Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Weitz.
Hi Karen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After graduating high school, I volunteered as a missionary in Haiti where I worked for almost two continuious years. After returning to the states to commence my undergraduate work, I began working with human rights organizations. Once I completed my BA in French, I worked at a refugee agency in Portland with Haitian refugees and French speaking refugees from African countries.
After the funds ran out at the agency where I worked, I began to work several part time jobs while volunteering with Amnesty International USA. I sat on committees for the Western region of the US and became a trainer focused on refugee issues.
After doing this for three years, I was called to pursue therapeutic massage. When I say called, I mean I literally heard a voice telling me this was what I needed to study.
I shifted my activism into becoming a “body activist” working to change the world, one body at a time. I received my license to practice massage therapy on September 3, 1997 and opened my private practice immediately.
In 1999, both my parents were diagnosed with their respective cancers within four months of one another. This commenced my grieving journey which has since led me to author a book on processing the physical reaction our bodies experience while grieving, becoming a certfied grief coach and educator, and create online educational content to empower my viewers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not!
While I was writing my book, I discovered a “friend” had betrayed me leading to a devastating estrangement, I experienced the death of four people from May 30, 2025 through July 6, 2025, and the person who I thought was my soul mate chose another path to follow.
I am not happy I endured all of these at once but I am so grateful for the perspective it has given me.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have structured a format that can be replicated throughout the world to allow individuals find the best and most healty way to grieve.
There isn’t a global brand like this focused on the somatics of grief with a wide spectrum of offerings.
I am proud of the intuition I received to create this. I feel guided.
And, in doing so, it helped me find purpose in my pain.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Having been born in Portland, Oregon, I love the nature all around us.
I don’t like how Portland has grown. I don’t mind the newcomers. That’s not the issue.
Portland was never meant to have so many inhabitants. Its infrastructure can’t sustain the growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegriefprotocol.com
- Instagram: @karenweitz_lmt6163
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.weitz,lmt
- LinkedIn: karenweitz,lmt
- Other: Substack@mygriefepiphanies
