Some might say that Shani McMullin had made it.
She had the job she had always wanted as a neuroscientist doing government-funded research for a bipolar network in D.C.
“I wanted to be a scientist since I was 8-years old and I realized that dream right out the gate, so I was very lucky, very blessed,” McMullin said.
When the organization McMullin worked for got bought out by a larger corporation, she had some decisions to make. She became a healthcare consultant in the D.C. area before moving to Chicago where she was tasked with helping hospitals throughout the Midwest.
“It was a lot of fun, but about a year ago I had an epiphany,” she said.
“I like a little mystery, magic and a little bit of whimsy in my professional environments, but how do you get that in a corporate environment? It’s a little challenging.”
So, one day, McMullin, who is very organized, someone who has plans for her contingency plans, did what no one thought she would do.
“I just quit,” she said.
“My family was like, ‘Whoa. Are you okay? Do we need an intervention because you’re the stable one.’”
Her reply came from the place from which all of her work had come: “No, I just don’t want to do this anymore. I love helping people but there has to be a better way to do this.”
As part of the rural community, Homer, McMullin had two objectives moving forward.
“I wanted to serve my community, and my passion,” she said.
So, she signed up for the Massage Therapy program at Parkland College.
“It’s such a great program,” she said. “And the teachers were fantastic. Even though I’ve graduated, I’ve asked one of my teachers to be my mentor. She was so fabulous.”
As a licensed massage therapist, McMullin knew that she could create a space and to provide holistic care.
“I believe that your mind, your body and your spirit, all need to be nurtured for true health and well being,” she said.
A proponent of western medicine, McMullin understands that doctors and medicine have a place and need. But as a massage therapist who also visits an acupuncturist and practices meditation, she also understands that there are other therapies that can help people.
McMullin held her grand opening celebration of Primal Balance, located at 109 N. Main in St. Joseph on Sept. 8.
Her goal is simple: “to try to get people outside of all the external stuff that they deal with and back to who they really are the, their true self, whatever that means to them.”
“I offer these three (services): massage to help get the body back in alignment and in balance; meditation to help calm the mind and clear the mind; and movement or dance to lift the spirit and get some confidence.”
Finding that balance of primal self is exactly where the name for her business is derived from.
McMullin is currently offering 30, 60 and 90-minute Swedish or therapeutic massages in her office. Meditation will become available in October.
“I had a person come to me the other day, and she was like, ‘I’m not into New Age, I’m interested in meditation, but not in the New Age.’
“And that’s fine,” she said. “We’re not going to be talking crystals. We’re just going to talk about the basics of meditation and how to integrate that into your life; a little bit of history, but not a huge amount, mostly just how to practice and how to just help yourself.”
She’s also excited to offer primal dance classes, a small group of people who are willing to explore their emotions through movement.
The dance isn’t an organized hip hop dance or a line dance, but rather, an expression of inner-self, much like what human ancestors might have done around a fire.
“What kind of emotions does that bring to mind: freedom, identity, a sense of community,” she said. “We could all use a little bit of that in our lives. And I want to bring some of that back.
“It’s very freeform, it’s how your body wants to move, which helps you gain confidence and acceptance.
“I want to create a space where people can come dance the way that they want to without any judgment or pressure, and tailor it to those people who feel like they can be in a small class where they can build nice relationships with other people in their community. They can have acceptance. I really am very passionate about it because I want to get more people dancing and in the way that they want to.”
McMullin also plans to draw from her powerlifting days where she worked from within to challenge herself.
This means that instead of telling people a target, that target is defined by the individual, whether they want to work towards a healthier lifestyle or meet a goal.
“I want them to be the real person that they know is inside their skin,” she said. “I want them to be able to express that.
“I want you to be competitive with yourself, because it doesn’t matter what someone else looks like: they have different genetics, they have different income. You can’t compete with someone else that’s just, it’s just not feasible, but you can work on improving yourself.
“It’s me working with other people. It’s not me telling them I’m better than them and telling them what they should do. They need to make their own decisions on what is healthy for them, and what direction they want to go into, but I’m there to help.”
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, McMullin knew that she needed to create a space that was both welcoming and safe.
So far, she has loved watching the world of her clients melt away as they walk into the massage room.
“I want to leave all your stresses at the door when you walk in,” she said.
“I love to see people’s reactions when they walk in the (massage) space because you can visibly see them, they just drop everything.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, I can nap here.’
“I want people to walk in, to be able to close the door, and then it’s the stillness and calmness. And I want to be able to help.”
This new lifestyle, one that focuses on the rhythm of life, came from just listening to and leaning into her true self.
“In my short little life, I have done a tremendous amount of things,” she said.
“It’s not a ‘toot your own horn’. I’m not that person at all. I just see an opportunity and I’m like, well let’s try it; what’s the worst that can happen if I fail? Well then I learned some valuable lessons and I can try something else.
“It’s a journey.
