riverside_copy_of aimee sutton final_ july 20 2025_radical_massage the

11:23PM Jul 19, 2025

Speakers:

Krista Dicks

Keywords:

sustainable massage practice

functional sustainability

infant massage

eco-friendly products

clinic expansion

collaborative space

well days collective

therapeutic care

career sustainability

entrepreneurial energy

client flexibility

local business support

non-competitive environment

interior design

mental wellness.

Hello radical massage therapist, and welcome back to the radical massage therapist Podcast. I'm Krista RMT and clinic owner from Ottawa. You're the radical massage therapist. You're here for freedom, flexibility, financial success and fun and a massage career that actually fits your life. These conversations are here to inspire you to build a career and lifestyle that you love. Today. I'm joined by Amy Sutton RMT and founder of well days collective, Amy has been an RMT since 2008 and opened her first studio in 2014 with a vision to create something different, a collaborative heart led space where therapists could support one another and their community. In 2021 she rebranded her studio into what is now well days collective, a wellness space that blends her passion for therapeutic care with a deep commitment to eco conscious sustainable practices. She's also a certified infant massage trainer, helping parents and caregivers bond with their babies through the power of intentional touch. Amy is passionate about creating individualized treatments, teaching infant massage and weaving sustainability into every part of her practice, from functional eco friendly swaps to supporting local businesses. Amy is living proof that you can build a practice that's good for your clients and the planet. In this episode, we dive into how to create a sustainable massage practice without the guilt or perfectionism, why functional sustainability matters, and how she's making massage therapy more accessible for families and kids. If you've ever wondered what it really takes to build a fulfilling, long term career and contribute to something bigger, this one's for you. Let's get into

it. Amy, welcome to the radical massage therapist podcast. Therapist podcast. Thank you so much for having me. Have you done a podcast before? Amy, I

have done once, one podcast a couple of years ago, so still a little bit new to this.

Okay, that's great. I love, I do love your Instagram. I feel like things are really like pulled together. So I sort of had, I had a sense that you'd sort of done some, you know, some good PR, you know, for yourself in the clinic before I try. Yeah, it looks really good. So right off the top, I do like to kind of find out where massage therapists and clinic owners are at in their their practice. So I on the on the podcast, I like to talk about the benefits of our career in terms of the freedom, flexibility, financial success, and, yeah, we do have some fun behind the scenes. Which one of those is resonating most with you right now, where you're at in your practice. I

think the flexibility for me right now is something that I really appreciate to young kids, and my husband's a shift worker, we are able to function without having, you know, before and after school care. I'm able to do what I need to do to support my family while we're in this very busy time. And it's something that I can shift and change as I need, which I really appreciate.

Yeah. And so you're the owner of, well, days collective Yes. And clinic owner, Mom, you know, busy massage therapist, so there is a lot going on. So yeah, the flexibility is a really big piece. I came across your Instagram bio and the have a couple couple questions, just like, about branding as we sort of just touched on at the beginning, but like, you rebranded as well days collective and what, what did that? What was the inspiration for that, and why I just like to kind of get the vibe for it.

I'm happy to share. So I've been first. I'll just say I've been an RMT for 17 years. So I'm, I guess, a vet now in this industry, but I went solo in 2014 I was working at multi disciplinary chiropractic. Office prior to that, and I worked in some spas, and I just wanted to be on my own. And then after a little while, I realized that my capacity was full, and I needed somebody else to come on to help me. And when I was that, in that season of my business. I was under the name aim, which was a play on words of my own name, aim, arrows. It was fitting for the time. And then I moved into a bigger space, because again, hit the ceiling and I didn't have any more capacity between two RMTS, and there was a space beside me. So I expanded into a three room. And I just realized that it it didn't feel authentic for me to be calling the place aim, when that was sort of my own individual thing I started. So I did the rebrand. It was sort of during COVID. I started coming up with the idea, and I played around with. Idea for a while, and I just wanted, I felt like everything was so heavy during COVID, you know, and it was really, it was a hard time for everybody, and I was just looking to be light and fun. And I wanted something that brought us together, and well, days collective just sort of felt good, and I went with it. And so I did that rebrand in May 2023 post COVID. And yeah, I had a bit of help rebranding, doing the logo. I picked all the colors and everything, though, so i i love it still, so I'm happy with that choice that I made. I really confused my clients for a while, but we got

there. How did it confuse your clients?

