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TRANSFORMATION

EMBODIED

somatic coaching × somatic bodywork

welcome, dear! i'm glad you're here.

i'm Joelle Marcelle Antson (she/her), an Autistic ADHD trans woman from Estonia.

i'm a Strozzi Institute for Somatics-trained somatic coach and bodyworker, as well as a restorative justice trainer and an Imago Relationship Therapy educator.

by coming home to my body, i've been growing into the fullness of my femininity as well as my neurodivergent experience and learning to unmask. that's why i long to hold space for other Autistic and ADHD, queer and trans people, and anyone who desires to be more liberated in their body and expression.

in our work together, you will be invited to connect with your deepest longings and move towards them in actionable ways. let's explore what that will look like for you. for that, please fill out the intake form below.

with curiosity and care,
Joelle

our work may include increasing the ability to

feel and tolerate more ● live a life with more presence

stay centered under pressure ● take actions aligned with your values

set boundaries while staying connected ● create genuine connections

i've worked with people's complex challenges like

gender expression/transition ● supporting trans family members

(un)masking Autism and ADHD ● chronic illnesses and pains

depression and anxiety ● compulsive behaviors and addictions

SOMA [ˈsəʊmə] (noun, Greek)

the living organism in its wholeness (including sensing, feeling, relating, thinking, and beliefs)

somatic coaching

somatic coaching is a holistic coaching methodology that uses somatic awareness, somatic practices, and somatic opening—all the while taking into account social context—to support somatic transformation.

we define somatic transformation as the ability to take actions that are aligned with our values even under old pressures.

practically, this means weaving together conversational coaching with questions aimed to increase somatic awareness and practices derived from martial arts to make new competencies embodied and sustainable.

we can adapt all practices to online coaching sessions.

somatic bodywork

somatic bodywork is a hands-on approach, using skilled touch, breath patterns, supportive phrases, and conversation to elicit somatic opening. practically, this means working with and through the body while the person is lying on a massage table on their back and fully clothed.

while massage can temporarily relax a muscular armoring, somatic bodywork aims to support the concerns (safety, belonging, dignity, etc.) of which the armoring has been taking care of. unless that happens, the armoring will only soften momentarily. without somatic opening, new somatic practices won't take root.

we can adapt somatic bodywork also for online sessions.

follow @jmantson on instagram

lineage, trainings, and qualifications

i am deeply grateful for the shaping of my trans, queer, neurodivergent, and BIPOC friends and partners; for the resonance your lives provided.

thank you to the Vanderbilt Divinity School's 19' cohort and teachers, and the Divinity Friendship House and its Friends for laying the foundation for a wider socio-political understanding of harm and care. Nashville, thank you for one of the best years of my life.

thank you for inviting me more into my body and teaching me to do the same for others: Erin C. Law and Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, Staci K. Haines, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Stephanie Meux, Erika Lyla, and the other teachers of the Strozzi Institute for Somatics' 22' Embodied Transformation, 23' Somatic Coaching Program, 24' Somatic Bodywork Level 1 & 2, and 25' Somatics, Trauma, and Resilience trainings. to all the students who have shared their presence—especially Mike Holton, Silvia Vernaschi, and Zeena Ismail—it's been an honor transforming together. Rancho Strozzi—with its dojo, hills, eucalypti, and cows—, you always bring me back to myself.

Beck Beverage and Anela Barboza, your presence has metamorphosed me. Lennon Molofsky, Hanna-Liis Lao, and Dorothea Magonet, your healing hands have held me when i've needed it the most.

i have been shaped by the work of Hillary L. McBride and Mike McHargue, Prentis Hemphill, adrienne maree brown, Daria Garina, and Kai Cheng Thom, Rebecca Sears and Belinda Hopkins, Dr. Devon Price and Heather Morgan, as well as Stefan Simanovich, Abigail Thorne, and Natalie Wynn. thank you for your brilliance.

i rest on the Estonian embodied wisdom of saunaing, singing, and dancing, crystallized in the Song Festival tradition and the Singing Revolution.

i am humbled by all the people who have entrusted themselves into my care as clients.

thank you all for being my teachers. i am who i am because of you.

somatics

70+ 1:1 ongoing sessions received from somatic coaches, bodyworkers, and therapists, and Alexander's Technique teachers

Using Your Voice, Healing Shame, and Apology Essentials, Daria Garina (Accountability Mapping)

Somatics, Trauma, and Resilience, Strozzi Institute for Somatics

Somatic Bodywork (Level 1 & Level 2), somatic bodyworker, Strozzi Institute for Somatics

Somatic Coaching Program, somatic coach, Strozzi Institute for Somatics

Embodied Transformation, Strozzi Institute for Somatics

Centered Accountability, Daria Garina (Accountability Mapping)

Unraveling Our Whiteness, Erin C. Law (The Activist Theology Project)

The Embodiment Basics, Prentis Hemphill (The Embodiment Institute)

autism and ADHD

Unmasking Autism coaching training: Values-Based Integration Process, Powered by Love

Understanding and Supporting Autistic and ADHD Children, Ivica Mägi Autismikool

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults, University of Tartu

restorative justice/practice

Basic Restorative Training Skills, restorative trainer, European Forum for Restorative Justice

Shining the Light on Our Blind Spots, European Forum for Restorative Justice

The Voice of Children in a Restorative Justice Process, European Forum for Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice Basic Training, Belinda Hopkins' 5:5:5 model, Social Insurance Board & Ministry of Justice, Republic of Estonia

relationship and family therapy

Introduction to Systemic Family Psychology and Therapy (Level 1), Kiira Järv's Family Therapy School

Imago Relationship Therapy Clinical Training (Level 1), certified Imago educator, Dr. Rebecca Sears

higher education

MA in Theological Studies with the certificate in Religion in the Arts and Culture, concentration in Spirituality and Social Activism, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

BA in Theology and Religious Studies (cum laude), University of Tartu, Estonia & University of North Carolina, Greensboro

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