Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Goncalves.
Hi Ana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I came to Colorado from my home country in 1998 to pursue graduate school. I had finished my veterinary degree in Brazil and wanted to pursue a Ph.D. program. I had accomplished a Master’s Degree and had almost finished a Ph.D. when my life took a big turn – I had met and married my husband, who had accepted a position as a professor at UT Knoxville. He moved here in 2003 and I stayed behind in CO working on my research.
One year after his move, I joined him in Knoxville, pregnant with our first child… Our second child was born in 2007. Until then, I had been teaching ultrasound to veterinarians all over the US, which I still continue to do today. That was also the year I met the Maori Healers of New Zealand, who toured the world doing a deep tissue massage as I had never seen or experienced before.
I could not get them out of my head and I knew I needed to learn Maori Healing. I went to Massage School in 2010 in order to do just that. I have been learning from the Maori since then, as well as providing Maori Bodywork, Visceral Manipulation, and Reiki to the community of Knoxville and Brazil, teaching Maori Healing and Reiki and supporting the Maori Healers on their journey.
In 2014, I opened up The Knoxville Healing Center, where I see my clients. I wanted to create a place of work where I could have a community of other amazing practitioners working under the same roof. The Knoxville Healing Center offers Rolfing, Pediatric OT, Craniosacral Therapy, Counseling, Thai massage, and more traditional types of massage.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I always knew what I wanted in life and had a plan. Ever since I was a young girl, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. So that is what I did. I also knew I wanted to be a university professor in Brazil. That is what brought me to the US and into graduate school. Somewhere along the way, my goals changed and, when I met my husband Joe, I knew I wasn’t going to go home for a career at a university. I was 29 and wanted a family.
I was not interested in being a professor in the United States while married to someone doing just that. The hours were long and the pressure was high. I couldn’t have kids that I didn’t have time to raise myself. That was a hard time in my life, as I was severing ties with my life ideals from the past and changing a career path into something completely unknown… I was happy being a veterinarian but didn’t have the ability to travel the country teaching ultrasound anymore. I had two kids that needed me. However, I also wanted to go back to work part-time. When I “stumbled” into the Maori Healers, I was at a low point in my life.
I was exhausted, unhappy and confused and felt like I had lost my identity. My kids are amazing but I have to say that being a mother is the hardest job I ever had. The Maori work helped clear the confusion and sadness and awoke me to continue with my life’s purpose. Looking back, I might have had my midlife crisis in my thirties.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am very lucky to wear many hats, as I love all that I do. I joke that every decade of my life I learn something new and add that to my repertoire. Fifteen years ago, I started pottery and 11 years ago I added aerial silks to my life. 2014 was the birth of another passion project of mine: I started the nonprofit Rescuing Health, to raise funds to pay for individuals’ medical needs that they might not be able to afford.
All of those things and the ultrasound work are done part-time, as my main focus is on my Maori Healing practice. To be a Maori Healing practitioner is to live and breathe their way of life. To embrace nature and our place in it, which invoke respect and collaboration. Many people ask me what Maori Healing is, to which I say it is the deepest massage you will experience, as it will reach the cell memory and release all the emotions and trauma stored in the body, promoting a much longed-for release. The transformation is incredibly lasting.
Old and new injuries, post-surgical scars, muscle tightness, “stress” are addressed. The pressure applied is catered to the individual receiving the work and is recommended for people of all ages. For more information on Maori Healing, check out my mentor’s website www.maorihealers.com or my webpage www.anagoncalves.net.
What were you like growing up?
I was a very shy, obedient, and studious girl. I always had a passion for animals; one of my favorite things to do was to watch Jack Hanna on Sunday afternoons (yes, we did have his show in Brazil). Although we lived in the city, my parents had a farm that we used to go to on holidays. I would get on a horse as soon as I was out of bed and I would ride around in a circle until dark… my mom had I hard time getting me to take a break to eat or do anything else!
Pricing:
- A 30-Minute Session with Ana is $60
- 60-Minute Session with Ana is $100
- A 90-Minute Session with Ana is $150
Contact Info:
- Email: agoncalves@anagoncalves.net
- Website: www.knoxvillehealingcenter.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knoxvillehealingcenter
Image Credits
Aerial Silks and Maori Bodywork Photos by Wellington da Silva Pereira.
