Holistic health practitioner Collette Ordano shares her path through massage, and community service, finding balance and fulfillment.
Early roots in holistic health
It isn’t surprising that I chose a career in massage and holistic health. It was a very fitting direction based on what I love and what came naturally to me. I was the little girl sitting on the back of the couch, poking and pressing at my grandparents’ shoulders at the Christmas family gathering. What I didn’t know at the start was how deeply interwoven finding fulfillment in life is with our overall health.
I consider myself lucky to have found a small group of mentors throughout my life, people who have given me strength, guidance, or just the right lesson. I also consider myself lucky to have been born and raised on Vancouver Island.
My beginnings were humble, simple, and less than financially ideal, which didn’t give me ample opportunity to live like some of my peers were living, but did allow for much time spent in the epic outdoors around Oyster River. My upbringing also gave me the understanding that I should be responsible, work hard, save up, and make smart choices.
“I have always been an achiever, but I have had to learn to find balance.”
Finding purpose through service
So that’s what I did: I worked hard, took multiple jobs, and showed up for volunteer efforts whenever someone asked. I leapt at the opportunity to lead the Relaxation Therapy programs at Campbell River Hospice Society and the Campbell River hospital in my spare time. For years, I did those weekly shifts, showing up for people who really needed care, grounding, and feel-good energy.
I volunteered on weekends to host community meditations. I started a podcast, offered free Earth Day events, walked dogs at the SPCA, and led a fundraising community yoga class. I honestly have a laundry list of endeavours that I have led, created, or simply signed up for.
I have always been an achiever, but I have had to learn to find balance. I have been caring for society my whole adult life—helping others find alignment in their bodies and lives—and I needed to allow space for the other sides of myself that had been put on the back burner. This includes the part of me that has always shared a deep connection with nature and all critters.
“It is an amazing thing to help free someone from the pain or limitation they have been feeling through my work.”
Deepening connection to nature and community
This part of me has had an immense boost in recent years through being in service to the Cumberland Community Forest. I have rescued stranded salmon with the Streamkeepers, served beers at marathons, made mushroom hot chocolates at Fungus Fest, and planted community trees.
Last year, at the United Riders of Cumberland’s request, I spearheaded a project to shepherd an at-risk species, the western toad, through the dangers of human traffic to safe passage. My role has been to track the toadlets’ migration and create infrastructure that detours pedestrians and cyclists around it. For years before this endeavour, thousands of toadlets were squished within their first few metres of setting off out of the waters.
It is an amazing thing to help free someone from the pain or limitation they have been feeling through my work. It is also amazing to see people living that newfound alignment through their own purpose and passions. Sometimes one comes before the other, but often they happen synchronistically—one requires the other for a person to harness complete wellness.
I have learned to embody this balance and freedom, and I have watched countless others do the same. We can all heal our bodies. We can bring harmony to our environments and add richness to our neighbourhoods. We can all contribute to making the world a better place, every day in every action. We can make a difference!
