Massage & Bodywork

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018

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Humble Start It started simply. In mid-career, Natalie Davidson found massage therapy. Perhaps more accurately, it found her. She fell hard for how powerful massage could be in helping people deal with muscular pain. Davidson became a sponge for knowledge and a zealot in sharing that knowledge with others. Davidson's private practice began modestly in a small, rented downtown office in the city nearest her childhood country home. She had no five-year plan and no grand expectations, just a desire to earn a living while helping clients improve their health. She certainly had no inkling her simple Bodywise Wellness practice would evolve to one day provide a comfortable living for 19 therapists, operating principally out of an owned clinic facility with eight treatment rooms in an environment characterized by a burning desire to learn, an atmosphere of professional exchange and respect, and a shared passion to solve diverse client challenges. That transformation did not occur overnight. Davidson's drive to solve client issues, coupled with her steady commitment to educate other health professionals about how massage therapy could contribute to community health, led to an ever-expanding client base. Hiring another like-minded therapist was the logical solution. And then another. Over two decades, the practice became what it is today, now serving 8,000 clients, most of whom visit when they have specific issues needing specialized assessment and therapeutic work. A fluff-and-buff casual stop for one-time clients Bodywise Wellness is not. Here, largely in the voices of the therapists who provide Bodywise Wellness its character, is a portrait of what the organization values, how it operates, and the results it produces. The Mission Davidson had a decent idea about what she wanted to accomplish and kept imparting that general vision to associates, but a formal mission statement emerged only gradually. Ironically, the nearby arrival of a national franchise massage clinic five years ago usefully motivated Bodywise Wellness to clarify its mission statement and to make sure that mission drives the business. Even today, while Bodywise Wellness therapists do not parrot back standard mission-statement verbiage, it's clear that each of them embraces the same core principles. Davidson herself says, "I am here with a mission to help people deal with pain, to bring soft-tissue benefit to the community. It's about getting results and making a difference in people's lives." Therapist Ed Biasucci adds, "We are different and unique. We listen to people, work with them to find the source of a physical problem, and then provide intentional work." "We deal with the specific needs of each individual client; we don't apply a standard, formulaic massage," Judith Taylor says. "We also work to educate the public as to how massage therapists can help them with their pain," Pat Collins says. "When you are in pain, we want you to think of our clinic first." "We have a relentless pursuit of excellence," Karen Montgomery notes. "Each of us works at raising the credibility of our profession—with the medical community and the community at large." The Work While the clinic does not refuse a new client seeking a relaxation massage, "That is not what we are about," Davidson says. "That does not maximize what we can offer. More often than not a new client exhibits muscle tightness or a holding pattern suggesting the value of specific work. We encourage new clients to commit to at least three sessions. We also encourage them to try more than one therapist in order to seek a good match and to enhance their confidence about getting work from someone else when their primary therapist may not be available." Biasucci's take: "Ours is a therapeutic focus. We are here to address clients' pain. Here, it is about much more than massage. We help people who fall through the cracks of the health-care system." Work Climate What is strikingly apparent at Bodywise Wellness is a pervasive commitment to continuous learning. Mentoring runs through the clinic's veins. There is an expectation that every therapist will work to become more knowledgeable. That is the spine, the unity of purpose that distinguishes this clinic. Employees say that Bodywise Wellness is a place where learning is not only valued, but expected. That focus on education ensures that the clinic's therapists can address the needs for each unique client. Says one employee: "Our leader fosters an atmosphere of continuing growth." Davidson is centrally responsible for creating this climate. She sets the tone by staying up to date on research, handling a significant client load, providing frequent voluntary evening instruction, and being available for quick consults when a fellow therapist is presented with a perplexing fresh challenge. When queried about how she became so knowledgeable, Davidson says, "I learn a little bit from every single client I treat." 80 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k s e p t e m b e r / o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8

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