About Lee Fogel
I want to see compassionate humans live, move, create and lead with nourishing satisfaction.
Each time a client reconnects with their vital energy and inner wisdom, I see this coming into being.
When I was little, I was the type of kid who whispered to flowers when no one was looking. Bolstered by my Jewish and Quaker school upbringing, I truly felt that our inner light was interconnected with the divine (or whatever was out there), and could create wholeness and harmony in the world.
This is a concept I returned to over and over, despite a sometimes disillusioned culture that tells us otherwise. The arts were always one place of solace where I could connect with myself and my truth, learn, grow and share my energy with others…but producing art was always less important to me than the richness of the process.
As an adult and a teacher, I have focused these foundations to lead and guide with a sense of creative curiosity and honoring of what is sacred for those who wish to live by their inner truth.
Where and Who I Teach
Caring humans who want to make a positive impact and experience vibrant wellbeing.
Mission driven teams and companies seeking grounded wellbeing in their efforts
Institutions working to create a more whole and sustainable world. See Guest Talks and Workshops.
Ask me about custom Retreats & Programs for your group!
Kids and families, visit Salamander Arts
“Lee possesses warmth, dedication and a keen intellect; she is an astute, inspiring and compassionate teacher and practitioner whom I would recommend to anyone.”
—Stefanie Cohen, MA, RSME, Interdisciplinary Artist and Somatic Movement Educator
My Training & Experience
My background spans the physical, mental/emotional, energetic and spiritual realms, all of which interrelate through our living bodies.
I have worked with people ages 3-93 in a variety of embodied and therapeutic contexts since 2003, and have been fortunate to study with many masters of Somatic Movement, Healing and Creative Arts. I also had the privilege of serving on the board of the International Somatic Movement Education & Therapy Association from 2014-2019, collaborating on major organizational visioning process and co-chairing a new Diversity & Inclusion Working Group.
Every teacher, student, client, and colleague I’ve encountered on my path has enhanced my experience of being alive and informed teaching practice in beautiful ways.
Education
Registered Somatic Movement Educator & Therapist, ISMETA
Reiki Practitioner & Master Apprentice, Reiki Center of New Orleans
Certified Aroma Freedom Technique Practitioner
Certified Franklin Method Educator (Functional Anatomy)
Shamanic studies, Phil Morgan and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies
MA with Distinction in Dance and Somatic Wellbeing: Connections to the Living Body, University of Central Lancashire
BA in Dance and Visual Arts from Oberlin College
Countless somatic trainings and workshops. Some of my teachers and influences include Mary Abrams, Susan Harper, Caryn McHose, Andrea Olsen, Simone Forti & Anna Halprin
How I Got Into This Work
I started teaching healing through the arts as a volunteer in hospital settings in high school, and was awestruck witnessing how art motivated children with extreme developmental and physical challenges to experience more joy, and move and express in ways their caregivers had never seen before.
When I was introduced to somatic studies in college in 2003, first through dance and then as a therapeutic field, it felt like coming home – offering a throughline between sensitive inner listening, connecting with nature, creative expression and healing. Somatic practices made me feel strong, alive and happy. They helped me find clarity in my choices and desires, and supported me to recover from a pretty major injury.
I started teaching my peers in college right away, and delighting in the physical and emotional transformations they got to experience as well - enjoying creative, strong, curious bodies and reduced stress around their schoolwork and activist projects.
Following a path of somatic and healing arts has honestly been a process of falling and deepening in love. It has shown me that connecting deeply with the body opens vast worlds of possibility in our healing, visioning, and creative paths… and that doing so has profound effects on our lives, communities and world.
