Eat more plants, feel more peace, share more love!
About Tracy Matesz
About Tracy Matesz
This page is about Tracy Matesz ~ a little about her background, credentials ~ and how she met her 'Prince!'
About Tracy - Abridged Version
As a certified clinical hypnotherapist, Reiki Master, Yoga Teacher, Natural Foods Chef, and practitioner of Chinese medicine, along with other holistic mind-body healing modalities, my passion is empowering others to live their most illuminated life.
After decades of dealing with physical and emotional challenges and set backs, overcoming obstacles to feel my best inadvertently became my life path.
I've learned that to live an illuminated life, we need to be authentic. Most of us don't really know who we really are, or lack clarity about our values and true heart's desires.
Part of becoming who we came here to become requires shedding who / what we are not. All our personas, self-perceptions, self-judgements, and limiting beliefs weigh on us, and dim our light. Therefore, to live a truly illuminated life is more about letting go, then becoming, because the truth of who we are is that light. We are luminous beings, we just don't realize it!
As someone who happens to have a lot of certifications, I am largely self taught. My desire is to share all that I've learned from direct experience, with simple, do-it-yourself strategies for self-healing.
About Tracy's Motivators
Since young, I have been on a quest to do 3 main things in my life ~ to heal, naturally; be able to work from home (in case I ever had children, I wanted to be home with them), and meet my soul mate. Ok, not quite in that order.
In 2010, I met my 'Prince.' I call him my Prince because my mom called me around my 47th birthday in 2010 to tell me that she had a dream that I was going to "meet my Prince!" I had been living in the Midwest for a few years, in part to help my mom, when I decided to return to the Southwest. I moved to Scottsdale, AZ to start a program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). It was a massive move that involved a little heart break, limited resources, a ton of work, and driving alone through a major snow storm.
Nonetheless, the seas parted, and absolutely everything I needed landed in my lap at just the precise moment, and I made it through those big arches in St. Louis, yet again. It was not my first cross country move. Yet, this time, it seemed destined.
I arrived, and unpacked way too much stuff ~ thanks to some needed help from a few friends ~ on a Friday, and by Monday, I met Don. I walked into his classroom. He was teaching Nutrition. I heard he was also an acupuncturist, and, that he was married. I walked in, and thought, 'Darn.' Too bad for me...Maybe?
Turns out, he wasn't married! I just didn't find that out until ~ you guessed ~ about my birthday in March, 2010.
I immediately 'knew' without a doubt that he was the man I was meant to be with ~ something I had a strong feeling about since grade school.
We married in 2011, just over one year after we met. Together we have been on a similar journey, to heal ourselves, naturally, and free ourselves mentally and emotionally to be the most illuminated versions of ourselves we were created to be.
And, to live purpose-filled life, in loving service ~ together.
While I was past child-bearing years once we met, the rest, as they say is 'history' or at least our story. In many ways, we've only just begun. I look forward to continuing our journey together. I share this story because some readers may need to be reminded that dreams do come true.
Be patient, and keep your eyes on the prize!
Don & Tracy sitting on the rocks where their wedding took place the year prior
Don & Tracy's wedding day, 2011
Don & Tracy at the local Zen center in Tempe, AZ after a full day-long meditation retreatAbout Tracy - The Holistic Health Path
I had several challenges growing up that sent me on a journey to better understand human health from all levels, physically and mentally / emotionally. My certifications and licenses reflect my quest to free myself from past habitual limiting thoughts and beliefs, and realize my true divine purpose.
Or, rather, to live an authentic life, and be who I came here to be, rather than what I became as a result of tying to cope with challenging circumstances.
I have always loved to read, write, and spend time outdoors. As a child, the trees were my friends. I often felt lonely, yet always felt solace in nature, and with animals.
 Forest Trail at Wildwood Metro Park in Toledo, OH |
 Black Crowned Night Heron, Scottsdale, AZ |
Later in life, I learned about having a more introverted mental wiring, and that I was a highly sensitive person (HSP) and empath. While growing up, I believed I was flawed, as I often felt out of place, or not fully grounded in the present moment.
Over the years, I learned that my sensitivities were more than a curse. They were the pearls created from the friction of the gritty sand, polished over the years to be my greatest gifts. I have had the blessing of helping many clients over the years, in extraordinarily wondrous ways.
