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Danielle Martinelli-Taylor \u201912 is a graduate of Elon\u2019s School of Communications, where she majored in strategic communications and minored in religious studies.<\/p>\nMartinelli-Taylor, founder of Animo Counseling and Coaching, joins President Connie Ledoux Book to discuss her path to mental health care, the development of somatic boxing therapy and the experiences that shaped her work.<\/p>\n
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Danielle Martinelli-Taylor \u201912 has built her career around helping people move through pain toward healing. As the founder of Animo Counseling and Coaching in Denver, Colorado, she works with clients through a holistic mind-body approach to mental health, including somatic boxing therapy. In the latest episode of \u201cElon Beyond the Bricks,\u201d President Connie Ledoux Book sits down with Martinelli-Taylor to explore the experiences that led her to a career in trauma counseling.<\/p>\n
A graduate of Elon\u2019s School of Communications, Martinelli-Taylor majored in strategic communications and minored in religious studies before her career turned toward mental health care. That shift began with moments she did not fully recognize at the time, including an Elon class on human trafficking that opened her eyes to the reality of trauma and stayed with her long after graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think like a lot of things, there were moments, but I hadn\u2019t added them up yet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Danielle Martinelli-Taylor \u201912 is a graduate of Elon\u2019s School of Communications, where she majored in strategic communications and minored in religious studies.<\/p>\n
After graduation, Martinelli-Taylor\u2019s path moved through customer service at Wayfair, nonprofit work in London and continued reflection on the kind of work that felt meaningful. Each step helped her better understand what she was drawn to, what she needed to move away from and how service could become a throughline in her life and career.<\/p>\n
That search eventually led her to counseling, where she began working with clients who had experienced trauma. She noticed that talk therapy alone was not always the right entry point, especially when asking clients to revisit painful stories could bring them back into that experience. From there, she began developing a new approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can we do that still heals or helps the body get rid of this distress, this intensity, this pain, but not necessarily just\u2026 talking about it?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Somatic boxing therapy grew from that question and from Martinelli-Taylor\u2019s own experience using boxing to process the emotional weight of counseling work. Over time, she began incorporating pads and bilateral movement into sessions, helping clients reconnect with strength, courage and a sense of agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind your strength, find your resilience find that courage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Danielle Martinelli-Taylor \u201912 practices somatic boxing therapy with a patient.<\/p>\n
While her work now sits in the mental health field, Martinelli-Taylor still sees clear connections to her Elon education. Her communications background has helped her explain a new therapeutic model, build a practice and share her work with clients and other professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I had a marketing background. I\u2019m glad I had a little bit of a PR background because so much, even though it\u2019s counseling and mental health, it\u2019s a lot of business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Martinelli-Taylor\u2019s story was featured in the 2025 President\u2019s Report<\/a> because of the meaningful impact she is creating through service to others. For Elon students and young alumni still trying to find direction, she encouraged patience and forward motion, even when the larger path is unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cJust take one step,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t try to figure it all out right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Toward the end of the conversation, Martinelli-Taylor shared a quote from Frederick Buechner that has helped frame her own sense of calling:<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the place you\u2019re called is where your deep gladness and the world\u2019s deep hunger meet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Martinelli-Taylor, that place has become the space where service, counseling and embodied healing meet. Her story is a reminder that purpose is often formed through the moments that stay with us and the courage to follow them into work that helps others heal.<\/p>\n Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode here.<\/a><\/p>\n