Member Highlight - Jesse Williams of Thrive Healthworks
Tell us about Thrive Healthworks, your offerings, how you are different, unique from some of the other health practitioners in town.
Thrive Healthworks is a Reiki, breathwork, and speech therapy practice located in the heart of downtown, 79 Main St., Unit 3 (upstairs through the door between Bohemian and Zutano). Reiki is a beautiful healing art that recharges the body, promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, contributes to mental and emotional wellbeing, and creates balance. Many of my Reiki clients talk about feeling a release during our sessions, which contributes to calm and balance. Breathing is something we do up to 25,000 times a day, yet most people rarely do it with intention unless a crisis jolts us into thinking about it. Our breath is directly connected to our nervous system and stress responses. Therefore, breathwork is often the missing link in wellness practices that can bring the whole package together. As a trained healer and a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, I'm interested in the intersections between conventional and holistic health practices, and I think that sets my business apart. In addition to my wellness credentials, I have an M.S. in Communications Sciences and my speech-language clinical certification. I am now offering gender-affirming voice care services at Thrive Healthworks.
Tell us your story, how/why you got started and what you like to specialize in most.
I began my career working with speech-language patients through skilled nursing facilities and home-health organizations focusing on voice, cognition, and swallowing, and I currently work part-time at one of the region’s largest hospitals specializing in swallowing disorders, gender-affirming voice care, and voice and upper airway disorders. In 2021, I gained my Reiki Master credentials in Usui Shiki Ryoho, or the Usui System of Natural Healing, and I’m energized by Reiki’s ability to transcend physical wellness by promoting mental, emotional, and bodily connectivity. My speech and Reiki experiences kept converging around the importance of breathing, and I am now a Certified Breath Coach through The Whole Health Project, accredited by Yoga Alliance. Modern society and our current ways of being are not conducive to healthy breathing, and so this learning – this practice that I hope to pass on to you – is the final piece that helped Thrive Healthworks come alive.
On the whole, I specialize in empathy. I work with clients to understand what they need and how I can help them meet their goals. I share what I know, but I also ask a lot of questions, and I always try to center the client in everything I do.
What's special about being in the downtown and what do you like most about Montpelier?
I love the community feel of Montpelier. People know each other on the street, and people support each other. Take last Saturday, for example; I was in town with my spouse and child. We ran errands, ate amazing food, attended a humanitarian rally, and visited the library all in the space of a couple of hours. While there is much work to be done to improve it, in a world of so much discord, I feel very lucky to live and own a business in central Vermont.