Bao Bao Somatics
Politicized Somatic Coaching
Professional Development for Tech Workers
Healing Justice Workshops
Hi, I’m Annie and I’m a politicized somatics coach.
I help clients get unstuck.
What I do is like therapy, but not technically therapy.
I help clients embody who they want to become.
Have you ever “known” something in your head, but felt like you didn't really believe it in your body? Perhaps you "know" in your head that there is no need to be anxious about something, but you still feel anxious. Maybe you "know" that your body is beautiful as it is, but you don't have a felt sense of believing your body is beautiful. If this feeling resonates, then reach out.
I help clients get their brains and bodies back on the same page.
I specialize in clients experiencing trauma, self esteem issues, identity questioning, and life & career transitions.
The communities I center are:
BIPOC adult children of immigrants, refugees, and undocumented people
BIPOC people
autistics & neurodivergent people (ADHD, CPTSD)
disabled people
queer people
As a member of these communities, I know that it's necessary to numb ourselves out, dissociate, and/or ignore emotions to survive. These strategies keep our communities safe and help us get to where we are today. They also prevent us from accessing our body's innate wisdom. We need our body's wisdom to truly embody the liberation we seek and deserve. I'm here to help you get reacquainted with your whole self. This is how we get to a felt sense of belief in our bodies, spirits, and minds.
The way I work is by following my clients' lead and pace.
I meet you where you are, offer suggestions, and ensure you are the one making decisions about what we work on and how we work on it.
Services
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1:1 Somatic Coaching
During our 1:1 sessions together, we explore how your body, mind, spirits, and tissues hold your history, longings, and coping strategies that you’ve developed over time. We talk, practice body movements, reflect, and make sense of the innate wisdom that lives within your body so that you can embody the person you want to be. Throughout this process, we honor the protective strategies that have always protected you and invite them to relax so you can embody your potential.
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Customized Professional Development Packages for Tech Workers
As an ex-software engineer, ex-manager, and ex-management consultant in the tech industry, I understand what it’s like to sit in the complexities of being a tech worker. During our series of 1:1 somatic coaching sessions, we will focus on imagining, articulating, and executing towards your goals. We will discuss what is possible and what gets in the work. I provide documentation so this offering is covered by the client company’s professional development budget.
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Customized Healing Justice Workshops
I create and facilitate customized workshops based on the needs of my clients. In the past, I’ve created body-focused stress reduction workshops, mindfulness workshops, tech burnout relief workshops, and generative conflict management workshops. I’ve also facilitated workshops for tech companies experiencing attrition from marginalized communities that bridge the communication gap between employees and leadership.
Testimonials
“Annie is a really special, joyful, radical, smart, skilled and intuitive somatic coach and working with them has been a truly transformative experience for me. Annie asks questions with a cadence and curiosity that weave a powerful invitation for deep insights to emerge. Annie holds this emergence expertly and with reverence and I find myself more whole, more healed, more powerful as a result of my work with them. I can’t recommend working with Annie enough, they are phenomenal.”
-A
Our sessions with Annie have been some of the most transformative work we could have ever gifted our relationship. The thoughtfulness, presence and adaptability that they brought to every session was masterful. They knew when to push us, when to offer the meta-analysis that our brains needed to settle into the somatic work, and when to be a tender goof which gave us permission to do the same. Every time we thought there couldn't possibly be more juice to squeeze - they found it. Annie you are truly a gift!”
-K & A
“Annie has a strong background in working with minorities and those with backgrounds containing trauma. Annie’s deep and innate understanding of empathy and diversity and inclusion meant they became someone I had a tremendous amount of trust and psychological safety with. I felt comfortable being open and honest with them. They helped me deeply understand myself, my goals, and helped me navigate and clear the way to reach my personal and professional dreams.”
- C
FAQs
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FAQs ~
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Therapy often focuses on what happened in the client’s past to help make sense of who they are today. Many modalities of therapy encourage clients to reframe ideas or shift their perspectives. Sometimes, therapy comes with creating new strategies to deal with tough situations. Therapy is also heavily talk dependent.
