Do It With Intention | Business & Marketing for Massage and Bodywork Therapists

When I first started my CranioSacral Therapy practice, I made the classic mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. I offered every service I had ever learned, even ones that I wasn't very good at.

Imagine getting booked for a service you've never even practiced...that happened to me!

I can't go back and undo my mistakes, but I can help you avoid making the same ones I did! In this week's episode I tell you why narrowing your focus will actually help you stand out and fill your client docket faster - and I'll give you tips on how to do it.

(Plus, did you know I had a full international career BEFORE I even entered the bodywork field? Just promise you won't completely tune me out after you hear what I did...)

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• Why you need to step into your power and focus on what you ACTUALLY love so that you can provide a higher quality service to more people.

• How to become known as a specialist by serving the market that you are most called to instead of the people that you think you "should" work with so that your people will be searching for you, not the other way around.

• What your customers truly need, and why you don't necessarily have to narrow down to just one modality in order to niche.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

What is the first thing you should focus on in order to grow your massage or bodywork business?

Should you learn a new modality? Spend a ton of money on marketing? Try those quick tips and tricks that you see all over the internet?

Well...it depends (which I know is everyone's least favorite answer!)

But your bodywork isn't one-size-fits-all, and neither is your business.

This week, I sit down to help you figure out what YOU need to focus on first for YOUR business to grow the way you want it to. Listen in!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• 5 key areas that you need to have in place to build a sustainable massage or bodywork business, no matter where you are on your journey, so that your business can thrive for years to come.

• What it means to move beyond just being a bodywork pro and into being the CEO of your business, and what steps you need to take to help your business grow and evolve.

• The 3 stages of bodywork success, figuring out which stage you're in, and what to do to level up and grow your business.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

If I gave you a choice between $100 and $1000, it would be a no brainer. Right?

But think about it. How often do your drop-in clients become lifetime value clients?

For years now I've been a bit of a bodywork "mystery shopper." When I travel, I book bodywork appointments not only for self-care, but also to see how other massage and therapists are treating their clients.

In this week's podcast, I share what I've learned from all of those appointments and what you can do to ace your initial sessions. Check it out!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• The lack of personal connection in most booking systems, and the simple steps you can take before, during, and after the appointment to show the client how much you care.

• Ways you can remove friction for your clients so that your focus can be on where you really shine — in the appointment.

• The critical question you need to ask every new massage or bodywork client, and exactly how you should ask it, to solidify the relationship in a way that is professional, not pushy.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

It doesn't matter how successful you are, how much money you've made, or how many clients you have, NO ONE wants to deal with criticism or rejection. 

Yet, as bodyworkers, we often face it on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

Maybe our modality isn't the right fit for a client, or we didn't get all of the re-books that we wanted, or no one responded to one of our ads.

Whatever it is, it can really hurt. While this is a difficult topic, remember that you are not alone — we really ALL deal with it!

In this week's episode I talk about dealing with criticism and rejection, in both your bodywork and your business. I'm excited for you to learn about the one major mindset shift that will make all of this far less painful. Give it a listen!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• Solidifying your boundaries with clients so that you can be more grounded and stop taking on the heavy emotions that they bring into their appointments. 

• The "no credit, no blame" mantra, and how detaching from outcomes will re-energize you, so that your patients can do better, while YOU feel better about your work.

• Actionable steps that you can take to move forward after rejection so that you can keep showing up for your massage and bodywork clients and your business to build momentum day after day.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

"If I reach out for help, people will know that I don't have it all together."

Have you ever thought this way? I know I have. And guess what? No one has it all together! We ALL need help at some point in our business journey.

You might be asking yourself, when is it time to find a mentor? This week, I'm joined by massage therapist and owner/continuing education provider at Co-Ed Institute, Amanda Cooke.

I've always admired the way that Amanda gives sound, actionable advice, and I'm excited for you to listen to her tips on this week's episode.

Plus, we bond about overcoming our shared fear of public speaking (or at least mostly overcoming it).

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• How being a jack-of-all-trades makes you a master-of-none, and why Amanda recommends expanding your current knowledge to gain confidence instead of learning entirely new modalities.

• Why a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mindset can limit you from making progress, and how early you should ask someone for help so that you can avoid wasting time.

• The two necessary steps you need to take when you're going out on your own to allow yourself to focus on your strengths and build a massage and bodywork business that will work for YOU.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

Research shows that businesses that plan outperform businesses that don't by 60%.

60%!

That's a bump from $1,500 a month to $2,500 a month! Seems like a no-brainer, right?

