Bodywork & Wellness with Robin, LLC

10/12/2026

Hello! Exploring Healthy Habits is great way to ask questions, share answers and suggestions, and get new ideas on how to manage lifestyle habit changes. It's also a great way to ease into group health coaching and see what it's all about.

This is a commitment. We commit to showing up and participating so that everyone gets the most of our time together. It's a fun way to spend time, but it's work. I'll ask questions in the group that make you think in the moment and most likely for a while after. We need to understand why we want to make lifestyle changes that lead to improved health in order to be most successful. Get comfortable but be ready to roll up your sleeves!

Weeks One and Six are 90-minutes long. Weeks Two through Five are 60 minutes. We stop at 60 and 90 minutes so that you can move on with your day on schedule.

Week One - Food Choices. What we eat has a great effect on our overall health and wellness, of course. We'll explore why we eat the way we do. It's more than cravings. Maybe you’re reaching absent mindedly for a snack and before you’ve enjoyed it, it’s gone. Understanding why we naturally eat the way we do can help us understand how to thoroughly enjoy that favorite meal or treat without guilt. Understanding the importance of food beyond nutrition and health opens up our food stories. It's easier to make changes that lead to better health when we understand why we're making those changes. This is a 90-minute session because we'll spend a short time with introductions so we know who we're sitting with for six weeks!

Week Two - Exercise and Meaningful Movement. Love going to the gym? Out for a run? Lifting weights? Or not? We're more likely to stay with our routines or slide back into them when we've dropped off if we're doing what we enjoy. Never running a marathon? Me either, not even if I'm being chased. We'll talk about the differences between something like a gym workout and moving your body meaningfully in a less regimented way. Moving can be fun!

Week Three - Stress Management. We can't eliminate stress from our lives, but we can better manage our stress and stressors to lessen the effects we feel. Even small changes can make big differences.

ONE WEEK BREAK FOR THANKSGIVING

Week Four - Boundaries. This is well-timed to follow Stress Management. Boundaries can be very difficult to set as well as respecting other peoples' boundaries. How do you politely say, "I can't do that?" How do you enforce a boundary? We'll brainstorm on how to set a boundary in a way that works for you and share ideas of what's worked for us in the past.

Week Five - Sleep Hygiene. A lot of us are not sleeping well, and there are a lot of reasons that cause poor sleep. Some changes are simple, others are shared by most of us, and some are very individualized. What can we change to ease ourselves into better sleep?

Week Six - Open Mic. Are you curious about other lifestyle changes we don't cover in the first five weeks? Questions about something? This is the week to ask "what else?" This is a 90-minute session so we can wrap up our time together. I have one big question that will make you think one more time.

10/04/2026

Hello! This is my last week of vacation until next summer. I'll be off grid and without a cell signal all week. When I come back to work on October 12, I'll get back to everyone who's texted, called and messaged. If you need a massage appointment, the best way to reach me next week is my text or message.

The next group coaching program begins in early November and will be finished before Christmas. It's called Exploring Healthy Habits and is a great way to see what this is all about before new groups start in January.

I'll start announcing oncology massage outside of this account when I come back to work. It's already available. If you want to talk about it before scheduling it, let me know. We can chat on the phone or you can come into the studio to see what it's about. I can show you the light touch and more.

I've enrolled in the Perimenopause & Menopause Coaching certificate training through FMCA. It's very interesting. We're learning about the cultural, family, mindset, and nutrition aspects of these seasons of life in this first quarter of the class. I anticipate being ready for one-on-one and group coaching by the end of the year. We know that women benefit greatly when we come together in community to talk, and I see the potential group coaching has. As with other group topics, you can put together your private group or join a group I'm establishing.

I'll be practicing the guidance I give to clients - relaxation, mind-body work, stretching, hiking, relaxing, and my favorite hobby - photography. I'll hit the ground running on October 12.

Be well!

Robin

09/14/2026

Good morning! I've been still here while taking some quieter time. I have been working two days a week in massage, planning group coaching programs, getting to know new coaching clients, and more. I've also been in the garden, spent time with our kids to fish on Lake Ontario, went to the Adirondacks to a writer's retreat, upta camp, and a vacation that took us to the North Maine Woods. I have one more vacation to solo camp up north coming up next month. Balance between work and play is very, very important.

I have a few massage openings in September and October. 207-214-5194.

I cut back on massage time because of rib issues stemming from a snowmobile accident in February of 2025. I discovered that I can stack firewood and do other heavy work without causing the discomfort that stretching and bending with massage and garden work caused. I can now work full days of massage and not be sore, and that's a big relief to me! I listened to my body. Are you listening to yours to find out what it really needs? It might not be what you think!

I spent three days training to become an oncology massage specialist and then became a preferred practitioner. It was a 30 CE course that gave me opportunities to learn hands-on with people who have or had cancer. The touch is different. I've learned a lot more about appropriate massage involving lymph gland biopsy and/or removal. Scar treatment can begin early. Comfort, compassion... it's a wonderful way to practice massage.

I need to get my daily walk in, and then I'll be working on a post for upcoming functional medicine health coaching group sessions and what working with me on your own can be like. Back soon!

Be well,

Robin

08/10/2026

This is such great news for the community! Congratulations, Dayna!

Good morning! Dayna here.

I am thrilled to announce a new service that I have been working on for several weeks. I have a goal to have this available in the next few months.

Our weight loss patients are required to have lab work prior to initiating treatment and we are now proud to offer a LAB here at Magnolia. We are prepared to offer lab draws to not only our established patients, but to any patients who need a home for their blood draw needs. Blood work is costly and we hope to fill the gap and, in doing so, we will be a QUEST lab who has proven to be a more affordable option for locals. You shouldn't have to drive to Bangor and take a day off work to get lab work drawn.