Somatic coaching focuses on who the client wants to become in their future, what the client’s values are, and how to embody staying in alignment with these commitments to themselves. Coaching includes some talking and communicating, but focuses much more on what embodied tendencies are currently existing. We ask questions like, “What are you sensing in your body right now?”, “How do you protect yourself?”, “How exactly does your body do that?”
We get answers to these questions through somatic practices, building somatic awareness of what’s happening in our somas, and creating space to try on additional ways of being our bodies.
In somatic coaching, we communicate with our body’s innate wisdom by getting in touch with emotions, sensations, and felt senses. As we connect to our sensations, the narratives we carry often end up making more sense also, which results in a sense of wholeness that allows us to move towards our commitments fully.
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The first few sessions will likely differ from typical sessions as we get to know each other and solidify what you’re committed to working towards.
Once we get in our groove, a typical session usually includes a grounding/centering exercise that I lead us through. This helps us get in the present with each other and with our bodies. These exercises are similar to guided meditations.
Next, I’ll ask if there’s anything specific that you want to talk about during the day’s session.
If so, we’ll talk a bit about what’s on your mind and what you’re feeling in your body. I always want to follow you where you’re at. You are in charge of your sessions. I may offer suggestions for practices or topics of exploration related to what you’re bringing up. I am very direct and will offer you various options throughout the session to see how you want to proceed, whether it’s talking more, feeling into your embodied emotions, doing a practice together, or redirecting back to the overarching commitment that you’re working towards.
If you don’t have anything acute that you’d like to discuss, we’ll continue working towards the commitment you’re working towards. This often includes us talk storying and then I might ofter an embodiment practice for us to do together. Then we’ll reflect on what came up for your, how it relates to your commitment, and how your embodiment demonstrates greater societal forces. Then we’ll wrap up the session with any last things you want to discuss.
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There are many different embodiment practices that we can use. Some are intended to reveal our currently embodied tendencies while others might explore what it’s like to try on a new embodiment shape.
One example of when we might turn to a practice is if you are committed to being your authentic self and we notice that you have a hard time staying with yourself when talking with others or in the presence of others.
In this example, perhaps you struggle to stay aligned with your values when your boss or loved one disagrees with you. Perhaps you have a tendency to withdraw away from the conversation or give up on your argument or agree with the other person just to get the conversation over sooner. Whatever the case may be, we might do a mutual connection practice that recreates what happens for your when you are in connection with someone. This practice includes noticing what happens to you in your body when your attention is extended towards me and noticing what happens when my attention is extended towards you. We extend attention physically by reaching towards each other with our hands. Because our somas carry our embodied tendencies, this exercise often brings forward whatever coping strategies you typically rely on when in connection with others. Throughout our practice, we may ramp up or ramp down the pressure on you and see what happens.
In noticing what happens within you, we find articulations of what gets in the way of you being able to stay with your authentic self while also being in connection with others. We can then thank these protective mechanisms for keeping you safe and eventually explore how they continue to serve you and how you might want to expand upon them.
This is an example of a practice that we could use to both explore what embodied tendencies already exist within you and also try practicing additional embodiment strategies.
Methodology
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We’ll get to know the embodied shapes your body, mind, thoughts, emotions, sensations, and spirit take on in their current form. We’ll analyze how these shapes are impacted by everything around us. We’ll add new ways of being to your existing ways of being so you can have more choice around how you want to embody your personhood.
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We’ll challenge ourselves to be in alignment with our values. When appropriate, we will challenge ourselves to deepen connection in our communities by authentically inviting in generative conflict and conversations. We will pursue our decolonized, liberated embodiment in all relationships.
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We’ll constantly be in conversation with how colonization, oppression, white body supremacy, ableism, and other “isms” become ingrained in our tissues and explore ways to experience moments of liberation from these oppressive forces. Ultimately, we are building towards future generations’ ability to thrive in our work together.
Partnerships
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