Heather McCutcheon has been passionate about sharing Reiki within underserved communities and established social institutions since she was initiated into Reiki in 2011. She is incredibly grateful to have found so many wonderful souls who share this vision and make the Reiki Brigade such a powerful force of education and healing throughout Chicagoland and beyond. She loves challenging established social systems by combining ancient healing techniques and modern communications technologies, and can’t imagine a more rewarding way to live her life. Since founding the Reiki Brigade, Heather has frequently been called upon to speak to Reiki communities around the globe about the value—and joy—of Reiki outreach.

After earning a BA in English from the University of Iowa, Heather worked at a full-service ad agency for several years. She gave up the steady paycheck in search of more purposeful work in the world. She attended a 16-month certification program at the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, and became a licensed massage therapist, reiki practitioner and teacher, and ultimately an author. Heather’s own wellness business has been thriving since 1998. In addition to writing a book about her healing adventures, Connecting the Dots: from ad exec to energy practitioner, she has had articles featured in numerous trade publications. The Illinois Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association has honored Heather with Distinguished Service and Humanitarian awards for her work with veterans and raising awareness of sex trafficking under the guise of massage therapy within the massage industry. Heather is also approved to offer continuing education to massage therapists and Illinois-based LCPCs/LCSWs for her classes and workshops.