Emily Estes

My philosophy is simple: Life is not a spectator sport.

As a result I’ve always enjoyed all sorts of fitness activities, water sports of any kind (especially sailing, water skiing and scuba diving), mountain climbing, mountain biking and anything that takes me outdoors and into nature. In the course of my pursuit of a “fitness” lifestyle, I have seen and had many of the injuries that my patients have. I think this makes me a compassionate and understanding therapist.

I’ve also had a brush with breast cancer in 2005 and watched my mother die of breast cancer that same year. I am blessed to be a survivor! And grateful to be here.

My interest in health and fitness goes all the way back to high school (thank you TITLE IV) where I played tennis, softball and was on the track team. My high school in Ledyard, CT was very progressive and in an experimental, new class called “Fit for Life”, we met during our lunch hours and exercised. We were required to read Ken Cooper’s new book “Aerobics” (am I dating myself?). Basically, we ran cross country everyday and played volleyball when it rained. It was great! And all for no credit!!

I was inspired by our instructor, Mr. Offsiany, because he rode his bike to work everyday. So I stopped taking the school bus and did the same thing. When I was voted “Class Individualist” in our senior year by my high school peers, I showed up in the year book on my 10-speed bike.

Mr. Offsiany also introduced me and my family to the incredible joys of back packing in the White Mountain of New Hampshire. I fell in love with hiking and became an Appalachian Mountain Club “hut” person during two summers of my college years.

At the University of Rhode Island I studied journalism and speech… and swam on the URI Women’s Swim Team.

I worked as a journalist for 15 years, during which time I also became a certified aerobic instructor and competed in triathlons, sailing and canoeing races. It was during a training run with the New Bedford, MA Track Club that one of the other runners suffered a debilitating hamstring cramp. I was working on his leg and he turned to me and said. “I pay a lot of money for professional massage, so I know what I’m saying when I tell you, you’ve got magic hands.” (Isn’t that a great line?)

It was the beginning of my paradigm shift. I began to realize I could do more with my hands than write stories. I went back to school for physical therapy at Newbury College in Brookline, MA. I began my career in geriatric rehabilitation and moved into outpatient physical therapy and aquatic therapy in the early 1990s. I served as the Aquatic Director at Rhode Island Rehabilitation in Cranston, RI for ten years. And I had my own private practice, Deepbrook Wellness Center, in Warwick, RI for several years.

I took my first CranioSacral Therapy Course in 1993 and had my whole world shifted.
When I experienced my first Watsu (warm water shiatsu) in 1995 I knew I had found my life’s passion.

Now for the juicy stuff: Remember Ledyard High School? I had a boyfriend, George Chapman, during my junior and senior years and freshman year of college. We did allot of very cool things together, including learning how to downhill ski and hiking. We bagged a lot of 4,000 footers (mountains) together with his parents, my dad and Mr. Offsiany. We also went to all the proms, the football games (we played in the marching band) and well, high school stuff. We went our separate ways during college. But in 2000 at our 25th high school reunion we reunited. It was amazing.

I was living in RI and he was in Bath, ME working at BIW. After a long-distance romance, I moved to Maine in 2002 to be with my true love and now we’re married and living in the dream home we built in Dresden in 2003. (Mr. Offsiany, long retired from high school teaching, came to our wedding looking fit and healthy!)

I am very lucky to have the not only a wonderful partner, but also the support of Greater Brunswick PT. It is truly a wonderful organization. I look forward to seeing you in the clinic or in the pool!