New Year, New Me!
Scratch that. New Year, New Goals. I am not the same me I was this morning, or yesterday, or a decade ago, but I am not a NEW PERSON, I am me. The me I am is enough. Wanting to improve upon myself does not make the “old me” invalid or worthless, it simply means that I am looking to improve and make changes. The case is the same when it comes to a business. Momma Moon is an entity all its own. There have been changes, there have been revisions, there are more changes yet to come. BUT, everything I have been through, has served to teach me something.
How many of YOU, made New Year's Resolutions (Goals, Intentions, Set a Word, etc.) for 2020? It is midway through January, the point where people start abandoning their “resolutions”. Maybe because they were unrealistic, maybe because they are tired and just need a reset. Maybe because despite the BEST INTENTIONS they never really started.
You can reset your direction, goals, intention any time you want. It does not have to be the first day of the year, the month or even the week. Experts have long said if you want to make changes in your life, the best time is NOW.
Before we get to the exciting new goals for Momma Moon Massage and Doula Services, I would like to start with the HISTORY of Momma Moon. How we came to be where we are today.
Almost 6 years ago now, I found myself downsized out of a job (the second time in 5 years). I realized I was unhappy as a paralegal. I was tired of dealing with other people’s crazy and their emergencies. I can’t tell you exactly when, but at some point I thought I would wait until my kids were done with High School and then I would go to Massage School.
Unemployed and unable to find a new job in my field as a paralegal, I took a leap of faith. I walked in to Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage in Village Gate and I enrolled. Part of our “education” was that we had to write a “Business Plan”. What we thought we might do if we ran our own practice. I can’t say going into massage school that I knew what I wanted to do when I graduated. I mean, I knew I wanted to work for myself, but other than that I just wanted to be successful (whatever that meant).
We did a brief unit (one week) on Pregnancy, side lying massage and special populations. There was so MUCH apprehension about working on pregnant people, not just from the students, but instructors as well, that in that moment I KNEW I wanted to work with pregnant people.
Part of preparing a business plan, is checking out the competition. So I Googled “pregnancy massage”. There were a number of chains, spas and general practices that listed pregnancy or prenatal massage in their services. There was only ONE that specialized in Pregnancy Massage; Bodywork by Bobbi. I checked out her website, but I hesitated to reach out to her via email. Would this person even respond?
Once again the Universe had me covered. Our program director was asking me about my business plan, and when I mentioned Pregnancy work he asked if I knew Bobbi Brennan. When I said I had seen her website, he informed me that not only was she an OSTM alum, but also that I should reach out to her. Still hesitant I reached out, and she responded. She invited me into her space and shared her time, and knowledge with me. She is one of the few LMTs that I know that espouses professionalism and collaboration. We are not in competition with each other. There are plenty of bodies to go around. She and I kept in touch and I dare say that I consider her a mentor and a friend.
I don’t seek to copy her. We have a similar passion for helping people during the Birth Cycle (fertility through postpartum), we took our Reiki I and II training together, as well as the Arvigo Self Care Training. Bobbi has been blessed to continue her Arvigo training to the Professional Level and I highly recommend her to those seeking to conceive and those postpartum.
So there I was a massage student with a business plan: I was going to travel to pregnant clients, and eventually establish an office. (At the time I simply didn’t have the means to rent/lease my own space, but I did have a car, pillows and a travel table). As I started practicing massage therapy I found myself working with Athletes as well as Pregnant Persons.
I even had a plan to either open or be part of a Women’s Wellness Center. A safe space for women to receive all their wellness care (Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Personal Training, Nutrition, Massage, Acupuncture, etc.) just made sense. For a while my practice was marketed as a Women’s Practice, but something was missing. I was aware that pregnancy was not for women alone. I wanted my practice to be a safe space for ALL who sought refuge. I began using more inclusive language in my Birth Cycle Practice.
The Universe put me on the path of working with the LGBTQ community, not just for their Birth Cycle needs, but in general. I then became aware that fat bodies were being mistreated and/or denied bodywork services. This isn’t right. All bodies should be able to access safe bodywork.
At the end of 2019 I began working with and out of the Positive Force Movement. The positive, openness and welcoming energy of this space was much needed.
As 2020 opens before us, I was faced with looking back on the previous year (and the ones before that) and asking myself, “How do I find my place?” The answer is always to follow one’s passion. My passion is for working with those who might not have a lot of spaces that are open to them.
Momma Moon Massage will continue to be a Birth Cycle Focused Practice working with All People, but is expanding to work within the LGBTQ and Body Positive Communities as well.
My policies are not really changing, but after a very challenging November ($1000 in lost business do to appointment cancellations and rescheduling) I realized that I need to start enforcing my policies. You see I have difficulty living in this Capitalist Construct that people can only have what they can afford, I want to work with individuals who are low income, as much as I want to work with individuals of privilege. In order to do this, I have been keeping my pricing as low as possible, and offering gratis and discounted services where and when I can.
I want to do more gratis and discounted work, but I also need to pay my bills. To do that, I have to reach my business goals. To reach my business goals, I have to be more visible.
So my 2020 word for Momma Moon Massage and Doula Services is Visibility.
Suggestions for how I can be MORE visible?
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