Jenny O'Dell, Embodiment and Bowen

Happy 76th Birthday, Momma.

My Momma lost her battle with cancer 9 years ago when she was 65.

At the time, I had 3 kids under 8 and even through the sadness, life had to go on.

I had to go on.

Taking little private moments here and there to clean up my face so I could get back to homeschooling our kids and the myriad of other responsibilities I had at the time, wasn’t processing the profound grief I had over the loss of my mom which has sooo many layers to it.

So where did it go?

It got pushed off and stored.

In my body.

Like all emotions do that haven’t been fully processed through. Shoved aside in a box somewhere to be dealt with later

For me it got stored in my head.

I have always had headaches and migraines since I was a teenager. But until then, I had them mostly under control. But the pressure was building. And building.

And the migraines came back with such an intensity that the week after mom passed, I thought I was having a stroke at the breakfast table while reading to my kids.

Turns out it was my first round with vertigo.

I received treatment and a game plan for what to do when it returned… but the headaches. Where all I wanted was darkness- that continued for years.

Until I started processing my grief. And grief is a lifelong journey that never quite ends, but you learn how to roll with the waves that come. And process them.

I share this with you because as a Bowenwork practitioner (and as a massage therapist- but the skill is more profound with Bowen) I can FEEL where I processed emotions have landed in the tissues.

Helping clients access their understanding of that is part of the embodiment process because once an emotion has moved through- you can make a conscious choice from there how you want to feel.

I have heard many stories in my treatment room, and have help many move on from the believe that their identity rests in their pain.

It doesn’t have to.

You can find relief.

The kids have been asking me for Bowenwork this week- their pups are being excellent therapy dogs! 🤣

This morning I drove ninety minutes to watch my son play middle school football.
All the way up here, metal was blasting out of my badass momma minivan stereo to gear up my son as he mentally prepared for the game.

Air-drumming every fill and thankfully air-screaming every lyric so my eyes didn’t entirely start twitching.

Every other song actually having a rhythm that brought me back to my own teenage angst years — so I got it. My head was nodding to the beat, my whole body syncing up before I’d even noticed it happening.

That’s the thing about rhythm — it finds your nervous system before your mind catches up.

It drizzled on and off the whole second half of the game — never enough to send anyone running for the car. What kind of we**ie would we Mainers be if we did that?!

Drizzling just often enough to remind you the sky was deciding what today will bring. It didn’t matter. The energy watching your kid do what he loves is electric regardless of what the clouds were up to. You could feel it in your chest before you could name it — that lean-forward, heart-open feeling that has nothing to do with the weather.

That’s what good networking actually feels like.

Not the sterile, sunny-day version we’ve been sold — everyone poised, saying the polished thing, holding their breath so nothing messy slips out.

The real version has a little weather in it.
A little unpredictability.

And none of that dampens the excitement — if anything, it’s part of what makes the room feel alive. Your body knows the difference between a room that’s performing and a room that’s actually present. It shows up as a felt sense before it ever shows up as a thought.

Watching that game, I kept noticing how nobody was checking the sky. We just put our hoods up. Everyone’s eyes were on the field — on the plays coming together, the energy building each time the ball moved.
The drizzle was just texture. The game was the point.

I think we forget that networking can have that same charge.

A room full of people genuinely leaning in, energized by where the conversation is headed — not despite a little unpolished realness, but because of it. Bodies settle into that kind of room. Shoulders drop. Breath deepens. That’s coherence, not coincidence.

That’s the room I try to build every month with the Pitch? Please! Gatherings.

It’s not about pitching under pressure — we aren’t the players on the field feeling that rush at the snap of the ball, or the adrenaline that shoots through your veins right when you kick a field goal.

We are the MVPs on the sidelines cheering on our players who don’t make it to the field if we don’t get them there.

It’s about showing up, staying present through whatever the “weather” is that day — regulated enough to actually be there for it — and getting swept up in what’s actually happening between people.

