Going from the stress of the kitchen to becoming a beacon of stress relief, Rebecca Von Feldt’s path is one of passion and reinvention.
Von Feldt was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, but eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois, winding up in Valparaiso by her freshman year of high school. At Valparaiso High School, she began paving the way for her immediate future. Attending the culinary vocational classes during her junior and senior years sparked a pursuit of further education in the culinary arts. This path led her to attend culinary school in Indianapolis.
Von Feldt has a passion for creativity. She loves to connect with people and help them connect with experiences. She began hosting local dinner parties, creating themes that brought members of the community together. Her dream chef to work with, despite his reputation, is Gordon Ramsay.
“When I left the culinary industry, I was really tired of being hot and angry,” Von Feldt said. “That’s kind of similar to the Gordon Ramsay experience.”
It was then that Von Feldt realized something had to change. She recalled a time when she got her mother and herself a massage around Christmas when they lived in Ohio. She fell in love with massage therapy and realized something was missing from her life. This became the catalyst for her next chapter.
“I didn't realize how much I personally needed more bodywork and more attention to my mental and physical health in general,” Von Feldt said. “Massage was definitely the gateway to exploring healing for myself and realizing that most people are, especially once you get 30 and up, feeling life in all kinds of different ways and just trying to figure out how to feel better.”
Von Feldt's newfound passion for health and wellness led her to open her first massage business in Ohio. Her vision was to create a clean, trustworthy wellness center. When the COVID-19 lockdown began, she utilized the downtime to renovate her business, which she later described as her catapult into the massage world.
In 2021, Von Feldt moved back to Valparaiso to be closer to her mother after the loss of her father. Once again, she demonstrated her drive to reinvent herself. Around this time, she also stepped into a new role: motherhood.
“Once I became a mom, it was super, super important and very evident to me how much more stress relief I needed,” Von Feldt said. “The MamaBear part just came from an overall concept of feeling that, if more parents were less stressed, the place we live in would be better.”
Now back in Valparaiso, Von Feldt launched her new venture, MamaBear Massage Therapy. Through this business, she has had the opportunity to serve the Region. At her new location, she met one of the most inspiring clients in her life: Donna. Donna, one of her regular clients, brought great positivity to Von Feldt's path and encouraged her to continue pursuing her passions and dreams. Von Feldt even credits Donna's support as the reason she now offers float tank services.
“I see another level of positivity in her that definitely just pours out anywhere she's at,” Von Feldt said. “I feel like that's probably why we were drawn to each other.”
Positivity and connectedness have been driving forces for Von Feldt in her career. Not only did she start a massage studio because she recognized her own need for stress relief, but she now actively advocates for fostering connectedness in the community. She has praised the progress she has seen in Valparaiso since returning and has enjoyed becoming involved with the community through local events. From hosting dinner parties to supporting local artists through the Artists’ Guild of Valparaiso, she strives to keep the community connected and inspired.
“I would like to just continue trying to be more positive and supportive to anybody around me that needs that extra push to follow their dreams,” she said.
For more information about MamaBear Massage Therapy and its offerings, visit its website.