Design Your Well Life
Intentionally design a lifestyle that promotes healthy and clean choices.
Learn what it means to truly design a well life - a life that nurtures your Body, Environment, Mind, Spirit, and Relationships.
Whether you're curious about reducing your toxic burden, creating a home that heals, or finding balance in your everyday routines, this podcast is for you. I'll share design recommendations, personal insights, and inspiring interviews with experts and real people on their own healing journeys.
Design Your Well Life
Step Into Wellness: The Power of Foot Zoning with Cara Dahlquist
In this podcast episode, we explore foot zoning, a unique healing modality that connects body, mind, and energy systems through the feet. Featuring Cara Dahlquist, a certified foot zoning practitioner, the discussion delves into the benefits, principles, and personal experiences of this transformative practice.
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I am so glad you're here. I wanted to share with you today something that really helped my healing process in a surprising way. If you have ever experienced a chronic illness or have a devastating diagnosis, you'll understand what I mean when I say you get to a point that you will try anything. I knew that I was studying the body and learning about different healing modalities. And that there was a lot out there that had the potential to be beneficial. And as I searched, I found foot zoning. Now, the first time I tried this, I literally showed up with an open mind because I thought, what can it hurt? And it has made one of the biggest impacts for me during my healing process. Welcome back to Design Your Well Life. Today's episode is a special one because it explores something that might be completely new to you. We are talking about a modality that connects your body, mind, and energy systems in the most fascinating way through your feet. Yes, your feet. Now, I know that it might sound a little unconventional, but stay with me. You know that on this podcast, I always look for tools and practices that truly support healing, not just symptom management, but deep root cause healing. And today we're diving into a powerful one called foot zoning. When I first heard about foot zoning, I was intrigued. I've worked with a lot of different healing practices on my own journey, and that's why I'm thrilled to introduce you to Cara Dahlquist today. Cara is a gifted foot zoning practitioner, and the moment you meet her, you'll feel her heart for healing. So if you've ever wondered whether your feet can hold the map to your body's healing, this episode is for you. Cara, welcome. I am so honored to have you here. I am grateful that you're here to rerecord again. We had a glitch in the software, so we are doing this again. But thank you so much for joining me.
Cara:Yeah, I'm excited to be here.
Natalie:Perfect. Well, let's dive in. I would love to start from the beginning and talk to you a little bit about your personal journey and inspiration. What led you to discover and pursue foot zoning as a practice?
Cara:Yeah, so I was introduced to foot zoning by a good friend of mine about two years ago. But if I was going to go back to like my whole journey that led me to this, I would have to say it started when I was 14. Um, one of my best friends, her mom was my first introduction to kind of more the holistic side of healing. She practiced Iridology and she did a type of therapy that she referred to as processing, and she would do muscle testing and clear trapped emotions, and I found that I did a tremendous amount of healing through her and doing sessions with her. And so anytime I came across from then until now, anything that was kind of quote unquote woo woo, I was like, oh yeah, I'll try it because I'll try anything once. Right. And so, um, a few years ago I went to a retreat and the day before I went to the retreat, I was diagnosed with a detached retina and they said that I was gonna need to get surgery. And so in going to the retreat, I was kind of talking to the women and going through the whole, what did you used to do? What do you do now? And I was talking about how I used to do photography, but I had to stop because I started getting arthritis in my hands. And she kind of looked at me and she paused and she said, I think that's trapped emotions. And I was like, oh yeah, tell me more about that. And. She did a little energy session and cleared emotions, and then I was like, well, what about my eye? Can you fix my eye too? And so she did some more, you know, muscle testing, I guess is what she called it. And doing some energy work on my eye. And when I went back into the doctor the following Monday after the retreat, he said, you know, typically these progress a lot faster, but yours has not moved even a tiny bit. And so we actually can put off the surgery, and that was three years ago. So, um, when I came back from the retreat, I was talking to my friend that did foot zoning and telling her about that experience and she said, you know, I think you'd really love foot zoning. Have you ever thought about becoming a practitioner? And I kind of laughed and I was like, no, there's no way I can fit one more certification under my belt because I've done it all. I've done childbirthing classes and photography and hypnobirthing, and I just, I didn't want to get any more, I didn't wanna have to do anything else. And so, but I was very interested in foot zoning and so I decided to do the one day class, which was reflexology made simple. And within an hour into the class, I just knew that I had to become certified to actually do this. And at the time I kind of like kind of thought. Oh, I'll just do it for my kids or for my friends. And I called my husband and I said, Hey, I want to do the full certification. Like it's an eight month process and it's X amount of money, but I feel really called to do it. And he was like, you hate feet, are you crazy? But I really genuinely just felt called to do it. And so I signed up that day. I went and talked to the instructor and. The class was full, but she said it will always work out how it needs to. So if you feel called to do this, then let's get you signed up. And that's kind of where I started.
