It's Almost My First (Business) Birthday!

I wanted to take a quick minute here to pat myself on the back publicly. Why? Because I'm usually the first person to step over my accomplishments like they didn't even happen. So quick am I on to the next thing that I am often surprised when I do actually stop and look back at the things I have completed and how far I have come.

So, ahem, allow me to toot my own horn.

October 1 2024 is my studio's first birthday. 🥳 For many years I wanted this but for many reasons I just couldn't make it happen so I would try to make it work in the clinical spaces others had created. The truth was, though, no one really knew what to do with me. My work was different, my interests and areas of focus were a little off the beaten track. For a long time I had known the success I wanted was there for me to have but I would likely need to build it myself. I was so afraid though. I knew I didn't have the resources (money, knowledge, business skills, confidence) to do it and wasn't really sure I ever would. Though the pandemic itself has been challenging with 2020-2023 being some of the most difficult years of my career. But with that hardship came some gold. Demand for massage therapy in Hamilton skyrocketed as people moved here from Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville and Brampton. My finances stabilized and I gained some valuable managerial skills. Most importantly though was realizing I really was worth my own give-a-shit. I started getting real particular about where I was going to give my shits and made a point of keeping the lion's share for myself. It still feels selfish to say it like that but I've made peace with my inner critic. She's useful, sometimes, but best left on mute most of the time.

Throughout my career I have seen the ways my healing from a youth marked by a lot of trauma has impacted my work. Moving confidently in the direction I want to go, having a direction I want to be going in, and being not just willing but capable of defending the things I believe in have changed the way I show up. I am willing to be seen, to say good things about myself, and let others do the same. I have the courage to go my own way and, now, the skills and knowledge to be successful.

This year I went on TWO week long vacations OUT OF PROVINCE!! I think the last time I left the province was 2016. And before 2022 I hadn't been on a vacation of any kind since. But it's not just that I took time off but for the first time I actually felt safe enough to just... enjoy it. I used to spend my down time worrying about the work I wasn't doing, the money I wasn't making, and it would be a relief to come home so I could work. Both of these trips I could actually breathe and leave the work at work and just be with my partner in beautiful places.

July of this year marked my 15 years in practice anniversary. I bought a cake and ate it and in a few short weeks my Business Birthday will be upon me. I am so looking forward to what the next few years will bring.

Photos (save for the one of me from behind) were taken by me.