Connect
To Top

Meet Annette Fontes-Evans of Heavenly Bliss Therapies in East Valley

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Fontes-Evans.

Annette, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was the forever volunteer! I was the one always “raising my hand”, offering to help out in whatever way I could. I loved helping others, working with my hands, creating, and fixing things, but, this didn’t pay the bills! LOL! I had been an entrepreneur with a passion for helping others; however, my actual work life was managing projects. This was not the fulfilling and purposeful work I was yearning for.

My “Aha” moment happened in 2005 when I witnessed a massage therapist doing Craniosacral therapy on my newborn niece, who was born with torticollis, and how her condition dramatically improved in just one session! Hmmm… I get to help others, fix things and work with my hands?  This is what I was meant to do! Being a therapist was the perfect fit.  I enrolled in massage school the next day. While still working my corporate job, I attended massage school and graduated with honors. Soon after becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist, I left the corporate world, founded Heavenly Bliss Therapies and haven’t looked back.

Post massage school and continuing my education, I discovered energy work and energy healing. It was during a CranioSacral therapy course that I learned I was highly intuitive. My love for energy work grew and with my intuition, I felt I was guided to develop my own modalities; Body Directed Therapy Experience Massage, BoDTE™ and Body Directed Therapy Experience Energy Healing, BoDTE II™.

Being intuitive, I can sense the many different “things” that go on in the body. I know that I experience clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience, clairalience, and claircognizance with my work. I’m extremely humbled by this which I know doesn’t come from me, but from something so much greater, a Higher power, Divine source, Spirit, God.

Since becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist, I’ve also become a Certified Medical Massage Therapist, Craniosacral Therapist, Reiki Master, Medical Intuitive and Herbalist. All that I do, I do to help improve the lives of others.

As for my passion for helping, I always want to do more, to help a greater whole. This desire led me to co-found the Desert Lotus Healing Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides a free and low cost alternative medicine services to survivors of domestic abuse and violence. We help them heal past their traumas that have adversely impacted their lives and the lives of their families. Now my time is divided between my practice, running the non-profit and providing my healing services to clients of the Desert Lotus Healing Sanctuary.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would like to say it’s been a smooth road, but then, I wouldn’t have learned all the lessons I’ve learned along the way!  The easy parts of my journey were the studies. I’m sort of a nerd and love learning. The challenging part was the physical journey.

For some reason, cars like running into me! I’ve been rear-ended four times. In between that, I had a quad (ATV) land on top of me. These accidents left me with traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord trauma where I had seizures and challenges with walking. Sometimes, my legs just didn’t want to walk. Well, they couldn’t walk. Other times, my brain couldn’t process information. Just like the words in Pink Floyd’s song Comfortably Numb, “your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying”, my brain felt numb.

The amazing thing though, is that I overcame and healed my injuries. Being an energy healer, massage therapist, and herbalist, I knew these modalities worked. Each time I had an accident, I’d re-experience all the physical, mental, & emotional challenges, and again, would go through the healing process. It did take time and lots of patience, but the experience and wisdom I gained were invaluable. This was my healing journey; physically, emotionally, mentally & spiritually. In the end, I learned to let go of guilt, be more patient with me and developed a deeper sense of gratitude and self-love.

I believe my journey has helped me bring more sensitivity, compassion and love to my clients. But more than that, it has made me a better human.

Please tell us about your business.
I own and operate Heavenly Bliss Therapies. As a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master, I specialize in Craniosacral Therapy and my own Body Directed Therapy Experience Massage, BoDTE™ and Body Directed Therapy Experience Energy Healing, BoDTE II™.

I’ve been in business for over 13 years with a continuously growing clientele. My clients come from all over the valley and state, all parts of the US and Canada. I am most proud that the services I offer help my clients with their healing journeys. However, I’d much rather say that I am most humbled.

I love my work. I completely immerse myself in what I do and don’t just go through the motions. Through intuition and experience, I’ve learned that the body needs more than just that “50 minute hour”. I know that I am guided and directed in my work by a Higher power and that the body lets me know when it is “done” with a session, which I’ve learned is approximately 90 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less.

I’m also co-founder of the Desert Lotus Healing Sanctuary, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Our non-profit program provides alternative medicine services to survivors of domestic abuse and violence to help facilitate the healing of their past traumas, emotionally, physically & mentally.

In addition to providing private sessions, we offer classes, workshops and demonstrations to educate and empower our clientele to take control of their health and healing processes.

We are unique in that we provide a variety of alternative medicine services, for free or low cost to survivors, all under one roof. Our services include trauma and grief counseling, homeopathy, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, clinical hypnotherapy, chakra clearing and balancing, cupping, reiki, life coaching, traditional Chinese medicine, therapeutic massage,  medical skincare, reflexology, shamanic healing, spiritual response therapy, yoga nidra and more.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Always God first– then there is my husband, Dave Evans. He makes my heart smile. Dave has played a big role in my success. He has been and is my biggest supporter, cheerleader, confidant and friend. He helped me study for tests and waited up for me each night while I was attending massage school and coming home about 10:30. He has taken care of the kids, the household and the finances during the many times I’ve been sidelined with injuries. He has accompanied me on trips for my continuing education courses, working remotely while I attended classes, and then listened for hours as I talked about what I had learned. He was always my first “guinea pig” each time I learned a new bodywork modality. Although he admits he doesn’t completely understand the energy work, he believes in me and what I do. He continues to support all that I do and currently serves on the board of directors of my non-profit organization. He always does more than I ever expect and does it with enthusiasm and love. He is simply the best.

My parents, Molly and Luis Fontes, they brought me into this world. They raised me with a belief in God, to be a good citizen, polite, respectful and always help others. I believe having qualities such as these are a strong foundation for success. Knowing that I have had their love and support for whatever I have endeavored, has provided a sense of security and allowed me to be strong and confident.

My daughter Tarah and my sons Jude and Zyven, are the reasons I work hard and strive for success. I believe that parents are their kids’ first teachers and that it is important to be good examples of how to behave. My kids made me want to be the best parent I could be. Tarah, being several years older than her siblings, gets extra credit for helping dad with taking care of her siblings and the household while I was recovering from accidents. Her help was instrumental in the well-being of her brothers. Knowing Tarah was by my side, brought comfort. As an adult, she has become a best friend and confidante. Jude was a big helper as well. He provided care for his little brother, helped with many household duties and assisted me as I struggled to ambulate. Zyven, being the youngest, brought joy and laughter with his silly antics and did whatever he was capable of doing with his little helper hands. I believe that having to take on big responsibilities in their youth helped my children become amazing humans. I’m so very proud of them.

Other influencers with my success come from the teachings of Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, David R. Hawkins, Marianne Williamson, Barbara Ann Brennan, Carolyn Myss, Karol K. Truman, Wayne Dyer, Bruce Lipton, Mother Teresa and Dr. John Upledger. Through their teachings, I learned how powerful our thoughts are, the incredible innate ability the body has to heal and correct, and that you cannot completely heal the physical body unless you heal the emotional body. True healing comes from within, but we must support it with the appropriate modalities, the right foods and healthy lifestyle changes. I am truly grateful for their work and how it has contributed to the success of my personal and professional life.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Iris Brown

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in