Kristen Lotz (pronounced with a long O) literally glows when she talks about how glad she is to be living in Macomb, Illinois. She tells people who have lived here forever that they are lucky to have grown up inside of a Hallmark greeting card or in a Hallmark movie. Kristen, along with her husband, Brodie, and their two children, have only been in Macomb since July 2025.
Brodie is a Macomb native who graduated from Macomb High School in 2000. He is also a veteran, serving 13 years in the elite Green Berets. Brodie and Kristen met at a business networking meeting in 2018 in Colorado, and married in 2021. Brodie had moved out west after the military, to connect with a friend.
The two were married in Colorado, Kristen’s home state, specifically Colorado Springs. Kristen graduated from Doherty High School, a school that is one of a complex of five, with a total enrollment of around 5,400.
The Lotz's reason for moving from Colorado Springs to Macomb is two-fold. Brodie wanted to be closer to his family, and Kristen was genuinely alarmed at the change in Colorado Springs over the years, and wanted to get their children away from the rising crime.
Picturesque Colorado Springs is probably best known for the Air Force Academy. However, between 2018-2024 there has been a 28 percent increase in crimes in the Colorado Springs and metro areas. By the year 2050, popular Colorado Springs is expected to surpass Denver in population. For safety reasons, Kristen was thrilled when Brodie said he “wanted to move back to Macomb”.
Kristen is a busy lady.
Besides being a wife, mother and teacher at Macomb High School, she has her own business, Nordic Cowgirl Animal Massage.
Lotz attended the Rocky Mountain School of Animal Massage and graduated in 2024. She is also PE-Cryo Certified, a cold application that is much faster and better than ice. Kristen’s customers would be people with a dog or horse that would benefit from a partial or whole body massage. She is not an animal chiropractor, she instead focuses on soreness in the musculature.
If the animal has already been to a chiropractor, her function is to help keep the skeletal corrections in place.
Kristen loves animals and has several horses and a dog. Her dog, a Doberman named Stryder, is a trained migraine headache detector and sometimes goes to the high school with her.
Stryder notifies Kristen that a migraine is imminent by nudging her in the leg with its muzzle. If Kristen doesn’t notice, Stryder will nudge even harder. Kristen then knows to take her medicine and usually can go on with her day.
Nordic Cowgirl Animal Massage provides holistic care for dogs and horses, giving them relief from stress and relaxation. Kristen chose the word Nordic for her business name due to her heritage and her love of mythology and Nordic horses. In Nordic legend, horses like Gani, descended from Odin’s Mount Sleipnir, possess remarkable powers and intelligence. The Norwegian Fjord Horse, with unique qualities, is considered an endangered species, with only 5,500 remaining around the world.
Lotz will have a booth at the Macomb Farmer’s Market when it opens and she would love to meet new horse and dog people in her new community. She loves talking to people about her new life in this Hallmark movie town called Macomb.
Kristen is currently available for dog or horse massages anytime that works around her teaching schedule (evenings, weekends, holidays). In the summer, she will be open about any time a client might need. To reach out to Kristen contact her on Facebook @pecryonordiccowgirl, by email at nordiccowgirl2024@gmail. com or by phone at 719-6635733.
