Speaker 0:30

My name is Megan McGlynn. I'm the founder and owner of valo. I'm a licensed massage therapist and reiki master, and we serve people in the Ashburn community in the greater Loudoun. Community.

Speaker 2 0:43

Wonderful. Yeah. I can't wait to just learn more about everything you do.

Speaker 0:47

Thank you.

Speaker 2 0:48

So Megan, for listeners learning about Valo for the very first time, can you share your story and what led you into the holistic wellness space?

Speaker 0:57

Sure. Well. My story's kind of like tragic and really beautiful at the same time. Um, in 2023 I was having a career shift and really wanted to move into something where I was really serving people, but I didn't really know what that looked like. And in the spring of 2023, my sister-in-law, who I call my big sister, she was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. And it really, you know, rocked our family and, um. It was kind of a blessing that I was in a transition in my career because it allowed me the opportunity to go down and take care of her for a few weeks in the summer when she was going through chemotherapy. And during that time, um, I. You know, it really opened my eyes to the care for what it's like to be a caregiver for someone going through something like that. And she was going through a really tough time physically. Um, one of the things that brought her to, uh, the hospital in the first place before she was diagnosed is that she had neuropathy in her legs from late knees down. And so neuropathy is when the nerves start dying in the body. And it's very common for that to happen with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. And we were having kind of a rough afternoon after chemo, and I knew she wasn't feeling well, and so she was sitting in her recliner, resting, and I just knelt before her and I started massaging her legs and she kind of popped up and she said, Hey, Meg, like 10 outta 10. Have you ever thought about being a massage therapist? And I felt like that was the whisper I needed to hear from the. I had thought about it 20 years prior and just kind of let it be a fleeting thought. And I actually had a friend in massage therapy school at the same time, and so I gave her a call that afternoon. I said, tell me all about school. Like what's it like? I. I registered the next week and I started a month or so later and I just fell in love with massage therapy and learning about the body, and it's just such a beautiful, miraculous thing to work with. And so I aced all my classes. I. Passed my certification the first time. It's a very hard test. A lot of people don't know that it's actually a very difficult test. And then afterwards I flew to Costa Rica to study oncology, massage and lymphatic drainage. And I knew I wanted to come back and create a practice that was really focused on the holistic care of my patients and clients. So I decided to create Valo, which is the holistic center in Ashburn.

Speaker 2 3:20

Wow. Yeah. What a journey it, it's been to where you are today.

Speaker 3:24

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 3:24

I think that that is truly inspiring and amazing.

Speaker 3:27

Thank you.

Speaker 2 3:30

The name Valo is incredibly beautiful and meaningful. Can you share the story behind it and why the idea of light felt so aligned with your vision?

Speaker 3:39

I love this question and so many people ask me what the word means. Is it an acronym? What does it stand for? I was an exchange student in Finland for a summer when I was 16, and I lived with this wonderful family and, in the Nordic countries during the summer, the sun never fully sets. It kind of like kisses the horizon and then it starts to rise again. And so that's really the metaphor of massage therapy and energy work, which is what we provide at Valo. So when our energy is dimming, we have disease in the body or stress. Things like that, our vibration starts to lower. And so things like massage massage and body work and energy work, it helps to lift that vibration again. And so I thought Valo, which means light and finish was the perfect name to call my practice.

Speaker 2 4:28

Absolutely. It was like it was meant to be in a way.

Speaker 4:30

Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 2 4:31

How beautiful. Yeah.

Speaker 4:32

Thank you.

Speaker 2 4:33

One of the things that makes your practice so unique is the way you blend clinical skill and spiritual depth. How would you describe the experience you wanted to create at Valo For from the very beginning?

