Meet Jordan Barton

We recently connected with Jordan Barton and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I haven’t.
What I have done is find a way to quiet that voice, see the successes in the work I perform, the classes that I teach, and listen to comments and changes from clients and students. I listen to those moments and train myself to accept that there is a value to others in what I offer. Doubt can be a success tool. Without it, we may miss opportunities to grow. I consider it a distant cousin to failure in that one will fail many times, in many ways – and, odd as it may seem, feeling ‘inadequate’ can be a great motivator. That doubt can inform a part of how we learn. What we do next is what is important. Doubt is telling us something, so I acknowledge its voice and prove it wrong.
Listening to it can be the antidote. Hearing that negative voice but not Listening to it, allows me to keep moving forward.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Background:

Nurture the Body, Nourish the Soul.

This has been my work-mantra since the beginning. I’ve been providing massage since 1994 and have been blessed in being able to share my experience from coast to coast working in a variety of venue, including the iconic Canyon Ranch Resort of the Berkshires, in Lenox, MA. I began my massage career doing work in as clinical practice in Portland, OR, providing massage as pain management and care at a clinic providing alcohol and drug rehabilitation. This same clinic introduced me
to how valuable this work can be for those with HIV. This was my first experience within a multidisciplinary setting, working with acupuncturists, naturopaths, osteopaths, nurse practitioners and clinical therapists. From here, I found my way into teaching before opening my own space, cleverly called… The Massage Clinic. TMC specialized in sports and treatment work, but also began a robust continuing education program, insurance billing, prenatal services, and event programming. As a result of this array of valuable, seemingly disconnected, experiences, I gained a unique perspective. Eventually, and through an odd series of events, I found myself appointment by the governor of Oregon to sit on the Oregon Board of Massage Therapy. On the board, we oversaw office mandates for public safety and statewide licensing, per the guidelines of the office. Since returning to the west coast, Jordan became the General Manager and Education Director for the Oregon School of Massage. Throughout his career in hospitality, a return to teaching – a path that lay fallow since universoty days, Jordan found a wealth of experience working at seven schools across the US, providing both core and continuing education to hopeful practitioners, and other professionals. I have been licensed to practice in six states which also fed into my realization that there are some deep needs within the industry of massage and massage education.

Something new:

Most recently I have moved to Pasadena, CA, opening a private practice and creating new opportunities for guests to receive deeply moving experiences. I have a background in developing spa services, product and facilitating creative visions for individual therapists and spas for their menu offerings. This plays out in offerings and menu development for my practice which include Ayurvedic concepts, and unique services that offers a guided meditation. This new service is steeped in the practice of Yoga Nidra. I have created something new, called Massage Nidra that draws upon guided meditation, energy work, aromatherapy and my unique bodywork to provide a healing experience that soothes the soul, nurtures the body and relieves chronic stress. Keep an eye out at our website to see when these offerings will be available from Myopothecary!

Industry support:

Myopothecary is the newest incarnation of Jordan’s practice, serving his goal to elevate the industry and service experiences for not only guests, but students and professionals alike. His primary focus is developing content, engagement, education and healing services that provide more than a guest or student expects. As community can be a key element for therapist longevity, I have begun working with area providers, schools and businesses in order to offer regular industry group meet-ups. These meets are designed to generate discussion about the industry, highlight needs from practicing therapists as well as students of massage therapy, and to find ways to support practitioners that they may not have thought about.

My work:

I use a variety of modalities including Deep Pressure, Craniosacral, Polarity, Swedish, Injury Treatment, Reflexology, Trigger Point therapies, Ayurvedic concepts and more. It is my goal to address not only the guests spoken needs but their unspoken needs as well. The original name for my massage was Somatic Alchemy. This is because the idea behind my work is geared toward balancing the physical and emotional aspects of the body. The idea is to provide respite for the nervous system through a variety of modalities including fascial release, trigger points, energy work, all steeped in a base of Swedish bodywork.

Below are the Mission and Vision for my practice and the business of Myopothecary.

Mission Statements:

Business: Myopothecary was created to facilitate needed change in the massage industry. Our goal is to provide usable, and accessible training to massage professionals that extends longevity and success in practice. It is our goal to do this through education and community building with unique ‘meet-ups’ and town-hall opportunities for the professionals, students and employers.

Practitioner: To offer unique bodywork that challenges industry norms, providing guests with deeply touching and rejuvenating experiences. It is our goal to facilitate change for our guests by reuniting their sense of holistic joy within the three pillars of their physical self; body, mind and spirit.

VISION: Myopothecary sees the industry of massage therapy as an extended family of skilled, engaged and informed professionals seeking local and national organizational awareness. We facilitate growth in the nature of the industry, community engagement, the longevity and success of currently licensed, and potential, massage therapists. We are committed to our industry, and to creating community, balance and a cohesive national identity for practice.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When I look back on my journey, I realize there is a hard line between what schools offer in the way of business development and preparedness for working in the industry. I recemrly researched industry longevity, and discovered that the average ‘career’ length for massage therapists is 4-6 years, with most leaving the industry within the first 2 years. I do not believe that is a career. Something must change for the sake of the industry, the practitioners, schools, the employers and our customers.
As a result of my experiences as a male practitioner, educator and board member, I have begun to live by the idea of ‘Being the person you wish you had when you were younger.’ I believe mentorship, community, continuing education and development are key to surviving in this industry. My Industry Meet-Ups are designed to facilitate longevity, elevate the industry, its therapists and prepare students and to help licensed practitioners. It is my hope to partner with schools to refine curriculum, elevate business awareness and to provide post licensing support for massage therapists. I also hope to partner with employers to help facilitate changes in compensation awareness and ongoing therapist development through education, programming and awareness.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When you are running your own business it is easy to get or just feel overwhelmed. There are several thoughts on how to handle this. For my own style, I find it is important to step back. I stop everything that is not urgent or on a timeline and take an hour or two to breath, but take myself completely out of work tasking. For myself, I have found that when I feel overwhelmed I have over-committed or been working too long. It is important to make sure to fulfill your other needs, so I make sure to take time to do what refuels my soul. That may be massage education, writing an article, doing some art, or reading, playing games, or something completely distracting from this industry or business.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,