01/18/2026
Building a Healing-Centered Business from the Inside Out
By Siri Schubert Nicolella
My journey as a founder didn’t begin with a business plan—it began with curiosity, creativity, and a deep desire to help people heal.
More than 26 years ago, I was studying music and art at Pacific Lutheran University when I enrolled in a January-term class called The Healing Arts of the Mind and Body. That course introduced me to holistic healing modalities and planted a seed that would quietly shape my future. Massage therapy, in particular, stood out—but at the time, I didn’t yet know how profoundly it would change my life.
It was a mentor outside the healing world who nudged me forward. My painting professor once looked at my work and said, “It looks like you have your sights on something.” That simple observation gave me permission to trust my inner pull. Soon after, I enrolled at the Alexander School of Natural Therapeutics in Tacoma, Washington. Massage school opened a door I didn’t know I’d been searching for.
After graduating, I worked in spas to gain experience, but I quickly realized I was drawn to deeper therapeutic work. One pivotal moment came when a client, during a session, recalled long-repressed childhood trauma. That experience revealed my natural ability to support both physical and emotional release—and led me back to school to study psychology.
While pursuing my education, life presented me with my greatest challenge. I suffered a traumatic hiking accident, falling over a waterfall and breaking my spine at T10. I was told I might never practice massage again. When my injury failed to heal as expected, doctors recommended spinal fusion surgery.
Instead of accepting that outcome, I leaned into something I had learned early in my training: the body’s innate capacity to heal. For an entire month, I committed to daily visualization, pairing focused intention with a simple creative practice—crocheting—while envisioning my spine repairing itself. When I returned to the doctor, the results stunned everyone: not only had the bone fused naturally, it was stronger than the surrounding vertebrae. That experience forever shaped how I approach healing, resilience, and possibility.
I went on to complete my degree in Contemplative Psychology at Naropa University, with an emphasis in health and healing. Years later, while rehabilitating a torn ACL, a trainer encouraged me to pursue certification in personal training. That step allowed me to merge functional movement with bodywork—creating a comprehensive, results-driven approach that empowers clients to return to the activities they love.
For the past 16 years, I’ve built Schubert Wellness in Boulder County, helping thousands of clients navigate injury, chronic pain, and recovery. My work has always centered on education, empowerment, and trust in the healing process.
As both an artist and an entrepreneur, I eventually felt called to expand beyond one-on-one care. In 2018, I designed the Cradle Wave Therapy Pillow, an anatomically supportive pillow made from natural latex foam that maintains neutral neck alignment during sleep. After years of refinement and testing, I launched full-scale manufacturing—transforming a practitioner-designed solution into a growing wellness brand.
Today, Cradle Wave is helping people improve sleep quality and reduce neck pain nationwide, while Schubert Wellness continues to thrive in Longmont, Colorado. My practice now includes therapeutic massage, corrective and functional training, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT)—a technology I added three years ago that has significantly expanded my ability to help clients heal efficiently and effectively.
Looking back, my path hasn’t been linear—but it has been intentional. Every challenge, every pivot, and every innovation has been guided by one core value: helping people live with less pain and more possibility.
As a woman founder in the wellness space, I’m proud to build businesses that honor both science and intuition, structure and creativity. My hope is that my work—whether through hands-on therapy or thoughtfully designed products—continues to support people in feeling at home in their bodies and fully engaged in their lives.
