105 – Carrie Seay from Mantis Creative Wellness -

Leo and Sheri welcome Carrie Seay of Mantis Creative Wellness of Frankfort.

Carrie has worked in the service industry since the age of fourteen, spanning restaurants, retail, and management.
She earned her degree in art and photography from the University of Louisville in 1997.
Carrie Seay has struggled with severe anxiety and depression and has learned to acclimate to any situation.
She moved to Frankfort about thirteen years ago when her husband at the time got a job with the state.
She began homeschooling her daughter at her request, and they joined a local homeschooling group for children aged 4-16 that is not religious-based. Carrie taught a lot of the science. Her daughter is now 25.
Back in Louisville, when her daughter was born, Carrie began looking into Cranial Psychotherapy, because the baby wasn’t eating and couldn’t stop crying because of sensory integration issues. She is also on the autism spectrum.
They saw a cranial psychotherapist who practiced light-touch bodywork, which is excellent for people who prefer not to be pressed. It helped the baby so much that Carrie went to help her nervous system.
Carrie Seay worked with the Light Clinic as a practitioner for about ten years.
She has an ability to connect with other people’s bodies, and cranial psychotherapy work puts that to use.
Math, science, art, and music all complement each other in this work.
Carrie has recently opened Mantis Creative Wellness in a spacious location in downtown Frankfort, combining all these elements.
After working at the Light Clinic, she had a smaller space in the McClure Building for a while, where she offered cranial sacral work and guided meditation, followed by art sessions to help clients integrate the work they were doing in their bodies.
That space was too small, and she closed shop there, went through a divorce, sent her daughter off to college, and had a breakdown.
She spent three years looking for the right storefront.
Several places fell through after she acquired some infrared sauna pods ,which she then had to move to her home, as she went back to working as a cranial psychotherapist.
Carrie is friends with the women owners of River City Provisions. One of them suggested a space right down the street from them.
The space was being gutted, and it was huge.
After some renovation delays, she moved into the space in March.
She delayed her official opening until the April flood.
She has hired two part-time employees to help.
She is no longer technically working as a cranial psychotherapist, but she does occasionally see former clients at the Light Clinic.
She is trying to reach a new demographic with the infrared sauna pods, especially with people who don’t like to be touched, for example, those with PTSD.
Carrie uses Instagram and has also started using Facebook, as Frankfort is a Facebook town.
Sheri first connected with Carrie after watching her Facebook video about her solstice guided meditation and joined the session on Zoom.
Carrie began teaching and leading meditations nearly twenty years ago, with a focus on group guided meditation.
Guided meditation gives your brain something to do that’s fun, healing, and healthy.
She prefers working with groups to reach more people and cost them less.
Currently, she leads guided group meditations every third Sunday at the Light Clinic at 5:30. Please bring your journal.
She will eventually be doing this at her site as well.
Carrie can also create and record a customized guided meditation for you, based on whatever struggle you have described. This doesn’t require an in-person appointment; you can write or email her.
Her business offers meditation, art classes, and an infrared sauna among its services.
They use sauna pods made by the company Sun Lighten.
The sauna pods help reduce inflammation, regulate sleep, relieve stress and anxiety, and regulate hormones in both men and women.
Carrie has used them herself to help with panic disorder and panic attacks.
Your head is out the whole time, and you can put your arms out as well. The temperature can be adjusted to your comfort.
It feels like being on the beach, because it’s the part of the sun’s infrared rays, BUT YOU ARE NOT TANNING.
You may or may not sweat.
Sessions are typically 30 minutes but may be 40 minutes or an hour.
The sauna pods are also great for kids aged 10 and up, helping with growing pains, stress, anxiety, and sleep issues. The pods are also helpful for muscle recovery.
It is not a panacea, but should be used as part of a healthcare regimen under the guidance of your healthcare provider.
This is not suitable for people with certain heart conditions or who are pregnant.
It is safe for people with things like ankle replacements or breast implants.
The art component of the business features an art gallery located as you enter Mantis Creative Wellness, currently showcasing an exhibit by Ellie Hasken-Wagner titled “Cats I Have Known.”
The exhibits will change out every three months or so and usually contain an interactive component.
Carrie is currently a small-scale sculptor with a focus on clay, but also paints and works in caustics.
There is a quiet area to sit and enjoy the art.
She has a large teaching space for art classes and workshops, which she also uses for her own teaching.
She eventually wants to bring in visiting artists for workshops and encourage people to visit Frankfort for art, as well as bourbon.
By incorporating art, Carrie aims to make healing more accessible and enjoyable for people.
The Mantis part of the name picked her in a sense. The mantis is a female-dominant species, although on the logo, it’s a male with a funny look on its face. The comedy is part of wellness.
MCW also happens to be her daughter’s initials.
Leo’s Facebook warning is to ignore messages purporting to be from Facebook saying that you have a copyright violation, because they do not communicate that way.
Using an infrared sauna in summer heat can help you better regulate body temperature.
Carrie believes in baby steps to help get things done when feeling overwhelmed, including dealing with the technology challenges of running a small business.
She has overcome numerous challenges and is determined for her business to be a place of respite and connection for the community.
There is a woman who teaches in her art space once a month, and she is preparing to lead a batik class.
Carrie taught classes for adults and children at Broadway Clay for 5 years.
She is a facilitator helping others on their journey.
Mantis Creative Wellness is located at 214 West Main Street in Frankfort, open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., although hours may change.