Sandra Anderson, owner and director of Center for Well-Being Lake Country, had the opportunity to experience the wonders of life energy from early childhood. Her father owned a 40-acre produce farm in the Madison area and the family always had an abundance of nourishing food. Anderson was intrigued by the life cycle of plants, from seed, to harvest, to dying out in the fall. “I was close to the earth, and having experienced those patterns within nature is still a part of me today,” Anderson relates.

Coming from a large family, Anderson and her siblings were raised with a sense of community and helping one another. Her sister was diagnosed with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. She lent as much support as possible, yet further challenges awaited Anderson years later when her son started showing signs of disintegrating health and life issues.

Anderson’s son’s doctors couldn’t figure out how to help him, other than prescribing medication. “For 10 years, all of my time was focused on helping him,” she says. “After we exhausted the traditional medical model, some people had suggested natural options. That was how I started in the holistic and alternative field.”

In 2004, Anderson was introduced to craniosacral therapy, a hands-on approach using gentle touch that helps release tension within the body. “That was the first modality that grabbed me,” she says. “I was amazed by the benefits.” She observes how just in the decade since she began studying craniosacral therapy, that modality, along with other alternative methods, have gone from the underground to mainstream acceptance.

Anderson took a variety of classes, including advanced energy certification training, and did much reading and research on her own. “I felt like I had arrived somewhere,” she says. She considered opening her own business, and one evening while driving down country roads in Pewaukee en route to her daughter’s house, she discovered an off-the-beaten-path business space and felt drawn to the location. In January 2010, Center for Well-Being was born.

Four years after opening, Anderson sought a larger space to offer more classes, workshops and services for all ages, including children. In July 2014, she moved into a new, larger location in Hartland and renamed the business Center for Well-Being Lake Country. She offers gentle yoga twice per week and has added three practitioners: Noel Manikham, an intuitive who specializes in mediumship; Elise Eaton Trasser, a traditional naturopath; and Licensed Massage Therapist Rebecca deVogel.

Anderson firmly believes in meeting people where they are at in their life’s journey, and strives to be a good advocate for people. She begins her energy work sessions with an intake questionnaire and discusses their motives and goals. She wants clients to feel comfortable, and if she feels that she cannot help them, she will refer them to someone that can. She also offers dream analysis, which she believes is a valuable tool to access messages from our subconscious in a dream state. Different than dream interpretation, dream analysis helps people find messages within their dreams.

The Hartland location offers a spacious, aesthetically pleasing classroom that allows Anderson and her fellow practitioners to engage the community through special events, educational programming, workshops and classes. Anderson works with the Hartland Chamber of Commerce and the Hartland Business Improvement District to support opportunities for businesses and the community to come together.

Features new to the Hartland location are Try-It Mini-Sessions, where, for a nominal fee, people can relax in a comfortable environment and socialize, enjoy refreshments and try a variety of stress-reduction modalities. Anderson is also pleased to offer BFF Fridays, held the last Friday of every month. The BFF events allow women to socialize, and each month brings a new topic such as intuition or dream analysis.

BFF Fridays was born from Anderson’s desire to reach out and socialize. She notes that while raising her son, his issues consumed much of her time, and she did not have a chance to nurture friendships with other women. She cites a Stanford University study about women and relationships: “It’s good for your health to nurture relationships with other women,” she notes.

Anderson is content with the slice of life that she has created, as well as her opportunity to help others through her range of services. She loves working with people one-on-one and bringing her holistic model to a broad audience. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m so happy,” she enthuses.

Center for Well-Being Lake Country, LLC, is located at 301 Cottonwood Ave., in Hartland. For more information, call 262-367-0607 or visit C4WB.com.

Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and regular contributor to Natural Awakenings magazine.