Welcoming 2025 + Important Announcement

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CANDLELIGHT at the SCOTISH RITE CATHEDRAL | 10.31.24

Blessed Winter!

We’re feeling the holiday spirit in the Bookwalter household, living with the seasons as we tend to do. Bryce is graduating with a Bachelors of Science from the IU School of Public Health next week and we are looking forward to celebrating a welcome break from the demands of school. The above pictured stage was set for a candle-lit string quartet concert Bryce surprised me with on All Hallow’s Eve, one more special item on the list of sweetnesses he gives me. Includiiiiing:

IN MY HEART

Or maybe more like, In My Belly - introducing Bb Booky, coming May 2025!

We are thrilled and steeped in the spectrum of emotions this decision brings, and I am feeling brave - carrying this bb is an act of ultimate hope. I am so grateful that my perinatal toolbox is full of knowledge to assist me on this next adventure. And yes, this will change the way I run my practice moving forward…

My priority client population will include Abdominal Therapy clients, perinatal clients, working moms, and consistent regulars (booking once per month or more) in that order. I will be limiting new clients to those I feel I can best serve. All others will be encouraged to book with trusted colleagues who are working on building their own practices.

In so doing, I not only cultivate the work that makes my heart most sing, I also feed my community by helping my colleagues do the work they want, and funnel clients to the practitioners I believe will serve them best.

ON THE CALENDAR

As a returning client, I’m offering you the privilege of booking through this link until the end of the year. This is currently the only way to book a new appointment with me online, as I have closed all other portals to ensure your priority. Please take some time now to set your appointments as far as the calendar will allow. After the holidays, I will reopen the online portals to traditional booking.
Consider this your opportunity to book the most optimal spots for your schedule! If the last few months are any indication, the early bird gets the worm.
If you have already purchased gift certificates for folks who have never seen me before, please pass the above link along to them. I will honor these gifts and discuss further treatments with the recipients when we meet.
Those who want to purchase gift certificates can do so here.
If you have referrals you want to send my way, please do not feel discouraged - I will be happy to discuss their needs and see them if they’re the right fit for me, or to send them along to one of my wonderful colleagues.
For now, my availability is open through May. I encourage all regular clients to book out as far in advance as the calendar will allow. If you cannot find appointments that work best for your schedule, you may also check in with my referral list.
My intention is to take maternity leave mid-May through mid-August. This may shuffle as I feel into my capabilities within late pregnancy and early motherhood, and I will ensure the digital calendar aligns with my needs as they become apparent.
When I return from leave, I will be reassessing my treatment rate with reduced availability and a changing economy in mind. Please consider this advance notice of a possible increase.

IN THE COMMUNITY

In other news, I am wrapping up teaching Massage Techniques 1, the first class in which students start putting their hands on bodies. It has been such a thrill to watch their faces as they begin to feel what they’ve been reading about and build their understanding. I am also delighted to see how their skills progress from week to week, hear their thoughtful questions, and watch their responses to their classmates’ work. This experience profoundly deepens my appreciation for being an educator in this field. And they laugh at my jokes which is always gratifying. :)

Next semester will end right on time for my maternity leave to begin, and I am looking forward to the ease of lecture classes as my body continues to grow. I’ll be teaching Massage Pathology and Ethics & Massage Management this Spring.

I am also thrilled to announce that I will be joining the team at Tandem Community Birth Center and Postpartum House this winter, providing massage for their perinatal clients. I’ll also be participating as a student in the next session of their Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Education class. There are still spaces left in my cohort, so if you or someone you know is interested, you may find further details and register on Tandem’s website.

IN THE SPACE

Clients who love the BioMat will be warmed to know that the full length BioMat Professional is on its way to my massage table! I took advantage of their awesome Black Friday deal to make the upgrade, and that also means that the Mini we have been using is available for purchase. I have it listed on Facebook Marketplace and if you are interested, clients and colleagues will get first dibs! Email me to inquire further. The Biomat Mini has been sold.

In early November, I took a trip up to Carmel to take a training in Spinning Babies! My mom went with me which was really sweet, and we both walked away with new skills for deepening our therapeutic offerings for prenatal clients. I have been using them myself for my own changing body and look forward to bringing them to my pregnant clients!

IN MY HANDS

Outside of my massage work, I am finding myself working through the balance of instinctual wintering and needing to nest in preparation of this growing human. Luckily for me, I already had a few nesting projects set aside for winter - including tackling my mending pile and painting the living room. I am also reviewing my stashes of craft supplies and knicknacks with a critical eye, deciding whether there is room in this new chapter for them, too. I am grateful there are so many wonderful places to donate these things with the re-opening of Art Remains Creative Reuse Center, the numerous donation drives for coats and warm gear (like the CIP drop box I saw at Bloomingfoods East today!), and my usual favorite, Opportunity House.

Thrifting and donating was a favorite pastime of my grandmother Carol which she instilled in me and my brother by taking us along with her to rummage sales and thrift stores every weekend, equipping us with fanny packs full of loose change so we could purchase toys and treasures, too. I don’t know that Grandma was conscious of the environmental impact her habit had in terms of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra, but it certainly made its way into my head as such. That’s one reason why I populated Suite 101 with second-hand furnishings! I’m looking forward to bringing another human into this practice and doing everything we can to divert waste in their rearing. The “free room” at Tandem will be an excellent resource for this cycle, and if you have a need (or items to pass along) please check it out yourself!

Wrapping my writing with gratitude to you for letting me do my dream work. It doesn’t happen without you!

See you soon!