If that sounds like your kind of game, come sit on the sideline with us this month. We make the best cheering section.

Hey there friends!

I NEED YOUR HELP!

My love of socialization led me very naturally into the networking space when I opened my Massage and Bowenwork business in 2020.

I have been to so many womens' groups, been members of several and each one just had something missing. Each one felt like I had to work so hard to make a meaningful connection. Chipping away at the outer circles trying to find a way in. Walking in alone, arriving alone, and not integrating into the scene- felt weird to me and uncharacteristic.

I'm a freaking extrovert and social queen- i SHOULD have been able to connect! But in many of those official feeling rooms it wasn't happening.

What I quickly realized were- there weren't a whole lot of people like me in the room. And I don't just mean I was literally the only massage therapist/bodyworker in the room.

I meant- someone who was willing to listen- really listen, to what people were sharing in the room about their businesses, their lives and their futures.

There were a lot of people talking over each other and targeting those they wanted to pitch to and it felt so predatory and disingenuous.

So I scanned the walls- and found my people. The shy people. The ones who were trying to disappear into the scenery. The ones who kept checking their watches to see if they had spent enough time at the event so they could check the box to say they had came.

And for you I have created Pitch? Please!

A networking opportunity centered on community and formatted with intention and genuine interest for what people have to say. With no membership behind the gathering. No upsells. Just an invitation to return and bring your friends next time!

Normally we meet in Portsmouth NH every month.

BUT!! In October, we are gathering in Falmouth at Mornings In Paris Cafe and I would LOVE YOUR HELP to spread the word!

This is an extra special opportunity because not only do we all get to meet new people, network in a meaningful way- we also get to learn about Britneyy Staples work and how she supports her clients' wellness journeys through technology.

PLEASE- share this event! Even if you can't go- we are only 6 degrees removed from someone who can!

POP UP EVENT Pitch? Please!- The Networking for People Who Hate Networking Pitch? Please! is the chill meetup for folks who dread networking but wanna connect without the awkwardness.

Because I can't just do one thing... Friends and followers who have connections in the FALMOUTH MAINE area- PLEASE SHARE THIS POST FOR ME!!

My side love is headed North!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1b2j67vd66/

POP UP EVENT Pitch? Please!- The Networking for People Who Hate Networking Pitch? Please! is the chill meetup for folks who dread networking but wanna connect without the awkwardness.

You know I'm a people person right?

You know many other people AREN'T people persons and yet part of their work may require peopling.

And for people who don't consider themselves a people person may find that utterly exhausting... peopling.

Well, I have a solution for you lovely people who may not really enjoy peopling and it's a little networking gathering called Pitch? Please! Where we ditch the pitch that makes us itch and focus on connecting around a table with some fidget coffees and have a swell time!

Next gathering is Sept 10 and I would LOVE to see you there!

Pitch? Please!- The Networking Gathering for People Who Hate Networking Pitch? Please! is the chill meetup for folks who dread networking but wanna connect without the awkwardness.

Hey there friends-

Depletion versus renewal… that has been on my mind this week as summer is rolling to a close and we are shifting into back to school mode.

I have to say- this summer- work drained me a bit.

Why? I LOVE what I do.

But it was really disjointed this summer. I work from home so that means when the kids are out of school- I’m working around them, family life is happening around work life and when I work 1:1/in person with clients … that means family has gotta be out for me to do that.

And we never nailed a system down that felt good.

But giving myself grace- this was our first summer with me working at home.

And now that summer is coming to a close- I know how to better serve my practice AND my family- creating better boundaries around time.

Better late than never… having this system in place for next year will feel more renewing for sure.

How about you?

What has been feeling depleting in your work?

What has felt depleting as you have gone out into the networking world? I know if I put too many events in the calendar I just feel wasted. It renews me to put meaningful gatherings on the calendar rather than fill
It up with surface ones that feel like they go nowhere or I just feel invisible at.

What has been Renewing for you?

Would love to hear!