True Mind + Body

Jul 6

True Mind + Body, along with its sister company The Art of Well-Being, is a wellness practice rooted in yoga therapy, mindfulness, and movement-based healing. In this conversation, Brandon Gimbel speaks with co-founders Melissa Novack and Caroline Novack, and head inMotion therapist Mike Gortowski, about how they developed the practice, how movement-based therapy supports both children and adults, and how mindfulness shows up in their work - not just as a technique, but as a way of approaching care.

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True Mind + Body: Play Therapy

Mike Gortowski reflects on how play creates a natural and effective bridge to therapeutic work — especially for kids who may resist traditional talk therapy. In the sport court at True Mind + Body, basketball becomes a vehicle for emotion regulation, relational repair, and behavioral coaching. By engaging kids where they are, play becomes both a trust-builder and a tool for change.

True Mind + Body: Treatment for Adults

Melissa Novack describes how mind-body therapy extends far beyond child treatment. Adults at True Mind + Body often engage in walk-and-talk therapy, outdoor sessions, or yoga-based practices. The goal is to bring movement, mindfulness, and somatic awareness into psychotherapy in ways that feel natural and restorative.

True Mind + Body: Which Diagnoses They Treat

Mike Gortowski and Caroline Novack discuss how True Mind + Body supports patients with anxiety, depression, and social-emotional challenges — as well as kids with ADHD. Movement and somatic work provide an intuitive entry point, helping kids regulate impulsivity and begin developing emotional self-awareness in a physically engaging way.

True Mind + Body: Mindfulness

Melissa Novack explains why mindfulness is foundational to their work: it reconnects kids and teens with their bodies, helps regulate their nervous systems, and builds inner safety. Rather than separating the mind and body, their approach invites both into the therapy space as allies in healing.

True Mind + Body: The Story

Caroline and Melissa Novack share how their practice grew out of a personal experience: movement made them feel better. That simple insight — that physical activity could enhance emotional clarity and cognitive function — led to the founding of True Mind + Body, where movement isn’t just an add-on, but a therapeutic lens in itself.

Back to North Star Conversations

Brandon Gimbel

True Mind + Body

Melanie Santos, Psy.D., Chicago Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders