“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” - Maya Angelou
My blog is a space, in no particular order, where I share my thoughts, feelings, practice, philosophies, experiences, educational resources, and insights into healing modalities. Along the way, you may also find nutrition tips, recipes, and other inspirations that support wellness and balanced living.
More than anything, I hope this platform feels genuine, informative, and enjoyable. I hope you have fun exploring it.
Why I Finally Stepped Into Social Media
I don’t really know where to begin.
For years, I avoided social media, partly out of fear, and maybe a little self-righteousness too. So it feels strange to say that I’m finally ready to step into this space and share who I am through social platforms. After a conversation with one of my clients, something shifted. I felt inspired to finally pull the plug and show up, not just because I operate a sole proprietorship in massage and bodywork, but because I’m done hiding from the world.
So here is my story. I hope you find something you’re seeking by landing here.
Why do we hide?
Recently I listened to an interview and meditation by a psychologist and spiritual practitioner who spoke about how shame and guilt often keep us from sharing our gifts, the fear of not being worthy enough to be seen, especially online.
That realization hit me like a boulder rolling down a mountain.
For years, friends suggested (and sometimes threatened) to create social media accounts for me. Employers and business owners repeated the same advice:
“You need an account. This is how people find you now.”
But being seen can feel overwhelming, especially for people who have experienced trauma.
Yes, we’re going there.
Because in order to understand where I’m going, I have to acknowledge where I’ve been.
The Weight We Don’t Always See
Trauma, no matter how big or small, can be deeply self-debilitating.
Those who have experienced it know what I mean. Even when life looks successful on the outside, internally there can be anxiety, doubt, and a constant pressure to prove yourself.
It’s exhausting.
And eventually, after years of pushing through, you find yourself at a threshold.
Entering the “Night Country”
After years of trying to do the right thing, and countless nights knowing what needs to change but feeling too afraid to change it, you enter what I call the night country.
Some might call it the “dark night of the soul.”
But I think it’s plural.
It’s not just one night. It’s many nights. Days. Sometimes years.
It feels like threading a needle in the dark, stumbling around searching for something small enough to guide you forward, until you realize the only thing that can truly guide you is yourself.
Trust.
Trusting yourself enough to keep going, even when you can’t see the outcome.
What Begins to Shift
After many nights of grief, reflection, and shedding old layers, something eventually softens.
There’s a moment of clarity. A weight lifts. And as cliché as it sounds, there’s truth in the saying:
“The truth will set you free.”
But even after that moment, life continues.
You still wake up every day. You still do the work.
Coming Home to Myself
This is my work.
Every day I’m reminded how grateful I am to come back to myself—my authentic self.
After years of moving through professions and identities that weren’t fully aligned, I finally came home to my calling: healing and education.
Today I operate as a massage therapist and bodyworker through A.STARR Therapeutics LLC.
This is the beginning of a new chapter.
I returned to practice in 2024, and I’m deeply grateful to continue serving others through therapeutic bodywork. My intention is simple: to help people reconnect with their bodies, find relief, and cultivate peace and balance in their lives—no matter the circumstances.
Welcome
If you’ve found your way here, welcome.
And with any luck, I hope you find a little joy and laughter along the way.
Why I love Lymphatic Drainage
I was reading about the physiology of the lymphatic system for my upcoming classes when something clicked for me.
It works in what feels like the past, present, and future all at once.
And if we step into a more philosophical understanding of time, not as linear but as something more cyclical or continuously unfolding, it becomes even more interesting.
In essence, time can feel like a river that is constantly flowing. What was once in the present has now moved into the future, leaving what came before behind, while the flow itself never stops.
This is part of why I love lymphatic work.
There is a kind of timelessness to it.
When we initiate the system in the present moment through Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), we increase lymphangiomotoricity, the intrinsic contractility and rate of lymph flow. In that moment, we are directly influencing physiology in real time by stimulating superficial vessels, engaging deeper collecting vessels, and guiding fluid movement toward the lymphatic terminus.
But what is fascinating is what happens after.
The Present Moment, In Session Change
In the present, during MLD, the system is actively responding.
Flow increases significantly, often from a resting rate of roughly 5 to 8 contractions per minute up to approximately 20 times that depending on the individual, condition, and length of session.
There is immediate signaling, fluid movement, and physiological response happening in real time.
The body is very much working in that moment.
The “Past”, What Continues After Treatment
When the session ends, the system does not simply return to baseline immediately.
Like a river still moving after it passes a point in space, the increased lymphatic activity continues for a period of time.
The lymphatic system maintains a heightened state of flow that gradually tapers rather than abruptly stopping. Depending on the person and context, this elevated activity can continue for a few days before slowly returning toward baseline levels.
So in a sense, what was initiated in the treatment session continues after. The body carries the imprint of that work forward, like water that has already passed through but is still part of the current downstream.
The “Future”, What the Body Is Being Prepared For
This is where it becomes even more meaningful.
Because lymphatic work does not just affect the present, it prepares the body for what is coming next.
By supporting drainage, reducing congestion, and improving fluid movement ahead of stressors such as surgery or exercise, MLD can help the body process future load more efficiently.
In that way, it supports recovery, reduces excess swelling, and can help the body respond more cleanly to what it will inevitably produce later, such as post surgical inflammation, metabolic waste, or muscular breakdown from exertion.
It is not just reactive.
It is preparatory.
What I Keep Coming Back To
So in a way, lymphatic work feels like it exists outside of linear time.
It is initiated in the present.
It continues like a river still flowing after the moment it passes.
And it prepares the body for the future.
A continuous loop of giving and receiving, support, response, and regulation.
And that is what I love about it.
It is quiet work, but deeply intelligent.