Speaker 4:46

Yeah. Well, I really wanted to make sure that. We were taking care of the whole person. You know, I really believe wellness isn't just the absence of disease, it's also the presence of peace. So how can we marry those two together to create this really beautiful, holistic experience for our clients? And I think a, a session with me is. Probably very different than a lot of other massage therapy studios. And I think all the massage studios here are just incredible. And everyone has their purpose and kind of their talent. And I think one of the special things about Valo is that you're going to have, based upon the client and what their needs are and what their interests are, um, you're gonna see a marrying of, spiritual practice through, and not even spiritual, just energy work through maybe a sound bowls and deep breathing guided meditation, but also in conjunction with the very clinical clinically backed massage therapy practices.

Speaker 2 5:39

Okay. Yeah. I would love to dig into that more.

Speaker 5:41

Sure.

Speaker 2 5:42

You, you offer a combination of, like you said, a massage and then also reiki.

Speaker 5:47

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 5:47

Which is such a thoughtful and distinctive part of your practice. How did those two modalities kind of work together in your practice and what makes that combination just so powerful to your clients?

Speaker 5:59

Yeah, that's a great question. Probably my most popular service is my 90 minute massage and reiki. I typically start with the body. Um, it's just the way that I work with energy. So we start with the massage and then we move into the energy work. I think it's a really beautiful, um, combination. Um. When we allow ourselves to really let our nervous systems take a breath and allow that body to breathe and be mindful of the moment and just really kind of surrender to the experience you notice your muscles start to relax and the massage feels different. You know, you have clients leave and they go. I don't feel bruised or I don't, you didn't just go in with an elbow. And I say, well, that's not how I work. You know, like, we're gonna, we're gonna start to calm the nervous system down first. So I usually start with a nice little sound ball therapy, um, and deep breathing and then move into the body work. And then with, uh, reiki, I do a guided meditation, and then we go into the energy work. And so I think it's, um. I think it's really eye-opening to my clients when they leave because they feel different. They feel the shift in their energy, and it's really beautiful to see. Them come into the studio when they, they first arrive, maybe looking a little tired, or I can tell their energy is down, maybe the coloring is just different in their face, and they leave with this bright, refreshed feeling, and you can see the shift as they leave out the door. And for me, that's, that's the best part of what I do every day.

Speaker 2 7:29

Wow. Yeah, I bet that is just so rewarding. It's to be able to make that kind of impact on people.

Speaker 7:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:34

To be able to provide not only relief, but just peace as well. Mm-hmm. And comfort. Yeah. I think it's awesome,

Speaker 7:41

especially this day and age. Everyone is go, go, go. There's just this intensity, you know, we're like constantly. Looking at her phones or driving her kids around or what have you, that it's nice for people to come in and feel like I can just surrender to this 60 minutes, this 90 minutes and just find that moment of peace. Absolutely.'cause you deserve that. You deserve to be happy and you deserve to feel that peace within.

Speaker 2 8:02

For sure. I love the way you worded that. We all need time to just be mm-hmm. Sometimes

Speaker 8:07

yes.

Speaker 2 8:09

And intuition also seems to play an important role in the way you work with energy. Mm-hmm. And hold space for people. How has that intuitive side shaped the way you care for your clients?

Speaker 8:21

Oh wow. That's a really good question. I think when you connect with people in an intuitive way, you start to help them see their energy and their. Their soul and their, their personal divine journey in a different way. I think I've always been intuitive, um, and. It probably really started to click and all the stars started to align for me about 15 years ago, and I've just slowly developed that gift. And the more that I do it with clients it's really beautiful the messages that come through, whether it's just through reading their energy field and seeing the shift happen, or if a loved one comes in and wants to share a message. It's really. It's wonderful to be able to provide that insight to, to, um, the people on my table.

Speaker 2 9:12

How fascinating.

Speaker 9:14

Yeah, it's really wonderful.

Speaker 2 9:15

It definitely is kind of a niche. And that's amazing that you were able to provide that to our community.

