by Jen Phillips April
Feature Photo by Elliot Ralph Photography

helsea Ward is a dog groomer, yoga teacher, birth and postpartum doula, an equine Hanna somatic practitioner and a homeschooling mom. She’s juggling a full schedule, but still manages to prioritize self-care and time management like an Olympic athlete.

“The vast majority of my self-care comes in the form of drinking water, going to bed early, working out, and cooking a healthy meal when it would be easier to eat out or skip it entirely,” Chelsea shares.

There’s science beyond these basics of self-care, which Debbie Kralik, RN, PhD, defines as, “The process of adapting to changes in life and learning ways to deal with all the physical, social, and lifestyle changes and disruptions.”¹

Chelsea says she’s learned multiple techniques for dealing with her PTSD, ADHD and autism: “There have been times when I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house. Years of therapy, skill-building, and nurturing my inner child helped me get to where I am now,” she shares.

Dr. Kralik goes on to explain that, “When people pay attention to all aspects of their lives, self-care can be transformative. That includes socializing, functional nutrition and movement, and mindfulness.”¹

Chelsea has learned to build supportive routines for her and her son, and she loves helping others figure out what works for them. In 2022, she led two seminars for dog groomers on self-care. The first was at Rio Dog Grooming in Hastings, Minnesota, where Chelsea studied dog grooming in 2018 while being a full-time university student, a new mother and was still working at Ollu Dog Salon in North East Minneapolis.

“We talked about how burnout is common, but you can prevent it by integrating supportive routines. It can be very common for work to become overwhelming because we can bring the day home with us. A simple way to help build a boundary between work and home life is to establish an end-of-day ritual that signifies that change,” Chelsea says.

“If these students could go through their entire careers without the added stress of bringing the grooming salon home with them, they’ll enjoy their careers for much longer. We also had a broad overview of all the different modalities they could explore for themselves with what connected best,” she adds.

At Adore Dog Grooming Salon in St Louis Park, Minnesota, she focused her message on the upcoming Christmas rush: “We did this seminar in October and prepped for a 12-week countdown to Christmas. We talked about financial preparedness. During the busy holidays, we push ourselves because we want to earn more which leaves us exhausted. But, if you prepare early for what you want to make, you can make a plan. For example,” Chelsea continues, “you can decide how many extra dogs you can accept or what types of extra dogs you will take over the holidays in October. That way, when you’re on the phone with a client, the decision is already made for you; you can say, ‘no, thanks,’ and still have energy left over to accomplish the million plus one things we have to do around the holidays.”

Chelsea also leaned on her bachelor’s degree in Integrative Health from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and discussed ways pet groomers can support themselves through food and other modalities.

“We talked about the benefits of eating for the season. Rooted in Ayurvedic Medicine (an ancient Indian medical approach), you eat warming foods in the cold season, like garlic and ginger. I also shared tips on acupressure points customized for them and their chronic pain areas. I share different modalities, because what works well for one person won’t always work for someone else,” she says.

One of Chelsea’s favorite approaches is mindfulness: “Mindfulness is part of my life. If I’m too much in my head and thinking about the future, I’m not in the present. I try to incorporate mindfulness into everything I do. For me, it’s a lifestyle.”

She says it’s possible to retrain your brain to slow down and pay attention, and teach it what your next movement should be during the day. Thomas Hanna developed a way to retrain the mind and body, called “Hanna Somatics,” to relearn certain movements and relieve tension for less pain and greater mobility. Also adapted for horses—another one of Chelsea’s passions—somatic training helps horses release muscle tension and improves flexibility.

So, how did a health specialist become a dog groomer?

“Animals have always been part of my life,” Chelsea shares. “When I was a little girl, I loved watching the Westminster Dog Show on TV. I had a German Shepherd named Princess, and we’d play ‘Dog Show.’ I’d run her around the backyard like it was the show ring.

“When I started at Rio Dog Grooming, owner Amy Ericson (formerly Beskau) and her mom were really into dog shows and had an assignment to attend one, so I went along. I loved it,” she adds.

Since then, Chelsea has shown her mentors’ dogs in the ring, which include at D’Aire Airedales in Minnesota and Snowtaire Terriers in Washington who breed Irish, Welsh, Lakeland and Wirefox Terriers.

“I’m thrilled they let me handle their dogs in the ring. I am exceptionally proud of my ‘Best in Sweepstakes’ win from the Fox Terrier Fanciers Specialty in July 2022. I’m honored to have my name on a trophy alongside some great handlers in history like Bill McFadden,” she beams.

Prior to her mentorships, she worked at a dog daycare during college to support herself where she bathed the dogs before they went home. This then grew into different bathing and assistant positions for her over the years.

From 2018 to 2019, Chelsea worked for GroomTeam USA member Susan Hatch and learned about dog grooming competitions. In 2022, she entered the Wire Coated Intermediate class at the Northwest Grooming Show where she placed second and won “Best First Timer.”

Chelsea’s personal dogs include a Newfie, a Standard Parti Poodle, a Golden Retriever and a Brussels Griffon. The Golden has finished his Master’s title in Dock Diving and has participated in most dog sports at the introductory level. The Poodle is a finished UKC Champion with titles in Hunt tests, barn hunt and weight pull, while currently training to compete in agility and rally as well. The Brussels Griffon is a finished AKC Champion and is being campaigned towards his Grand Champion title. He is also being trained in agility as Chelsea finds it important for dogs to prove themselves in conformation and performance.

With a self-care approach built on therapeutic modalities and integrative health, Chelsea Ward has plenty of practical tools to share with groomers. She’s launched a Patreon to share self-care tips with other groomers, which you can find at patreon.com/TheMindfulGroomerDoula or on Instagram @TheMindfulGroomerDoula.

References:

1. Kralik, D., Price, K., Telford, K. (2010) Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness2, 197–204. The meaning of self-care for people with chronic illness. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1752-9824.2010.01056.x