Well, no matter how much you try and inform people, they don't read emails and they don't look at things. So it took a while, but we got there.

I love that journey of building something that's a little bit bigger than you, but more or less to facilitate the needs of your clients. And then the concept of bringing in another massage therapist, because you were getting maxed out, you know what? What inspired you did? You always feel like you wanted to build that collaboration, to start a that sort of clinic on its own, or did you, like, Did you always see yourself as a solo practitioner, and then just, if things just happened organically?

Um, I don't think I really ever put a whole lot of thought into it. Um, I've always had a bit of a entrepreneurial energy. I guess. I grew up in a hotel my parents ran, and so it was just something innately in me. I think I've always envisioned myself as a clinic owner, but it just it really happened organically, and I think that's why it's been so successful. And you know, when things are done authentically, from a place of, I guess, love and good intentions, I think it does show through in all the scenes of your business?

Yeah, absolutely. And just the fact that you re branded to, you know, incorporate everybody, you know, to make it more of a collective, as you called it, versus just, just you you know, I feel that we do know a lot of business owners, massage practice owners, who are still kind of branded under their name, but have you know therapists working with them, and you know it, I completely agree that it might shift the the sense of belonging if you are one of those practitioners working out of one of those spaces.

Yeah, ever I wanted it to be a very inclusive environment. I am an RMT. I want everybody in my space to feel valued and respected, and I don't look at myself as you know, I'm the owner and the big bad boss person. I really don't want to be looked at like that. So I wanted to make sure that it was an inclusive space when everybody came in and, you know, everybody's feelings are valid, and everybody's opinion matters to me. So I wanted that to be reflective of the name,

yeah, and you grew up working in a hotel, which sounds awesome.

Yeah, we well, my parents owned the hotel, so it's like a little beachside, like old school kind of place. It wasn't anything too fancy, but we lived on the property, and the hotel was there, so yeah, like, I grew up working Saturday mornings, and very hard work ethic in our family,

yes, yeah, that's awesome. And did you take some of the the, like, the values from working in a hotel into your business now, I do believe

I have my mom was always so thoughtful in her process of treating the guests, and I think that resonates with patients and clients as well, like making sure People feel special and not in a neither here nor way, but just like remembering things about them and making sure that you know if they like a pillow a certain way or they like this a certain way, that you you remember those little things because it does matter in their overall treatment and their overall impression of the space. I think also working at the Ritz Carlton was a huge thing for me, is just seeing how their quality of service was and how they were excited to say yes and everything's an opportunity to improve instead of a problem. And it really shifted my my views on how to tackle issues in the in a space with multiple people, I guess, were

you working as a massage therapist at the Ritz Carlton, yeah, yeah. So that can definitely, yeah, upgrade your your experience and, and, yeah, I love, I love that they were saying yes to client, you know, demands. And, for lack of a better word, yeah, a

lot of Yes. Yeah. Sometimes it was like, All right, well, let me because you're not really supposed to say no at all. So it was a let me see how I can accommodate what you're requiring within my own boundaries, sure. So it was interesting, good learning lesson.

Definitely, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, I can't, can't go wrong with a bit of like, problem solving skills in our career at all. One piece of your Instagram bio that also really caught my attention, and I'm really excited to talk this to you about this, because I want it to be a big part of my own practice. And I feel that we can, can move, move into this as other massage practices, they learn more about it. So, sustainability, so part of your your bio, of course, is that your sustainable wellness, you're caring for your patients and the planet. Can you describe why, this is important to you. And then we can kind of jump into, yeah, how it's working for you in your practice. Yeah, I

