Morgan Leavitt, LMT

02/02/2026

When are you going to really love yourself?

It’s the month of love. Love for partners, for friends, for family. Love for neighbors and community. Love for strangers across the country you will never meet.

Love is strong and powerful. It is also quiet and meaningful.

But how much love are you really setting aside for yourself?

How often to you stop and think about what you really need right now to thrive, during this chaotic time where just making it through the day is deemed a success?

I struggle with this very thing myself. But I’m working on it.

We can work on it together.

I’ve been pretty consistent about scheduling my monthly massage sessions. It is helping reduce my pain and tension. It is calming my heart and mind, even if only momentarily (every little bit helps). It gives me motivation to work on maintaining my self-care at home between sessions. It gives me time to focus ONLY on myself and my needs for a full 60 minutes, which is a big deal for those of us who spend our days taking care of others (I’m looking at you parents and teachers and nurses and all the other caregivers.)

If you haven’t been consistent about scheduling your own monthly massage sessions, this is a good month to start. Show yourself some love and care.

So reach out now and get on the books. All the February appointments on Saturdays, evenings, and President’s Day have already been spoken for. But there is still room for you.

See you soon.

02/01/2026

Back in November, I hung some string in a corner of my treatment room, set out some cards and a pen, and mentioned to my massage patients that we could all use a little gratitude boost. They understood the assignment. By the end of the first week, I had to add another string.

Gratitude was expressed for family and friends. Comforting pets. Supportive co-workers. Good health. Access to healthcare. Happy homes. Plentiful food. Adventurous travel. The freedom to come and go, and live their lives safely and securely.

Acknowledgement of all these things is so very important. Even more so is the recognition that all human beings deserve the same.

My treatment room is a safe space for all. I receive my patients with kindness, empathy and respect. And send them on their way feeling that they are understood and cared for. I experience the same in return.

This is the very least we can do for our fellow humans.

I am keeping the garlands up a little longer. It serves as a reminder of all that we have, but also all the work that needs to be done to make sure everyone has it too.

01/30/2026

Just a reminder that inner resilience, often discovered during the toughest times, is far greater than any external hardship.

Keep going.

01/26/2026

Grief is the accumulation of all the sadness, the love, the frustration, the hope, the turmoil, and the resistance we feel deep inside.

It does not simply reside in the heart and mind, though.

Grief lives in our bodies - our bones, our muscles, our fascia, our stomachs, our jaws…every place we store compassion and empathy.

It is a heaviness. A deep ache. A constant fatigue.

But humans are resilient. And we don’t give up.

We take that heaviness, and we turn it into action and productivity, in whatever way we are capable of. (One person’s way may be different than yours, but action is action.)

We stand up for our communities.

And stay strong for our neighbors.

We give funding and support to people and organizations doing the bulk of the heavy lifting.

We contact our senators and representatives (especially this week.)

We hold space for each other as we try to navigate these extraordinarily difficult times.

And we take care of ourselves.

Read that again.

We take care of ourselves.

Our hearts can endure more than we know. But we cannot pour from an empty cup.

True self-care fills the gaps and lifts us up in every way.

So we can keep on going. Even through the grief.

01/01/2026

What would happen if you changed the energy of January?

Instead of jumping into new things, making too many plans, elevating your expectations….

What if you slowed down into the rhythm of rest, listened to your body, focused on being present, let routines return gently, and fully supported your nervous system?

What steps can you take to turn towards yourself, provide nourishment for your mind and body, create safety and support, and learn to be truly present?

This is the month of grounding, of presence, of connection to the self. So that as the season begins to change, to warm, to grow, you will be ready.

Ready for learning, for curiosity, for coming out of your shell, and for building momentum.

What does all that look like for you?

Food that’s warm and filling. A body that moves gently and fluidly. A nervous system that is calm and centered.

January is a time to return to your basic needs.

One of those needs centers around the rhythm of your nervous system.

If you’ve fallen off your routines during the hustle of the holidays, including your monthly massages, this is the time to get back on track.

Let’s slow down, take deep breaths, and begin again.

See you soon.

12/31/2025

New Year’s can be a strange time of transition.

I’ve never been a huge fan.

Until it became the anniversary of the moment I met my person (who is now my husband.)

So now, without pressure or deadline, we gently reflect on the past year, and tentatively plan for the one ahead of us.

And that feels right.

All of our past experiences shape and inform the way we move forward.

It is a gift to call upon who we have been, to become who we want to be.

I wish you realization and understanding of all the gifts you have gathered in 2025, that will see you through 2026 and beyond.

Happy New Year, Massage Friends.

12/18/2025

Who wants a gift?!?!

It’s that time of year when chaos ensues, and we stress and flail at the last minute to find the PERFECT thing to gift to our loved ones (or maybe ourselves). And the options can be overwhelming.

Well, I can help with that.

