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I know, I'm nosey. I was a travel writer.

 

For six years, I got to travel to Bed & Breakfasts and get massages, all for free, and write about it. So my roots are in traveling, meeting people and hearing their stories. Now I travel around and do The World Massage Festival & Massage Therapy Hall of Fame.

I found the adjustment to a single location massage establishment, inside a strip mall, very confining. So I started a way to stay "in the massage world and travel!" But that is another story!

What's your story? What did you do before massage? Tell us of your travels and what massage is like where you are, especially if you massage outside the U.S. We really like pictures, if possible.

 

If you get bored come see me at my page http://www.massageprofessionals.com/profile/MikeHinkle

Thanks and welcome to Massage Professionals!

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Now, you have the perfect job, just don't grow up!

Rosie Klauk said:
I have been in the banking industry - assistant manager for the HO branch office, then later ventured into Mortgage operations for a competitor's bank. I have also been a special education teacher (K-2) which actually lead me to my career and passion for Massage Therapy. I am now a full time Licensed Massage Therapist ( NY) since 2004 and tell people that I finally found what I wanted to be when I grow up :)
Matthew, you know, "Everything is political!" Times are changing, Keep the Faith!!!

Matthew Voelker said:
I had been accepte in med school, but taking time off med school to train for the Olympic trials in the High jump. waiting tables in Los angeles at a sushi restaurant, thinking how I could use my degrees in biology and chemistry but still control my schedule and make a decent living while training for the HJ 6 hours a day. Wow, I could have never imagined 6 years later, my own massage practice serving so many conscious individuals and a life ahead that is just a blessing! ....floored and thankful. Won't it be nice when massage is seen as necessary as medical doctors services and insurance covers it? Hopefully sooner than later. We do need some kind of change/movement in that direction. (not meant to be political, but perhaps that is impossible with the current cultural situation, but for another forum...)
How many years have you been doing massage?

Jacqueline Freeman said:
Had horses when I was a kid, then I went to art school, trained as an EMT and founded a crisis center. Five years later I started a holistic health center on Martha's Vineyard that I owned for eight years. During that time I trained in Hellerwork Structural Integration and a few years later got on faculty for the Hellerwork SI school. I thoroughly enjoyed doing that for many years, a life changing training.

In the early 90s my husband started his SI practice with horses. I watched him mentor students and saw how much they loved the work so I decided to start the equine bodywork school we now run at our biodynamic farm. Right now I don't do bodywork myself, instead I help a lot of people train and get started working in the equine field. Much fun!

warmly,
Jacqueline Freeman
The Equine Natural Movement School
www.EquineNaturalMovement.com
I was a college student about to sign my life away. After the fear of massive debt to attend Drexel University in PA for Marketing, I ran out of the financial aid office and hit the road. I traveled the west and Canada for 8 months touring natural hot springs. Every place I soaked, I met a massage therapist. I loved the passion that spilled from these people I met and began to question my future in Marketing. Why do I really want to design ads to sell toothpaste I thougt...I landed in Crested Butte Colorado with sking on the mind...I left 2 years later as a massage therapist. The mountians provided peace and reflection. I feel so blessed to be a graduate of Mountain Heart School of Massage and Transformational Therapy. It changed my life before I spent too long paying off a path I know would pay the bills but not feed the soul. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! Peace
You were very lucky to go to a good massage school. And now you have marketing skills. You are on your way!

Catherine "Cat" Edwards said:
I was a college student about to sign my life away. After the fear of massive debt to attend Drexel University in PA for Marketing, I ran out of the financial aid office and hit the road. I traveled the west and Canada for 8 months touring natural hot springs. Every place I soaked, I met a massage therapist. I loved the passion that spilled from these people I met and began to question my future in Marketing. Why do I really want to design ads to sell toothpaste I thougt...I landed in Crested Butte Colorado with sking on the mind...I left 2 years later as a massage therapist. The mountians provided peace and reflection. I feel so blessed to be a graduate of Mountain Heart School of Massage and Transformational Therapy. It changed my life before I spent too long paying off a path I know would pay the bills but not feed the soul. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! Peace
I was software engineer for 8 years. I've designed and developed video games, e-learning platforms, statistics data systems, embedded wireless scanner systems, online video platform amongst other things. What happened is that I spent too many hours on this and I killed the passion. At the end there was nothing really interesting for me in the IT industry aside sitting at a desk for long hours pretending to like my job.