think you've talked about this. So again, this sort of started with just my own, my own at home life. I do care. I do try to be better to the environment, I guess you can say. And I felt like, why am I doing this at home and not at work? So I'm going to have a bigger impact in my work environment than I am even in my home. So I tried to bring as much of that eco mindset into my work environment. And also, I think during COVID, I think we really saw a big highlight on the product distribution issues and how much that matters in our in our world, and like, where our cleaners are coming from, where our paper to hold, toilet paper, all that stuff became such a high demand issue, and it really made me reflect on, you know, where am I getting my stuff? Why am I choosing what I'm choosing? Is it just because it's muscle memory? And, you know, you go to Walmart, like you buy the big jug of cleaner, and that's just what you've always done, so that's what you continue to do. Or I wanted to be a little bit more mindful of my decisions. And you know, I wanted to support the businesses around me during COVID too. So I looked for who's making hand sanitizer, and one of the local distilleries, dicks distillery in Guelph, was making hand sanitizer. So I wanted to support them, so I started buying their hand sanitizer and continued to do so. And where am I getting my cleaner? Why am I getting my cleaner there? So I found one that's actually made in Ferguson Allura, and it sold from a small company in Guelph, and the little things like that. I just slowly started to implement the change, and just decided to sort of go with it. I'm like, well, let's see how much I can like, where I can do this in every aspect of my business.

Amazing. Yeah, so, and it's been going well for you, and now you're part of a team. Sometimes it's easy to implement, like, if it is just just you, but now you have have a team that, you know, again, are they also on board?

Yeah. And, I mean, there's little things like, I'm not super I'm not trying to make it a stressful thing. If somebody's really wanting something, like, we'll have that discussion. But I buy the cleaners in bulk, and then I just sell it to them for the same price that I buy it for, so I have that readily available for them. To make it easy, we use hand towels instead of paper towels. And for the most part, I think no one's going to be like, Ah, I don't want to have anything to do with being environmentally friendly at this point. I think most people, especially RMTS, were a caring, a caring person. So everybody's been really great, and they've actually said, you know, it's made them second guessing things that they're doing at home. And I'm hoping that it sort of creeps into everybody's life a little bit more, even my clients. And it's, you know, an opportunity, again, to be a good influence. Yeah, yeah,

absolutely. It's when I became a clinic owner, only about, like, just under three years ago. It was really important to me, and I felt really grateful to have that fresh start that I wasn't already a clinic owner, and now I'm trying to, you know, re reintegrate things at and to be more to be more sustainable. I could just start right away from that, and I was doing a lot of it in my home as well. So, yeah, it's been really, really helpful for me. Can't be perfect, you know, no or anything. It's it's progress over perfection. You have talked about, like, functional sustainability, but not like. You know, I've been kind of doing a little, you know, digging into your blogs and things too. So you talked about functional sustainability, not the Pinterest, perfect version. Can you explain, maybe, what that looks like in real life for you, running a busy studio and living life?

Yeah. I mean, we have to be realistic about things. Do I use single use plastic stuff, sure. Do I get takeout? Sure, but I try to be mindful of it. I'm not going out every day and getting a coffee. I'm not using paper towel when it's totally unnecessary. You know, if it's a bodily fluid and we have to clean it up in a certain way, there's my hygiene and my protocols that come above all. So if it's at the cost of using paper towel or whatever, I'm going to choose cleanliness and hygiene over eco friendly. But when you know, I have the opportunity, it will be implemented wherever possible. Like even our cleaners, we use the hydrogen based cleaner, opposed to something that's going to be harsher on even, like the aquatic life. So it's making it implementable in your everyday life, not something that is causing you more stress. Because we don't

know. Are you able to find refillable solutions for for your practice as

well. Yeah, I really like, I've been using the unscented company, which is a Canadian owned female business, and so everybody, we've gone through a couple different hand soaps and stuff, just to not everybody likes everything. So I found that one is a, it's a really good brand, and they have like, 10 liter, like, big, giant boxes of hand soap that we've been getting. So I'm there's so much more out there than there was even five years ago for refillable, unscented cleaners and all that. So it's much easier landscape to navigate these days. Anyways,

yeah, definitely, and I feel like it's hopefully only going to become easier and easier for people Yeah, to to implement. Yeah. Well, thanks for just mentioning a few of those, like brands that are out there, because I also go with the incented co I love the fact that you're using the hand sanitizer from a local distillery as well. I was using one nearby. But then after kind of COVID, they stopped making the hand sanitizer and just kind of went back to their, you know, what they what they do. They do best. But so I've had trouble kind of locating some so I'll definitely look into to that as well. Obviously, sustainability is built into, you know your Studio's mission, not just eco sustainability, but like you also talk about career sustainability, your 17 years in practice yourself. So how do you feel like what's been the biggest shift you've made, personally, to stay in the career long term?

