Get to Know Your Practitioner: Heather Goodwin

This week we will highlight our Director of Holistic Therapy Services, Heather Goodwin, MA, HHP, MBSR-P  

Here are Heather’s Interview Answers: 

What made you choose this specialty?

Ever since I was little, I’ve felt a natural pull toward connecting with and helping others. By the time I reached college, I knew I wanted to work in the helping and healing field—a realization that came during a poignant moment I’ll never forget. One spring day in my sophomore year, while watching a film in my psychology class about people with disabilities and mental health challenges, I began to cry. I felt a deep, soul-level resonance that was undeniable. In that moment, I knew exactly what my life’s calling was.

How long have you been practicing?

I have been a holistic therapist for 14 years and have worked in the mental health and educational fields for 35 years. (Not 35 + 14, haha. Just 35 total.)

Did you always know you wanted to work in holistic natural health care, or did you do something else first?

My mom, a.k.a. “MamaTintin” to the Heights of Health family, was composting, recycling, and having natural childbirth before it was trending. I was brainwashed early… natural health is in my genes!

I started my career in education and was a districtwide behavioral specialist, knowing early on that the arena of mental health and self-transformation was my jam.

What has been the most game-changing thing you have learned lately that has changed your practice?

So many of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. Over the years, I’ve watched them ground and transform, but recently I had a major game-changing insight: when we focus first on regulating the nervous system, everything else begins to fall into place, including physical health.

I have each client start with our nervous system dysregulation assessment link:https://www.heightsofhealth.com/assessment to establish a clear baseline and guide our work. From there, I create a personalized plan that we move through together. This might include tools like the Alpha-Stim, link:https://www.heightsofhealth.com/services/alpha-stim-aid  targeted nervous system regulation exercises, supportive daily routines, and learning how to rewrite limiting internal narratives.

I’ve witnessed clients shift from paralyzing stress into functionality—even thriving—sometimes within a short timeframe. There’s nothing more gratifying than watching someone realize they already have what it takes to create lasting change.

What do you enjoy most about being a Natural Health Practitioner?

My clients are like family and feed my soul. My Heights of Health colleagues are my soul-sisters and have helped transform who I am.

What do you like to do to relax outside of work?

Hang out with my family and friends, date nights, trail running in the beautiful Oregon forests, yoga, weight training, reading, and enjoying yummy Oregon wines.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I had my second child in my living room.

Are there any health habits you personally try to prioritize, even with a busy schedule?

Exercise, meditation, eating healthy (not ALWAYS, come on), and hydration.

What is one habit you see the most in people that you wish they could change?

Mindset.

Do you have any tips for the following:

1. Most common easily fixed solution you see when people first come to see you.

Develop a daily self-care routine.

A sample 20-minute daily selfcare routine:

1. Ground barefoot outside with first morning sun on your skin for 10 minutes while enjoying your morning beverage (Weather permitting!)
2. Back inside, sit on your ritual cushion in your sacred space. 
3. Set your phone timer for two minutes and belly breathe deeply with your eyes closed. 
4. Play a short guided meditation from your favorite app. Mine is Insight Timer.
5. End by visualizing or journaling your intentions for the day. 
6. Most common mistake/omission you see people making in your practice.

My clients are truly awesomesauce—some of the most dedicated people to self-transformation. I genuinely see each of them as “perfect” exactly as they are. That said, the one thing that tends to trip us ALL up is consistency with routines—practices like breathwork, meditation, journaling, or nervous system reset tools.

These are all things I guide and teach my clients, and we work together in session to create a routine that feels nurturing, accessible, and something they look forward to. I always remind them: it can be as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day!

3. What you find yourself saying over and over again to clients.

Shift your thoughts and emotions on purpose. BELIEVE with gratitude that it IS changing and that magic is always available to you!

Testimonials for Heather:

 “On November 30, 2016, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Being a physician myself, I figured I could research my way through it - that was my coping mechanism for any problem, really.  However, it failed me the day I had a panic attack during my radiation simulation.

I was started on lexapro and clonazepam by a psychiatrist at MD Anderson.  But she suggested I also try therapy.  That is when I started to see Heather.  She began very gently teaching me how to meditate and be mindful.  That alone kept me from needing to take the clonazepam for my treatments.

I cannot tell you what path my life may have continued on without the wake-up call of breast cancer.  With Heather’s expert help, I have so many tools to deal with my anxiety and perfectionism and imposter syndrome.  She knew I was initially resistant to all things “alternative” and guided me through the process very slowly.  We have evolved from meditation and mindfulness to tapping to muscle testing to detox sessions to clearings to me taking a muscle/energy testing workshop (and using it on my family!).  All of this has led me to apply - and be accepted - for an Integrative Medicine fellowship created by Andrew Weil.  I cannot wait to add this realm to my own practice of medicine.

Heather is amazing and I’m excited to see what’s next on our journey together!” -KO, MD:

“Heather is by far the best therapists I have worked with. She helped me change my life when I was in a dark place and opened me to a whole new world of techniques to manage anxiety. I really feel like she goes beyond talk therapy and teaches you to listen to your body and intuition. She will be your biggest cheerleader and will always be rooting for you to live your best life. She will never judge you and encourages you to find your own path in this world, with a solid mental health routine to ensure that you reach your full potential. I highly recommend her services to anyone looking to make a change in their lives.”   -EH

Learn More about Holistic Therapy at Heights of Health