Member Spotlight: Jenny Methot

Today's Bodywork Buddy member spotlight is Jenny Methot from Amherst, New Hampshire.

Q: What inspired you to be a massage therapist?

A: A friend of mine went to massage school after she got her Associates Degree in Nursing. She paid for my first massage and I enjoyed it. Years later, after completing a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management and working in the field for two years and hating it, I decided I needed to do something different. Funny enough, something in the movie, 'Sweet Home Alabama', spoke to me about finding my passion. A friend and I went into a bookstore after seeing the movie and I bought a book on Reiki. Around that same time, another friend mentioned that a local college was starting a massage therapy program. I went to an information session and decided to enroll. I really wanted to have a career where I was still working with the public and felt like I was truly helping people.

Q: How long have you been doing massage?

A: I graduated from school in December 2003 and started actively practicing in October of 2005. I've been practicing for over 10 years.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being an MT?

A: I think my favorite thing about being an LMT is the 'love' for my clients. I feel very blessed to have a thriving practice. I consider my clients to be an extended family. Many of my clients have been with me for several years (at least three of them since I came back to New Hampshire in 2007). We've celebrated weddings and births & mourned deaths and illnesses and so much more. And I love feeling like I am making even a small difference in their lives with their health and wellness.

Q: What do you feel is the most challenging issue for massage therapists?

A: As far as challenges, I personally struggle with the balance of setting boundaries, as far as hours go and wanting to help those in pain. I know what my body can handle and am working on keeping set days and need to respect that so that my clients respect that, too. I hate knowing that I may be able to help someone but cannot be at their beck and call.

Also, I think at first, we all want to practice all the modalities that we can and help EVERYONE. Reality is, I personally think, we should find a few that we really love to practice and learn as much as we can about those. And then have other MTs in your circle who you can refer to for other modalities. Better to be a jack of all trades than a master of none. AND be ok with not knowing everything/asking questions. Better to be honest.

Q: What advice would you give to other MT’s to help build their business?

A: The best advice that I can give is to learn and practice as much as you can and to get out there as soon as possible. I had some circumstances (and mental blocks) that kept me from practicing for almost two years. I'm thankful to have a thriving business now, but I can only imagine where I would be if I had the confidence to start sooner. Also, get out there and market yourself. When I worked as an office manager at a chiropractic office while building my business, I would tell all of the other practitioners that the BEST way they could build their business was to meet the patients. People like to match names with faces. They want to feel your energy. That is how I built my business. Many of my current regular clients, I met as patients. And know that not every client will be a good match. Some will come and go. Let them go to open yourself up to the ones who really need you.