Natalie:I, I love that part of your story. I, I think as, as we're all going through life and we go through different experiences and we're learning through different experiences, there's different things that we feel impressed or called upon to incorporate into our practice. And I think that's so great that you were able to bring all of this together. So as you were going through and, and taking this class and, you said you started by wanting to do it just for your family and you hated feet. Was there a specific experience or a moment that actually made you realize that this was more than just a curiosity or something you were gonna do for your family and that you were actually gonna, offer this and, and do it for others.
Cara:Yeah, I think just the connection to the other women in the class. It was, you know, we exchanged zones with each other after learning the first area of the foot, and that connection that I felt with these other women was incredible, and I just knew that that was something that I wanted more of.
Natalie:I love that. So for someone who's never heard of foot zoning before, how would you describe it?
Cara:So foot, zoning uses the foot as a map of the body, and in our feet we have over 7,000 nerve endings. And so we use this complex signal system to reset our nervous system so that we can help the body enter into a parasympathetic state. So that is like the physical side of it. And then the emotional side also really resonates with me, and I find in my zones that I do a lot of emotional processing when I zone, and so when I go through all the signals and the feet I typically find will find different emotions that are stored in different parts of the body, and we're able to kind of work through those emotions and clear them.
Natalie:So, with the foot being a map of the body, what are the core principles behind how foot zoning actually works?
Cara:The idea is that the body is intelligent and it's constantly striving for balance So over time we have stress and toxins and emotions. And trauma that can disrupt or block that balance that we're constantly striving for. And so foot zoning works by clearing those blocks and reactivating their body's communication system. So our body's always working to communicate with us to get into that balance and to heal.
Natalie:As far as the history of foot zoning, do you know when it started or when it became a common practice and, and how it has evolved into what it is today?
Cara:Yeah, so foot zoning is an adaptation of ancient practices that have been, traced back to Egypt, China, and even native American tradition. So in the 19 hundreds, William Fitzgerald developed what he called zone therapy, which was mapping the body into 10 vertical zones. And then later, Dr. Charles Aridol was inspired by Fitzgerald's work and he actually used some of his therapy techniques to recover from paralysis. And so he devoted his entire life to study anatomy of the body and testing the body as a whole. So he developed the foot zone therapy method, is what he called it. And he actually ended up treating thousands of patients in clinical studies and just really diving into which reflex points affected which parts of the body.
Natalie:That's, that's incredible. And you know, from personal experience, as I've had the chance to come and work with you and have you zone my feet, I've had some incredible benefits and outcomes. Um, I know as I've suffered with, a lot of autoimmune and specifically detoxification and really opening up that, vagus nerve and the line in my body to allow toxins out. I have had the biggest toxin releases when I've worked with you and had you zone my feet, it's, it's gotten my body in a really great place to just allow everything to leave. So, what are some of the other common benefits that people experience after a foot zoning session, both physically and emotionally?
