About the Practitioner

Valerie Erlandson, CMT

Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts graduate

Claire Marie Miller, Nurturing the Mother Certified Prenatal, Postpartum and Infant Massage Therapist

People often ask how I got into massage.  When I was younger, I would give my friends massages at sleepovers.  They would line up and I would massage their shoulders while we watched movies.  I loved making them feel good, and still enjoy giving people that relaxed feeling today!  I received my first massage when I was 18 and knew right then, that's what I wanted to do.  After a holistic health class I took at WMU, I discovered a whole new way of living and began taking classes at KCHA.

After graduation, I starting working at Travalo Salon in Otsego, Mi and a after a couple years there decided I wanted to focus more on therapeutic massage and starting working at Otsego Family Chiropractic Wellness Clinic.  After nine years there, I am excited to make a new start at Country Way Natural Foods.

 

In 2003, I married my best friend Chris and we have been living in Plainwell ever since.  Since then he and I have had 3 children together, Olivia in 2005, Hannah in 2007 and Grady in 2010.  This started a whole new part of my life, when after having a cesarean and then two VBACs (vaginal births after cesarean) I decided I wanted to support other women on their birth journey and became a certified birth doula.  I started working with Birth Kalamazoo in 2008 and while I am no longer taking on as many births, I still continue to lead the VBAC and Cesarean Support group. 

 

When I'm not giving massages or hanging out with my family, I enjoy spending my time running, playing soccer and doing yoga.  Oh, and receiving massages frequently myself, because I firmly believe that the only way that I will be able to take care of others is if I take care of myself!