Cara Lindell is making important strides in pain management, balance and anxiety. But this career path has been less than linear. Cara’s background in engineering combined with a lifelong passion for fitness as well as her mother’s sudden autoimmune condition and death were exactly the reason why she abruptly changed career paths. The Bridging Institute (formerly Kinetic Konnections) began in 2002 establishing a process to gently and quickly reset muscle memory with the goal to move and feel better. She explains, “I realized strength, movement and maintaining bone health were so vitally important! I took the leap from a career in engineering and technical management to the fitness world.”
Today, the Bridging Institute see patients ages 1 week to 100 employing the Bridging® Technique to improve pain management after injury, medical procedures, balance, coordination, energy and anxiety. Learn more about the Bridging Institute in this exclusive small business interview only on Chicago North Shore Moms.
Hi Cara! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi, my name is Cara Lindell, owner of The Bridging Institute in Northbrook. Northern IL is my lifelong home. I grew up in the farm country near DeKalb and then in various parts of Chicago, and the north/northwest suburbs. I now call Morton Grove home.
And your family…
My two boys, now adults, each have had unique journeys. One had Leukemia when he was age 6 which put us on a medical and educational journey for over 10 years. One has ADHD issues and found the military structure really works. He is in the US Marine Corps and has had the most interesting assignments. It makes me a Childhood Cancer mom, and a Marine Mom. So proud of them each!
You are the founder and owner of the Bridging Institute, a form of therapy that employs an innovative technique which gently and quickly resets muscle memory. Give a brief overview of how it began and where it is now.
At the Bridging Institute my team and I now work with all ages (1 week to 95) to reset muscle memory to be more active, better balanced, and calmer.
This has evolved from 2002 when I first set out to focus on a more effective way to bring strength training to women with the ultimate goal of producing better overall health and bone health.
With my unique background of systems engineering and personal training, I had a different problem-solving approach to how our muscles work, and because of my son’s leukemia I uncovered a new, gentle way to reset muscle function—this is what we call the Bridging® Technique.
(You may have come across our prior name of Kinetic Konnections. We changed to the Bridging Institute in 2021 to simplify names.)
What was the impetus behind starting this practice?
The start of this journey was my health in the context of my mother’s (age 56) sudden autoimmune condition and death. I realized strength, movement and maintaining bone health were so vitally important! I took the leap from a career in engineering and technical management to the fitness world.
What is your background?
Working with kids evolved as other professionals asked me to apply the balance work with them. We were getting wonderful changes in school and behavior by resetting balance between muscles and parts of the body. It continues to amaze me every single day!
My expertise is in functional exercise and balance, and my team has years of pediatric experience. It makes for a greater understanding of all!
What is your process with clients who come to with pain and imbalance? In simplified terms, what is the process that you work to improve this?
There are three parts of our process for helping you or your children—assessment, problem-solving and resetting. Each part of the process uses movement.
We use little wiggles to see how 14 discrete relationships work. When they don’t work well, you have lack of coordination, or stress and pain. In kids these often manifests as behaviors—too passive, or too easily dysregulated.
To BRIDGE the gaps, we support the muscles, guide them into the new way of working, and then give a tiny stretch which neurologically seals in the new relationships. It’s so gentle, fast and long-lasting.
The specificity of the movements is the key.
What is an example of a common life event that impacts pain and movement?
Unusual birth or pregnancy events are often the origin of why kids’ balance and coordination don’t work as well as they should. We love to get little ones on their best path forward so parents don’t worry, and kids grow into the best versions of themselves.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about the Bridging Institute?
Unlike many other interventions we see families on a monthly or quarterly basis so it is not another weekly commitment. Once the basics are in place for the kids, a seasonal tune-up helps them stay on course while they are growing.
It’s so cool to see the children from 15 years ago graduate from college and live full lives, knowing the path they were on when we met.
And getting started?
You can learn more about the Bridging Institute by visiting our website, https://thebridginginstitute.com/ and calling 847-390-8348 to schedule a consultation. You can also keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube where give sound bites containing more information about our treatments and techniques.
Thank you to Cara Lindell of the Bridging Institute! For more great small business features, click here.