Cara:I love to hear that for you. I love that you've had those experiences. Some of my favorite things are hearing my clients come back and tell me those things, so thank you for sharing. Um, physically I think people have reported back that they have better sleep, better digestion. Uh, reduction of pain or inflammation, hormone balance is something that often comes with a foot zone. And then emotionally it just kind of can bring up those emotions that need to be cleared and released and like an emotional detox of a sort and. Women have reported getting their cycles back after not having them for months, sometimes years. So those have all been benefits that I've personally seen.
Natalie:That's, incredible and, and I've experienced some of those personally and love it. Have you witnessed any particularly powerful transformations or breakthroughs in your clients?
Cara:Yeah, I am constantly amazed at people's abilities to heal. My favorite is gonna be my son, obviously, because he's my kid, and it's been so cool to watch him grow and develop. When I first started foot zoning, he was kind of my inspiration. He has anxiety and some OCD tendencies, and when I first started zoning him, he would wake up the next morning and say, mom, I feel so much better. And is anything more important than your children feeling better? And so he will now come to me every couple weeks when he feels like he needs to be reset. And he'll say, Hey mom, can I have a foot zone? And I'll foot zone him. And then. The next morning, he'll greet me with a big hug and say, thank you, mom. I feel so much better. And that is just probably my favorite story. But I also have had another, one of my favorites is a woman who, her baby, who she desperately wanted to nurse her baby, had just stopped nursing and wouldn't nurse anymore and wouldn't take the bottle. And she came to me so stressed and I foot zoned her and I foot zoned her baby. And then I didn't hear from her for a couple of months, and so I thought, oh, maybe she didn't like it. And then she came back in to me to have her other children zoned and she was like, I have not had a single day since then since you zoned us, that my baby has not nursed. So that was pretty cool and incredible.
Natalie:Powerful stories, and I love how tender that story is with your son too. What a great connection that you have made with him. And I love that you're able to help so many people feel better. So if someone is coming to get their foot zoned for the first time, what can they expect during their first zoning session?
Cara:So I love to tell people just to expect to have a nice relaxing session where they can sit back and relax and really get out of it as much as they want. If you really wanna delve deep into the emotions that are trapped in your body, we can totally get into that. Or if people just wanna come and have me do a balance I can do that as well.
Natalie:So is there anything that someone should do before or after a session to support their healing?
Cara:Yes, before a session, I always recommend a ton of water. Just being hydrated is so important for removing toxins and detoxing, and then after a session, if possible. Sleeping is so important. It's such a good way to get your body to heal and sometimes even your brain, to continue processing through some of those emotions that were brought up during a session.
Natalie:That sounds like the most relaxing afternoon in the world.
Cara:If everybody could just do that right.
Natalie:Absolutely. I know it's, it's one of my favorite afternoons.
Cara:Yes,
Natalie:when, when people come to a foot zone, I imagine it's especially helpful if they have clean feet,
Cara:yes.
Natalie:And, and do you work on both feet or about how long does a session usually take?
Cara:So each session is about 60 minutes. Sometimes I go a little bit over just depending on what comes up. And we'll start on the right foot and then move to the left foot. There's of course, different organs on each side of the body, but generally it's about the same. And yeah, and we just go through and hit every system and organ in the body.
Natalie:I love that. So if someone has experienced other practices like reflexology or acupuncture or massage, how does foot zoning differ from some of these other practices?
Cara:So I have a very surface level knowledge of all of those things, but from what I understand, they all similarly use pressure points to move energy and promote healing in the body. So with acupuncture, they use needles to clear, blocked meridians and reflexology kind of focuses on specific pressure points for symptom relief or relaxation. And a foot zone is kind of a whole body balance. It, it works on emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. And it's a specific sequence that we do in order that has been studied a lot to help promote overall balance of the entire body.
Natalie:I can tell you I've tried all of those actually. And, and I personally love having foot zoning done over being, um, stuck with needles. But they, they all have their benefits. Um, they definitely do. so. As people are trying different modalities, I, I know there's a lot of listeners who have, different struggles. They're struggling with different illnesses with autoimmune, with cancer. They have family members that are struggling. Do different modalities compliment each other, or do you suggest spacing things out? For example, if someone's gonna do like a fast or a sauna or, they're doing cryotherapy or a cold plunge, how often should they be doing something like that with foot zoning or can it be back to back?
