Massage therapy was in my life long before it became my profession. My family often gets together for large gatherings and whenever someone complained about aches and pains, I offered to massage their shoulders or their feet. I loved the compliments I got and I realized that helping my family members feel better was extremely satisfying and rewarding.

Later in life, my husband and I opened a CrossFit style gym.

Because we always had members needing massages, my mom encouraged me to get my license. That’s when I realized that being a massage therapist was a true calling. I was able to help people and use my skills to make their lives better.

Eventually, I branched out and got introduced to the wide variety of people who use massage for many different reasons. I worked in a chiropractic office, a hospital, and I even did mobile massage and my understanding of massage got deeper. I realized what a dynamic modality it is and how many people could benefit from it.

As my career in massage therapy was gaining momentum, the tables turned on me one day when I found myself in excruciating pain due to a herniated disc in my spine. After attempting to resolve it through less invasive treatments with no luck, the only solution was to undergo back surgery.

After the surgery, I fully recovered but was required to put my massage duties on hold for some time due to restrictions. As I was recovering from surgery, the world found itself right in the middle of a pandemic. Since massage is a high-tough and in-person modality, I had to take another hiatus from my massage therapy practice.

This extra time spent isolated from the outside world gave me time to think about my future and focus on setting new goals for myself. I knew I wanted to keep helping people. Having experienced debilitating pain for months on end, my view towards my chosen profession changed dramatically.

I emerged from my reflection time with a vision of opening my own massage therapy business that would make a large impact on people’s lives. Within three months of making this decision, Cora’s Massage Therapy & Bodywork was born.

Since opening, we have selectively added to our growing team of therapists, allowing us to positively impact many more lives.

As a person that has dealt with pain, I am on a mission to help spread the positive benefits of massage therapy.

In my role as a business owner, it’s been difficult to attract and hire high quality therapists to add to our team. I realized that there is a need for massage therapy education. The need for massage therapists is growing, but in many areas like mine there is a lack of opportunities to become educated. The magic solution for me to this big problem was to open a massage school.

My goal in opening the school is to enhance the quality and quantity of massage therapists in my area to meet the rising demand of our industry. Ultimately, more therapists and better therapists will positively impact more lives. Over the many years in this profession, I have seen the positive impact that we make on others. Despite the challenge and suffering I endured with my own back injury, I also have the lived experience of someone who’s had crippling pain–I deeply empathize with those I want to help. This empathy fuels my purpose and mission for the school and massage business.

I believe massage therapy is an important profession. More and more people are unlocking its benefits and turning to massage because of its versatility. No matter the reason, whether it’s relaxation or an integral part of a physician’s treatment plan, massage is a rapidly growing industry. Our school will supply quality therapists to fill the increasing need and help as many people as we can live a better life.