Speaker 9:21

Yeah. It's different. I mean, I think it's. I think a lot of massage therapists are very intuitive, and I think we go into this work because we feel that connection to people's energy and many of us are empathetic and, um, or empaths and, um, yeah, I think it's a little bit different. I think sometimes people don't really expect it. Um, and I always ethically should ask if someone wants to receive a message or, you know, I've, I've had a client lay on the table who I've, I've seen. Many, many times just for massage. And we talk about all kinds of wonderful things. I love when I have clients come in and we talk about philosophy and books and religion and, you know, all kinds of art. I love talking about art. I had this one client and all of a sudden messages started coming in and a different language and I was channeling in a different language. I don't speak. And so that's how I know it's really real, because he could understand everything I was saying from his grandmother. But. I didn't. Um, and then to have that translation and to, to be able to understand like these beautiful messages are coming through. Yeah, it was, it's really an incredible moment to see that shift happen for them, you know, to know that there are people guiding them from wherever people believe. Yeah. Whatever you wanna call it.

Speaker 2 10:37

What a gift that is so cool.

Speaker 10:40

Yeah.

Speaker 2 10:40

It truly is a personalized experience mm-hmm. That you give every single client.

Speaker 10:44

Yes.

Speaker 2 10:46

And you spoke so beautifully about wanting Balo to feel relational rather than transactional.

Speaker 10:52

Yes.

Speaker 2 10:53

Why is it important to you to create a space where people feel truly seen, known, and cared for?

Speaker 11:01

Well, I think there is something we don't talk about a lot right now happening. It's called the loneliness epidemic. You know, people are lonely. There's like a great lack of non-medical. Touch, you know, there's a lot of people who don't receive any touch except the touch I provide through massage therapy and reiki. I think so many people are lacking. Touch in a very safe way through massage therapy and reiki. I think there is a great loneliness epidemic and we spend so much time on our phones thinking that we're really connected to everybody in the world. I. But there's a great sense of needing connection again. And so when you come to valo, not only are you receiving compassionate touch through massage and reiki and different types of energy work but there's also communal experience to have, wonderful experiences to grow spiritually and physically, like whether it's yoga or some sort of workshop that we're having. So to bridge that gap I think is really important and something that our community really needs because like I said before, we're really, we're just go, go, go all the time. We rarely take the moment to stop and breathe, and some people don't even know how to do that. So that's what Valo is for, is to create that space for people to have that, that inner growth. And growth through community. Um, so that's really the mission of Valo.

Speaker 2 12:21

Absolutely. And I think that's a great reminder for all of us too, that we, we all need that little bit of me time to feel grounded.

Speaker 12:29

Yes.

Speaker 2 12:29

Um, and it's amazing that we're able to get that in your space.

12:32

Thank

Speaker 12:33

you.

Speaker 2 12:34

One of the most touching moments you shared was about your oncology client who described Valo as her happy place.

Speaker 12:41

Yeah.

Speaker 2 12:42

What has it meant to you to create that kind of safe, compassionate environment for people navigating serious health challenges?

Speaker 12:51

That's probably the, the most rewarding part of creating Valo is to be able to create a space where. People going through really difficult times in their lives, whether it's cancer treatment major medical surgeries or, or changes in their body, whether it's a new diagnosis of, um, MS or rheumatoid arthritis or whatever it is for them to be able to come in and receive non-medical compassionate touch, was really the it's like the backbone of the practice really. It's what influenced the creation of Valo. And so it means more than anything to me for someone to lay on my table and take a deep breath and say, I'm so happy I'm here because it's the only place that I feel like I can be me again. And. Just be quiet for a minute and not hear beepings in, in hospitals or someone asking me one more time, like, how are you feeling today? What can I do for you? I mean, those are all wonderful, lovely things and as a, a former caregiver, I get it. People want to know like, how can we help? But sometimes people in these types of moments really just need a moment to breathe and. Just be touched in a loving way and hear calming music and feel like they can just escape from everything going on in their daily lives. And I think it's just such a beautiful moment when. Someone falls asleep on my table because to me, one that means that they trust me like a perfect stranger half the time. Right? But for them to just be able to rest and, and that actually is very healing for the body. And so we see big strides every time they come in and are able to just allow everything that's happening on the day to day. Take a backseat for a moment and let their own personal peace really be the driver for the day and for that, that hour, however long it is. Um, and to be able to facilitate that really is truly like one of the greatest joys of my life.