Cara:What I love about all of these different healing modalities that were mentioned is that it's all a way of encouraging your body to heal. So going with that same mindset of listening to your body, I think if you listen to your body, it will really tell you, I. Whether or not you need to space things out or do them back to back and nothing is going to harm you. So if you were to get acupuncture and the next day get a foot zone, and the next day do cold plunging, none of that is going to put you in danger, right? But I think you really just listen to your body and feel what is going to be right for you. And there's not gonna be a one size fits all answer because it really depends on what your body needs. And these are all different tools for different projects. And if you just think of your body as a project and you're working to heal it, you're gonna use a tool that's right in the moment that you need it.
Natalie:We've done several podcasts and, and as I've, as I've been researching and just in my own study, I found that stress is significantly impactful on your body. It really can, can keep you from being able to heal like your body intends and wants to heal. And there was an episode that we did on deep breathing and, and we spoke a little bit about stress and how the deep breathing can really help. Calm your system so that it can get out of a stressful situation and into more of a rest and digest state. So from your perspective, how does foot zoning support the nervous system in the stress response? I.
Cara:I love that episode that you did on breathing, and then also just the effects of stress and how it affects the body. And so I won't go too much into that because I know you've already covered it, but foot zoning helps shift your body from that fight or flight state into rest and repair, which is where you need to be in order to heal. And so over time, as you're getting foot zone regularly, we can help regulate those stress patterns, calm the vagus nerve. Retrain the body to stay in a more balanced state, even when you're not getting sessions regularly. And I think that we don't realize how much we're triggering our synthetic nervous system, which is the fight or flight just in our daily lives. It can be triggered by our own experiences, by someone else's experiences, or even fear of an experience happening. One of my favorite quotes, because this resonates with me on such a deep level, is Mark Twain. He said, I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which have actually happened, and I just, that is me. I, to the 10th degree, am constantly thinking about worst case scenario. And when we do that, we are creating that stress within our bodies and we can put ourselves into fight or flight just thinking about things happening, and then we throw into it social media, and then you're seeing all of the terrible things happening all over the world. So it's no surprise to us that we have so many people with autoimmune disorders because of the, the havoc that stress is impacting our body with. And we can't avoid stress, but we can manage it. And so when we focus on diet and exercise and sleep, we really can help to regulate that nervous system so that we can get in that state of rest and digest so that we can really heal.
Natalie:It is so true and you know, I've used the example before that I feel like, you know, each of us has a cup of so much we can handle. And we are getting those stress responses, as you mentioned, from food, from our surroundings, the environment, the air we're breathing every input around us is contributing to some sort of stressor on our body. And if we don't find ways to be able to calm and release those things, then that's when things start overflowing. And that's what I found was a big trigger for all of my autoimmune and besides, getting some of the toxins of my skin and out of my home and cleaning up the foods that I was eating, I had to find a way to be able to, uh, release some of these things too and start emptying that cup so that I had the ability for my body to heal and reset and regenerate and do what it was supposed to do. um. know, I found that that foot zoning and some of these other healing modalities that really can calm your nervous system are a huge benefit. So, you know, I know you've worked on me before and you know I've got some chronic illnesses, but have you seen this work particularly well for any other people with chronic illnesses, autoimmune or emotional trauma?