I mean, obviously, having kids, I haven't been working at my full capacity for a while. I've been off essentially part time for about six years now, but I also do make a big effort to learn new things. So I've started doing Gua Sha, which I love using for like TMJ and anybody that's having postural issues in like the upper C spine and stuff, I do find that working in the neck and jaw, obviously is going to help that. So that mixed with cupping, trying out some different techniques, I found those are some really nice ways to implement I guess reducing my deep tissue work. I also work with infants and kids, which I do find has been helpful for me. Not only do I just absolutely love it, but it is easier on the body. Obviously working on a an infant or child versus a full grown human?

Yeah, when did you start working with with infants?

I actually was certified prior to having kids. Maybe eight years ago. I got trained as a certified infant massage trainer, so in order to teach parents how to do it, and since then, it's just evolved. I am now doing a I have, like, a course that I've made that people can get online if they're inaccessible, to come into the clinic, if they're uncomfortable with that, or just really busy and don't have time to come in. It's something that I wanted people to be able to just download and look at, I mean, it's infant massage. It's not rocket science. It is something that people can just find. And there's lots of stuff on YouTube. So it's, it's one of those things that I wanted to make sure I was giving more information than maybe your average person who's just teaching it to make it beneficial. People. But when I have infants come into me, I do like an assessment, and then I can give the parents a better idea of what they actually need to work on, instead of just a cookie cutter routine. Sure. So I mean, after having kids, I also have a better grasp on how to treat children. I love what my ideas were when I first got trained, versus now having kids. Yeah, reality is very different than what I thought. So it's something that I just love doing, and I'm getting more into it as I get older so that I can continue working, because it is a hard job on our bodies, and we're aware of that. So I think finding different tools and utilizing ways to ease off of our joints is always beneficial.

Yeah, absolutely. I also took the like became a certified infant massage. I guess they called it an instructor when I did take it, and I wanted it to initially, because I wanted to, one, feel more confident working with kids, and two, I thought long term, it will be easier on my body. I really haven't used it, except in the very early days when I had it and was kind of, you know, marketing it a little bit more.

It's not been the easiest thing to break into. It's been a long road, and it's just now starting to pick up, I think, a little bit because I have been I have a bigger clinic, I advertise. But, like, word has gotten out, but it's not, it's definitely not my bread and butter. So it's, it's one of those funny niches that I think it's also just starting to get a little bit more popular. People are understanding it's not silly, yeah, yeah,

exactly. Are you able to describe some of the differences from when you said, like, before you became a parent, to after, when you were interacting with babies,

absolutely so initially, when I got trained, you know, you see the whole routine of a full infant massage, and I would try to do classes with people, and, like, in a group setting, having, you know, four to six babies and four to six parents, if not more, because you'd have like, couples come sometimes. And I found that, I don't know if it was just me, I'm not built for that. It was very distracting. It was so hard. I felt like nobody was really learning anything. I was trying to teach people the full routine. I wasn't getting hands on with the babies, so there was no like, benefit coverage. So I quickly decided that wasn't for me. And then even just teaching parents one on one would be like, Okay, here's your routine. Now, go do it, realizing, yes, babies do have short windows of what the reality is. You're gonna only get, you know, 510, minutes with them. You're not just like my daughter hates post bath massages, like, and I used to be like, you know, just have a nice time after the bath and massage. And my son loved it. She is like, absolutely don't touch me. Like, wants to get up and get going and have her bottle, and that's it. So now I've shifted more to make it fit your life. It doesn't have to be a Bougie half an hour baby massage, you know, massage them while you're sitting looking out the window, massage their hands, massage their feet, take it in micro doses throughout the day, and get their bodies used to touch and comfort, comforting them when possible, because they're so easily overstimulated, their whole nervous system is firing so rapidly all day long, by the end of the day, a lot of them aren't able to receive a massage, so just learning to teach people how to implement it on a on a realistic scale, opposed to just, like, here you go, do this.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah, I will. I mean, I don't, I don't have kids. Now I had, like, had that experience. So I also felt when I was just starting out, I mean, I am, I'm working in these group settings with, like, new moms and I just had zero, like, that's, I think, where the the strongest, like, imposter syndrome kind of came from. Or, like, definitely, I just, I just, how can I relate to you? Like,