Speaker 2 15:02

Absolutely. Just kind of letting those worries melt away for a little bit.

Speaker 15:06

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 15:07

Nothing better than that.

Speaker 15:08

Nothing better than that.

Speaker 2 15:10

And you mentioned that lymphatic drainage is becoming a major trend right now. Mm-hmm. But also one that is often misunderstood. What do you wish more people knew about lymphatic drainage and the importance of proper education around it?

Speaker 15:25

I love this question'cause this is a huge trend right now that we're seeing on social media. And which is wonderful I to have the awareness of the lymphatic system and lymphatic drainage and how important it is to our whole. Systems, all of our systems, um, particularly the cardiovascular system because the cardiovascular system cannot work without the lymphatic system. And so we're seeing a lot of information out on the internet right now. And that's all wonderful. But I think there's a lot of misguided information. So when clients come in and they say, I know I'm supposed to do this for myself, I keep hearing it's important. I say, that's great because it is, and I'm glad you're here. Tell me what you know about it. So I ask them about it, and then they share what they know. And then I say, can you, if you're doing it every day, can you demonstrate to me how you're doing it? And they come in and they, they do their little pulses. I say, that's a great start. I love that for you. I really do. Um, I'm gonna show you how to do it in a more clinical way. So it's actually more effective. And lymphatic drainage massage is. I think very clinical. I have 45 hours of training in the whole lymphatic system and the massage, um, in the vadder method, which is the, like the og, the original methodology of lymphatic drainage. And there really is a protocol that you're supposed to follow to make sure that you're opening up the channels. Because it's connected to our cardiovascular system, we have to make sure that we're doing it properly. So a lymphatic drainage massage with me is. Not only very relaxing because it's nice pumping. It's very rhythmic and people typically fall asleep once they kind of get used to the idea of it. But. You see immediate results. And then to leave them with the education because I, I actually teach them how to do it at home. So it's, it's a very full circle experience. Um, there's lots of education. I think every first session with someone always goes over time because I wanna make sure they're leaving with the proper knowledge. Um, and going forward, I'm sure I'll be making videos on it and things like that because I think it's really important that it's being taught. Properly in a, in a, in a clinical way. Um, but you will see major strides in your body with the shifting of fluid in the body. If you have disease in the body, it helps restore the body as well. Pre-surgery, post-surgery, um, there's lots of and then during chemotherapy and different oncology treatments, it's a very, very helpful method of massage to help the body, uh, reestablish its new homeostasis.

Speaker 2 17:53

Wow.

Speaker 17:54

Yeah.

Speaker 2 17:54

That is so fascinating and I love how you give them the knowledge on how to use it at home as well. Yeah. I think it's

Speaker 18:01

really important.

Speaker 2 18:03

Absolutely. Like if you're gonna do it, you wanna do it properly.

Speaker 18:05

Exactly. I always tell them, you don't wanna back up the channels. You want things flowing properly. And so, I think. Lymphatic drainage massage. I don't think that people really understand that. It's, it's a very, like, I would say, personal massage in a lot of ways. Like we're, I'm in your armpits. You know, I'm, I always say like, I'm next to the groin, not in the groin. Like it's, you know, it's very we have lymph nodes in all different parts of our body, and so like abdominal massage is not typically part of a normal massage, swedish massage, but it's very much a part of. You are lymphatic drainage massage.'cause we 30% of our lymph nodes in our abdomen, so we really need to make sure that we're moving everything up the proper channels and Yeah. But it's great. People walk out feeling, they always say the same word, which I think is fascinating. They come in feeling heavy and they walk out and they go, I feel so much lighter. Like I'll work on one leg. And they go, this leg feels lighter than the other. I said, yeah, it does. It feels different to me too as the practitioner

Speaker 2 19:01

for sure.

