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Conversations with the Inspiring Shelby Woodall

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Woodall.

 So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
“You give suuuucch good hugs” a friend shares….

One fine day a friend shared an idea that sparked a flicker of a flame within me. This magnificent idea just so happened to coincide me putting a two weeks notice at my insurance job. This simple idea just so happened to come along when I was grappling with heightened depression and anxiety. This brilliant idea just so happened to come to light whilst I was seeking more meaning in my work. A friend chose to share with me – how I bring joy into the world through touch. This idea, that I could be a massage therapist, was the right idea that just so happened to come about at the right time.

In the spring of 2015, I began work at a massage school, Arizona School of Integrative Studies, as an administrator and admissions guide.

In the winter of 2015, I started the 800-hour massage program as a part-time student. I was so fortunate to attain such a full curriculum from a fabulously practiced group of teachers.

In the winter of 2016, I graduated from the massage program and began my practice in Flagstaff, AZ as Massage Mahal. Shortly after graduating, I decided that I wanted to offer mobile massage to the people. This sparked the thought of a mobile location, which led to my first major purchase for the business, a bus. In the spring of 2017, I spent my time slowly restoring a 22ft long shuttle bus to make it a functioning massage business and a liveable space.

In the summer of 2017, I realized I may have some mechanical troubles with my purchase. I decided to drive my bus across the country towards my hometown, Marietta, GA in order to have more support from my family. I made my way with my cat on the bus across six states.

In the late summer of 2017, The bus completely broke down and I was forced to scrap it. Also, in the late summer of 2017, I chose to run my business out of a chiropractic office, Chiropractic Specialists, in Smyrna, GA.

Speed up to today. I have spent the last year and a half building a client base out of the chiropractic office and through mobile massage for the community. The growth of my business has seemed VERY slow, yet it has been ultimately exponential. I am currently in love with my practice and the bodies that I serve. It means everything to me to have work in line with a passion, touch. I am able to live more freely through the flexibility of my work schedule, and I know that I am supporting a higher quality of living in our communities with a healthy touch. Though every day is not easy, it means everything to me to love what I do – the daily struggles and the past losses tend to fade into the wind more easily over time. Little did I know, that flicker of a flame ignited by a random friend would lead to a successful business that feeds my desire for focused passion, freedom and promoting/supporting healthy bodies.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. The experience of building a practice has been comparable to rainbow road from Mario Kart.
The leading struggle for me is staying focused during those moments of no income. Massage is a practice that tends to fluctuate a bit in the overall weekly amount in clientele. You can imagine or you may know about the emotional and mental strain that comes with feeling at a loss or that your efforts are not coming to fruition financially. If you find yourself feeling restless in those lulls of no income, then it can be beneficial to remember to stay focused and be the opportunity. In the beginning, I have had great success by giving my focus and time to outreach in those lulls which included offering free chair massage and finding new outlets for free marketing like NextDoor. I can confidently say that the work you put in will pay off. Stay positive and stay creative.

Another piece of the lulls is purely the motivation to keep going. I highly recommend generating a community of like-minded individuals that you can connect with easily. I have a wide variety of bodywork professionals that keep me inspired through sharing new techniques, and by holding me accountable toward a practice of excellence.
What should we know about Massage Mahal? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Massage Mahal is a serene relaxation experience brought to you by a sole massage therapist (a.k.a. me) who aims to provide a tranquil space in your home or in her office while addressing physical, mental, emotional and/or energetic points of interest throughout the human body.

My preferred modalities: Swedish/Deep Tissue, Connective Tissue (Myofascial), Neuromuscular Therapy (Trigger point), Polarity Therapy, Craniosacral, Range of Motion (ROM/Stretching), Reflexology, and Shiatsu.
I combine different types of massage (typically within my preferred modalities) to meet the needs of any given client, whether it be for chronic pain relief or pure relaxation. I love combining bodywork with energetic work to bring about an overall sense of wellness and relaxation while influencing the physical body to let go!

I work with curiosity and reverence during, before and after each session to invite a clear environment in which relaxation and/or self-exploration comes with ease. I also work with much excitement in exploring referral points, energetic lines and pin-pointing chronic sources of pain in hopes of generating long term physical and mental relief.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
The ability to say No with grit. A challenge that creates opportunity.

I believe women are in a fortunate position to take responsibility for the reality that some actions are not acceptable or inappropriate. I actually believe men and women are in this position now. I am speaking on the matter of sexual harassment. In my practice, I have some customers who are looking for a happy ending. Ultimately, I have used this fact to better define my practices boundaries and my own boundaries. I quickly learned how to defer that sort of client, while strengthening my integrity and my practices integrity.

The force of my decision to stand for what I believe in (healthy touch), and tailoring my practice in order to protect what I believe in has hands down increased the quality of my practice. Don’t just talk about it… be about it.

Pricing:

  • 60 Min First Time Client $60

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Debbie Pierce, Jenah Crawford

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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