 Marlena had a thriving private practice as a massage therapist and nutritional counselor when she and David Roche married in 1996. Connected to the world of personal storytelling through David, Marlena jumped right in. Although shy by nature, she discovered a natural gift for speaking and storytelling. And it wasn’t long before she was performing as a founding member of the Circle of Women storytelling group.
Marlena began to tell the inspiring story about how she met David and moved beyond her first negative reaction. The response was so positive that she and David co-created Love at Second Sight (LASS) – a program for middle and high school students about appearance, disability and acceptability that she and David have presented across the U.S. and Canada.
With a B.S. in nutrition and dietetics, Marlena works with adolescent girls dealing with eating disorders, so bringing LASS to schools is a perfect fit.
With 35 years experience as a massage therapist, Marlena uses her intuitive nature and many hands-on healing modalities to bring comfort and relief to her clients. She co-founded the first massage therapy program in a hospital in the United States at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and is a certified practitioner of the Anat Baniel Method  based on the work of Dr. Moishe Feldenkrais.
"Marlena is pure love and her hands are golden." Anat Baniel
Marlena is a lifelong student and has had a consistent spiritual practice of reflection and meditation since 1970. She constantly explores new experiences, and people find her playful, fun-loving, nurturing and sensitive.
Facts about Marlena
Comfort food (healthy): Kale
Comfort food (less healthy): Macaroni and cheese, egg salad
Secret weakness: Afraid she will miss out on something
Nicknamed by friends: “The Demon Slayer” – for consistently confronting and slaying her personal demons
Currently exploring: Secret passion to be a writer
See Marlena in a new documentary film by Bonnie Klein>
Watch Marlena in Love at Second Sight>
Hear Marlena tell a story about meeting David>
War of the Wills audio CD
 $12.95 plus shipping
Facially disfigured, Irish Catholic David Roche and beautiful, Jewish Marlena Blavin met and married in middle age. The resulting culture shock gave rise to these stories that celebrate their quirky and loving families.
Email David or phone 800-820-8971 to order.
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