We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashleigh Westenhoff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashleigh, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Somatic Coaching is something I never considered doing. I was in the middle of getting my Masters in Mental Health Counseling when I realized that there was something missing for me–I felt very restricted in the ways I could use my healing gifts to help people. I have been a dancer my entire life and have seen firsthand how life changing somatic practices can be. Somatic Coaching helps us all to become more liberated in our bodies, and heal our nervous systems so that we are able to function with peace towards ourselves and the world around us.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career came to be at the beginning of 2021 after 5 years of intense spiritual growth and transformation that culminated into me deciding to getting certified as a Somatic Coach and create my own practice. I provide 1:1 somatic coaching, group somatic coaching, private 1:1 dance sessions, and embodied astrology readings. I also host ecstatic dances every month. I had always had an incredibly dysregulated nervous system. Ever since I was little I have looked for ways to numb myself from feeling the sensations in my body and the world around me. Numbing came in various forms, from food to men to television addiction and a devastating addiction to alcohol and marijuana that ended with me finding sobriety March of 2016. I also have been a dancer and a mover my entire life. I know the power of movement and connecting to the body and community and what it can do for one’s well being and mental health. Today I use movement as food for my soul and as a creative outlet. I incorporate my personal life experiences as well as my BA in Dance, my MA in Mental Health Counseling courses, and my Somatic Coaching education to fuel the content that I offer to my clients. I am in complete service to work with other people and their nervous systems to create embodied change in the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many fun places to visit in Phoenix where one can find things to feel their soul and their bodies. I love taking people to the Desert Botanical Garden–seeing all the flora representing the Sonoran Desert is so fascinating and beautiful to witness. They also have an herb garden that is magical. I would also take them to the Tamale Store in North Phoenix, in my opinion they have the best tamales in the valley and the food is super affordable. And of course, in Phoenix there are so many beautiful hiking trails, my favorite probably being Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to The Somatic Soul Coach School!

Website: Updated website coming soon!

Instagram: @somaticenchantment

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.