Cara:Yeah, I have, and honestly, I find that a lot of, chronic illness and autoimmune issues the root cause can sometimes be emotional trauma. And when our bodies are not in that parasympathetic state, we can't heal. Whether it's trauma, whether it's toxins, regardless of what it is, we can't heal. And so what has really resonated with me in the foot zone and, and healing from emotions is just recognizing what healing looks like and healing from trauma is looking at past experiences and what those experiences made us believe about ourselves or about other people. And so when something comes up during a zone, we take a look at that emotion and then we can figure out where it comes from. And oftentimes just acknowledging, hey, you have grief in your lungs, and acknowledging that is enough for your brain to kind of start working through and processing it. And so a straightforward example is if you were attacked by a dog, when you're younger, you're going to form the belief that dogs are dangerous, right? And so now you're scared of dogs and you don't go near them. And in doing that, you're protecting yourself from those bad experiences, but you're also closing yourself off to new experiences. So healing from that looks like looking at that experience and reflecting on it and saying, what do I believe about this? And does it serve me anymore? And so. As a child who was attacked by a dog. I love dogs now. So I came to the place in my life where I said, okay, it's no longer serving me to be afraid of dogs. I want to be around them. So I am going to let that belief go. And you know, that's a very simplified example of trauma. And in more serious situations, for example, if you're in an abusive relationship. You are gonna look at those emotions of fear and feeling belittled, or feeling unsafe or feeling unsupported, and you're gonna say, is this serving me? And maybe it is serving you because it's keeping you safe, and then there's a different direction to take, and then you look into setting boundaries and keeping yourself protected against those types of things.
Natalie:And you know, I think as people are healing from different traumas as they're, working through some of these things, it's so important to get professional help. I. As needed because there's, um, a lot of things that might come up that you will need professional help moving through.
Cara:Yes, absolutely. And EMDR therapy has been remarkable and I've had many clients who do, who do EMDR. I just found great success. With that.
Natalie:Okay, I, I might have to get a recommendation from you for someone to see on that. Cara, what's the most surprising thing that you've learned as you've been working on people's feet? I.
Cara:Just how easy it is to love and connect with other people that I've never met before. I've really enjoyed that.
Natalie:Now any research studies or personal experiences that have really deepened your understanding of why this works?
Cara:I've really loved somatic theory, which is just the idea that emotions and experiences are expressed physically in the body. Whether that's tension or pain. And then also that unresolved emotions can be stored in your body and that can lead to chronic pain or illness. And so when I sit at people's feet and I can feel their emotions that they're, that they're holding onto, that really connects me to them. And I've oftentimes talked to people about this and I can just. I can just envision your listeners rolling their eyes at the idea of people storing emotions in their body. But let me just have people think for a minute, about a time that you were driving and somebody cut you off, and instantly you're feeling anger, you're feeling stress, you're feeling anxiety, and physically your heart rate increases. Your fingers might start to tingle. You might feel lightheaded. And then you, you know, you kind of brush it off. What, however you choose to cope with that in the moment, and then you go home and you retell that story to your spouse, do those feelings creep back up when you're retelling the story? And maybe it's not for everybody, but for me, I've had to make a conscious effort that when something happens that stresses me out to really be conscious of when I retell that story. Because oftentimes when you feel an emotion. Neuroscientists say that it lasts for about 90 seconds And so for example, anger, you feel angry that this person cut you off. You feel it for 90 seconds and then you go, yeah, I feel angry'cause they cut me off. That makes sense that I feel that way. It was scary. And then you let it go. But if you continue to replay it, worry about it, judge yourself for it, you're re-triggering that emotion. And in turn, that turns into a prolonged emotional experience instead of just a pure emotional response, which is normal. We all have those emotional responses to things, and so when we can recognize them in the moment, we can stop them from being stored in our body.
Natalie:I love that you bring that example up because I was, I was thinking very similarly as well. You know, people do have a hard time understanding and realizing that emotions do affect your body and, and can manifest and be stored in your body. But even as another example, there's so many times where if you're under a lot of pressure or you're doing something really difficult, you're driving in the snow, you're feeling anxiety, you're stressed, you get tension, you know, you, your neck starts to tighten up, your shoulders start to tighten up. So I think. There's a lot of us who don't necessarily realize that some of these emotions and stressors that are happening to our bodies really are stored physically in our bodies.
Cara:Yes, absolutely. And I think all you have to do is like think through that process of that happening and see what happens in your body. And for me it might be different for everybody, but for me, I can elevate my heart rate just by thinking about the last time somebody cut me off. And that's such a simple thing, right? Like that's not even actually a traumatic event, but my body responds. So think how much more it responds to stressful work situations or real trauma that you're experiencing.
