Meet Bree Malueg

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bree Malueg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Bree, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

When I was younger, I cared deeply about what people thought of me. My confidence and self-esteem hinged on praise and support from my parents, teachers, and peers. My sport of choice when I was younger was ballet, and my instructors were always saying, “Do it with confidence, and no one will know if you mess up.” This concept was easy while dancing because the audience didn’t know the steps. But applying it in real life is tricky; sometimes, your audience does know the steps, and they’ll see if you mess up. This is the real key to being confident: confidence has to come from within. Relying on external sources will never provide you with real self-esteem, only temporary gratification.
Building confidence from within is work. Hard work. Any structure must be built on a solid foundation, and building the foundation of your confidence starts with being comfortable with your choices. Make hard decisions and take risks, but always make sure you’re comfortable with the choices you make on your journey.
Now, you won’t always make the right choice, and your confidence should not be so rigid that it turns into an inflated ego. Even when you make the wrong choice, mess up with confidence. Do it wrong, and learn something. This is where you’ll build the most confidence: when you become comfortable with messing up. Your self-worth is not tied to anything external.
Only I decide how I feel about myself. I often say, “It’s impossible to hurt my feelings.” I’ve been building my confidence long enough that I’ve started to like criticism, even when it’s not constructive. It’s still productive because I can either make a change if I feel it’s warranted, or I decide to affirm my previous choices because I believe in the choices I’ve made. If you believe in the choices you’ve made, you’ll be confident in the person you are. No one can take that away from you.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I earned my bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology in 2016 with the intention to go to graduate school for physical therapy. During my required observation hours, I discovered that I, in fact, did not want to be a physical therapist. I got my EMT license, and during my required ride-alongs, I realized I also did not want to be an EMT. I got a job at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, where I lasted 9 months before accepting that I didn’t want to do that either. At this point, I needed a job (any job) and guess where I ended up: physical therapy. While working in physical therapy, I loved the patient interaction, and hated the paperwork, insurance, and patient quota requirements. The PTs I worked with were fantastic, and I learned so much from them. But with only a four-year degree, there wasn’t anywhere to grow. I considered PT school again but couldn’t commit to being miserable for the rest of my career. While looking for other jobs, my clinic director suggested massage therapy school. I picked one at random and toured it, and I knew when I left that tour that I was finally in the right spot. When I was enrolling, I got a new job in cardiology. And once again, though I learned so much and loved working with the nurses, physicians, and patients; the administration and management drove me nuts. In massage therapy school, I met Kate, my now business partner. A few months after graduating, she and I started a business in arguably the worst possible time: August 2020. Well, our audacity paid off, and in a year, she and I both quit our day jobs. In two years, we doubled our space and hired another massage therapist. In five years (currently) we have three employees and have tripled our services offered.
I’m about to graduate with my master’s degree in Kinesiology. My brand of bodywork is therapeutic based, i.e., lets find the cause of your discomfort/pain/tension and fix it. I do this through a combination of many modalities, from deep tissue to cupping, stretching, personal training, etc. If it’s a problem I can’t solve, then I refer my clients to my network of PTs, chiropractors, acupuncturists, sports trainers, and physicians. I love educating my clients about their bodies, and empowering them along their healing journey.

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

The three most important qualities that have helped me on my journey are confidence, communication, and willingness to learn. One of the best things I’ve done for my business is ask for feedback, usually like this: “Can you give me as much feedback as possible, good and bad, knowing that it’s impossible to hurt my feelings?” Your own clients are the best sources of information on how to better your business.
My biggest pet peeve when visiting any health care or wellness provider is when I feel they aren’t listening to me and when they don’t take time to make sure that I understand what they’re saying or doing. My clients entrust me with their bodies – and put themselves in a very vulnerable position. Communicating with them before, during, and after our appointments is very important to me.
Asking questions and being willing to learn new skills have been imperative to running a business. Kate and I found score.gov when starting out, and our mentor, Gregg, has been invaluable to us. He’s been an excellent source of information, and it’s so nice to have someone we can go to when we don’t know where to start. As business owners, we’re not just massage therapists; we’re HR, accounting, marketing etc.

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

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I know it’s time for some self-care. I preach self-care to my clients all day, and I know I must take my own advice. Rest and relaxation are a right, not a reward. And resting your body is different than resting your mind. Both are important. I personally find yoga is the best way to relax my mind, and I rest my body by reading.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.metamassagemke.com
• Instagram: @metamassagemke