Interview with Olivia Michalak: Mosaic-Turner Syndrome, Self-Acceptance, and the Impact of Forceps Delivery

Olivia Michalak is a dance educator in Boston MA. She works primarily in public and private schools, in addition to dance studios. I wanted to speak with Olivia because of her own experience of movement detectivery, conducting investigations with her own body. Olivia epitomizes what it means to engage in a process of deeply connecting with her body with the goal of understanding how things got the way they are (i.e. not feeling so great…). Her desire to make connections and understand how her body moves has been inspiring for me to witness, and I know she has a lot of stories to share that we can all learn from. My goal was to pick apart her n=1 experience navigating the ups and downs of figuring out her physical restrictions and symptoms to find insights that might be of use to anyone hoping to understand how to help themselves. What worked, what didn’t, and what has she learned along the way? In this conversation we discussed:* Being diagnosed with Mosaic-Turner syndrome* The role of self-acceptance in resolving pain * Her movement journey- what movement modalities and approaches helped the most* Discovering how neck and jaw alignment were influencing her foot mechanics, and other biomechanical “mysteries” solved* Impact of forceps/suction induced deliveries on the development of the body over time* Honest movement* Deciding to study Anatomy in Motion at a professional level * What makes a good therapistI think this episode is really relatable and I really resonated with a lot that she said about learning to accept her body being a huge part of her process, and a part that will probably be ongoing. Me too…I hope you enjoy this conversation! Here’s a Little More About Olivia Michalak:Olivia is an experienced dance educator in public and private schools, in addition to dance studios. Another passion is designing choreography for musical productions. Her movement teaching career began in 2014 while studying at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she earned an MA in Movement Teaching and Directing. Want to get in touch with Olivia?Follow Olivia on Instagram: @olivia.michalak Get full access to Movement Detectivery at monvolkmar.substack.com/subscribe