Hidden Gems: Meet Jessica Julian of Shed Your Skin Wellness, Acupuncture First, and Mastnardo Massage Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Julian.

Hi Jessica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Where to start…I suppose my story began as a sensitive only child. I’ve always been very connected to nature as well as music. I had quite a bit of trauma at home, so as I grew up I had a lot of good experiences and good connections, but I also developed pretty pervasive and at times paralyzing anxiety. I was a good student and after high school I studied English, Psychology and Comparative Religion. Then I decided to go in the general direction of psychology, but a twist of fate led me to enter the Social Work program at Case. As I went through my internships and started working with adults needing mental health services, I found that my own trauma caught up with me very quickly, as well as developing vicarious trauma from hearing difficult stories. I ended up having what I call a breakdown in 2010, which led me to seek bodywork from a trusted friend. I found that within a few months, I processed an immense amount of anxiety. As I felt so much better, I gained clarity about a lot of things in my life and understood how my nervous system got the way it was. I then got training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) and massage therapy. These days I’m still enjoying my work immensely and have added a lot of other modalities. I like to travel a lot, and a couple years ago. I even explored living in New Orleans for a half a year. But for now, I’m back in Ohio.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it’s a lot smoother now than it used to be. The breakdown I went through was truly overwhelming and scary, and there were times when I thought that I wouldn’t recover. I’ve also had some really difficult deaths close to me, including the death of a partner in 2013, the suicide of a roommate, and my mother‘s death only two months after that a couple of years ago. But the skills I’ve learned mainly through BCST as well as somatic therapy has helped immensely. I feel these days able to process emotions, even if they’re difficult. I’m an active musician and belly dancer, so I stay engaged with creative projects all the time. I also love nature so I’m always hiking or doing other out of outdoor activities to keep myself balanced.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I would say I’m an extremely eclectic body worker. I have the foundation of good therapeutic massage. I can work on sore muscles, tight fascia, as well as help with injuries and almost always include stretching. Besides that, I have extremely extensive training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, which informs a lot of my practice. This works with the nervous system and there’s three real spinal fluid movement. I’m also certified in Northern Thai massage and this makes up a smaller but still significant part of my practice. Most recently, I’ve also become certified in sound healing and reflexology, and incorporate these elements as well. I think what sets me apart is that I really care about the person‘s whole story and health. I don’t connect as deeply with clients that are just looking for a basic massage. I’m happy to work with anyone, but I think I am an especially good fit for people who are needing care for their physical body as well as their emotional and spiritual body.

What were you like growing up?
I was a rather shy child and I feel like I’ve always been an easy audience and laughed easily. As I got older, sometimes my anxiety would really get in the way of me enjoying life. But as I made it past some of those challenges, I became more confident and assertive. I always wanted to engage with music a lot and both my parents supported this, whether it was helping me learn musical instruments, or going to performances or listening to music in the home. I also was always interested in kind of strange things and occult studies, and this is still a big part of my personal life.

Pricing:

• Pricing is different at all three of my locations. I can include links to each of the three websites if needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shedyourskinwellness.com and https://cleacu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acupuncturefirst
• Facebook: mastnardomassagetherapies.com