Hidden Gems: Meet Raina LaGrand of Root to Rise Somatics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raina LaGrand. 

Hi Raina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I’m a somatic therapist, coach, and educator. I got my start as a Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher. After returning to school for my Masters in Social Work and Masters in Public Health I began to work more one-on-one with people. I was a Health Coach at the Corner Health Center (an adolescent health clinic in Ypsilanti) and then I transitioned to a Group Therapy Practice. During the pandemic, I opened my own Private Practice. I offer both individual therapy and coaching, Couples and relationship therapy, and I also create and facilitate educational programming on trauma, oppression, liberation, pleasure, and healthy relationships. I’m very eclectic and creative in my work; I believe integrating all these various aspects of our lives is how healing happens. Recognizing that we are whole people. I seek to help people feel present in their bodies and lives and to feel connected to their agency. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, for the most part, yes! I took the slow business route, meaning that I never forged full steam ahead with a business plan or a marketing plan. I have those things now, but I truly started slow. While I was in my previous full-time jobs, I offered classes and workshops here and there. The biggest struggle was within myself; when I was ready to scale up my business, I had to address some imposter syndrome, mainly around setting my fees and establishing the business policies that worked for me. As a Black woman and a social worker, I’d adopted the narrative that I have to give endlessly of myself without boundaries and without acknowledging my financial needs. But eventually, I realized, why am I going into business for myself if I’m going to subscribe to outside perspectives of what I should or should not do. The more unapologetically I care for myself, the more I can help others do the same. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I help social-justice and liberation-oriented people transform trauma patterns and cultivate thriving relationships with somatic psychotherapy, coaching, and education. I believe healthy, communicative relationships are the basis for lasting social change. A lot of this perspective comes from recognizing what happened in our country historically. Black and Indigenous people, in particular, have been exploited and harmed. This history leaves a legacy in our relationships; how we see each other, how we manage our own perception of our safety or agency. And this is not a cognitive game, this stuff lives in our bodies. It’s unconscious until we allow ourselves to be curious about it. We have to be willing to question the things we’ve accepted as “the way things are.” More and more research confirms the impact of intergenerational trauma. As a Black person, I believe it’s time for us to be audacious in naming and claiming what we need to heal and thrive. This past summer, I fundraised and was able to offer a somatic coaching course for 6 Black women free of charge to them. It was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had. Learning and sharing with other Black women about our bodies, relationships, and dreams. Right now, I’m working on content that people can access on demand. My hope is to help people feel confident in their capacity to heal and thrive. 

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m always accepting donations so I can offer more free resources to Black people. Another thing I’ve been shamelessly asking of people is to share my website, share my Instagram. Especially on Instagram, the algorithm is set up to disadvantage Black entrepreneurs and people talking about issues of racism, white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism. So, if people share my information with a few people, they think would benefit, that’s amazing. 

Contact Info:

• Email: raina@roottorisesomatics.com
• Website: www.RootToRiseSomatics.com
• Instagram: @roottorisesomatics