Jill Kobza opened her Sole Connection Reflexology business in Panora in February.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
In February 2024, Sole Connection Reflexology joined the growing list of businesses that make up Restore Wellness Studio, located on the east side of Panora. Since then, Jill Kobza has built a regular client base who have experienced the benefits of foot reflexology firsthand.
The Jeff and Jill Kobza family is shown at their home overlooking Lake Panorama. Left to right are son Luca, who lives in Philadelphia; Jeff; Jacob, who lives half the year in Los Angeles and half in Colorado; and Jill.
The pair met while attending Iowa State University. Jeff grew up in Omaha while Jill is from Lisbon, a small town near Cedar Rapids. When Jill graduated from Iowa State in 1985 with majors in German and international studies, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to continue her studies for a year in south Germany.
Once that first year ended, she took a job with the Fulbright program in Bonn, Germany. Jeff, who had graduated from Iowa State with a degree in accounting, had been working in Colorado. Rather than continuing their long-distance relationship, he landed a job as an accountant for the German branch of an American community college in Hanau, Germany.
A year later, he was hired as an independent contractor, working in the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, the West Germany seat of government when the country was divided.
Jill Kobza opened Sole Connection Reflexology in February 2024. She is one of eight current business owners renting space at the Restore Wellness Studio on the east edge of Panora.
With the political changes in Germany, Jeff’s job in the U.S. Embassy was phased out. The couple returned to the United States and took jobs in Minneapolis.
Two sons were born. Jacob is now 30 years old and lives half the year in Los Angeles and half in Colorado. He works in technology. Luca is 28 years old and lives in Philadelphia, where he is working on opening his second kava bar.
“Our time abroad was a very enriching time, both professionally and personally,” Jill says. “We also traveled a lot and got to experience so many new things.” When Jeff applied for and was offered an accounting job with the World Health Organization (WHO), Jill was ready to pack up the family and move.
Jeff spent 28 years working for WHO in the areas of budget, finance and administration. The family spent four years in New Delhi, India. Next came five years in Copenhagen, Denmark.
During their time in Denmark, the couple started to talk about purchasing a home in the United States. It would be a place where Jill and the boys could spend the summer, and Jeff could vacation with them three to four weeks each year. Eventually, it would be a retirement home.
The next summer, Jeff asked Jill what it would take for her to agree to purchase something. She had two criteria. It had to be a reasonable driving distance from both of their families, who live in Cedar Rapids and Omaha. And it had to be on or near water. Jeff got out a map, and plotted a radius.
A friend from Omaha who golfed at Lake Panorama National asked if they had considered Lake Panorama. Their reply — they had never heard of it, let alone considered it. Another Omaha friend who owned a second home at Lake Panorama got on the bandwagon.
“We came to look around and loved Lake Panorama the moment we saw it,” Jill says. “We looked at a few properties. We didn’t find the right house and flew back to Denmark.”
A month later, their friend was on his boat on the east side near Lake Panorama’s upper basin and saw a house for sale by owner. He sent pictures, they liked what they saw, and asked Jeff’s parents to drive from Omaha to check it out. Jeff and Jill bought the house without seeing it.
Jeff saw it for the first time when he flew to Iowa for the closing. Jill and their sons came to Iowa a month later. Before they arrived, family members and friends furnished the house.
After their time in Denmark, the family spent nearly a year at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. They returned to India for three years, then five years in Manila, Philippines. In 2014, they moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, where Jeff served one year as director of the WHO’s Vietnam country office. Jeff’s last five years with WHO were spent mostly in Manila, with a stint in Fiji. He retired in late 2023.
During the family’s second stay in India in 2007, Jill trained and practiced as a foot reflexologist.
“Foot reflexology is an ancient form of holistic therapy that uses acupressure to activate specific points on the feet and hands, enhancing the body’s own healing abilities,” Kobza says. “This practice is rooted in the belief that the nerve endings, or reflex points, in our feet are connected to all tissues and vital organs in the body. By applying targeted pressure to these points, reflexology not only improves communication between body parts and the brain, but also helps clear blockages in blood and lymph circulation, releasing tension in tissues and contributing to healing.”
Kobza says she has seen people in areas where her family has travelled and lived, especially in Asia, use foot reflexology as part of their regular self-care.
“It can help with many issues and conditions, including stress, migraine headaches, sleep quality, digestive issues, flexibility and mobility, arthritis and other joint pain, menstrual pain, back pain, symptoms associated with menopause and mental clarity,” she says.
A foot reflexology session with Kobza lasts one hour.
“During the session, clients lie down on a massage table while I work on their bare feet using a combination of massage-like strokes and specific reflexology techniques. The experience typically leaves them feeling lighter, energized and deeply relaxed,” she says.
The frequency of return visits varies, depending on individual conditions and wellness goals.
“Most come every two, three or four weeks,” Kobza says. “Clients without persistent issues typically book sessions every four to six weeks. I’m also pleased to welcome new clients, many of whom are curious about reflexology and appreciate the combination of pampering and wellness that it offers.”
Kobza was recruited to join the Restore Wellness Studio by Julie Fulton, who owns the building that also houses Reshape Fitness Studio.
“This is a fabulous center of health-oriented businesses,” Kobza says. “All the business owners here, as well as Julie, are warm, kind, generous and super supportive of each other. I honestly could not have chosen or imagined a more optimal place to open my reflexology doors. I feel so blessed to have this facility in our community.”
Kobza started Sole Connection by offering sessions Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and added Friday afternoons for the summer season. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call or text her at 641-431-0614 or email soleconnectioniowa@gmail.com.
During the family’s second stay in India, when Kobza trained and practiced as a foot reflexologist, the interest her clients showed in healing their own bodies prompted her to recommend yoga poses. She then became a trained yoga instructor. When COVID started, she transitioned her in-person yoga classes to a digital format and continues to teach a small group of students online.
During those summers when Jill and her sons were at Lake Panorama, she thought, once they were living here fulltime, she would turn an outbuilding on their property into a yoga studio. When Reshape Fitness Studio opened in Panora, she abandoned that idea.
“I am so happy to have such a wonderful fitness community here,” she says. “I’ve had the privilege to offer a couple of breath workshops there. Learning to use targeted breathing techniques to enhance wellness, performance and emotional control is an essential part of yoga, but it’s often difficult to fully explore these skills during regular yoga classes. That’s why I love the opportunity to offer a deeper dive into the benefits of breath control and highlight what we may be missing if we don’t develop these skills.”
Kobza currently is working on a book about breathing.
“I believe this is the most overlooked aspect of health,” she says. “My goal with the book is to help people understand the importance of caring for our breath, just as we do for exercise or diet, to enhance overall well-being and feel our best.”
Once Jeff and Jill Kobza settled into their Lake Panorama home fulltime, they did some renovations, including new decks and kitchen. They are continuing slowly with additional renovations. They spent their first Christmas at the lake in December 2023.
“We still have our old pontoon, possibly the oldest one on the lake,” Jill says. “Our sons and other family members from Omaha and Cedar Rapids love to come to the lake. We’ve been incredibly fortunate and grateful for the amazing neighbors we’ve had at Lake Panorama over the years. From the day we moved into what was once just our seasonal home to today, we’ve been blessed by their kindness and generosity. We enjoy their company and fish, boat and hang out together regularly.”