how can you teach somebody something you haven't done? Yeah, and I didn't even realize how unaware I was until after the right like sitting here going, Oh, I wasn't doing them justice back then, because I was just doing what I thought I should be doing. And now it's like, okay, I have a totally different respect and understanding for. For the whole process. Also you're exhausted, like trying to find the time to add on another thing isn't always easy. So I like being able to touch the baby. I like being able to assess the baby and say, like, Okay, if you can only do two things, just massage, you know, the right hip and the left neck, because those are the issues that we're seeing that's impacting their feeding or their sleeping or their diaphragms tight, or whatever it is, I can give them specifics,

yeah, and more helpful Absolutely, above and beyond, like the training that you did, did you did you do another training for that assessment, or was that assessment included in the training that you did? Or that's just you as an

RMT, me as an RMT, yeah, that's just something that I have done on my own, and realizing their little bodies do whole tension, and they aren't just little blobs. It's it's been something that I've gained more understanding just from doing,

yeah, and I mean, I wouldn't take it away from anybody that is interested in doing infant massage if they haven't, if they haven't had kids or they don't want kids, no, I'm

sorry, and that's actually such a good point, because yes, like, in no way do I think that people that haven't had kids shouldn't Explore this, because it is a beautiful thing. It's just, I've actually started doing a little bit of mentoring for teaching infant massage through RMTS as well, and that's just something that I want to make sure they understand. It's like, we're not here to teach them a beautiful half an hour infant massage, like, let's break it down into digestible pieces that they can implement throughout the day, and that's how I'm framing it now for people, because that was something that I missed. I didn't feel like I was told that. I was kind of told, like, here's your infant massage and like, do this. And so I want to teach our MTS that, like, it doesn't always work that way, and that's okay. Let's, let's do what we can meet the baby where they're at.

No, that's awesome. Have you seen any benefits? Then, you know, with if you've done your infant massage, you've seen some some clients, some of your regular clients, and bring in their babies for infant massage, and you've practiced on your own kids as well. You've done massage. Have you started to see those benefits, you know, to appear later on in life as they're growing up as well? Yeah,

definitely. My daughter terrible constipation, and still sort of deals with it. And, I mean, I'm an RMT, so I feel like that shouldn't be something that we have to deal with, but it's just slow transit in her and it's not uncommon in the first year of life. So something that we've worked a lot on is moving her hips and mobilizing them, because she had a lot of tension. So I've gotten to firsthand, see that and work with her on that, and it's been a learning opportunity for me too. Like it's always different. And, yeah, I've had a few parents that have really, you know, messaged me and been like, Yay, we got a bowel movement. And it's like, the best message ever. And I've worked with some babies that have had, like torticollis and things like that. So it is really nice to see.

Yeah, definitely, yeah, absolutely. And we kind of did touch on it, but like, you're mentoring for massage therapists, you might be interested in infant massage. And just like, if people are nervous, that's a good avenue to go with, right? Yeah, I feel like

it's something that I don't know the whole landscape of CEUs and all that has changed so much since I've been in the practice. And I was talking about imposter syndrome, I was like, I can't teach somebody how to do something. And my colleagues like, why not? She's like, you bet you can. I'm like, but I'm not. I don't know I shouldn't be able to, because no one's told me I can. I don't know it's, like, this funny thing, but it's not the same as it was 10 years ago. Right? With CEUs, you don't have to have, like, the accredited programs and friends. Like, you've had children and you've been an RMT for 17 years and you've been you've been doing infant massage for 10 years. Like, who else has more experience. I was like, You're right, I can and I want to teach people, because I do think I've had a lot of experience and it's valuable. I'm happy to share my skills with people. So I've been asked three times now, so I figured it was just time to say yes. Finally,

