— ABOUT
She came to this work the long way around.
I grew up moving between worlds before I had words for it. That started early, and it never stopped. The same instinct that helped me navigate impossible situations as a child is what makes me good at sitting with a patient who's been dismissed by every other provider — and at making complex ideas legible, beautiful, and real."
I grew up overseas as a missionary's kid, moving between cultures before I had language for the experience. I learned early to read rooms, translate between worlds, and adapt to environments that asked me to be someone different than I was. Code-switching was survival before it became a skill.
I came to this work the long way around. Through my own body, my own history, and my own years of learning what it means to stay present to pain without being swallowed by it. That history is not backstory. It is the credential. And it has made me unusually good at sitting with the hard things: in a clinic, in a classroom, in a consulting room, on a page.
— WHO SHE IS
Clinician. Educator.
Entrepreneur.
Artist. Author.
Dr. Michele Renee is a chiropractor (DC), acupuncturist (MAc), massage therapist (LMT), and applied nutrition MS candidate with 25 years of building integrative care from the inside. She was Associate Professor and founding Director of Integrative Care at Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) for 18 years. She is co-founder and clinician at Stockheart Whole Health in Minneapolis, founder of Body Luminary, and co-creator of The TENDing Method. She is currently writing her first book.
— WHAT SHE’S BUILT
Programs. Clinics. Curricula. Communities. Books.
Office of Integrative Whole Person Care
Founded from scratch at NWHSU. Three core pathways: Healthcare Transformation, Interprofessional Education, and Civic/Community Engagement. Led development of the 7-domain Integrative Healthcare Competencies and the 5 Integrative Whole Person Care Components — institutional frameworks now embedded across all programs. Designed and launched the Master of Health Science in Integrative Care.
Body Luminary + The TENDing Method
Founded virtual healing community and co-created The TENDing Method — a vitalistic healing philosophy and educational framework for integrative health practitioners and individuals navigating chronic illness and Long COVID. bodyluminary.com →
Stockheart Whole Health
Founded, owns, and operates multidisciplinary integrative health clinic in Minneapolis offering chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, functional medicine, and applied nutrition, accessible for all through sliding fee scale offerings. stockheart.com →
A lifelong entrepreneur, this is the fifth business Michele founded.
Restorative Wellness Response + Minneapolis Healing
With support from NWHSU, Michele founded free integrative care initiative connecting South Minneapolis communities — including BIPOC communities — with integrative care resources. A partnership with Bethlehem Lutheran Church Care Ministries, active since 2020.
— CREDENTIALS
The training behind the work.
Education & Licensure
Doctor of Chiropractic — Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2008
Master of Acupuncture — Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2016
Bachelor of Science, Human Biology — Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2008
Duke Leadership Certificate in Integrative Healthcare, 2020
Chiropractic Acupuncture Certificate, 2012
Certificate in Therapeutic Massage, Northern Lights School of Massage Therapy, 1998
Active Chiropractic License, Minnesota (2008–present)
Active Chiropractic Acupuncture License, Minnesota (2012–present)
Leadership & Publications
Advisory Counsel Member, Alliance for Massage Therapy Educators (2024–2026)
President, Alliance for Massage Therapy Educators (2020–2022)
Executive Board + EDI Chair, Integrative Health Policy Consortium (2020–2022)
President, Society for Oncology Massage (2019-2021)
Chapter author, Elsevier — Pathology for Massage Therapists (2021) and Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice (2020)
Position paper author: Integrative Care: Creating a Healthier, More Sustainable System (2022)
Clinic Working Group, Academic Consortium for Integrative Healthcare — (2018–2022)
— THE BOOK
A braided memoir about Long COVID, the body, and what happens when a clinician becomes the patient.
A braided memoir about Long COVID, the body, and what happens when a clinician becomes the patient. Six years of living it. Twenty-five years of treating it. One book that holds both. Link: Want to follow the writing? Send me a note → hello@drmichelerenee.com
THE DREAMSCAPE
THE LIVED EXPERIENCE
THE CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE