Published: Jul 15, 2008
By Renew

After letting go of her stressful corporate career, this holistic massage therapist found meaning—and success—in promoting wellness.

Q. What did you do before you became a massage therapist?

I was working in internet technology for many years. The main reason I made the career change was for greater life satisfaction. I wasn’t experiencing emotional or professional satisfaction. Also, when I was working in IT, I was horrified by the way I saw stress taking a toll on people’s lives. At one point, five people in my office died due to hypertension and stress—and some were very young. It was definitely a wakeup call.

Q. Why did you choose to specialize in holistic therapy?

While I was in my corporate career, I spent six years as a road warrior—I traveled constantly. In order to maintain my health, having regular visits to the massage therapist and chiropractor became a way of life. The thought of actually switching careers and working in this industry came to me on a massage table. I knew that this is something that helps me and I really enjoy doing it. I’m that person in my family who was always giving foot rubs, neck rubs, back rubs, everything. And they’d always say, “I’d pay you to do this.” It all just kind of clicked one day on the table. I decided to focus specifically on holistic therapy because the emphasis is on treating the whole person—emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Q. Since you’ve entered the industry, have you seen a greater demand for holistic healing?

I’ve only been in the industry for four years, but since then, I would say holistic therapy has become more mainstream than before—and much more so in the last 10 years. It’s more accepted as a health care practice for stress relief and physical rehabilitation. At the same time, I don’t see a lot of demand for holistic therapy at this point—it’s more of just an acceptance. But I try to do a lot of client education and emphasize the importance of treating the whole person, rather than just spot-treating a shoulder injury, for example.

Q. Who are your mentors in the industry?

Definitely people in the AMTA who I’ve worked with. But one woman in particular has really helped guide me and inspire me in my career. Her name is Sue Koebel. She’s been in the business for 20 years. She specializes in hand, arm and shoulder injuries and has a background in Neuromuscular Therapy, which is also a focus of mine.

Q. What is the most gratifying part of your job?

Seeing positive results in clients and knowing that I’ve made a difference in their lives is so meaningful to me. When clients refer our services and speak highly of us, I know that I’ve had a significant, positive impact on their lives. I think one of the paths to happiness is passion. If you can find that in your career, you’re very lucky.

by Molly Noonan