right, yeah, the third time you like the the three wishes, or whatever, like, okay, yeah, I've been hearing this like, a few, few times. Now I should do it. Okay,

yeah, yeah, we'll do it. So I'm trying it out, and I'm enjoying it, and I'm happy to pass this skill that I've learned

on, yeah. I mean, you don't need to know everything. You probably do know, obviously, a lot, a lot more. But you know, when you when it comes to teaching something, you just have to be, like, a few steps ahead of of the new person, and you have more than more than that. So you have so much knowledge, yeah, to share with somebody who who is interested in in doing it and doing it well, especially as speaking as someone who doesn't have kids, doesn't work with kids in their practice on a regular basis. But I'm glad I've taken the training, just because I do have it kind of in my back pocket if I do need it one

day and that's it. It's never gonna be you're never ready for anything, right, right? You always just one day. You might have somebody ask them, you might just say, Yeah, and it gets easier as you do it

more. So, yeah, so it sounds like everything's going smoothly in your practice. However, you don't really know until you become, you know, a clinic owner, what's something about running your studio that no one really warned you about, or that you didn't didn't anticipate?

I think, well, there's always the realization that once you're an entrepreneur and a business owner, you never really have a day off. I don't know the last time I really fully was checked out, and I don't think I ever will be, and I don't think that's their personality. So that's okay, but just you're sort of always, always on call. You never quite know what is going to come up when, as well as just navigating all of the different personality types that come through your door, I've had some really great personality types, and I've had some not so great personality types, And then there's the clashing becoming a mediator for issues that may arise with, you know, other therapists, all of a sudden you have to learn how to be. HR, yeah, on top of doing everything else. So it, yeah, it's been interesting, but right now, I have a really amazing team, and I'm so grateful for that. So I've learned a lot, and not always the easy way. I've made mistakes. I've done things and operated in ways that I, you know, look back on and go, Okay, maybe that was a inappropriate way or not the best way to handle that situation. But you know, when you're a new mom and you're also running a space and you have all kinds of different things happening coming at you, it's, it's learning, lessons, opportunities,

yeah, absolutely, yeah, definitely, I can agree with, you know, making making mistakes, owning up to them, I feel, is really important as well, admitting to my team when I've I have made a mistake and how i i should have handled it differently and will handle it differently moving forward sometimes, just anticipating that people work things out themselves, themselves. That doesn't always happen. No, we're all adults here. You'll figure it out. No, okay, never mind. Yeah, and I do, I, as much as I want a team that, you know is like me, the different personalities are actually what do help a clinic be successful? Because, you know, there are different personalities of clients as well. So it can, it can help you know to draw in and keep you know different, different clients. And no, I

think that's a good point. Is like as this whole idea that we are like, all the same because we have the same job is unreasonable, but we obviously have a similar value set to some capacity. And I think even more so to say that we're like minded is a push some days, but it's it's what makes it beautiful is that we all come together and can usually find a common ground to some capacity. And that's one thing that I really not push at my clinic, but that I really strive to carry is that we are non competitive, and nobody owns clients, and everybody has the right to see whomever they choose at any given point. If that works for their schedule, great. I don't ever want to see anybody say, like, that's my client, because I had somebody do that to me once, and I was like, Well, maybe if you weren't 15 minutes late for your appointment every time, then they wouldn't go to somebody else Exactly. Yeah,

for sure. And then as a clinic owner and having to navigate these different personalities and sort of bringing the right people onto your team, do you have any advice for hiring or how you do? You have a system for how you you do start to find the right people for your space.

