Vanessa Simmons
Somatic Practitioner · Therapeutic Sound Practitioner
Vanessa founded Embodied Wisdom Institute from nearly a decade of walking alongside people as they learn to work with their own nervous systems, witnessing again and again what becomes possible when someone feels safe enough to slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with what is already there.
Her work is guided by compassion, curiosity, and a deep respect for the body’s innate intelligence. She understands that change unfolds differently for each person, and that support is most sustainable when it honors choice, pacing, and lived experience. This philosophy shapes everything EWI offers.
Vanessa is the founder of Embodied Wisdom Institute LLC and the owner of Meadow Grove Counseling LLC, a separate practice. Embodied Wisdom Institute does not provide therapy or clinical services.
A practitioner who brings the nervous system into the workplace.
Vanessa’s work lives at the intersection of nervous system education, somatic practice, and organizational life. She founded EWI after nearly a decade of guiding people through body-based practices for regulation and rest. Over time, that work expanded into organizations and teams who are ready to take their people’s well-being seriously.
She consults with organizations on what it looks like to operate through a trauma-informed lens in practice, and in policy. That means exploring how nervous system safety shows up in communication, management, onboarding, physical space, and the everyday rhythms of team life. Her consulting is strategic and practical, designed to help leaders and HR teams create conditions where people can genuinely show up and thrive.
- Nervous system-informed workplace culture
- Implementing trauma-informed care principles in organizations
- Psychological safety and team well-being strategy
- HR and leadership consultation on somatic awareness and staff support
- On-site and virtual wellness sessions for teams
In every space she holds, whether a weekly class, a private sound session, or a consultation with an organizational team, Vanessa centers choice, consent, and pacing. She does not push. She does not prescribe. She creates conditions, offers invitations, and follows your lead.
In 2025 Vanessa attended the 9Ways Academia 12-Day Gong Camp, studying with world-renowned teachers Mitch Nur, Mike Tamburo, Michael Bettine, and Thomas Orr Anderson, deepening her relationship with the gong as a tool for regulation, resonance, and embodied listening.
“Support is most sustainable when it honors choice, pacing, and lived experience. That is the principle I return to in every space I hold, whether it’s a sound session or a conference room.”
Embodied Wisdom Institute LLC and Meadow Grove Counseling LLC are two separate businesses. Vanessa Simmons founded Embodied Wisdom Institute and owns Meadow Grove Counseling. EWI’s Lancaster space is located within the Meadow Grove Counseling suite.
Everything offered through Embodied Wisdom Institute is educational and wellness-based. EWI does not provide psychotherapy, counseling, diagnosis, mental health treatment, or crisis services. Taking part in an EWI class, session, retreat, or training does not create a therapist-client relationship.
Vanessa’s clinical license is held and practiced solely through Meadow Grove Counseling. It is not exercised in connection with Embodied Wisdom Institute, and no EWI offering is a clinical service. Each business schedules, delivers, and bills its services separately.
If you are seeking therapy, Meadow Grove Counseling is where to start.