“Take my hand dear weary soul and journey through the vast unknown. For hope travels here. Rather this curious uncertainty than on the familiar road, alone.”
— Catherine Tiesteel
Catherine Tiesteel
Founder & Director, Archway Wellness
Somatic Trauma-Informed Coach & Educator
Catherine Tiesteel
Catherine is a Somatic Trauma-Informed Coach and Educator who supports women in reconnecting with their bodies and deepening self-trust.
Her work integrates somatic education, movement as medicine, and embodiment as a path of healing—drawing on over two decades of clinical experience as a Registered Massage Therapist, trauma-informed training, and her own lived journey of awareness and reconnection. She completed yoga teacher training to further deepen her understanding of movement as medicine and embodiment.
For more than twenty years, Catherine practiced as a Registered Massage Therapist and clinic owner, deeply attuned to the body’s signals. Through thousands of hours of hands-on care, she witnessed how physical pain could ease—yet certain patterns often persisted.
That observation gradually reshaped her work.
She came to understand that what we carry in the body reflects our lived experiences, early attachments, and protective adaptations formed over time. Beneath tension often lie stories of holding, bracing, and surviving.
Inspired by neuroscience and modern understandings of nervous system regulation, Catherine immersed herself in studying how stress, safety, and connection are held in the body and expressed in relationships. She later trained as a Somatic Trauma-Informed Coach to weave these principles into a structured, educational framework.
Her work now weaves together:
Emotional patterning held in the body
Somatic Awareness
Gentle, symbolic movement
Trauma-informed principles
Nervous system education
Women’s developmental and relational imprints
Catherine teaches with steadiness and compassion. She avoids quick fixes and performance-driven approaches, instead creating spaces where women can slow down, listen inward, and build awareness and inner capacity at their own pace.
She honors the body’s natural rhythm and the wisdom that unfolds in safety and time.
Catherine walks alongside women as they deepen awareness, strengthen inner capacity, and remember they were never broken to begin with.
Support our work
Many of those we serve have experienced trauma that disrupted their sense of safety and belonging. Through accessible, low-cost programs, we bridge the gap between knowledge and embodied healing, empowering participants to understand their nervous systems, regulate their emotions, and build healthier relationships.
Your contributions directly fund:
Low- or no-barrier access for individuals in recovery or experiencing financial hardship.
Training and education for facilitators, recovery coaches, and community leaders.
Safe, inclusive environments where trauma survivors can learn and connect.
Community partnerships that extend trauma literacy to underserved populations.
“Each donation, no matter the size, helps someone feel safe in their own body, sometimes for the very first time.”
Let’s work together
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