More info to come. We are working through the process with Quest to allow you to utilize your insurance for their service. This will take a little time to get rolling, but I am excited to do so :) see you soon!

08/10/2026

Good morning! I was out early this morning before it gets too hot.

Basil! I'm a little late cutting this basil. Some of it was flowering, but it's still going to make delicious pesto.

I usually grow Genovese, a multi-purpose, somewhat mild basil. This year, the seeds of Genovese, Purple Ruffles, and Tulsi didn't germinate. They were older seeds I took a chance on. This is "Sweet" basil from the produce department of Hannaford. I bought a pot and transplanted it into the high tunnel. Basil likes a lot of warmth. It's not sweet. This is the spiciest basil I've ever eaten. Goodness. One nibble of a flower will do me the morning.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates, father of medicine.

Herbs are great medicine, particularly when we use them as food to *stay healthy* rather than relying on them only when we've become sick. I've been sick once in 16-17 years. I credit this to keeping up my immune system partially by "eating the rainbow" with lots of herbs and plants in all the colors. Pesto is easy to make. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender.

Pesto Recipe

You should adjust this to suit your tastes. I'm not going to measure exactly two cups of basil and a half-cup of olive oil. I'll eye it. Close enough.

Clean the basil. All of these stems are soft. I'll use the smallest stems and strip the leaves from the larger ones. (Set the big stems aside to dry for something else.)

2 cups basil
1/2 cup pure olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice from one small lemon
1/2 cup Parmesan, finely shaved
1/4 to 1/2 cup pine nuts (traditional) or pecans (my preference), or walnuts.
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend on pulse. Watch the consistency. Scrape the side of the bowl and blend again.

I fill a jelly jar to use fresh and freeze the rest in pucks. Line muffin tins with parchment paper, fill with pesto, and freeze. HINT: parchment forms to the cup better if you crinkle it into a ball and then smooth it. Later, moved into freezer tight containers.

Basil contains antioxidants, vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, and more. Good stuff!


12m

07/24/2026

Could the way wheat is grown and processed matter as much as the grain itself? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Jill Brockman-Cummings, mill manager at Janie’s Mill, for a fascinating conversation about organic farming, stone-milled flour, ancient and heritage grains, and the traditions that have largely disappeared from the modern food system.

Listen to the full episode with the link in comments.

07/23/2026

Hello!

I spent three days last week training in oncology massage. We completed six hours of at-home education and testing, and then 24 hours in the classroom. We held oncology massage clinics on Sunday, and I was able to talk in-depth with an incredible young mom who's been through a rough two years. She's incredible!

My Mum passed away from colorectal cancer with liver metastasis in 1999. She was only 56. I've thought a lot about what we could have done to soothe and keep her more comfortable, but back then, massage was barely recognized as safe for people with cancer.

There was an old myth that cancer could be spread through touch, which of course isn't true. People who have cancer are touched, poked, and prodded on a regular basis. Oncology massage is very different from the deep tissue work I typically do. The touch is lighter without being tickling, and the pace is slower. We avoid the port if there is one, and of course radiation areas. Every oncology massage is based on what's happening in the moment. Were lymph nodes biopsied and/or removed? Nausea today? Exhausted? Feeling great? Time is spent talking before the massage begins.

For an appointment or more information, call me at 207-214-5194.

~Robin

07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day!

07/02/2026

Change is coming, and it isn't coming easily.

At the end of July, I'll be leaving my second office at Magnolia in Houlton. It's not a decision I wanted to make. This is health and wellness related. As a massage therapist and functional medicine certified health coach, I know we *must* take care of ourselves first, especially when we're also taking care of others. Most of us are taking care of others - children, parents, friends, co-workers, clients, patients, and others on our long lists. Self-care is important.

I don't want massage clients to think they're hurting me, and I've had a hard time wording the announcements. Nobody is hurting me. Please know that. The physical work I do with massages and passive and assisted stretching (bending, stretching, etc.) along with the hard work on stacking six cords of firewood twice a year and other aspects of living close to the land is keeping my previously injured ribs from staying in place. I'm finishing out my already scheduled appointments and gift certificates through July 24.

This changes how I'll work in my studio in Talmadge. I've already stopped passive and assisted stretching for the time being. We'll see what happens as I cut back on bodywork and continue to build my core strength. I want this to be a temporary break from stretching.

Beginning in August, I'll be massaging on Tuesdays (instead of Fridays) and Thursdays. The time between massage days should make a difference for me. I am accepting new clients here.

Beginning in September, I'll be doing a lot more functional medicine health coaching, and that excites me! I'm not slowing down; I'm changing the course a bit. I'll be posting dates for group coaching programs here as the time gets closer. One-on-one coaching is open at any time, and I'll be talking more about that. If you want to know more now, please message me here or call/text me at 207-214-5194.

I'm attending an Ocology Massage course

I'll be out July 8-12 for a family getaway, July 17-20 to take an Oncology Massage course, and again August 24-30 for a writers retreat I attend in the Adirondacks each year, and a week in early October for some solo camping.

As sad as I am about leaving Magnolia, I'm excited about what's coming.

Take care of yourself, and if you need help with that, I'm a phone call or message away! 214-5194.

Be well,

Robin

07/01/2026

Habits. If only we could replace the bad habits with good ones while we sleep. I used to wish this about losing weight, too. 😊

If you were going to change one habit, what would you choose first? These are only examples. You can choose anything even if it feels impossible. I'm working on going to bed earlier. Now that it's light out so late, I want to stay up!