Don't, honestly, it's, I mean, right now is a different landscape than it was a few years ago. And. I haven't hired anybody for a few years, right? But I think moving forward, it's a lot of just senior instincts, trusting that if you feel good about somebody, or you don't feel good about somebody, to really go on that, because we are energetic people. As an RMT, we have the woo, woo sense for the most part, that you kind of get a vibe from somebody, and if you think that they're going to be a great fit, or you feel that they might be a difficult person, or that they're not going to mesh well with your team, then I think following that instinct initially is going to serve you better, and in the long run, yeah, because it's it's easier to say no off the hop than to have to try to we get rid of somebody that's causing an issue. On the team,

you've been a massage therapist for 17 years. On as a as a personal as a personal reflection. Do you have any beliefs early on in your practice, just like you did when you were becoming a certified, you know, infant massage instructor, your pre, pre kid beliefs? Do you had it? Did you have any beliefs early on as a massage therapist versus now and how

they differ, I guess like their No Pain No Gain is so out of my system now, but I think at the very beginning that was something that you felt like obligated to do, that you weren't a Good Enough massage therapist if you weren't really deep tissue but I don't know if that's me or if that's just the whole way of the industry. Now I, I don't do super deep tissue massages anymore. I will, like, for a minute or two to, like, really work out something deep but for the most part, I I think that's my biggest one is I really don't think that they serve people the way that we used to think that they did anyways. I think your nervous system is screaming at you if you feel like somebody needs to be basically standing on their head to get into those deep spots. Um, yeah. So yeah, probably that one,

yeah, yeah, I would agree with that one. Can you share your win of best massage therapist two years in a row? It's not a small thing, yeah. Can you? Can you share a little bit about that award and how it came to be? Does it change your practice or your business?

I mean, I was so honored to receive those. I It felt so nice. I remember the phone call I got. I was actually on my honeymoon, I was in Portugal, and I got the phone call that I had won Best RMT. And it was just like, like being a kid and getting a gold star like, you did a good job, and somebody recognized that, and it felt really validating. It was a really nice thing. Do I think it changed my business? No, not really. I was. I was already busy. It's not a bad thing to have on your website, but it's not something that's like, required. I think there's a lot of really amazing RMTS out there who might never get that award, but it doesn't mean that you're not a great

RMT. No, yeah, it is nice to just have that recognition, I think because we are in such isolation all the time in our practice, yeah, and like you said, it's like that gold star. You're like, really, like, somebody noticed that they like me, like, I'm actually making a difference from, you know, day in and day out, you just show up and,

yeah, that like, we don't get bonuses, we don't get reviews. Nobody's telling us, you know, you get a good job. It can be a like, you said, really isolating, and it can wear on your psyche sometimes that like no one's giving you a pat on the back. So it was for me, and I really appreciated it. It's, it's a funny thing, though, because it's, they want you to give them money for ads and all this stuff. So it turns into sort of a weird space. Okay, so I'm okay that I haven't won one, since it's not something that I really strive for anymore. But they were definitely a nice gold

start to get. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. It can it just Yeah, just a nice little little win for your practice, and clearly, like your your business model is not competitive, but it can be competitive out there in our career. So yeah, to to to have to have that award and be representing a more collaborative approach is really wonderful. Yeah. Anything that's a bit radical in your massage practice, that you feel is unique, different than what some other massage therapists are doing in your community or business. I mean, I think the sustainability is a huge, huge thing.

Yeah, I think just like as an overall, that I'm non competitive and I'm sustainable, like, I really try. I'm a I'm a researcher, and not everyone's going to be a researcher, but I also have a sustainable wellness product line, right? Okay, so that's another little notch on the belts that I've been working on. It I started about two years ago, year and a half ago, and it's just online right now. But I do a lot of research on the products that I bring in, and I think a lot of people have a hard time knowing what to get, why to get it, where to get it, especially when it comes to wellness stuff, because they're just like, there's this thing at Walmart, and it's easy, and it's there, and so I take it home and use it, and that's why I want to do the research and have things accessible for my clients that are better quality, better free environment and sourced. Yeah,

yeah, no, that's amazing. I didn't know, I know you mentioned earlier, kind of just before we started recording about dropping recording about dropping off an order. So I was like, Yeah, I got to ask about that. So thank you for sharing. Yeah, I

just actually had my biggest order, 10 cork massage balls for gift bags for clients. Oh, nice. Sustainably harvested work massage balls from Portugal.