But instead of making a plan, so many bodyworkers are falling victim to time-wasting activities that are making it nearly impossible to build the business, and the life, that they want.

This week, I'm sharing advice that will help you clear room in your schedule for the things you REALLY want to do, like yoga, meditation, study, or anything else.

Plus, I have a laugh sharing a personal story of my own journey starting out. Listen in!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• 3 common time-wasting mistakes that bodyworkers make, and the tools to overcome them, so that you can focus on what is really important to YOU - both in your massage or bodywork business and your personal life.

• How often you REALLY need to be checking your social media, and how much extra time you'll have to put into your business by following this rule.

• The best policy for trades with other bodyworkers that will help you stop wasting time and gain more paying clients to avoid leaving "money on the table" at the end of each week.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

Believe in yourself! Believe in your dreams! Have a clear vision!

Doesn't that all just sound lovely?

I get asked all the time what my number one piece of advice is for those either just starting out their bodywork business, or looking to take their business to the next level. And while it is important to believe in yourself and your dreams, and have a clear vision, I have a MUCH more down-to-earth piece of advice for you on the show this week.

Trust me — this advice isn't always easy, but it CAN be done with ease. Give it a listen to find out what the big secret is!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• Different places you can find a bodywork mentor or expert, and how you can use their guidance to create a direction for your business in order to avoid getting lost or tangled up in the small stuff along the way.

• My (pretty embarrassing) home improvement story (that literally almost landed my husband and I in divorce court) that will help you learn from my mistakes to build a solid, high quality massage or bodywork business.

• The piece of advice that every single one of the guests on my show has shared as their number one recommendation, so that you can learn from not only my mistakes, but their mistakes, too.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

We've all been there… You set an intention, and sit waiting for it to magically come true. Let me tell you from experience, if you sit there waiting, you will probably be waiting forever.

On this episode, I'm thrilled to chat with CranioSacral Therapists and founders of Touch Matters, Robyn Scherr and Kate Mackinnon, about one of my favorite topics — how to create an intentional practice. They offer great advice on the business side of bodywork and managing client relationships through intentionality.

Hey, I couldn't have a show called Do It With Intention without explaining how to actually build an intentional practice, right? 

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• How you can use clear intentions to take baby action steps that will allow you to not only be of service to your clients, but also to yourself in ways that help you avoid burnout.

• What a "business container" is, and how creating one can help you run a transparent business in order to build healthy boundaries between yourself and your clients .

• The important line between business and community service, and how you can create separation so that you don't end up with a weak business container.

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

"Mindset" is a bit of a buzzword right now. There seems to be a belief that when something doesn't go our way, it's just because we had the wrong mindset.

That may sometimes be true, but can we really manifest everything we want for ourselves and our business?

This week, I chat with Rebecca Brumfield, the creative marketing and mindset success coach of Badass Bodyworkers, about finding the right balance of patience and hard work in the bodywork business.

She gets real about her own struggles and failures, and shares advice that will help you get out of a downward spiral and take consistent steps toward success. 

Plus, Rebecca shares what her family did growing up to help out their local police department… 

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• Why you should be sharing your goals with others and creating a system of accountability so that you can feel supported throughout all phases of your massage and bodywork business journey.

• Specific actions you can take when your typical mindset practice isn't working so that you don't get stuck in a rut and cause even more harm than good to yourself and your business.

• How you can combine spiritual tools like vision boards with practical tools like spreadsheets to avoid getting overwhelmed and achieve your goals (while maintaining your sanity).

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos

The new year is a really exciting time for me, but trust me, not for the reasons you'd think. On January 1st every year, I'm not setting crazy goals or making vision boards. I'm getting a jump on doing my taxes! And yes, I truly am excited about it.

One of the reasons that I love working with bodyworkers is because they are so creative and artistic. But, that can mean that they're not the best at creating structure and boundaries in their businesses.

This week, on my first podcast episode of the new year, I'm helping you prepare for a profitable, and organized, 2020 with simple, easy-to-follow steps.

Plus, have you ever tried to guess my sign based on listening to the show? I reveal it, along with how it might explain some of my organizational style, on this episode!

This week on the Do It With Intention Podcast:

• How organizing with a cardboard box can help you think outside of the metaphorical box so that you can spend less time organizing and more time on your craft

• The task that is probably taking your accountant hours that you can complete in 10 minutes to save yourself a ton of money at the end of the year

• What I do with the massage and bodywork clients who I haven't seen in a year, or who I didn't work with beyond their initial session, so that I can wish them well on their journey and make space for new clients

Resources from this episode:

• Grab your free practice-building resources here!

• Check out my website

• The Bodywork Project

• YouTube massage business videos