About Michelle Gallagher Escobar, MA

Somatic Practitioner & Certified Forest Therapy Guide 

I’m Michelle, a longtime Hilo resident, and the founder of Wild Women Hawai‘i.

​

I lead women’s circles, retreats, and somatic offerings rooted in nervous system care and honest connection. My work is not about fixing, performing, or striving. It’s about creating spaces where women can simply be themselves, with nothing to prove. I offer women many ways to take up space — without pressure to get in shape, master a skill, stay positive, or explain themselves.

 

The only requirement is kindness and an open heart. What you bring of yourself shapes what you’ll receive.

​

My Roots in the Work

With a Master’s degree in Dance Education and a lifelong relationship with embodied movement, I guide from the inside out. My approach is rooted in somatic awareness: listening to the body, and not correcting it, shaming, or judging it. 

 

I’m trained in both forest therapy and somatic practices, but it’s my embodied experience that shapes the way I hold space. Years of working with women, raising a daughter, tending to land and lineage—all of it taught me to lead not with answers, but with attunement and curiosity.

You’re invited to come just as you are—and let the rhythm and your own wisdom do what they already know how to do.

My work weaves together a background in education, dance, travel, and holistic care, with a deep respect for body-trust and feminine resilience.

​

Guiding from Experience & Experiment

My offerings reflect this tapestry: multi-faceted, heart-led, and deeply healing. I continue to study, evolve, and grow, bringing fresh insight and holistic practices to every gathering.

My leadership is inspired by the many places I’ve explored and the women I’ve met along the way. Every offering is grounded, inclusive, and alive with wild wisdom.

My offerings are rooted in the body, shaped by the land, and responsive to the women who gather. They are thoughtfully designed but never rigid—guided by somatic wisdom, creative instinct, and deep respect for the feminine and our connection with the Earth and each other. There’s real structure, but it breathes. That’s what makes it sacred.

​

Ongoing Learning & Credentials

My work is grounded in formal education, ongoing study, and real-world experience gathered across diverse cultures and healing modalities.
I continue to learn, evolve, and deepen my skills so I can offer grounded, ethical, and effective support to the women I work with.

​

Certifications & Formal Study

• Somatic Anxiety Therapy Certificate — The Embody Lab (2025)

• Forest Therapy (Sylvotherapy) Certificate — Alma Oasis (2024)

• Dance/Movement Therapy Courses – Embodied Education Institute of Chicago (2023)

• Kestenberg Movement Profile, ADTA Compliant Certificate (2023)

​

Degrees

• M.A. in Dance Education — University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2022)

• State-Approved Teaching Credential — University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (1995)

• B.A. in Liberal Studies — California State University, Fullerton (1993)

• A.A. in Dance & Liberal Arts — Mt. SAC (1990)

​

Memberships

• Associate Member, American Dance Therapy Association

• Member, Somatic Institute for Women

• Member, The Embody Lab

​

Select Workshops & Trainings

​

​​

​

 

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

Global Threads of Inspiration

Travel has quietly shaped the way I gather and guide. Each journey offered sacred pauses, cultural insight, and gentle reminders of our shared humanity.
England, France, Catalonia, Japan, Wales, Italy, The Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, Indonesia. (2014–2025)

​​

Writing & Research

In addition to embodied work, I occasionally write and research themes close to my heart.
“Methods for Body Positivity in Dance Practices,”
Journal of Dance Education, Volume 24 Issue 4 (2024)

​​​

I share these details not to impress, but to honor the trust you place in me. Every qualification, training, and experience helps me hold this space with care, skill, and integrity.