Meet Molly Coeling of Molly Coeling Therapeutic Massage & Reiki in Lincoln Square and North Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Coeling.

Molly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Massage therapy and energy work is my second career, as is the case for many massage therapists. I completed my Masters in Public Health in 2003 and worked for almost ten years in that field, primarily in academia as a project manager and community liaison for community-based research projects focused on prevention (first, prevention of cancer, then youth violence prevention). For many of those years, I contemplated returning to school to pursue my PhD, but somewhere along the way I decided that that wasn’t for me.

Instead I longed to do something in the wellness field, working with people who were looking to improve their health. I had always been an athlete and had always been interested in how the human body works, as well as the connection between mental and physical health. As a long-distance runner, I suffered a chronic injury that a massage therapist eventually helped me with, and I began to research the profession. I liked that the education was well rounded yet only took a year, and many of the courses, such as anatomy and physiology, could be applied to other wellness professions that I thought about perhaps one day pursuing.

In the fall of 2011, I enrolled at the Soma Institute in downtown Chicago and went to school full-time while continuing my full-time work at the University of Chicago. In the meantime, I also studied and began practicing Reiki, which is a form of energy work that aids healing and is very complementary to massage therapy. A few months after I finished my studies at Soma, an opportunity to rent a space in an acupuncture clinic arose, and even though I didn’t feel ready, there were so many signs pointing me in the direction that I had to say yes.

I started out slowly, seeing clients during the evenings and weekends and continuing my full-time job with a salary and benefits. I needed that safety cushion for the first year, and then I took the plunge and committed myself full-time to massage therapy and Reiki. That was three years ago, and I am thrilled with my decision to take the risks I took to get me to where I am today. I am my own boss and provide a service to people who value it, and I get such fulfillment from the work that I do. Do I get tired? Yes. But it’s so worth it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Overall it has been a smooth road, and I believe I owe that to a few factors. First, I am willing to take risks, but I also know where my comfort level lies with risk. I didn’t up and quit my full-time position at U of C out of nowhere but instead set myself specific goals, financial and otherwise, that I had to meet before I could focus fully on my business. It was important to me to come into this work from a place of abundance rather than desperation, and it has served me well.

Second, I said “yes” to everything at the beginning. If someone wanted me to offer free massages after a 5k, I was there. If someone wanted me to come in on my day off, no problem. If someone invited me to a networking event, I went out of my comfort zone and said yes.

Third, I took advantage of my existing networks, including the Chicago running community, my former colleagues at U of C and my volleyball community.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I followed the signs. If something kept coming up, or if something felt right, even if it didn’t make sense — like renting the office space I’ve now been in for over four years and where I have built my business from day one — then I went with it.

That said, of course there are struggles. My work is hard work by definition, both physically and emotionally. I have had to learn the ins and outs of being a one-woman business as I go. It can get a little lonely, being in business for yourself and by yourself. Thankfully I’ve had a lot of support along the way from mentors, colleagues and a wonderful networking group in which I was very active. I have also established a self-care regimen that keeps me healthy so that I can keep doing the work that I do, and I have met a wonderful network of providers as I have sought out services for myself, from acupuncture to chiropractic to massage therapy to yoga and beyond.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Molly Coeling | Therapeutic Massage & Reiki – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I offer individual massage therapy and/or Reiki sessions. I am trained in clinical massage therapy, which focuses on addressing specific physical conditions and symptoms. I am also trained in Reiki, which is a form of hands-on healing that works with your body to rebalance energy, most often resulting in reduced stress and pain relief.

I specialize in sessions that combine massage and Reiki in a seamless organic flow that provides relief from specific symptoms, most often physical, emotional or psychological, as well as an overall sense of well-being. Even for clients who choose not to incorporate Reiki into their treatment, my approach is mindful and slow. I work slowly in order to listen to how my client’s body is responding to the work I am doing and also to allow their body to integrate the work that I am doing. Working slowly also allows clients the chance to feel what is going on in their body, raising overall body awareness, and it also calms down the autonomic nervous system (i.e. the “fight or flight” response). Finally, my goal is for my client to be relaxed and breathing calmly throughout the entire session. I work to the edge of pain, but I always aim to avoid putting the client into a place where they feel they must tense up or hold their breath in order to receive the work I am doing.

Finally, I am proud to partner with the Breathe Network (thebreathenetwork.org), providing holistic healing services to survivors of sexual violence. I have worked with many trauma survivors, sexual and otherwise, and they respond well to my approach.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Currently, I am focused on providing one-on-one sessions to my clients but am moving more and more in the direction of providing sessions that incorporate Reiki along with massage. I have also taught energy self-care workshops and Reiki classes in the past, as well as being a certified Forrest Yoga teacher, but I am taking a break from teaching to focus on my clients as well as a writing project.

Pricing:

• 60-minute session = $90
• 90-minute session = $125

Contact Info:

• Address: 4361 N Lincoln Ave
• Website: www.mollycoeling.com
• Phone: 773.492.8535
• Email: molly.coeling@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollycoelingmassage/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/molly-coeling-therapeutic-massage-and-reiki-chicago

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