Living Stress Free Inc

Our Story

In many ways the story of our work together is the same as the story of our personal life together.  We met while working in the mental health field. In the early 1990’s, leadership placed us together to create a new program for the clinic. We still do not know why they chose the two of us –  we had never worked together before and had never previously met – but we immediately recognized a natural ability to work well together. There was a certain creative synergy between us and we both had a passion for working with people to improve their quality of life.

Eventually we started a personal relationship and were married in 1996. When we were not busy at work we spent much of our time practicing meditation and yoga which we found helpful to our spiritual lives as well as our practical lives. Over the years we found ourselves wondering why meditation, yoga, and spirituality were not offered to people struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, addiction, relationship issues, and many other problems that we witnessed in our clients every day.

There was, and still is, a misunderstanding about meditation and yoga. People think of these practices as religious in nature and object to their use in healthcare. Some even think of them as competing with their own religion, and object because their faith is not included in healthcare. Thankfully these people are mistaken because none of these ancient spiritual practices require any particular belief or philosophy. Anyone can practice them and either continue practicing their faith or remain agnostic or atheist.

Living Stress Free was incorporated in 2011 and we launched our website the same year. Our goal was to offer people a new approach to wellness: A combination of some of the traditional tools of therapy, such as talking, support, and insight, and specific spiritual practices that promote changes to how we think and feel about ourselves, others, and the world.

When clients share about themselves and their histories, they learn about themselves on a deeper level. Their insights reveal what has and has not worked in their lives. And when they practice meditation or other spiritual practices, they change the internal habits that cause their pain and limit their personal growth. It’s this combination of understanding, which brings insight and empathy, and ancient techniques that change internal processes such as thoughts and emotions, that makes Living Stress Free uniquely helpful and accessible.

In 2013, we started offering in-person classes, and courses in Rochester, NY, helping bring mindfulness and meditation practices to our community.  Eventually we opened The Living Stress Free Wellness Center where we offered group meditation classes, retreats, counseling, life coaching, spiritual mentoring, sound baths, chanting, and corporate training.

In 2016, Lou published his book, “It’s Never Too Late To Do Nothing” and in 2018, Marilyn published, “The Living Stress Free Bible – 20 Techniques to Make Your Life Less Stressful.”

Through the years we have offered many workshops such as “How To Work With Your Mind;” “Peace and Joy Within: Music, Mindfulness and Relaxation;” “Finding Perfection in an Imperfect World;”“The Ego Course,” and others.

In 2020, Marilyn started our Women’s Empowerment track which includes Women’s Self Care Support Group and her annual Women’s Retreat which includes meditation, yoga, sound baths, and deep experiences of inner transformation.

Today,  we continue to grow as people, and as an organization dedicated to helping our clients learn how to help themselves. We will never offer our clients one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter solutions, because we believe everyone has a wealth of potential already waiting inside them.

Through providing a safe space where people can explore themselves, their lives, hopes, and fears, and by offering techniques that promote real inner change, our goal is to expand the potential for genuine wellness and person growth to as many people as possible.

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