Here’s a selection of small businesses, all wellness related, of course, that I am personally supporting this year, with purchases, social shares, and referrals….

salonchicago esthetics life.coaching smbiz








All these small businesses are local to Chicago, except for The Loose Leaf, Nature’s Gift and Tribe Tokes, which are personal favorites of mine, who I purchase from again and again (and again.)

Click on the links. Give these businesses a follow. And don’t forget that gift certificates make excellent gifts!

All of these businesses will also be a part of my Winter Gift Giveaway for my massage patients.

Want to know how to be a part of the giveaway as either a recipient or gift giver for next year? Reach out and I’ll tell you how!

Happy Small Business Shopping!!!

12/05/2025

Your nervous system is talking to you, but are you listening?

Chronic pain has a tendency to build up over time and then “flare” when the nervous system gets overwhelmed. Often there are signs of that build up. We just need to pay attention.

It’s cold and snowy in Chicago, and my brain has been talking up a storm. It began with mild muscle aches, then burny joint pain, and progressed to that stabby feeling in random areas of my body when I walk out into the cold. My head wants to thrive in the cold (historically fewer Migraine attacks), but my body feels worse and worse as the temperatures drop. And unfortunately, the more triggers that build up in my body, the more likely a Migraine will occur.

I have listened deeply to my nervous system over the years. I can recognize the whispers when they begin. I have things I can do to deter the pain, and remedies for when the pain breaks through. I do my best to redirect the nervous system overwhelm before it gets too bad.

Sometimes I need help. (My massage appointment is next week.)

If you need help learning how to listen to your nervous system and decode what it’s trying to tell you, reduce your pain and keep it from coming back, you’ve come to the right place.

DM me for more info.

Don’t wait until your body is screaming at you. Reach out when you start hearing the whispers.

12/05/2025

Your nervous system is talking to you, but are you listening?

Chronic pain has a tendency to build up over time and then “flare” when the nervous system gets overwhelmed. Often there are signs of that build up. We just need to pay attention.

It’s cold and snowy in Chicago, and my brain has been talking up a storm. It began with mild muscle aches, then burny joint pain, and progressed to that stabby feeling in random areas of my body when I walk out into the cold. My head wants to thrive in the cold (historically fewer Migraine attacks), but my body feels worse and worse as the temperatures drop. And unfortunately, the more triggers that build up in my body, the more likely a Migraine will occur.

I have listened deeply to my nervous system over the years. I can recognize the whispers when they begin. I have things I can do to deter the pain, and remedies for when the pain breaks through. I do my best to redirect the nervous system overwhelm before it gets too bad.

Sometimes I need help. (My massage appointment is next week.)

If you need help learning how to listen to your nervous system and decode what it’s trying to tell you, reduce your pain and keep it from coming back, you’ve come to the right place.

DM me for more info.

Don’t wait until your body is screaming at you. Reach out when you start hearing the whispers.

12/01/2025

I’m gonna sound like a broken record, but…..how did another month fly by?!?!?!

I enjoy December much more when it starts with snow.

I’ve always loved Winter. Maybe because the chill in the air feels better to my Migrainy head than the humidity and heat of Summer. Maybe it’s the magic of looking out your window when you wake up in the morning and seeing the marshmallow world outside. Maybe because it signifies the start of hibernation season (I LOVE hibernation season.)

December can also be a stressful month, packed with too many activities and responsibilities. Trying to get all of your work accomplished before the end of the year. This month can fly faster than all the others.

Remember though, if you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you take care of and be present for others?

There are so many little ways to include self-care into your day to day routines. At this time of the year, it’s easiest to maintain what you’ve already been doing. Just don’t drop the ball. If you’ve been doing twice a week yoga, keep it up! Monthly massages, get it booked! Morning meditations, you can do it!

I’ve got my massage appointment on the books for this month.

Do you?

(Link in bio for scheduling this month’s massage appointment.)

11/27/2025

11/25/2025

This may sound strange…

I am grateful for all the pain, grief and hardships I’ve had in my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I would give back all the chronic pain, challenges, anxiety, loss, if I magically could.

But that’s not how life works.

So I learned long ago to embrace the bad with the good. And over time, I saw things differently.

I can appreciate the beauty of the world, whether I’m traveling to new places, or taking the train to work. The little moments of community and kindness that we witness in our neighborhoods. The ability to get up each morning and tackle the new day with an open heart. The fact that I make my living by helping people.

I could be bitter. I could stay in bed when life is hard and my body rebels. I could wonder ‘why me’ and focus on all the things I can’t do.

But that wouldn’t be much of a life.

I choose healing over hurting. Helping over being helpless. And moving forward over staying stuck.

All it took was a momentary pause. A little shift. A new perspective. And that created an entirely new outlook on life.

Gratitude is transformative.

So, yes, I am grateful for all the pain, grief and hardships I’ve had in my life.