Christina Nelson-Johnson
Office Manager

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Co-Founder and Office Manager

Shortly after graduate school, I realized I didn’t fit into one vocational box. I often call myself a “professional dabbler” because I am a multi-passionate individual with many skills. All of the positions I’ve held until this point have prepared me to do what I do at Heartwork Counseling Center. Whether I’m answering initial client phone calls, filing paperwork, developing and maintaining our website and marketing materials, designing the feel of our space through décor, leading a yoga class, or keeping track of finances, I utilize the abundance of skills I’ve attained during the past 10+ years of my vocational journey.

My journey has been comprised of many career “lives,” including the following:

  • Working in media relations for the Chicago White Sox
  • Leading student tours around the world
  • Being a production intern at Comcast SportsNet
  • Working as a project manager for multiple nonprofits
  • Leading yoga classes in multiple venues around the United States
  • Driving for Lyft at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah
  • Volunteering for multiple tech startups
  • Nannying for families in Chicago and Australia

Along with a diverse career background, I’ve also explored many different healing modalities throughout my life, including EMDR therapy, trauma-informed yoga, Reiki, craniosacral massage, shamanic journeys, Rolfing, acupuncture, and functional medicine. What I’ve discovered is that there is no one-size-fits-all for healing, especially when it involves mental health, which is why it is our vision to create a space where people can explore various types of healing modalities in a safe environment. I understand that deep, authentic healing often needs a multifaceted approach.

Just as my career doesn’t fit into a box, neither do most people. Here at Heartwork Counseling Center, we are a space for outside-of-the-box people because we are outside-of-the-box co-founders. We shake things up a bit and that’s okay. In fact, I think it’s one of our super powers. As humans, we sometimes ache to be both unique as well as understood. My hope is that our center leaves people with different lived experiences than what they’ve become accustomed to and that we see our clients for the unique individuals they are, whether that is the first phone call or when they leave our doors for the last time.

When I’m not doing work for Heartwork Counseling Center, I find stillness in the mountains, peace and laughter at home with my husband and kids, adventure in my travels, and connection with my community.