My Story

This was a great starting point for me, and you should feel very good that you made it here. As a therapist right out of school, I started where most start:  as an employee of a massage studio or franchise, working for someone else. In about a year I found myself overworked and in a lot of pain. I thought to myself “I’m strong! I can do this!”, but my body said otherwise . I started to fall apart and was no longer enjoying the work that I so loved.  It was hurting me to help people feel better.   I asked my boss for advice, and she looked at me and said, “when you’re done, you’re done. Not all therapist last a long time.”  This was very puzzling to me, and I knew I had to do something different. I talked to my fiancé Patrick about this and it turned out that he had spoken to a friend of his that was a retired massage therapist about the situation.  Her first question was: “How many massages is she doing a day?” Patrick answered “5 to 6”. His friend shook her head and said “Well that’s the problem, she’s doing way too many. She should be doing no more than three a day, four at the most” The next day I told my boss I could only do three a day. Needless to say, this did not go over well with her or the other therapist... I think they called me a princess, as they were all being overworked too. After careful consideration, I made what was ultimately a great decision... I would start my own business, with Patrick’s help.

 

This was a bit scary and quite the learning curve. Venturing out on my own meant that I wouldn’t have secured funds right away and it would take work and some strategizing to start getting clients into my office. While transitioning into a business owner, I started to focus more on the care I took of myself and the self-love I implemented every day.  I knew I would have to take very good care of myself, as a therapist is only as good as they treat themselves.  Through positive affirmations and prayer as I wake, to getting out of the door to exercise and meditate, nutritious food and good habits created my ability to give well and be ready for my day at work.  By letting go of self I’m now able to help my clients feel they’re best.

 

Massage therapy is demanding on the body, mind and spirit. A good therapist has to be in tune to their own needs every day, through choices in food and beverage, exercise, meditational practices, rest and refocus. Attention to how one feels is of great importance.  As we give of ourselves again and again there is a high chance of repetitive motion injuries. The things we do each day to help others can work for us or against us.  Proper body mechanics, the use of our feet (Ashiatsu) for deep pressure, neuromuscular compression and release, assisted stretching, table Thai, and heat through stones and towels  are some of the modalities that I have combined into my Signature Massage to create more versatility in the actions that I’m taking throughout my massages.

 

This leaves me AND my clients feeling our best.