To be recognized alongside such an inspiring international group of leaders is both humbling and meaningful. This acknowledgement is more than a personal milestone — it is a reflection of the many conversations, collaborations, and shared visions that continue to shape the work I am so passionate to bring forward.

Since returning to school in 2014 to deepen my studies in health and wellness, this journey has been one of tremendous growth, discovery, and purpose. What began as a commitment to better understand the body’s remarkable capacity to heal has evolved into a rich and rewarding path of research, program development, community engagement, and international collaboration.

Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of building systems, programs, and conversations that support wellbeing through education, embodied awareness, and practical self-care. At the heart of this work is a simple but powerful intention: to help people better understand their bodies, reconnect with their own healing capacity, and build sustainable tools for wellbeing in everyday life.

That intention continues to guide my work through CanBeWell, where our focus remains on creating accessible, meaningful wellness education and experiences that help individuals and communities build stronger self-care toolboxes. Through CanBeWell, we continue to explore how movement, music, mindfulness, and embodied awareness can support resilience, regulation, and long-term wellbeing.

This same philosophy also shapes the evolution of Marathon Jam — a growing initiative rooted in healing through music, movement, and therapeutic connection. What began as a creative gathering has continued to evolve into a deeper exploration of how music and movement can support healing, nervous system regulation, resilience, and restoration. Marathon Jam is helping to create new conversations around trauma-informed care, therapeutic arts, and the power of embodied community healing.

These projects, along with my ongoing work in education and facilitation, are all connected by one core belief: when we create spaces for meaningful conversation, intentional collaboration, and embodied experience, we help people build the tools they need to care for themselves and one another more effectively.

This has also been beautifully reflected through Be Well with Dr Michelle Greenwell, now entering Season 6. The podcast has become a meaningful space for rich conversations, practical insight, and shared learning. Each episode is designed to offer listeners thoughtful tools, new perspectives, and accessible strategies to strengthen their self-care toolbox and support wellbeing in daily life. It has been a joy to explore these conversations with guests from around the world, each bringing their own wisdom, experience, and perspective on healing and resilience.

This past weekend, we were also delighted to celebrate World Tai Chi and Qigong Day — a global event dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong for health and wellbeing. It was a meaningful opportunity to gather in community, share movement, and highlight the many ways these practices support balance, resilience, mobility, and nervous system regulation.

This year, that work feels especially significant as we continue to focus on creating a Blue Zone-inspired culture of wellbeing in our community through Tai Chi. By bringing greater awareness to gentle movement, social connection, nervous system health, and sustainable wellbeing practices, we are helping to foster the kind of everyday habits that support longevity, vitality, and community wellness for generations to come.

To be recognized as a finalist for the Legacy Leader Award is a true honour, and one that I receive with deep gratitude.

Thank you to Michelle Abraham and everyone involved with the Authority Awards for this recognition and for your confidence in the work I am so privileged to do.

This acknowledgement is not simply a celebration of what has been built — it is an invitation to continue.

To continue creating conversations.
To continue building collaborations.
To continue exploring the body’s capacity to heal.
To continue offering tools that help others build stronger, wiser, and more compassionate self-care practices.

For that opportunity, I am truly grateful.

The post Honoured to Be Named a Finalist for the Legacy Builder Award first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Although the tea party is down under, in Australia, check your clock and see if you can help Linda celebrate her two years of blogging three times a week. This is a great milestone. Congratulations to the Mindful Migraine. All the best for a great tea party!

The post Recognizing the Mindful Migraine Blog first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Pain is one of the body’s most intricate communication systems. It alerts us when something is out of balance, misaligned, or overworked. Yet pain is rarely the true source of a problem—more often, it is the loudest voice in a much larger conversation happening between muscles, meridians, fascia, reflexes, and the nervous system. In our first episode of the Understanding Body Pain trilogy, we explored this complexity through the lens of the hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders—areas that often carry tension from not only physical strain but also emotional load and energetic imbalance.

At the heart of this conversation lies the science behind pain and the remarkable system of Touch for Health, created by Dr. John Thie and rooted in the groundbreaking work of Dr. George Goodheart. These tools offer a way to understand pain not as an isolated event, but as a reflection of the body’s deeper patterns of communication.

Pain Is Not the Problem — It’s the Messenger

Modern medicine often teaches us to chase the symptom:
a wrist brace for wrist pain, a shoulder stretch for shoulder tension, or a topical cream for elbow discomfort.