So I switched to bodywork (massage) which I find quite interesting. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute as much to this field.
Hello. I was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy for 20 year. Retired October 2008, started school to become a massage therapist February 2009, just completed 30 September 2009. Now waiting for my license to get to me. Since it is coming from Texas and I now live in Kentucky, but will work in Tennessee for now, I need to figure out all that Tennessee requires to get my license for that state.
If you stay a therapist for eight years, you will make a contribution! Get involved, you are going to love it! You'll never get bored and if it starts, just get another modality. You can never learn all of this profession. Now, you can't quit, you've been challenged!

Serge Rivest said:
I was software engineer for 8 years. I've designed and developed video games, e-learning platforms, statistics data systems, embedded wireless scanner systems, online video platform amongst other things. What happened is that I spent too many hours on this and I killed the passion. At the end there was nothing really interesting for me in the IT industry aside sitting at a desk for long hours pretending to like my job.

So I switched to bodywork (massage) which I find quite interesting. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute as much to this field.
You mean you passed NCB or MBLEx and you will apply for licensure in TN. I have listed state laws, as I have them, at www.worldmassagefestival.com/library/tn.html Good luck, holler if you need help!

christopher Earl Armwood said:
Hello. I was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy for 20 year. Retired October 2008, started school to become a massage therapist February 2009, just completed 30 September 2009. Now waiting for my license to get to me. Since it is coming from Texas and I now live in Kentucky, but will work in Tennessee for now, I need to figure out all that Tennessee requires to get my license for that state.
I have always been a touching person who likes to touch and be touched,While in the navy got massage when in port -back then a massage was $5.00 or so. Was in industrial maintenance-lost a finger and the use of rt. hand for awhile went to phyical therapy after regaining the use of the hand -started night school for P.T. for 7 yrs.,changed over to massage school-been doing massage here in Dayton,Oh. for 23 yrs. I would like a massage every day if I had enough people to trade or the money to hire it done.I try to get at least 1 massage per wk.
I was a Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, Deli Clerk, and a Diet Aide (delivered food to patients in hospital) (All before 1985). Then after my divorce in 1985 I got my Associates degree in Secretarial Science so that I could support me and my 3 year old son. I worked as a secretary and then a Retirement Plans Analyst during the 22 years that I worked for a large Pharmecuetical Company. During that time I finished my Bachelor's Degree going to school nights and weekends and earned a degree in Psychology. Then I had a chance to take a package and make a much needed change in direction. I did some part-time, ad hoc jobs while I was training to do massage and getting established as a massage therapist. During that time, I worked as a Victim's Advocate at a Battered Women's Shelter, a Yoga Instructor and a self proclaimed "Organizer." For the past year and 1/2 I've been working as Massage therapist and love it. Couldn't have picked a better career.
My former career was comprised of employment with a major pharmaceutical company and a major beverage company with 26 years total in corporate america confined behind a desk and computer while prioritizing a corporate "to do list". Acquired a wealth of skills, organizational, supervisory, managerial, human relations, etc., not to mention top computer skills set. Then...I was laid off once and then laid off again! After the second layoff, I was selected as one of the finals for an assistant to a Superior Court Judge. I asked that my name be removed from the list. I had gone to a job fair and was blessed to discover massage therapy education as an option for a career so I chose massage instead. I have been practicing since December 2005 and loving every second of it. I am in business for myself! No more Layoffs!!!

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