Michelle Greenwell, CanBeWell — Canada

Creating space for a new conversation about wellness

Some conversations leave you with a sense of possibility. Speaking with Michelle Greenwell, that feeling comes through in her enthusiasm for the people around her, the knowledge they carry, and the doors that are beginning to open.

As President of the leadership team at CanBeWell, Michelle is helping bring together experienced practitioners, emerging professionals, and new ways of communicating about BioEnergetic Wellness. Throughout our conversation, one thread keeps returning: what becomes possible when we share our knowledge and move forward together?

Michelle, how would you describe your role at CanBeWell?

I like to refer to myself as the President of the leadership team. It is a team that has brought us to where we are, and it matters to me that my title reflects that.

We currently have around 80 members. Several have recently retired, so we are turning our attention towards the next generation. At the same time, we have a wealth of expertise within our organization: years of practice, program development, and publications. There is so much knowledge to share.

We offer general and full membership, alongside standards of practice for students and professionals. This gives people different ways to participate and find their place within the organization.

What is happening within CanBeWell at the moment?

Much of our recent work has focused on helping people understand who we are and what we do.

That has included publications such as “BioEnergetic Essentials: An introduction to simple self-care tools to create ease and calm in your world,” and our collaboration with IASK on the book “Mental Health in the Workplace: A BioEnergetic Wellness Toolkit for Daily Self-Care.”

We have also been developing abstracts, writing journal articles, gathering research, and looking closely at the terminology we use. This process has helped us articulate our work more clearly. We are now bringing that into video, too, so that the public can get to know us more easily.

Another meaningful initiative is our Legacy Leader Awards, which we introduced in 2024 to honour contributions to our organization. As we look ahead, we also want to recognise the people whose work has brought us here.

How do you help members feel connected and supported?

Our monthly newsletter brings together resources, updates, and news from around the world. We also include our partners and affiliates, recognising their work and helping members see the wider community they belong to.

Then we have our monthly community chats. These are opportunities to explore a topic together, ask questions, and share resources. New members can meet seasoned practitioners who bring a great deal of wisdom and experience. We are there to help each other. Someone may have a question or be searching for a resource, and together we explore it. Those conversations are always interesting.

We have also introduced webinars to build practical skills, particularly around marketing. With professional support, members have been learning about videos, photographs, and social media posts—ways to feel more confident sharing their work.

You spoke about finding a clearer language for wellness. Why does that matter?

People often begin their search with the difficulty they are experiencing. They look for information about a particular condition or symptom. Finding language that helps them discover our work is a challenge.

We have been asking how we can also speak about being well: how people want to live, what they want to participate in, and what support would help them move towards that.

For us, BioEnergetic Wellness offers a way to have that conversation alongside conventional healthcare. It gives us an opportunity to describe our perspective more clearly and help people understand what we bring.

There is also an exciting new development in your own work. Would you tell us about it?

I have been appointed Department Head for the new BioEnergetic Wellness degree program at the Complementary and Integrative Health College at Akamai University International, where I completed my PhD. This will begin with Masters and Doctoral degrees and expand to a Bachelor of Science program.

We are developing new programs, with the aim of launching in January. What excites me is the opportunity to create an educational pathway that begins from a wellness perspective.

It has also prompted us at CanBeWell to consider our five-year plan. Where are we heading, and how can we support people who want to make this their profession?

There is a sense that new space is opening for these conversations.

Where else do you see possibilities emerging?

We are welcoming international connections, including people who use their specialized kinesiology tools through the arts.

Music, singing, drama, art, and engagement with nature offer further ways to explore wellness. They are also things people already love and participate in every day.

I see great potential in the neuroarts perspective and the research around it. It opens another conversation about how our work can connect with everyday life.

When you look ahead, what gives you hope?

The opportunity to develop a university program gives me hope—the openness to consider another perspective and create space for it.

Many of us have found wonderful programs such as Touch for Health®, Therapeutic Touch®, Brain Gym®, and LEAP® to name a few. We know how much these tools have meant in our own lives, and we want to help them reach the people who could benefit from knowing about them.

I would love people to discover self-care as something that can bring possibility and momentum into their lives.

Someone once said that once you know these tools, you can never go back. That has stayed with me. We carry that knowledge forward, and we can help make the future brighter by sharing it with others.

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As we finish our conversation, I am struck by the way Michelle brings people and ideas together. Experienced members and new practitioners, education and the arts, personal discovery and shared knowledge—all have a place in the future she describes.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your enthusiasm, your perspective, and the possibilities taking shape within CanBeWell.

Interview by Sabine Rosén for Voices Across IASK.