Aloha, I’m Michelle, founder of Wild Women Hawai‘i and facilitator of embodied, sensory-based restoration.

As a longtime Hilo resident, I lead women’s gatherings rooted in nervous system care and authentic connection. My offerings are a contrast to the pressures on women to always give and hold; I provide intentional, high-integrity environments where you can finally set aside the roles you play and simply be.

​

Whether through sensory offerings or the restorative peace of a kindred circle, Wild Women Hawai‘i recovers the quality time within women's community that has become a lost art. Here, you are invited to be soft and to remember that kindness toward yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

 

We offer down-to-earth spaces where women of all ages feel at home, inviting kinship, embodied presence, and a return to your own authentic rhythm.

​

My Roots in the Work

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

 

I’m trained in ocean therapy, forest therapy and somatic practices, and my embodied experience largely shapes the way I hold space. Years of working with women, raising a LGBTQ+ daughter, tending to land and lineage; all of it has taught me to lead not with concrete answers, but with genuine and fluid 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.

​

Guiding from Experience & Experiment

My offerings are rooted in embodied intelligence, creative instinct, and deep respect for feminine wisdom and our connection with the Earth and each other. 

​

Ongoing Learning & Credentials

My work is grounded in formal education, ongoing lifelong 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

• Ocean Therapy Practitioner Certificate — 40 Continuing Professional Development hours accredited by IPHM International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (2026)

• Somatic Anxiety Therapy Practitioner Certificate — 30 Hours Certificate (2025)

• Forest Therapy Practitioner Certificate — 40 Hours accredited by the CMA, NCCAP, and IPHM (2024) 

• Introduction to the Kestenberg Movement Profile — 30 Hours ADTA Compliant Certificate (2023)

• Dance/Movement Therapy Intro — 30 Hours ADTA Compliant Certificate (2023)

​

Degrees

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

• State-Approved Teaching Postgraduate Certificate — 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 shaped the way I gather and guide over the past decade. Each journey offered sacred pauses, cultural insight, and gentle reminders of our shared humanity, from England to Japan, France, Wales, Italy, Amsterdam, Scotland, Ireland, Indonesia, and Catalunya.

​​

Writing & Research

Research theme written 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.

​

​

While Wild Women Hawai‘i is rooted in nervous system care and holistic restoration, my offerings are educational and experiential in nature and are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health treatment. I am committed to holding a safe, ethical space and encourage all guests to continue working with their primary healthcare providers for specific medical needs.