Natalie:Absolutely. So looking at where you are now and what you've learned and what you've been able to help people with, how has your life changed since beginning this healing journey?
Cara:I have just learned to trust my intuition and to trust my body a lot more. I've also learned to be more compassionate towards other people and just learning that everybody is going through something and really learning how to process through those emotions. I, I have found so much success and just the, like, the simplest way of dealing with emotions. So the first is just recognizing I feel this way, Hey, I feel angry, and then allowing myself to fill it and then asking questions because when you're asking questions, you're. You're putting yourself into that parasympathetic state. And so when you ask questions like, what would it feel like to feel calm? And then what would I rather feel? And sometimes I'll ask myself, when was the last time that I felt that? And just learning how easy it is to move through those emotions has been really surprising to me.
Natalie:So if there are still people who see energy-based healing practices as crazy, what do you say to skeptics who question the effectiveness of foot zoning?
Cara:Oh, I totally get it and I will always preach that skepticism is healthy and I will never try to convince anybody of anything, and I continue to be a skeptic. I think there are a lot of really interesting healing modalities and sometimes I just think, wow, I even me who, I'm very open, I have my limits, but guess what? Those are working for somebody. Those things are popular, however crazy they're,'cause they're working for someone. And even this, the response I get a lot is like, well, it's just in your head. And it's like, if it's just in your head and it's working like what else is there? What more do you want than for me to believe that I feel better if I feel better than that's all that I need. And so I just invite people to try it with an open mind. You don't have to believe in electricity for a light switch to work. And the same goes here. I don't pretend to understand the science around foot zoning, but based on the evidence that I've seen, I would say try it and your body will tell you if it's something that is there to help you.
Natalie:Thank you so much Cara. So if someone is interested in trying foot zoning, how can they find a certified practitioner that's in their area?
Cara:Yeah, so there's lots of different schools that you can go to to get certified, but the one that I went to, so I'm biased, is The Foot Zoning School. So if you go log onto that website, you can search. Find a zone in my area and you can type in where you live and find somebody. And I am also currently taking new clients.
Natalie:Fantastic. Well, I will include all of those links in the show notes so people can check that out. And I always like to end these, guest episodes with this question. What was the most profound thing that you learned on your healing journey?
Cara:I would just have to say that our bodies are always communicating to us, even when our minds aren't fully aware of us and they are begging us to listen. And I think that the most challenging aspect of healing whether that's physical, emotional, or spiritual often lies in believing in one's own capacity to heal.
Natalie:Cara, thank you so much for sharing that message, for sharing your time, your knowledge, and your passion for healing with us today. I truly believe that the work that you're doing is so needed and your voice is one that brings both wisdom and calm to this wellness space. So thank you again.
Cara:Thank you for having me.
Natalie:If you're listening and you're curious about exploring foot zoning for yourself, I hope this episode helped open the door. As always, I encourage you to take what resonates and leave what doesn't. But if something stirred in you as you listen today, follow that. The body is always communicating with us, and healing often starts with just being willing to listen. Now, if you haven't yet, make sure to follow the podcast so that you don't miss upcoming episodes. We've got some incredible conversations ahead, ones that will continue helping you design a life and a home that truly supports your healing. And if this episode brought value to you, would you take a moment and leave a review? Your reviews, help this podcast grow and reach more people who are searching for hope and healing just like you were. And just like I was. I also will be linking Cara's information in the show notes so you can learn more about her work, how to book a session or even explore training in this modality if it speaks to you. As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for being open, and thank you for showing up for your own healing. Until next time, keep listening to your body and keep designing your well life.
The information provided on Design Your Well Life is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health concerns. The views and opinions expressed by the host or guests on this podcast are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organizations they are affiliated with. While we strive to provide accurate and up to date information, we make no warranties about the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of the content shared. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree that neither the host nor any guests or contributors are responsible for your health decisions or outcomes. Always make choices that are right for you in consultation with trusted professionals.