Okay, nice. And then, yeah, they're self released tools and and sustainable the same time. That's awesome. So your vision talks about a world where well being and sustainability go hand in hand. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the massage massage industry to help us get there, do you know what it would be?

Everybody being able to source and get more eco friendly products, not big jugs of plastic oil and cleaner using paper towel and everything. So just I hope that maybe more therapists will see what I'm doing and start to implement it a little bit more in their day to day practice, because all businesses could stand to be a little bit more eco conscious, and it does come with a little bit more of a cost upfront anyway, I think. But just maybe to have that happen across the board, people being more eco conscious and mindful of their purchases. Yeah,

I would agree with that you did kind of drop into the, you know, the massage therapist have a bit of Woo. You know, is there anything that's kind of random in your treatment room that you're willing to to share on the on that side, you know, just something weird that you have in there, maybe as a good luck charm, or just something fun,

like an old Buddhist statue from Thailand that I got, oh, a long time ago when I went there. Yeah, it just feels like good energy to me. We definitely have a couple salt lamps and some crystals hanging around in different corners of the room, but yeah, nothing

too crazy. No, nothing crazy. That's really fun.

I might sage smudge the place every once in a while, of course,

especially after a particular colleague might leave. If, yeah,

yeah, absolutely done that a couple times.

Yeah, exactly. Amazing. Well, I've really enjoyed like this conversation. I think it's an opener. I really do hope that massage therapists do hear this, take an interest, potentially, in infant massage and working with you in that respect, learning about more collaboration in massage practices and and businesses, and then also the sustainability aspect. You know, I know you'd be an excellent resource, just based on what you shared here. I will make sure that those resources are available in our show notes, but that it is, it is possible. And how many treatment rooms and massage therapists do you have, just sort of, for a more visual of the scale that you, you know, with the sustainability

currently we have three treatment rooms and for massage therapists, okay,

yeah, amazing, not huge. And if you wanted to take this opportunity to share your you have three treatment rooms for massage therapists, but you also have some good news,

yes, so big news is. We are actually expanding and moving into a bigger location as of November 1, it's been in the works for a long time, and I finally found the space that works for us and feels good and it's beautiful. So we will be expanding to a seven room studio, and I've got to have the opportunity to design it from the ground up, and it is in the process of being built right now, so it's been a lot of undertaking on top of my everyday tasks, but it's something that is definitely a passion project for me. I do also love interior design, and I think the psychology of the environment that we are in has a large impact on our mental wellness. So getting to design the studio exactly how I want it is something that I'm really looking forward to. Yeah, congratulations. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. Yeah, like

you said, you've been looking for five years for a new space. So you've wanted to expand. So you've sort of been, you know, working within the confines of of, you know, where you're at now, but really knowing that you wanted to to expand sooner than later,

we've had personal stuff happen in our life that has kind of made us pause for a few years, but again, like we've hit our capacity, everybody is two, three weeks booked, and we have wait lists, so we are hiring smart teas I'd love to get, Like a naturopath or a naturopathic doctor or an osteopath or an acupuncturist, just to expand our offerings a little bit more, but really looking forward to seeing what this should store for

us. Yeah, amazing. And if I didn't mention it at the beginning, like you're in Guelph, so if anybody's listening and they're in the the area, exactly. Yeah, amazing. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. Amy, I do hope that we'll be able to connect again. We do have something else on the schedule to talk about with other RMTS and clinic owners about the different types of clinic ownership and and how you're drawn to your particular setup. So stay tuned for that episode. Is there anything last as closing thought you'd like to share Amy,

no, I just thank you so much for having me, and I'm really looking forward to discussing the landscape of what different ownership looks like for everybody and for anybody that is interested in, you know, sustainable or baby massage or whatever you're doing in your practice, just to make sure to trust your instincts and to just go do it, because you're never going to be 100%

ready. Ready, awesome. Thanks so much for your time.

You're welcome. Have a great day. You

you.