ESTEVAN - The Estevan Wellness Collective is a private Facebook group created by Estevan’s Karolina Tamulaitiene this February, aimed at bringing local wellness practitioners together and developing a go-to space filled with knowledge, advice and ideas for those who want to get the best for their health.
“It will be for people seeking help, and also for professionals to possibly promote what they're doing, to get the word out, to bring awareness to our community that we have all these professionals here at our disposal. And at the same time, my vision for this group is to be educational, to bring awareness for people to lead healthier lives. I feel like it's an extremely important topic to be talking about,” Tamulaitiene said in an interview with the Mercury.
The group is fresh and new, but Tamulaitiene already has some specialists joining the group, which will offer Estevan residents information and answers to many of their health and wellness-related questions.
“It's hard for people to find the right modality when they're looking to feel better. So sometimes it can be a pain in the back, and you think you need a massage therapist. But that can also lead to digestive issues, GI tract, constipation, and things like that, that should be addressed, which can actually also cause lower back pain. So I wanted to create a space for people, if there's something that they're struggling with and they're looking for answers to their health concerns,” Tamulaitiene said.
“Now, I'm not talking about replacing medical doctors, this is absolutely not what I'm saying.”
She went on to explain that her idea is to create a space where people can go, feeling safe and find localized resources and answers, talk about their health and wellness concerns with professionals of different specifics who are working in the Estevan area, and find the best specialist who can help them.
The private group is for people looking for guidance and assistance from professionals in different areas of expertise. They will have a collective of holistic nutritionist, supplement specialist, fitness instructors, meditation and yoga instructors, massage therapist and mental health professional.
There are 11 professionals in the group so far, including herself, and Tamulaitiene hopes the group will keep growing.
“I'm open to anyone participating. I would love to have somebody with essential oils … It is very new, but I'm very excited about the future for it.”
Over time there will be lots of free information shared, tips and advice as well as services and programs to purchase for anyone looking.
The group will work to answer specific requests, such as low energy, digestion questions, headaches and migraines, skin, hair and nail appearance, general wellness, etc.
“I will be sharing a lot of information for free within the group. So it won't be just ask questions, it will also be informative, educational and that can also help people think ‘Oh, maybe that's what I need.’ Sometimes people don't even realize that headaches and gut health can be connected, for example,” Tamulaitiene noted.
Tamulaitiene said she has always liked networking and has also been working in the health and wellness field since 2007. She is a holistic nutritionist and specializes in gut health. Her professional interest in health and wellness started 15 years ago. She was a certified massage therapist, specializing in deep tissues and sports.
“I have actually worked with some of the sports teams, it was back in Norway, and a little bit in the States as well. And then I had my own health concerns and that's led me on to nutrition. I was looking for answers myself and that's probably where my passion for it stems from. I'm wanting to eliminate that long journey for people, help people to find all of us easier to feel better. So then I went into health coaching, I got my certification in health coaching in 2013,” said Tamulaitiene.
“And I wanted to dig deeper and learn more. So then I got my bachelor's degree in holistic nutrition. That was in 2016.”
She then started her masters, but with some changes in life, that's yet to be completed.
The Estevan Wellness Collective is visible upon a search. Tamulaitiene explained that this way she tried making it safer for people looking for answers to personal questions and joining the discussions about some health techniques, practices and approaches.
Tamulaitiene said she wanted to give back to the community for a long time and finally found a way to share her knowledge and help others.
“I love our community and I was always drawn to doing something within the community, maybe creating something. And I feel very passionate about this project because I believe that this could be really wonderful for our community,” Tamulaitiene said.
She plans on doing a mini detox event within the group, posting useful information free to use for anyone interested.
“I will be posting information about detox, I will provide all the recipes of what people should be eating for those five days ... and I will always be available to answer questions,” Tamulaitiene said.
With restrictions being lifted, Tamulaitiene also hopes to be able to bring various specialists together for a weekend health and wellness in-person event in Estevan this summer.
“I’d like for people to actually attend and meet and chat with the professionals who will be in our group, maybe do yoga class or a meditation or beginner guide to meditation, maybe a taster of one of the fitness classes. I still have to speak to my group. There's no specific plan yet, but that's something that I would be very excited to launch,” Tamulaitiene said.