But pain is rarely localized. A weak anterior deltoid can cause wrist strain. Tight forearm flexors can come from misalignment in the upper thoracic spine. Shoulder pain can originate from stress patterns in the jaw. Even finger stiffness can link back to the small intestine meridian.

Touch for Health works because it respects the body’s interconnected nature. It recognizes that:

• Muscles communicate through meridians
• Meridians communicate through organ systems
• Organ systems influence posture, mood, and function
• Structural misalignment affects emotional and energetic flow

This is why in Episode 1 we shared examples of how upper body pain often points to deeper imbalances in the body’s bioenergetic network. Once you understand these relationships, you can finally stop fighting pain—and start listening to what it’s trying to tell you.

The Science Behind Touch for Health

While many people assume that energy-based systems are “woo-woo,” the science behind Touch for Health is grounded in:

1. Applied Kinesiology & Neurophysiology

Dr. George Goodheart discovered predictable relationships between muscles and organ systems. For example:

• The deltoid corresponds with the lung meridian
• The supraspinatus aligns with the central meridian

These links reflect neurophysiological pathways—reflex arcs—that influence strength, tone, and function.

2. Proprioception & Biofeedback

Muscle monitoring allows us to access the body’s feedback loop. When a muscle responds weakly, it indicates an imbalance in the energetic or neurological pattern behind it—not simply a lack of strength. This makes muscle monitoring a precise tool for identifying the priority behind pain patterns.

3. Fascia & Biotensegrity

Pain often travels along fascial lines. The upper body, for example, contains spiraling patterns that cross from shoulder to hip, wrist to neck, and elbow to ribcage. Touch for Health techniques—like neurolymphatic reflexes and neurovascular points—help restore hydration, flow, and mobility through these fascial chains.

4. Chinese Medicine & the Five Elements

Touch for Health bridges Western anatomy with Eastern philosophy. Pain is understood not only as mechanical strain but as energetic stagnation. For example:

• Wrist and elbow pain often relate to Metal (lungs, large intestine)
• Shoulder tension may reflect Wood (liver, gallbladder)
• Grip strength relates to Water (kidneys, bladder)

This gives practitioners and individuals a holistic map of pain—physical, emotional, and energetic.

Tools That Transform Pain

In our first episode on hands and arms, we demonstrated several Touch for Health concepts that anyone can explore:

1. Muscle Monitoring

Helps identify the priority imbalance rather than guessing at symptoms.

2. Emotional Stress Release Points

Releases mental tension that contributes to chronic pain patterns.

3. Neurolymphatic Reflex Points

Helps reduce inflammation and restore flow through muscle and organ systems.

4. Meridian Tracing

Clears stagnant energy and supports the body’s natural healing pathways.

5. Posture Awareness

Simple alignment shifts in the shoulders, wrists, and neck can dramatically change pain levels.

Each technique empowers the individual, restoring the understanding that healing doesn’t come from fighting the body—but partnering with it.

A New Way to Experience Pain & Healing

The goal of Touch for Health and bioenergetic wellness is not just relief—it is awareness.
When you know how to interpret the body’s signals, pain becomes a guide rather than a barrier.

Our trilogy will continue to explore:

• Episode 2: Feet, Ankles, Knees & Hips
• Episode 3: Back & Neck

Each episode builds on the science and self-care practices introduced in Episode 1, offering practical tools and a deeper understanding of how pain reveals our path to healing.

You can reach out to Denise Cambiotti at www.muscletuners.ca to learn more about her special programs and the power of her techniques.

You can find Kate Montgomery at katemontgomery@me.com and you can find her two exceptional books on amazon: Sports Touch and End your Carpal Tunnel Pain without Surgery.

Are you looking for a Touch for Health class? Michelle will be offering a Level 1 starting in January. You can email your intent to info@greenwellcenter.com. You can find more information in the shop as well as the description about Touch for Health.

Michelle also offers in person and online movement classes that are embedded with Touch for Health information, this is a great way to understand the power of the information in real time. You can find these courses here.

Looking for a deeper dive? Michelle will be offering a Tai Chi Retreat in West Kelowna, BC in March with Wine Country Tai Chi Society. You can learn more in a few weeks when the full details are released. This is a chance to work in person and gain a deeper understanding of how the concepts reveal themselves through movement patterns.

New knowledge and experience is just one class away. Enjoy the podcast!

The post The Science of Pain & the Transformative Tools of Touch for Health first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.