Speaker 19:02

That's wonderful.

Speaker 2 19:03

Such a magical moment for them, but also for you Yes. To, to see that impact. Mm-hmm. And you know, with that there are so many wellness tools and trends circulating online right now. Mm-hmm. From Guha to Thera Guns and beyond, how do you help clients understand what is truly supportive for their bodies versus what may be trendy but not always appropriate?

Speaker 19:26

Yeah, there are lots of great tools out there, um, whether it's, you know, a facial gua scraper, muscle scrapers. Um, and I do use those things in my practice. And so again, it's education. It's teaching them, um, how to use it properly, why I am using it, and I always explain why I'm doing something. And of course, asking permission. Are you comfortable with this? I have a, a scraper that heat. On the blade, but it also vibrates. And some people are incredibly ticklish and we give it a go and say, okay, this is just not for you and maybe we move to cupping or something like that. But. There, you can also use it in improper ways, right? So I've had a client come in, she said, gosh, my neck was just killing me. And I had, I took the Thera gun and I was doing this. I was like, oh, please do not do that. It can actually be very, very dangerous. So again, it's education, talking about our blood vessels, you know, how our, our, uh, skeletal system is, uh, you know, very delicate in a lot of ways. And so again, just educating them on how to use it, how not to use it, when is it appropriate to use it. Yeah, it all comes down to education.

Speaker 2 20:29

For sure. It's best to learn it from the pros.

Speaker 20:31

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 20:33

Can you share a little about the upcoming yoga classes, sound Baths, meditation offerings, and the gathering room you've created for intimate community experiences?

Speaker 20:42

Yes. So the Gathering Room is. This special little space that I've been dreaming of for years to create this space for community to come and um, I. Experienced a lot of different modalities through energy work and body movement. So we have yoga every Monday at 6:00 PM It's semi-private classes, so six mats only. Um, so book early. So we have Martha Mason running that and she's a newer teacher. She's. Just this beautiful, kind, gentle soul, and it's a beautiful practice for an hour. Um, right now she's working through the different chakras, one each week to talk about how yoga is connected to the chakra system. And so that's on Mondays we have, tarot once a month with me O'Hara. She's a wonderful tarot reader. And that's coming up on the 22nd. On March 20th, I'm partnering with, um, an incredible intuitive medium and Reiki master teacher, Didi Zuel. We'll be in the gathering room, having a sound bath and guided meditation and, um, quantum energy healing. Uh, that's gonna be really beautiful. And there's only 10 spots available. So the gathering room is very small and intimate. And that's purposeful because I think people feel more comfortable in general coming into a small, intimate space where you can actually have conversations with one another, whether that's through a workshop, a class or chatting before and after a sound bath on your way in and out. Let's see, what else do we have coming up? I'm going to be planning a book club for really for anyone, probably more feminine focused, divine feminine energy. But the first one that I'm, I'm still working on planning is on Meghan Waters's incredible book, Mary Magdalene Revealed. So we'll be exploring that. Over about a six week period. I'm very, very excited about that. And then I am planning a women's retreat in Sedona for early part of next year, probably January. And that's gonna be, again, very intimate, 11 people tops. We'll be in this beautiful house and just experiencing the wonderful energy with different practitioners from the area. And allowing ourselves to just get away and rest and do some meditation. There's a beautiful meditation room there. Yeah, and I'm currently working on my certification in mindful meditation practice. So in the very near future, I'll be teaching mindful meditation classes and a weekly, uh, sitting practice, which I'm, I'm very excited about.

Speaker 2 23:08

Oh my goodness, this sounds so wonderful. Yeah.

Speaker 23:11

We've got great things happening.

Speaker 2 23:12

A lot of fun things down the pike. Mm-hmm. Um, these all sound like great opportunities to take advantage of.

