Sole Shine is Shifting
We built Sole Shine to provide innovative and effective therapy. As time has passed, that intention has matured.
2019 was such an enlightening year. The company transitioned in major ways. And as I reflect, I see that this transition has been coming for awhile.
In 2014, I started to add therapists to my practice as I was having my first child. This was a way for my current clients to continue their care while allowing me to take the time to pay attention to my new family member. This fit well with a goal that I had to create a nurturing space for massage therapists.
As we expanded to the point that we needed to move, I remained deeply connected to the experience that massage therapy provided for myself and my clients. My curiosity grew as I wanted to ensure the therapy I was providing was on the cutting edge of research. I wanted to understand WHY this worked. I pursued this passion through coursework and study regarding massage and other aspects of therapy.
I received a request to join the team at the Center for Barefoot Massage and happily accepted, which was one of the best decisions of my life. I get to directly improve the practice of massage therapists and am graced with access to so many industry leaders because of this opportunity. This means that when you come to our studio, you are experiencing influence from every corner of the world. I’ve now been on multiple podcasts, including those that reach international audiences. The technology that I’ve studied that I think jive well with the effectiveness of massage therapy are intricately woven into your very experience at Sole Shine.
At the same time, I noticed that more of my time was being taken by running the business and less actually practicing the craft. There was a dissonance that left me feeling unfulfilled. After having quite the inspirational journey in Chicago and spending time with a beloved mentor of mine, I realized something profound. I was lacking a major balance.
Over the last 3.5 years, my mother died, I had another child, and my marriage ended. In owning a business like a massage therapy business, personal and professional are often blurred together. What was most important? My family? My business? Both, equally? For the sake of my stability and my sanity, it was necessary I put myself on the fast track to healing in a new and whole way.
I love teaching but I love being in the treatment room. So it was necessary to get myself back in the room with you–the clients. My mentors exact words were something like this… The teaching informs your work and the work informs your teaching. I’ve been known to take one sentence lines and transform my entire life. This was going to be nothing different.
Serendipitously, there was also a trademark concern on the horizon and my attorney gave me two options. Fight it in trademark court or rebrand. And honestly, I’ve been fighting’ my way through a lot lately so the opportunity to embrace something creative seemed… timely.
I reflected quite a bit about what this change should bring and what benefit it brought to you. Here’s what I can tell you.
A group of any size needs a solid and strong leader with a clear path forward.
I want our company to reflect the education that we so diligently apply our time and effort to learn. We are constantly updating what we understand about massage.
What we currently understand is that massage therapy is effective and we’re only now beginning to understand WHY & HOW it is effective.
We know that stress and pain are direct influencers to quality of life and major illnesses. We also know that massage therapy is an effective avenue for stress relief and pain relief. But what we know NOW is that it is in the experience you have coupled with specific types of touch and sensation.
So yes, barefoot massage is superior but it’s also not for everyone. We’re really doing a deep dive on who that is and is not. And ensuring that your experience is one that honors all of you and all of your previous experiences. We understand that you choose massage therapy and expect a safe and effective session. We want to be sure we’re delivering that every time.
Now is the perfect time for massage therapy to become what it’s always tried to be, the massage we’re giving is more specific than the conveyor chain massage and it’s more intentional than the over priced spa massage. We’re interested in working with you and your lifestyle. We want you to try barefoot massage, fall in love with the possibility of living stress-less and pain-less, and become curious about how to feel the most comfortable in your own skin. We love seeing those hungry for investing in their well-being and we love being your partner in that process.
For some people, barefoot massage isn’t a good fit – and that’s ok. We want them to find their place that delivers what they need. But when you’re ready to get connected to what is taking all of the pieces of you and connecting them together, you’ll find a home with us. We’re interested in being investigative but to your level of comfort.
So, we’ve drastically downsized our team to make sure that what we’re producing is quality. We’re bringing the best in massage therapy to our sweet little studio in Maplewood.
“Somatic” in greek directly refers to the body, but I’m more interested in the root word, “Soma.” In some circles, “Soma” has a link to the Lunar cycle. And something I’ve been seeing is that by and large, our world has been attempting to embrace the more feminine qualities. As someone who teaches Asian Theory, I’ve been studying how different cultures find balance in their well-being. And the masculine and feminine qualities have always intrigued me. Feminine qualities have nothing to do with gender but instead, the softer sides. Weakness is not a feminine quality but the approach to strength will look different than masculine strength.
“Sole” because we use our feet sole-ly and we like puns. We still refuse to take ourselves too seriously, as that can become a detriment to our professionalism.
The circle of circles represents the blend of wisdom of science, spirituality along with the value of teaching, as well as the application of our craft with our clients.
And finally, the color blue represents knowledge and wisdom and communication.
