I’m Holly.

Oh hey,

Some of how I got here:

I realized towards the tail end of college that I was struggling with an eating disorder– that my constant and compulsive thoughts and behaviors with food and weight weren’t just “normal teen body image struggles.” They were a symptom of the deeper wounds I was unknowingly living with the message of:

“you’re more lovable when you’re attractive, productive and doing what others expect of you.”

Oooof. Uncovering this wound kicked off a 9 year (and counting) journey of unraveling the stories and behavior patterns that were keeping me stuck in a loop of low self worth, shame, people pleasing and numbing. This unraveling has happened over many years with the support of many modalities and people along the way. But the most impactful, lasting work I did was working with my own somatic coach.

I received my first coaching certification in 2016 and began coaching clients through eating disorder recovery in 2017. I’ve slowly shifted the scope of my practice to include folks struggling and stuck in many different types of coping related patterns, not just eating disorders. But coaching in the traditional (conceptual) way, it always felt like there was something missing. Inevitably my clients would come to a roadblock, where they logically knew what they needed to do or why they were stuck, but couldn’t make the change.

I knew from experience working with my somatic coach that bringing the body into the conversation was exactly what helped me heal and move forward in those moments of stuckness. In 2023 I went back for a second coaching certification focused on somatics.

This up-level in my skills has been a major game changer, allowing me to go deeper with clients, supporting some of the most foundational skills for personal growth and healing.

I’m a certified body oriented coach, somatic practitioner, group facilitator and educator with 6+ years of professional experience in mental health sector.

At the heart of it, I support folks to build the skills needed to shift and heal patterns of behavior and ways of being that are no longer serving them.

I’ve worked with dozens of 1:1 clients, held over 150 support groups, and led numerous professional presentations and workshops to both clinical providers and individuals interested in mental health, eating disorders and healing work.

Professional Training

& Roots of Practice:

My work weaves together a blend of professional certifications & personal studies that are non-pathologizing, person centered and process oriented.

I combine methods that draw from:

Inner Relationship Focusing, Hakomi, Polyvagal theory, Somatic IFS, Alchemical Alignment, Organic Intelligence, Emergent Strategy, Harm Reduction, and the ancient wisdom traditions of Celtic folklore, Buddhism & Taoism.

Together these frameworks pave a foundation for us to dig deep and create big personal shifts that are anchored in the body and neurobiology.

My professional
certifications include:

  • Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certificate, The Embody Lab (25 hrs) - In progress

  • Beyond Boxes: understanding and working with the wisdom of hybrid nervous system states (6 hrs), Marika Henrichs, Jan Winhall, Raina Lagrand, Nazbah Tom - August 2024

  • ACC Certified Coach, International Coaching Federation (100 hrs) - Anticipating certification Oct 2024

  • Certified Body Oriented Life Coach (161 hrs), The Somatic School March 2024

  • Vagus Nerve Training (20 hrs), Jessica Mcguire 2023

  • Certified Body Positive Facilitator, The Body Positive 2019

  • Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition 2017

  • Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal Communication, State University at Oneonta 2014

In addition, I receive biweekly mentorship and supervision with Varia Erochina. Varia is a fellow somatic practitioner, teacher, facilitator and friend. They’ve been working 1:1 somatically with folks for the better part of the last decade, myself included! It’s an honor to have transitioned from receiving their support personally, to now doing so professionally.

Their mentorship serves as a living-breathing container for deepening my skills as a practitioner, where my learnings are able to be concurrently woven into my present-day client work.

Keeping it real – the more personal bits

  • I’m a mom to two little girls– they’re wild and exhausting and sweet and terrifying and the most precious things I have the privilege of being responsible for.

  • I’m married to a loving, talented hunk of a man. Together we make the most excellent art, music, pizza, gardens, living room dance parties, pickles and babies.

  • I live and work in Syracuse, NY– on the rightful land of the Haudenosaunee and Onondaga peoples.

  • I pinch and doodle pots in my off time. Having my hands in clay weekly has become a necessity.

  • I’m a cook-with-what-you-have connoisseur. I love a challenge and getting creative with whatever fridge scraps are begging to be used up.

  • I proudly rep the nickname DJ Holler and often end up in charge of the playlist at parties. Keeping it weird and varied, of course. Sometimes IDLES, sometimes Danny Brown, sometimes Sturgill Simpson.

  • When things feel hard I sometimes turn to tarot & astrology to help re-anchor myself in faith and trust. Though those are usually is just an entry-point for coming home to my Self. For folks wondering I’m a Sag sun, Libra rising and Cancer moon.