Howland Muscular Therapy
Taking a pause on back pain to focus on burn-out amongst high-achieving millennial women. Join me here: https://substack.com/@ashleighhowland?
I graduated from the Cortiva Institute-Boston in June 2012. I have been a member of the American Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) since 2013, and my continuing education certifications include Hot Stone Therapy, Pre-natal Massage, Bamboo Fusion, Equine/Canine Sports Massage, Orthopedic Massage Therapy, Myofascial Release, CORE Myofascial Therapy, Neurokinetic Therapy I, II, and 3 (master level). Most recently, I've been studying with the Immaculate Dissection team and implementing their stability/motor control protocols. I work with a broad range of clients, from weekend warriors, equestrians, runners, weight lifters, and generally active individuals to elite, collegiate, and professional athletes. I spent four years (2014-2018) as the massage therapist for the Boston University Men's Ice Hockey team
The most important lesson I’ve learned in more than a decade in this business is that everything in the body is connected and therefore influences each other part. The second is that when we chase pain, we get lost; when we follow the anatomy, we resolve issues. My shift to tele-health is focusing on this second principle, as I want to provide impactful education, effective treatments, and empowering techniques for my clients. Let's meet where you are so we can take you where you want to go.
05/05/2026
3 Things You Should Know -
3 Things You Should Know First - It’s Lighthouse Letters Postcard week! I have four unclaimed cards with a reflection and two journal prompts. The first four people to reply with "POSTCARD” or to click and sign up for this $6 monthly ephemeral note get em’ before they’re gone!
13/01/2026
If you love writing, thinking, deep dive conversations, and celebrating new moons, full moons, and seasonal shifts, this is for you.
At the end of my first journaling cohort, the Almost Thankful New Take on Gratitude, I hosted a live virtual bonfire circle so everyone could connect, share an “Aha!” moment, and feel the solidarity of the cohort.
said something that stopped the room: “I didn’t realize how angry I was about gratitude until I started writing.”
What followed wasn’t fixing or reframing. It was recognition. Laughter. Nods. Relief.
This is what happens when people are given a space that’s honest instead of performative. When we stop asking people to be grateful “the right way” and let them tell the truth instead.
My Wintering Cohort is built on this exact kind of honesty: a place where you don’t have to arrive polished, positive, or resolved.
Instead of a quick month together, we’re pouring a cuppa tea (or wine), grabbing our notebooks and blankets, and settling in for almost ten weeks of gently structured reflection. And it’s only $100 for prompts, reading suggestions, bi-weekly chats, and accountability support if you’d like it.
If you’ve been curious about the power of journaling but intimidated because - “where do I even start?!” this is for you.
If you love winter, but feel the isolation a bit, this is for you.
If you hate winter and feel yourself growing paler, sadder, and lonelier, this is for you.
I’d love for you to Winter with
Link in bio or DM me WINTER.
30/12/2025
Winter is hard.
Cold weather is draining.
I don’t want to “build character” in the dark days of the year, thanks.
I’m ready to get fresh air and then cocoon on the couch, capitalism and consumerism and “new year, new you” be damned.
Neither you or I need another productivity plan. We’re already overachieving, anxious, hard working millennials.
What we need is permission to slow down. To ask and actually hear what our bones-deep intuition is asking for.
You need a space where the expectations and decisions are low; where someone has already done that work, and you can just receive care, dabble as you want, and be supported.
Even if you’re quiet, you’re still a part of my cohorts. We hold space for you however and wherever you are.
Wintering 2026 kicks off January 18th. Curious?
DM me WINTERING for details.
What would your perfect holiday look like?
Not the one you were raised with.
Not the one you’re expected to present.
Not the one that leaves you crashed out by December 26th.
I mean your version.
The one that feels like a warm blanket, an exhale.
The one that feels like home in your bones.
The one where you choose what really matters to you, and release the rest.
In the Lighthouse Journal Advent Calendar Experience, we’re spending December untangling the inherited rules and building a season that feels aligned for us.
Doors close soon - DM me before 11/30 to start on December 1 and create the holiday season you deserve.
12/11/2025
I know we don’t want to think about it, but December is approaching!
After a wonderful response to my Almost Thankful: A Different Kind of Gratitude Journaling experience (11 folks are joining me this month!) I want to gently start the conversation about my December experience.
Up next is a journal prompt advent calendar and the loose goals will be to restore the wonder, enchantment, and connection to the quieter roots of holiday magic.
Think: more whimsy, less commerce. More reflection, less hustle. More soul, less stress.
Prompts are delivered to your email every day* from Dec 1-Dec 25, and we have a Nearly New Year’s live, virtual gathering on Dec 28th.
Pre-sale is up now; DM me ADVENT if you’re interested. The first 15 folks to get in touch and sign up get a discount off the $35 price!
*If that pace is too much, I’m also offering a slower, self-guided delivery option of several prompts delivered each Monday.
03/11/2025
Are you ready to reconnect with the young dreamer within you? 'Return to 14' is here! This journaling prompt collection delves into your past to help you rediscover those lost dreams through Enneagram and Human Design. Get your copy for $11! More info: https://wix.to/lMVKq5M
22/10/2025
2025 has been *a year*.
Without diving into details, I'll say that I'm putting "Howland Muscular Therapy" as you've seen it on pause; and creating space for something that feels more aligned, more honest, more vulnerable, and way more exciting.
I would LOVE your support, especially if I've been able to support you in the past. The best first step is to spend an easy $30 to purchase my November holiday offer.
"Almost Thankful: A Different Kind of Gratitude Journaling" launches November 1, 2025 and will include 15 prompts about our journey with gratitude, delivered to your inbox every other day for the whole month; and a live, virtual reflection & journaling Bonfire Circle on November 30th.
One thing I've learned about gratitude this year is that, while it's so precious and vital, it can also be loaded. Pressured. Performative. Conflicted. So, in the season of thanks-giving, let's walk through it together.
Save your spot here:
November Bundle | Howland Muscular The Almost Thankful + Bonfire BundleYour full November journaling experience with thoughtful prompts and a community gathering..This bundle includes both:- 15 every-other-day printable prompts for November (PDF + email reminders)- A ticket to the Nov 30 Bonfire Circle (live Zoom journaling circle) You.....
07/10/2025
Big things coming for November! I've built an online store and here's what you can get:
- 15 prompts to help you journal away performative gratitude and dive into what's real, just in time for the holidays.
- The first Lighthouse live event: Bonfire Circles are live, virtual journaling & reflection events!
- A bundled deal if you want to get the prompts and a seat at the fire.
Check them out here:
https://www.howlandmusculartherapy.com/category/all-products
06/10/2025
New Post on the Lighthouse Substack!
AND - I now have special prompts for paid subscribers!
PM me "LIGHTHOUSE" if you want thoughtful essays PLUS prompts specifically for Enneagram, Human Design, & Burn Out/Body Disconnect.
29/09/2025
New Lighthouse post! https://open.substack.com/pub/ashleighhowland/p/gratitude-canyon?r=5spf99&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
For those of you who have no idea what this is for - it's a transitional step between the back pain world into whatever comes next for me. I'm starting quietly and softly, creating a space where high-achieving women who are dealing with burn-out, disconnect, and yes, back pain, can come to be held, seen, witnessed, and validated. If that sounds like you, comment "Lighthouse below" to get on the email list.
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