Michele Holland

(formerly Kolakowski)

LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC

I bring three decades of diverse experience working with childbearing women and new families to the classroom. I consider it a privilege to teach Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy with my mentor and professional “mom”, Carole Osborne and my instructor colleagues.

I’ve enjoyed diverse experience serving women and babies since 1992. This passion began after watching a video of an Indian mother on the other side of the world lovingly massaging her baby outside her simple lean-to home. I became fascinated with the baby’s experience of touch and the transformative bonds between mothers and their wee ones. I believe how women and their babies experience pregnancy, birth, the “fourth trimester” and beyond, matters for all of us. I am honored to be an approved instructor of Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy workshops and have taught maternity massage at massage schools, spas, destination resorts, hospitals, and conferences nationwide.

I’ve studied with a number of maternity massage pioneers before designing and teaching 150- and 200-hour maternity and infant massage certificate programs for the Boulder College of Massage Therapy and Cortiva Education. I also led a hospital-based integrative medicine program providing inpatient maternity massages to thousands of new mothers. I have joyfully attended births in homes, birth centers and hospitals. I’m passionate about improving maternity care’s interdisciplinary teamwork and bringing high touch, patient-centered care practices to the care of childbearing women and their babies.

I founded Sanctuary Healing Arts LLC specializing in hands-on care of women and their wee ones including massage therapy and doula care in Boulder County, Colorado. I’m passionate about improving maternity and newborn care – one pregnancy, one birth and one new family at a time. I treasure the opportunity to help families, nurses, midwives and physicians improve family-centered care and interdisciplinary teamwork. I enjoy sunshine, gardening, Carolina blue sky days, hikes to the summer mountain wildflowers and swims in the lakes, basketball (go Tarheels and Nuggets!), my meditation and yoga practice, and being witness to my sons becoming amazing young men.
https://www.sanctuaryhealingartsllc.com

I absolutely loved the teaching, hands-on experience and broad scope of the information. My time was well organized by these instructors and exceeded what I was hoping for.

The instructors were just so knowledgeable and taught with such joy! It was so inspiring and made for a comfortable learning environment. Seriously, Michele is AMAZING! I also feel like I’m walking away with invaluable techniques that over-exceeded my expectations.

Thank you so much! I am beyond grateful. I have faith that I will be able to expand this part of my practice to a whole new level. I love the intention of this course and the work. The teachers were incredible!

Thank you. I’m new to massage therapy and pre/perinatal integration, but I really feel like this could be my niche.

Thank you so much for your professional, serious training and REAL information.

Thank you for being mindful of and incorporating all the different learning styles.

I appreciated Michele’s calm, measured pace and wealth of knowledge.

Amazing! The course was taught by Michele, and she was excellently knowledgeable and had amazing teaching connection. Loved the course! And in turn love my practice even more!

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