The basic bio: I began my career styling hair in 1990 after two years of Beauty School at Huffer’s in Columbus. Hair styling is a great fit for me because I love helping other people feel beautiful. I attend 3-4 trainings each year in new styles, color, and cutting techniques. After being a hair stylist for 10 years and battling my own chronic pain for 2 years, I found the benefits of massage. After experiencing the benefits for myself, I realized that I wanted to also provide this service for my clients. I know the benefits that massage can bring firsthand.
I have completed both basic and advanced training at Alternatives for Health and am a certified massage therapist.
I’d love to serve your needs for either a great look or relaxation through therapeutic massage. Please call today!
Now for the rest of the story, the real training…
My life story… Names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent – LOL! Okay, maybe I won’t tell the whole story.
I was born in Columbus in 1972 (my birthday is April 10th, if you want to send a card or stop by!) We lived on the Jackson and Bartholomew County line, just inside Jackson County actually. We had a Columbus address and a Seymour phone number. It practically took an Act of Congress for us to get library cards. The librarians presumed that we were really in Bartholomew County.
I went to White Creek Lutheran School (in Bartholomew County) from 1st – 8th grade, and my kids attend there now. There were all of 9 kids in my 8th grade class. The next year, I went to Seymour for high school. But I didn’t know anyone and was in a huge hurry to graduate and get out of there!
By the time I was 16, I just wanted out of high school. I felt like an ugly duckling, and I didn’t really have many friends in that school, though the friends I made there I still have today. So, I looked at my options and decided to go to beauty school.
The only other options were medical assisting and nursing stuff. I really didn’t like the idea of doing anything medical.
So I decided to sign up for beauty school. I chose it by default. At the time, I knew that I could make decent money doing hair and could put myself through college. I was just blessed that I turned out to be good at it. I really intended to do hair to pay my way through college, studying journalism or counseling. I never dreamed that I would be still making people feel beautiful all these years later. My default choice worked out well.
Actually, those old interests in journalism and counseling are still reflected in my life. I am still a keen observer of people. And I listen to people’s problems all day long. Most people just need a sounding board – someone to listen non-judgmentally, who doesn’t have a personal stake in the situation, but I digress…
It seems like my life has been a series of accidental happenings that worked out well.
When I went back to doing hair full-time, I really thought I was going to fail. I didn’t think that I could build a clientele easily or quickly enough. So, I started thinking, what else can I do? I looked for a job for a while. Then I thought about what I really wanted to do. My chiropractor had recommended that I get massages. Eventually, I thought, “Well, maybe I could go to massage school. That sounds pretty fun.”
I loved everything I learned in massage school and all the years of doing hair greatly prepared me for running the business aspects of massage. I don’t know when I’ll feel like I know enough about massage. I loved the initial certification process so much that I’m in the advanced series right now.
The balance between hair and massage might not be right for everyone, but for me it works out perfectly. I help people feel great inside and out! These are some of the things I believe. I think without these attitudes and actions, life tends to drift and become lost or meaningless. The glass is half full. My coworkers laugh at me for saying it all the time, but you know, it really is true. The glass is half full – always. The problem is that people are just cranky and don’t see it. They look at the half empty. I suppose I have some friends who see it as half empty, but I just don’t have much energy for that. It’s just not a fun way to live! And to me, life is all about the fun. If it’s not fun, I don’t want to do it. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind hard work. It’s just that there has to be a meaningful result – and fun in the process. And I can make anything fun! Really. It’s true. You have to have faith that things will work out – or they won’t. I always wanted to believe this, but I’m not sure that I really did believe it. Now I do. I have practiced believing this. I practice acting in alignment with this belief. And, I focus on finding it. My friend, Gail, told me about this book she read a couple of years ago. She told me that I should make a life list, of all the things I wanted to do before I died. I’ve heard lots of people talk about making life lists or things to do before I die lists. The whole idea is really cool. The only problem for me was that I had hardly anything on my list; it was just a list of boring stuff. OK – maybe it’s not completely boring. It just wasn’t a really long list like Gail’s was. (Have you ever noticed how women especially are so good at comparing ourselves with others?) Anyway, my list included things like: That one act – creating a life list – started a huge process of change. I’m more confident. I’m more positive. I have more faith in the future. And, mostly, I enjoy my life a lot more now. My beliefs
1. The glass is half full.
2. You have to have faith that things will work – or they won’t.
3. Make a list of things to do before you die.
I don’t remember the rest. All I know is that it was a basic list. Really, that’s probably pretty appropriate for my life – I am a basic person. I’m good at heart and try to do the right thing in life. I am not all about flash and drama. I just want a good, basic life. But doing this list made me realize that I really do have goals I’m working for. And, I’ve started checking things off the list – I’ve been to a Bob Seger concert now and I’ve taken self-defense classes.