Dooley Noted: 3/3/2016
The Person: Emily Sosland
Her profession: reading specialist, elementary school level
How I met her:
Emily was referred to me by an incredible NYC-based massage therapist, Kiambu Dickerson. (Of course, Emily granted her permission that I discuss her being my patient.)
Emily said, “He declared that it was time for me to see ‘The Teacher!'”
Emily had battled breathing issues and stress, coupled with anxiety. She also had some gait dysfunctions.
She allowed me to earn her trust, listening attentively to how much strength she had yet to access.
How she’s changed me:
When I first met Emily, her breathing was short, urgent, and almost entirely initiated through her neck. At 25,000 breath repetitions per day, it is no wonder her neck was painful!
She took command of her body and built abdominal stability, first with breathing work and body weight corrective drills.
When I asked her to try the kettlebell, she looked at me as if weights were her worst enemy. She admitted she was intimidated.
But as she took my trust and did the work, she built enormous strength and power with the kettlebell. She found the bell to be a self-sufficient treatment for her stress.
She invested in her own kettlebells to train at home, not enjoying the gym environment for herself at that time. After a year, she decided to join the Semi-Private Training family at Catalyst. She consistently attends classes to get stronger and more stabile, while she takes charge of her life.
On days when she isn’t at Catalyst, you can find her in her Brooklyn neighborhood, working out in a commercial setting. She gets compliments from passersby on her impeccable biomechanics with the kettlebell.
More importantly, Emily found that strength of the body carried over into strength of her mind.
She took charge and chose against using anxiolytic drugs for treatment of her stress and anxiety. She said, “That’s just not going to work for me long term.”
That day, I handed her a stir stick for controlling her exhale. Instead of popping pills, Emily elected to take back the reigns and can now exhale for 1 minute and 20 seconds! She noticed the immense relief from anxiety that her breath control provided.
As her body got stronger, she started to make harder, more commanding decisions about her work life and her personal life. She started living in the present, leaving a job at a prestigious school to work as a consultant and start her own tutoring business.
And last week, she decided to focus on isometric power – the power to push against immovable objects. She learned she could, in fact, move what seems to be impossible to move.
Emily reminds me every time I see her that strength of the body is not separate from strength of the mind. I truly believes she -like you readers – can do anything that you really want to do.
Her answers to a list of my questions:
Book that changed you:
“Bridge to Terabithia”
It taught me the power of language at a young age.
Best website:
themoth.org
Biggest mentor:
Dr. Kathy Dooley, for showing me what living with purpose and integrity looks like.
Secret to success:
Do what you are good at and do it with purpose.
Secret to happiness:
Be present.
Secret to fitness:
Move everyday, and move well.
Secret to wealth:
It comes in many forms.
Best advice you’ve been given:
“Be careful how you talk, because your brain is listening.” – Kathy Dooley
Your acronyms:
MATESOL (Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
How you can be contacted for assessments/help:
esosland@yahoo.com
Honor and acknowledge the people who changed you.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley