable degree of responsibility for others people’s wellbeing, especially in midlife, when child and elder care needs are at an all time high.

Meanwhile, we’re expected to live up to the myth of  “the selfless servant” — to bypass our own emotional and physical reality to keep up with the high demands of an extractive culture.

The truth is – you probably don’t need “better habits” or a “better attitude.” 

You are worthy of being tended, exactly as you are.

And when you learn to speak your body’s language, a new set of possibilities emerges — along with renewed courage & capacity to see them through. 

Less pressure to optimize. 

More attunement with your totally reasonable human needs.

In 1:1 mentorship, you gradually repair your ability to track and meet your own needs: The mundane, the deeply satisfying, the immediate and the life-changing.

Over the course of our work together, you’ll re-discover the personal depths you haven’t had space for recently — and learn to navigate them with mature skill and confidence.

You’ll learn how bypassed emotions can become fuel for courageous action. 

And you’ll gradually move from nervous system literacy to fluency, which helps you make decisions for yourself, find creative flow and engage with the fullness of your experience:

The hard stuff, the beauty and the joy. 

Imagine. A year from now…

You’re learning ways to avoid being overdrawn by this extractive culture.

You have reliable ways to replenish yourself so you can do the things that give you a sense of meaning — and make the changes you need to feel satisfied.

Even if your responsibilities aren’t getting lighter anytime soon, you have more breathing room to be the real, whole, human you amidst the chaos and intensity.

Let’s work on this together.

No magic wand. No 10-steps to a better you. No ridiculous claims or promises.

Just steady, reliable support and change.

MY VISION FOR YOU:

At the end of our time together, offering your skillful care feels sustainable & satisfying once again.

And, the list of people you care for now includes you.

We need critical thinking and body fluency to navigate these times.

I’m Annie Bray (she/her). I’m a Trauma-Informed Somatic Practitioner.

I value our cognitive discernment and our body wisdom equally. 

My work supports your integration of the two, so you can show up for the people and the work you love without burning out or losing heart.

My coaching and mentorship methodology is informed by 20 years of hands-on bodywork and concurrent studies in trauma recovery, applied polyvagal theory, meditation, yoga and advanced coaching skills.  

I believe finding our way in these highly dysregulating times requires more critical thinking and more embodied connection; with self, spirit, nature, and each other.

To deepen our analysis as we restore those connections is why I do this work. 

1:1 SOMATIC COACHING

Program Details

I offer customized 1:1 Somatic Coaching that is 

trauma-informed and consent-led.

Usually this work is best integrated over the course of 3 months or longer, with built in time to rest and digest. 

Here’s how our work together flows:

We start with a zero-pressure introduction call to make sure we’re right for each other.

This is a chance for you to ask questions and to get a sense of who I am and how the somatic mentorship process works. If we agree to work together I will send you a questionnaire to begin this process. Ideally, you can set aside some time and use this as a reflection practice.

We have our first session to identify your big-picture needs.

The first in our series of sessions is a supportive conversation and somatic exploration to help us create a map of our work together and to get a sense of how often we will meet and for how long.

We begin! Your 60-minute sessions happen on a schedule of your choosing. I recommend meeting at a regular time every 2-4 weeks because our nervous system loves a reliable rhythm.

These sessions will be your space to attune your awareness and deepen into your embodiment skills. I want you to feel good about moving through what’s present, without pushing, perfecting, or punishing. 

You will have access to RESOURCED, a small library of audio/video and PDF resources.

By creating an easy to access library of resources I can point you towards practices that I believe would support the work we’re doing, between sessions.

Pricing

$250 CAD/ Intake session

$165 CAD/ Ongoing sessions

I recommend a 3-month commitment to start but this is a guideline, not a requirement.

Your first session includes:

  • Intake questionnaire (30-60 min on your own time)

  • 75-minute session

  • Session summary that outlines our co-created program map- A flexible guide for our work together.

  • Ongoing access to RESOURCED- Somatic Practice Library

Annie is the safe space that you’ve been looking for

“I work as a massage therapist and I’m a highly sensitive person that struggles with anxiety. Like many other medical professionals, I found that practicing during the thick of the pandemic started to take its toll on me.

I began coaching with Annie when I decided that burning out from compassion fatigue wasn’t good for my health anymore.

Our coaching sessions have guided me back to taking care of myself by learning how to resource within my life and own body through somatic movement practices and breath work.”

Jennifer/ Registered Massage Therapist

Annie is so supportive and it was wonderful working with her

“As a healthcare provider directly involved in the pandemic response while also parenting 2 small kids and trying to break unhealthy intergenerational cycles, I had been struggling for years.

Working with Annie helped me apply what I was learning in therapy and implement practical changes in my everyday life using somatic practices. I was able to find more space for my own emotional experience and more connection with my family, in addition to making significant improvements in my job situation.”

Physician

What support do you need so that you can stay resourced and mobilized? 

How this work differs from therapy

Somatic Coaching can help you learn heartfelt, practical strategies to protect your mental health and become more centered, mindful, and attuned to your emotional and physical needs. 

It is powerful in addition to therapy or even by itself, however I am not a clinical therapist trained to resolve acute mental health crises.

I offer my work through a trauma-informed lens, because trauma is a normal yet often untended part of life and this work is an excellent support for anyone on a post-traumatic growth journey.

At the same time, if you are currently in a state of activated trauma or have a history of unresolved trauma, I would suggest bringing in dedicated support for that, alongside or in preparation for our 1:1 program.

If you’re not sure if this is the right fit I’m here to help figure that out. I will always prioritize your wellbeing and refer you to alternate professionals when I believe that’s needed.

Reach out here.

FAQs

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Let’s create breathing room for you to experience your whole human self.

You chose a life path that could satisfy your ambition and your desire to contribute, and you’re doing it through highly dysregulating times. 

From climate change to systemic oppression and political polarization,  it’s natural that our bodies should respond to this level of threat for which there is no quick fix.

It’s never been more important to learn practical, heartfelt strategies to protect your mental health and your wellbeing from the demands of an extractive culture. 

Somatic coaching helps you slowly guide your boat in a new direction while steering clear of cultural tropes of the “selfless servant” with a heart of gold. 

Let’s create some space to honour the pieces of you that have gone missing since you crossed into a role that sometimes asks more of you than seems reasonable.

You are worth tending to as you are, right now. 

You do not have to fit any social ideal of the selfless caregiver in order to have more meaning, nourishment and even excitement in your life.

I want you to have a baseline foundation of resourcefulness, a sense of emotional plumpness, and the discernment to meet your needs even when days are dry, difficult or unglamorous. 

I’m here to help you unravel and reconnect to what’s most meaningful right now, so you can gently steer your ship in a direction that feels meaningful, sustainable and joyful.

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