Kathleen Lisson is Board Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and is a Lymphedema Therapist (CLT). She owns Solace Massage and Mindfulness and has taught classes at IPSB Massage College in San Diego. She teaches massage therapists postop massage and fibrosis massage and is a NCBTMB Approved CE Provider.
Kathleen holds a Bachelors of Applied Science in Massage Therapy, is a MMI (McLean Meditation Institute) Certified Meditation Teacher, Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and ACE certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach.
She has spoken at the American Venous and Lymphatic Society (AVLS), Fat Disorders Resource Society (FDRS), MLD UK, National Lymphedema Network (NLN) and Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM) conferences. She is the author of Stress Reduction for Lymphedema, Lipedema Treatment Guide, Plastic Surgery Recovery Handbook, Southern California Plastic Surgery Cookbook, Mindful Strategies for Adult Clients with Adverse Childhood Experiences and Swollen, Bloated and Puffy. She is a coauthor of the Standard of Care for Lipedema in the United States document.
She was born in Depew, New York and currently lives with her husband in San Diego, California.
Social Media:
KathleenHelenLisson.com
@stressreductionforlymphedema
https://www.instagram.com/StressReductionForLymphedema/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenlisson/
We’re going live on Facebook to talk about Kathleen’s book on Sunday 8 PM CST 20th August 2023 https://www.facebook.com/events/1246695849383203
Describe yourself in five words
I am adventurous, curious, brave, compassionate and hilarious.
What fact about yourself would really surprise people?
I celebrated my 40th birthday by summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I prepared for the hike by hiking in the Adirondack mountains almost every weekend for six months. This is when I started getting regular massage. Massage helped me stay on track with my training and make it to the summit.
How do you work through self-doubts and fear?
I learned a lot from summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, including the phrase ‘pole pole’ which means slowly. Hikers cannot walk at their usual pace near the summit at over 19,000 feet of altitude, they must walk slowly to not get out of breath. Sometimes, ‘walking slowly’ through a tough situation down near sea level can reduce fear and self-doubt as well. I need to be able to stay in the moment and breathe through it.
What scares you the most?
Not having enough time left. Both my parents died of cancer, and I am getting closer to the age my mother was when she died of breast cancer.
What makes you happiest?
Spending time near the ocean. My entire body feels more peaceful. A lot of my Instagram posts are of the water.
Why do you write?
In the student clinic at massage school, we were trained to give our clients a self-care resource after their session – something they can do between sessions. I graduated and found that I wanted to be able to give my clients a resource, so I wrote and published one. This was the inspiration for my first book. Ever since then, I have always written to provide a resource for my clients. I care for people who are recovering from surgery or are living with chronic illness, and they want to do everything they can to care for themselves.
Have you always enjoyed writing?
I have always enjoyed writing. I was lucky enough to have author Jane Juska as my high school creative writing teacher. I wrote for a free weekly newspaper during college, and had an article published in a local magazine.
What motivates you to write?
I love reading journal articles and discovering the evidence behind the advice that is given to people with lymphedema and other chronic illnesses. There is a LOT of good research out there that hasn’t been put into widespread practice yet, and I’m excited to be able to connect the dots and introduce my readers to new forms of self-care.
What writing are you most proud of?
I am most proud of being a coauthor of the Standard of Care for Lipedema in the United States. It is a privilege to be part of such an amazing group of experts.
What are you most proud of in your personal life?
I have been happily married to my husband Arun for 11 years. We survived my father’s sudden death, a cross country move and being stuck at home together during the pandemic.
What books did you love growing up?
I loved going to the library and reading everything I could on whatever I was interested in at the time. I am very fortunate that I picked up a love for reading, because it was very difficult for me to learn to read as a child. My parents told me I was allowed to read every book at the library, and if I had any questions, to come to them. I remember really loving George Orwell’s 1984 and Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series as a teenager.
Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?
I was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. I spent over a decade in Upstate New York before moving to San Diego, where I live now. California is much more open to meditation and yoga than Back East.
What else do you do, other than write?
I am a lymphedema therapist and a board certified massage therapist. I help people recover from surgery and give manual lymphatic drainage massage to clients with lymphedema. The majority of my clients are referred by their surgeon.
What other jobs have you had in your life?
I worked for the New York State legislature for 15 years before my husband’s career moved us to San Diego.
If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?
I am hoping to take classes in public health after I retire.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I would love to live in a place that has both hiking in the forest and kayaking at a lake.
How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?
I read journal articles and write my books on a really old laptop, either in bed or on the couch. There is usually also a dog involved!
How much sleep do you need to be your best? .
I need at least 8 hours of sleep.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?
Thanks go to my husband who has supported me through my career change and celebrated all my accomplishments. He is very proud of me but doesn’t let it go to my head.
Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?
Success in writing is serving a group of people who really connect with your writing and want to spread the word to others.
It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?
I love sharing my book first with my fellow Lymphedema Therapists. If they find value in my books, they will recommend it to their patients. I am also very grateful for blog, webinar and podcast interview opportunities, especially in the lymphedema community.
Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it?
I wrote Stress Reduction for Lymphedema to share research I have gathered on stress management practices that have been specifically found to be effective for people with lymphedema. It was important to include step-by-step instructions so readers can try many of the practices themselves or with a caregiver or loved one.
As a lymphedema therapist, I figured that popular stress reduction practices like diaphragmatic breathing would be beneficial for the lymphatic system. We also recommend water exercise for people with lymphedema. I was curious to see what else had been researched in this population.
Wow, was I surprised and excited to find published research on:
- Breathwork protocols recommended for people with lymphedema
- Mindfulness exercises from a lymphedema program in India
- Holistic practices including acupuncture for people with lymphedema (yes you can have acupuncture!)
- Progressive muscle relaxation routine that may improve the effects of decongestive therapy
- Movement-based activities like qi gong and taiso for upper limb lymphedema and yoga for upper and lower limb lymphedema
There is MUCH more out there besides self-MLD, deep breathing and aquatic exercise for self-care!
If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?
I would invite my parents and grandparents and ask them to share family stories. I’d love to hear the stories again as an adult and listen to how they understand their own life stories.
When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?
I enjoy meditation, practicing yoga, spending time by the water and in nature and getting regular massages.
What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?
I hope that reading my books makes them feel encouraged and inspired to add new practices to their self-care routine. A big concern for some is ‘have I tried everything? Am I doing everything I can to get healthy and care for my body?’ I want to give these readers peace of mind.
International Book Promotion 