The Somavida Team

Meet Stephan Williams

Stephan is a licensed massage therapist who graduated from the New School for Massage and Bodywork in January 2022. Coming from an orthopedic surgical unit background, he has been amazed on how much the body can endure and its potential. Through another surgical tech he learned about the healing arts of clinical massage. This allowed him a place to further understand the human vehicle, and appreciate the art of touch with applied wisdom and knowledge as he works toward becoming a Certified Neuromuscular Therapist. He specializes in helping low and mid back pain as well as upper back and shoulder pain.

In Stephan’s words, "When I first was introduced to massage, I took the concept of massage lightly, the preconceived notion that it was an art for relaxation, but through deep investigation and more knowledge of the human anatomy, the realization that massage is an ancient yet modern twist to health care. It is my duty as a massage therapist to be current with knowledge and assist your pain, where you and I can create a doorway where you could enter a pain free lifestyle."

Stephan enjoys studying, meditating, writing poetry, making jokes(not that it is his specialty), working out, and FOOD. Occasionally you may find him sitting under a tree.

Meet David Willborn

David graduated from The Soma Institute National School of Clinical Massage Therapy as valedictorian of his class. As a competitive gymnast, tenacious triathlete, and four-time Ironman finisher, David knows how demanding sport is on the body.  For over a decade, David was the head coach of a men’s Junior Olympic and Junior Elite gymnastics program. He learned firsthand the importance of bodywork as a tool for himself and the athletes under his supervision to enhance performance and aid in the recovery process. David found his passion in clinical massage, which gave him the tools to help people on their paths to recovery. He looks forward to being a life-long learner as a massage therapist and as a future Precision Neuromuscular Therapist to utilize as many tools as he can to help people.

In David’s words:  "Clinical massage to me is very much like coaching. When a person comes in for the first time you are presented with a puzzle, much like a new skill is a puzzle to an athlete. Everyone’s puzzle is unique to them. As a coach, it was my job to help my athletes put all of the pieces together to learn new skills. As a clinical massage therapist, it’s my goal to put the pieces together for the person seeking to solve their pain problem. The greatest motivation for me is seeing the resulting assembled puzzle; it’s truly magical."

Fun Facts: David was a cheerleader at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and got to cheer at 2 Rose Bowls, NCAA Final Four Game, and been on the Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno. He’s a huge Tolkien fan, and loves food and travel.

Meet Liz Mooney

Liz is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist who graduated in 2021 from the Soma Institute, The National School of Clinical Massage Therapy. She has been a personal trainer and swim instructor for a combined total of 6 years after receiving her bachelors degree in Kinesiology from the University of IL at Chicago. Liz’s passion is helping all bodies move and feel better. Liz has really enjoyed pursuing different modalities of bodywork to further her education and development to be of better service to her community. She has expertise in sport massage, TMJ disorders, trigger point therapy and Thai massage.

Liz shares: “Massage is an incredibly healing tool that can transform a person’s life. It’s a humbling experience to assist in alleviating someone’s pain and watch them take their power back. I’m grateful to be in an environment where I’ll be able to use all the knowledge and skills I’ve accumulated to discover each person’s unique cause of pain or dysfunction.”

Outside of work, Liz can be found rock climbing, on a yoga mat, or in a cozy spot reading with a mug of coffee. She’s also a huge fan of documentaries and would love any recommendations!

Meet David In

David is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist, graduating in 2014 from Cortiva Institute. Throughout his career, he has worked in many different medical settings alongside Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, and Pain Specialist MDs. David specializes in myofascial release, hypermobility, TMJ disorders, muscle and nerve pain relief treatment.

In David’s own words, “Working continually in a medical massage setting has broadened my understanding of kinesiology and physiology and been valuable to help comprehend the cause and effect of most soft tissue injuries, as well as the importance of soft tissue health. That to this day has been my biggest drive for the past 10+ years! My hope is to continue learning and help those whom I can in this career for decades to come!“

David enjoys pursuing his own goals in personal fitness and wellness, and has a passion for FOOD! He tries to expose his taste buds to as many different ethnic origins as he can! From Italian, Hispanic, Greek, Mediterranean, Indian, some Chinese or Korean!

Meet Jackie Leonard

Jackie is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist who graduated from The Soma Institute, The National School of Clinical Massage Therapy in 2018. Jackie has training in sports massage, trigger point, neuromuscular, and TMJD therapies. She also considers education, both for herself and for others, to be one of the most important aspects of massage therapy, and has worked as a Teaching Assistant at The Soma Institute. She has served on the Somavida team since 2019.

 In Jackie’s own words, "Massage is a simple tool that has the potential to radically transform our well-being. My goal as a practitioner is to use my knowledge and skills to help others maintain or reclaim their own good health. I especially enjoy the problem-solving aspect of clinical massage--questioning the cause of pain or dysfunction often leads us to answers that aren't always our initial guess, and might even seem completely unrelated. It's a pretty humbling reminder of the body's complexity, but demystifying the way that the body works is something that I think is highly valuable."

Jackie enjoys terrible puns, dessert (particularly eating it), and pictures of cute animals. Ideally, all three occur in conjunction. 

Meet Yu Suzuki

Yu Suzuki is the Lead Certified Precision Neuromusuclar Therapist at Somavida. She graduated from The Soma Institute, Chicago in 2016 at top of her class. She is a licensed massage therapist specializing in treatment of muscular and neuro-conditions of the whole body, with a focus on neck/jaw, hip, leg, knee and foot. She has served on the Somavida team since 2017 and has extensive experience treating EDS and instability. 日本語をご所望の方はお気軽にお声がけください。

Yu describes in her own words her special background for becoming a neuromuscular therapist: “I've worked as a professional dancer for 10 years, and I experienced a severe knee injury in 2016. Unfortunately, I had to learn all accidents aren't preventable, and recovery is never an easy process. However, having the extensive knowledge in soft tissue and body mechanics has helped me greatly in my recovery process. By applying my massage education to my injury recovery, I have gained a better understanding of the human body and soft tissue response to trauma and treatment.

I love sharing my knowledge and experience with others so I can give them the help they need. I'm always learning adding to my education in Neuromuscular therapy to become a greater help to others in pain.

Outside of Massage Therapy, I enjoy performing and teaching dance, cooking, motherhood and spending time with friends and family.”

Meet Sarah Lashley

What does Somavida mean?

“BodyLife” is the true meaning of Somavida. We seek to give life to people's body, as well as give glory to God in all we do. The name was inspired by the following verses in the Bible.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 
(2 Corinthians 4:10-11)