Meet Olimpia Herlo, retired from the Navy, licensed massage therapist, and owner of Designed to Heal Massage Therapy and Personal Wellness.
Gerilyn: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Olimpia: A family member’s health situation. Family and friends… and doctors that spend 15 minutes with you to check which prescription isn’t going to kill you when mixed with your other prescriptions. I don’t know of another profession where in an hour a medical professional can improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state without drugs. This is what I do. Our bodies were designed to heal. You cut yourself; it heals. You bust your head open; it grows back together. Liver regenerates. Babies don’t live if you don’t touch them. They don’t thrive. Even if I never studied one ounce of anything, I know that touching someone is therapy. But knowing what you’re doing with the musculoskeletal system and how to fix problems… I have documented patients with visible physical improvement within an hour.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite restaurant in Evans, and what do you love there?
Olimpia: I want to say it’s that Shishkebab place. I like the fact that it’s authentic. It’s not Americanized down. Having been in the Navy for twenty years, all of us here have traveled all over the world. So, if you’re going to open a restaurant claiming to be Greek, Meditarrien, or Mexican, make it authentic. And, those guys are delicious. I don’t have a favorite. Everything is my favorite, but I’m not crazy about rice.
Gerilyn: How long have you gone to church in Evans?
Olimpia: I think we started when my daughter was two, so thirteen years.
Gerilyn: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Evans? Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Evans, Georgia?
Olimpia: Can it be Martinez? If so, I’d choose my brother. He spent twenty-two years in the Navy. He’s brilliant. With everything he touches, there’s not one thing he can’t fix or figure out how to fix. He is thorough, compassionate, just, bold, and giving. I think he is the best man I know. He still stays in touch with people who were his subordinates and peers in the Navy. People have nothing but good stuff to say about him.
Gerilyn: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Olimpia: If I could go anywhere, I would go to Italy and then Romania. Italy is alive, so it’s chaotic depending on where you are, but life can be chaotic. Life is busy and vibrant. One person dresses with no style like they do in Japan, and another is dressed to a T just for a coffee. People walk to get their groceries. It’s an absolutely phenomenal geographical picture. It’s very close to Romania in terms of language, so I understand a lot. Romania would be next because that’s where I’m from. I left when I was 14, so if someone came here from Romania and compared notes with me, we would not have the same notes. Then I’d go to Greece. Greece is stunning. The music and the food… and the people have so much “oomph” and personality.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite movie, or what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
Olimpia: I don’t know the name of it, but when I was a little girl we used to go watch what is now called “Bollywood” in Romania. When we came to the United States, my dad took us to see Kung Fu movies with Bruce Lee, and we ate Indian food. They had little Indian pastries over there. When it comes to American movies, I love LOVE. I love the joy of it, the pain of it, the trials of it, and the overcoming of it. So, The Notebook came right out. It’s dedication, survival, hope and pain. And, it’s real life.
Gerilyn: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?
Olimpia: Unplug.
Gerilyn: What is something on your bucket list?
Olimpia: Greece is on my bucket list. I would also love to take my daughter to the Far East. I was in Japan when I was stationed on Guam. We were in and out of Japan and China, so the culture is fascinating. They are so busy. They work until 10:00 at night, which I would never do. There is life to be had. But in Communist China, they’re driven by certain things, and everybody is “equal” as in “equally poor.” Those people bust their bums, but at 10:00 they’re in karaoke bars. So, there is a difference in culture. Where we are stuck performing and never living, those people live even when they’re done working. You have to live.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite music or three bands you would like to see, whether dead or alive?
Olimpia: I would love to see Hillsong United and Toby Mac. I’d just dance. It doesn’t matter how many people would be there. I’d most definitely love to hear something from Western Romania where I come from. I still cry when I listen to Romanian music.
Gerilyn: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Evans?
Olimpia: I’m not sure that it makes me nostalgic, and I don’t remember the name of the shop. It’s on Washington Road. It’s a boutique. It’s not Cudos2u. It might be Mish Mash or something like that. Driving around, I like the thrift stores. I like the fact that not everything is antique, but it can be given new life. As old as it is, there’s nothing wrong with being old.
Gerilyn: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch? Where in Evans would you go?
Olimpia: This is super ambitious, but I would have lunch with President Trump because he’s fascinating. He rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous of the world before he became President. Now, the whole world is against him except for half of the United States and patriots in other nations. He’s like us, except he’s super rich. He’ll tell you how it is, and so will I. There’s no sugar coating. You can’t be fake and expect for anyone to like you. You can only maintain fake for so long before you confuse yourself. And, I would cook for President Trump. I would make him mushroom dip, a traditional Romanian meal with little sausages, and I’d give him an ice cold beer.
Gerilyn: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
Olimpia: In five years, I see my degree finished. I will move my practice out of here. Within five years, I’m going to have a spot of land picked out for the healing place. The healing place is a vision that God gave me in 2010 shortly after I did a spiritual survey assessment. The healing place is for counseling, therapy, and whatever is required for the whole person to be made whole. It’s based on the Word of God and not word of the world that says, “You can’t.” Eventually, it will be like a retreat. We don’t have anything like that in Georgia.
Gerilyn: Even for friends or family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Olimpia: I’m not sure how interesting it is, but I was 180% different in the Navy than I am now. No, I take that back. I am different since I’ve had my daughter. For my first 10 years in the Navy, I wouldn’t have said “hello” to myself. I was always a good girl growing up, and I never really did anything. I joined the Navy at 28 and lived it up as if there were no God. Then I got pregnant, and now I don’t want to live a moment as if there is no God.
Gerilyn: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home?”
Olimpia: Love, color/ spice, and freedom.