Santosha Wellness

01/31/2026

Today, our form of resistance was walking land with the incredible and dreaming up spaces for our next big step. We are looking at homes and land for our next phase of work with our therapy interventions and the addition of . Land where families can come and connect with, learn from, respect and appreciate. Land where we will work to create equitable access, continue our systems level work, and open more opportunities for children and families.
I share this bit of our light because this week has also been extraordinarily heavy and exhausting as the collective. For us, some of it was filled with energizing advocacy work and boots on the ground action. Other parts of it, though, were filled with tears and real fear and hurts and disappointment. Yet the work carries on, as it should. We continue to make calls, push and advocate, listen and respond, and fight. Our work has always been about this and always will. Seeing the humanity and caring as the collective.
Community is resistance.

01/19/2026

I had the opportunity to attend a retreat this weekend near Lake Michigan.
I gathered with other incredible women, some of whom began as friends and others as strangers. And by the end, we were sisters.
…
I spent very intentional time during this weekend allowing myself to dream and think big with Santosha.
And let me tell you, big things are happening.
…
It’s time to reclaim the village. Be the collective.
Get kids outside, create equitable access, uplift caregivers, connect to resources, challenge the systems.
…
It’s going to be amazing.
💜

01/14/2026

We are so honored to be voted as a Top Occupational Therapist in Southwest Michigan for another year in a row! What an honor it is to support, advocate, and hold the stories of all the kids and families we work with.
And to be tied with another OT who I consider a close mentor and have always looked up to (Arcadia Center for OT 💜), how lucky are we?
There are some incredible OTs on this list, and there are even more that aren't listed here but equally deserve celebration for the work they do.
Thank you for this recognition, Southwest Michigan and KZOO KIDS !

12/16/2025

As we move through this season of gratitude, stillness, and wintering, I've been reflecting a lot on how my business came to be. Where the idea of Santosha Wellness was born. Where I was born as a pediatric therapist. And really, it's in these pictures. The moments when I was coaching kids fitness classes. The moments when I was living and working in the Dominican Republic. I always knew I wanted to be a therapist, but it was in the moments that these pictures hold where I fell in love with working with kids.
I fell in love with their joy.
I fell in love with their rawness.
I fell in love with holding their stories.
I remember being in each of these moments and realizing, this is was passion looks like. To love what you do.
It is a sacred honor to be a pediatric occupational therapist. To create a safe space for kids and families to laugh, cry, tell truths, share worries, grow stronger.
Santosha Wellness is made from so many dreams, stories, people, and trust. Not just me, but from every soul that crossed our path.
This season, while I lean into the stillness and the wintering, I will continue to reflect and celebrate the winding journey that brought me here today, with all of you.

12/15/2025

Happy Monday! Kids here have been working hard the last few weeks by making snowflakes so we can create a winter wonderland in our waiting room. What a fun time of year ❄️❄️❄️

12/12/2025

Today our clinic turned into an animal hospital, where we gave medical exams, did x-rays, put on bandages, and fed all our sick animals. The possibilities are endless for what a day of OT will look like!

12/11/2025

Anyone else ready to do more moss-ing and less boss-ing? Us! We are getting ready to pause, rest, and cozy up for our winter break. ❄️ We’ll be closed December 22 to January 2 ❄️ This allows us time to turn inward, be with our loved ones, and tend to our hearts so we can be recharged for the new year.

12/04/2025

12/03/2025

What occupational therapy looked like today for one kiddo.
We are focusing on regulation in their goals, and today we talked about what happens when they get mad and reasons why they get mad. From there we worked together to build a list of strategies they can teach their class in school (their idea - yeah, self-advocacy!! 🙌🏼). We also came up with a list for home.
I am also supporting parents to know how to offer meaningful co-regulation in ways that honor this child’s preferences.
This is OT.
💜

11/17/2025

Last week, I had the opportunity to present alongside Dr. Michelle Suarez at the Barbara Rider Colloquium 2025: Hidden Occupations at Western Michigan University with Department of Occupational Therapy!
We researched and presented on the topic of screen time and kids, looking into the impact it has on the brain, the body, and family systems as a whole. We discussed how occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely qualified to address this area with compassion, equity, and a deep understanding of neuroscience, social and family systems, and development across the lifespan. We passionately framed the discussion through a social equity lens, looking at how excessive screen time disproportionately impacts families with lower social determinants of health. Without understanding the WHY, we cannot support the HOW. Statistics on excessive screen use are scary and undeniable.
Dr. Suarez and I plan to continue our work in sharing research-based and practice-based information to OTPs and families alike for how to best reduce screen use while simultaneously advocating at the local, state, and federal levels for systemic change that also needs to happen.
Also - in case anyone is wondering one of the primary drivers in Santosha Wellness opening a Timbernook and advocating for 1000 Hours Outside , this is it!

11/15/2025

We revamped the kids area of our waiting room today!
Hired the best husband/handy man in town to help out. And well, my kids helped by making themselves right at home in the therapy room 😅😂

11/10/2025

Happy snowy day ❄️ Anyone else get in on some snowman building fun today?!
Playing and being outside for this snowy weather has SO many benefits!
* Regulation (hello, heavy work!)
* Strengthening big muscles (pushing snow, lifting snow balls, pulling sled, climbing and crawling
* Building small muscles, too (putting on gloves, pulling zippers)
* Dressing independence (great practice with all that snow gear! Even just trying helps to build skills)
* More regulation (hello, big temperature shifts helping to give a “reset” your nervous system!)
* Oral motor skills (licking snow to eat it, sticking tongue out to catch snow flake)
* Family fun and building traditions and rituals (no matter how simple and short)
And that’s just a few! What are some of YOUR favorite things to do outside in this fall-wintery mix of weather we’re having? ❄️❄️