Our Mission

Our mission is the education and advocacy of natural medicine and a holistic lifestyle. Anything from what we put into our bodies to the products we purchase to how we invest our money to how we treat the earth has an impact on our whole being and ultimately each other. Our magnificent innate ability to heal becomes repaired and enhanced with the help of wonderful practitioners and guides. We strive to work with top practitioners to bring helpful education in form of the news, events and this informative website to assist you on your wellness journey.

Chicago Healers Team

JoAnn Hefferle - President email
JoAnn Hefferle, who holds an MBA in Finance from University of Chicago, is a former Fortune 200 Corporate Executive and Big 5 Management Consultant. The Chicago native founded ChicagoHealers.com (CH) in 2002 after she recognized the need for an organization like CH. Following a 19 year tenure of executive leadership and executing of enterprise-wide strategic change, Hefferle has dedicated her career to bringing unsurpassed high quality healing to the people of Chicago. Having personally experienced almost 200 alternative health and holistic healing modalities, JoAnn is passionate about the healing arts, their restorative properties and the positive effects they have on people’s lives. Trained in multiple healing modalities herself, Hefferle is truly the quintessential expert to endorse those exemplary practitioners who call for professional distinction and the leader to establish this healing community in Chicago.

Kate Portillo - Client Relations email
Kate Portillo brings over 10 years of professional experience in community programs, social services, and retail management to her role with Chicago Healers. Kate is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a double major in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration and Public Communication Human Relations. Kate enjoys life’s journey towards balanced and healthy body, mind, and spirit through holistic health.

Hillary Wenk - Communications Manager email
Hillary is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York with a degree in Political Science. She has previous experience in pubic relations, media and event planning with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Her past experience working for a chiropractor along with her personal experience with alternative and holistic healthcare both for herself and her family gives her a unique perspective working with Chicago Healer practitioners.

Laurie Pollock - New Client Specialist email
Laurie brings equal parts business development experience and a lifelong study of alternative health to Chicago Healers. Her career experience includes business ownership— founder of a promotional graphics agency for Chicago’s Fortune 500s, various local small business development roles, and consultant— helping aspiring entrepreneurs realize their dream of self-employment. Laurie is also a devoted mother, artist and writer, nature lover, yoga student, avid vegetable gardener and whole foods advocate (for people and pets). Laurie is genuinely passionate about natural health and wellness, and through her role at Chicago Healers, works to promote greater awareness of the benefits of a holistic lifestyle.

Elizabeth Larsen - New Client Specialist email
Elizabeth brings at home business experience and 8 years of studying alternative health & intuitive thinking to Chicago Healers. Her career for the last 12 years was in the wholesale mortgage lending industry. Elizabeth is also a new wife and mother as well as a continuing student of yoga and metaphysics. Elizabeth always finds time to maintain her health with exercise at least twice a week. Elizabeth is passionate about the environments future as well as our own health and wellness and she is a member of “La Leche League”. Through her role at Chicago Healers she anticipates to promote awareness of holistic living and connect people to help find that road.

Jessica Prah - Media email
Paramount Public Relations, which was founded by Jessica Prah, is running PR for Healers America and Chicago Healers. For almost 15 years, Jessica Prah has combined her consumer, corporate and technology PR experience to create, manage and execute national public relations campaigns. Jessica is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Jessica Prah, Erica Morisco and Katie Dornacher of Paramount’s staff run the Chicago Healers account.

Jim Butler - Technical Support email
Jim is a graduate of University of Illinois at Chicago with a Masters of Science in Management Information Systems. Jim serves all the technical needs for ChicagoHealers.com.
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Charlotte Kerver - SEO & Sales Support email
Charlotte has over 10 years of business experience in Healthcare, IT and Manufacturing, having done work as diverse at QC Testing, Database design, support & implementation, Partner Management and Customer Services Management. Charlotte has traveled widely, including much of Europe, Africa, America & the Middle East, and is a Biological Sciences graduate of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Practitioner/Center Criteria

Each practitioner listed goes through an extensive interview and often demonstration process. We visit every practitioner in their office and observe their treatment rooms to further our selection efforts. All were referred to us and we accept a limited number of practitioners. Through the selection process, we focus on the integrity and quality of each healer. We avoid imposing our own opinions about a healer’s style or modality. We look for healers who:

• Recognize that a client has the ultimate wisdom about what he or she needs.
• Have at least two years of experience in their specific modality and long-term experience in the healing community.
• Achieved a high level of education in their modality.
• Are developed professionally so they do not bring their own agenda into working sessions with clients.
• Express an open mind about general healing practices and recognize that their particular modality is not the only way.
• Believe mind, body, and spirit work holistically.
• Address real-life issues and seek tangible results.
• Respect their client’s sensitivity, privacy and personal space.
• Are called to offer their service from a place of caring and love.
• See the work they do as their life’s work.

School Criteria

Chicago Healers (CH) is proud to affiliate with the best Healing Schools in the nation. All schools have been referred to us and we accept a limited number of schools. Each school listed has gone through an extensive screening, interview and visitation process. CH interviews the Dean and the Director of Admissions. We evaluate the facility, study environment and course offerings to determine whether the school fits the profile of an excellent teaching institution. During this process, we focus on the integrity and quality of the school, the teachers and the future practitioners that they are educating. We look for schools which:

• Have a mission to support the natural healing ability of humankind and the evolution of peace on our planet.
• Focus on the student as a whole person, not just the intellectual and mechanical development of their skills, taking into consideration that who the student becomes is just as important as what they practice.
• Express an open mind about general healing practices and recognize their particular modality is not the only way.
• Believe mind, body, and spirit work holistically.
• Set a high standard for their teachers and students
• Teach their students to address real-life issues and seek tangible results.
• Have been teaching for 5 years for major teaching institutions, and 2 years for teaching centers.

Business Services with Soul - Description of Members

CH is committed to supporting a holistic lifestyle for all human beings. To that end, we acknowledge businesses and support services whose commitment is broader than the bottom line. We seek out organizations that are dedicated to the greater good, work from a higher mission and create profitability while treating their customers and employees with integrity. A typical Business Services with Soul member might look something like this:

• Business and management support the principles of a healthy and holistic lifestyle
• Ultimately their work product makes the world a better place
• Excellent customer service policy
• Outstanding reputation in their community
• Business owner assumes full responsibility for all associates
• 2 or more years experience in their profession
• Open to assisting new businesses interested in success

As with practitioners we use the same four phase process to screen Business Services with Soul. We conduct an initial phone screening, receive their written questionnaire application, visit their office, conduct an interview and follow up on their references.