Speaker 23:18

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 23:19

And I love how you mentioned that they're intimate spaces. Mm-hmm. And that's intentional.

Speaker 23:24

Yeah.

Speaker 2 23:24

So very cool.

Speaker 23:25

Thank you.

Speaker 2 23:27

Another upcoming offering you shared that feels especially unique is your in-studio A SMR experience. Can you tell us what that is, why it matters, and why you believe people are craving that kind of safe, calming touch more than ever right now?

Speaker 23:42

Yeah. That's also in the works. It's gonna be launching soon, so I'm so glad you mentioned that. Millions of people every day, tens of millions of people are watching A SMR on. TikTok or YouTube. Um, Instagram and a SMR stands for autos sensory meridian response. And basically what that is, different sounds or soft touch, whether it's like hair brushing or someone brushing your arm in a very gentle, um, compassionate, consensual way. There's nothing sexual about A SMR. I wanna make that very clear. I don't want any confusion there, but, um, this kind of, soft touch helps to stimulate your vagus nerve and really calm the nervous system. I hearken it back to like your mother brushing your hair when you're a little girl. Think about how calming that was. So hair brushing is gonna be a part of it. Um, gentle touch, maybe light, gentle massage on the back. It's all about. Allowing someone to come back to their body, really coming home to that safe knowing that we can let our guard down, we can be safe to. Again, just breathe and just to be. So, um, I'm very excited to launch that soon. I don't know of any other studio in the area that offers that. And hopefully it becomes a trend. I hope all massage therapy studios are gonna be offering this soon because I think it's a really special thing that especially the younger generation is very familiar with. So we see it on, we experience it visually and through our. Through sound. But to actually be in a real live studio and go back to that moment where your sister's brushing your hair or gentle brushes on the face, it's all about just relaxing because we just don't do that enough in the society now.

Speaker 2 25:27

What an awesome experience to be able to provide.

Speaker 25:30

Yeah.

Speaker 2 25:30

I myself would love to come.

Speaker 25:32

I would love to have you

Speaker 2 25:34

and. For listeners who feel drawn to the work you're doing and want to learn more about Valo, book a session, or follow along with your upcoming offerings, where can they find you?

Speaker 25:45

Thank you for asking. Um, you can find us at, um, on Instagram and Facebook at Seek valo, S-E-E-K-V-A-L-O or seek valo.com is our website. And you can click the book now and it'll take you to Vagaro. I use vagaro for a booking site, so you'll, you'll be sent over there. And all of our services are on there. And a little bit about, um, our new practitioners. We have, uh, three new practitioners. At Valo, Ms. Michelle Barak will be doing intuitive readings in Reiki and Akashic records readings, Oracle readings. She is a wealth of knowledge, 30 years of experience being a practitioner. Martha Mason is our yoga instructor. Mahara is our Tara reader, and, um, who knows who will be added. But, um, I'm very excited about that. But you can learn all about them on our practitioner's page, and if you have any questions, feel free to, you know, email me. My email is right there on the website.

Speaker 2 26:42

Wonderful. Lots of ways to reach out.

Speaker 26:44

Yes, of course.

Speaker 2 26:46

And as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today?

Speaker 26:52

Goodness. I think just be kind to yourself. I, I think, uh. We're in a very probably turbulent time right now in the world. And this is the perfect time to receive massage work, energy work to find communal spaces where you can meet other people who are also looking to relax and unwind and find some restoration in their mind, body, and spirit. And so I hope you'll come and do those things that follow. We'd love to have you.

Speaker 2 27:22

Absolutely wonderful.

Speaker 27:24

Thank you.

Speaker 2 27:25

Thank you so much, Megan, for joining me on the podcast today and sharing your knowledge, passion, and inspiring story with us. I wish you the very best. Thank you and all that comes your way in the future.

Speaker 27:36

I appreciate it. Thanks so much for having me.