I have also seen and experienced many typically unseen energies, orbs, and entities; have had otherworldly encounters with animals and winged ones, and much more.
The diligent 'work' I've done to purify my own mind and life of unhealthy and limiting beliefs and patterns, coupled with my training and my innate gifts have helped me become a very clear channel for helping clear, heal and harmonize energy.
My daily meditation practice also assists my ability to do what I refer to as 'deep listening,' helping me be receptive to the prompts from Spirit guiding me as needed. This greatly aids my abilities as an 'Energy Healer' and Reiki Master and Teacher.
While I know that many who follow traditional religious paths consider much of what I do to be too 'out there' (some even believe it to be 'demonic'), I have learned that the more subtle energetic healing modalities are among the safest, and most elegant and non-invasive ways to transform one's attitudes, and mental, emotional, and physical health.
I recently completed training to do Reiki for animals, to continue to aid animals brought to my path ~ and their human companions ~ in the safest and most loving way possible.
We literally owe our lives to animals, and enjoy such rich, abundant nourishment, sustenance, and beauty in the natural world, for which we are part of, not separate from.
As much as I have spent of time and resources to harmonize my life, I pray that sharing my experiences, gifts and knowledge helps others avoid similar mistakes, and more elegantly create a healthy, thriving, beautiful, joy-filled, meaningful, happy, and divinely aligned and illuminated life.
Why settle for anything less?
Tracy doing an (assisted) backbend outdoors using the step at the local playground, 2020
Don & Tracy celebrating Tracy's 60th at a local Indian restaurant in Toledo, OH
Tracy's 60th birthday, March 2023About Tracy's Credentials
About Tracy's Earlier Life Employment in Restaurants, Catering & Health Food Stores:
While in college I volunteered at a local coop. I loved being in that environment, surrounded by a variety of fresh and natural foods.
Later, I worked in a couple different health food stores, doing everything from creating and preparing foods for the deli and juice bar, to setting up the organic produce, to helping customers with their nutritional questions and product sales.
I learned a lot about food from working in a variety of restaurants, and as a caterer, including preparing healthy plant-based lunches delivered to private clients.
I also participated in organized cleanses held by Gary and Nancy Meze, co-creators of the Aspen Wellness Group 7-Day Diet Cleansing & Renewal Plan. Nancy was a well known macrobiotic chef at the time, who included singer Ringo Starr among her clientele. Her husband, Gary, taught nutrition and health from both a Western and Eastern perspective.
I briefly apprenticed at Gary's Aspen Wellness Center, under the tutelage of an acupuncturist licensed in both the USA and Japan as part of my acupuncture training, which unfortunately fell through for a variety of reasons.
About Tracy's credentials:
- Animal Reiki Certification (in process, 2023)
- Completed certification in the Forks Over Knives Plant-Based Cooking through the Rouxbe Online Culinary School, December, 2022
- Certificate of Occupation in Yoga Teacher Training through Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ
- Health & Wellness Certification through Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, with certification as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, 2010-2012 & Transformative Reiki Master & Teacher
- Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Foundation and E-Cornell, 2012
- Certified Holistic C.O.R.E. Counselor through the Association of Alternative Therapists, 2006
- Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine, with ongoing education in Chinese Food Therapy, 2002
- Reiki Master, 1997-1998
- Other certifications in more esoteric / energy healing modalities, including Magnified Healing, ReAtOneMent Now (ReAn), Channeling, and Massage (Aspen, CO 1997-2006)
More Resources...
Tracy's Books
In The Strong Spirit 10-Step Plan, Your MAP to Overcome Obstacles and Realize Your Dreams, I outline the tools I use for myself and with clients to help overcome / transcend the obstacles that keep us stuck, and more elegantly and consciously create our most illuminated life.
Available in paperback and Kindle. Available as an Ebook for those who work with me or join my Strong Spirit 10-Step Plan Group, being developed.
How to Feel Great & Improve Your Health with a Macrobiotic Diet, now available as a FREE Ebook!
To jump start your health and weight loss goals, grab a copy of my other FREE Ebook, Whole-Foods, Plant-Based 21 Day Health & Weight Loss Challenge
NOW AVAILABLE!!!!
Revised edition of 'The MAP' with lots of great new content is now available in paperback, soon also on Kindle.