Meet Kristine Heist

We recently connected with Kristine Heist and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristine, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I get my work ethic from my parents, both of whom had fathers who were hard-working successful business men.

Both of my parents were college graduates. My mother was a high school biology teacher and my father was a surgeon. They both emphasized the importance of education in order to be successful. Whenever we felt discouraged, our parents would reassure me and my siblings that our hard work would pay off. Thanks to my parents, I have a bachelor of sciences degree in computer informational sciences.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am the sole proprietor of Therapeutic Massage of Delaware with an office in Newark Delaware.
After working as a computer programmer at DuPont for 7 years, I decided that I would experience more gratification by assisting people directly with their health needs. Although some of my clients receive massage to relieve their stress, the majority of them receive it for medical reasons. I worked for eight years in chiropractic offices providing massage to their patients who were being treated for injuries caused by auto accidents.
I am currently a provider for the Choose Healthy program, which allows people with Aetna and Signa Health insurance to receive discounted massages in order to maintain their health.
I also have a contract with the Veteran’s Administration to provide massage to their patients as part of their pain management treatment.
Providing massage to these individuals gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Often, their pain is decreased and their range of motion is improved, making it possible for them to live more happily and independently.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Willing to take risks

When I was working as a computer programmer, I decided that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life sitting in an office at a desk doing work that didn’t seem to be appreciated. At that time, I was earning a decent salary and had good benefits. I had to make a decision. I could either play it safe by sticking with a career that I did not enjoy or take a risk and try to find a more satisfying career. I decided to take the risk. Before I took this risk, I analyzed my finances and realized that this new step was possible as long as I was mindful of my spending.

patience/perseverance

After I became licensed to practice massage and bodywork, my goal was to have my own business with a steady flow of clients. I knew that it would take time and cost money. I decided to work in chiropractic offices so that I could enhance my skills and earn enough money to accomplish this goal. During that time In was also providing massage to a few “word of mouth” clients in an office at my house. Eventually, I achieved my goal! I relocated my office to a shopping center in Newark, Delaware, where I am currently working today. Acquiring my own space made it possible for me to expand my business into the medical arena by providing treatment to veterans as well as clients with Aetna and signa insurance. My patience/perseverance helped me achieve this goal.

Office management skills
My college education and career at DuPont enhanced the skills that I am currently using to run my business completely on my own.
I am the office manager, medical claims processor, client intake manager, appointment scheduler and most importantly, massage therapist.

My advice to others on a similar journey is to set a goal, acknowledge your strengths and do your best to achieve that goal.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My mother has been the most helpful person in helping me overcome challenges and develop my skills and knowledge.
When I was a month old, she discovered that I was totally blind. She took me to a neurologist who said that I was born with neurological damage and that I was probably mentally retarded as well. She told him that she could tell that I was just as intelligent as her other three sighted children by the way I reacted to nonvisual stimuli. I spent kindergarten through 8th grade in public schools. During those years, my mother spent much of her time fighting battles for me. I had teachers who said that I couldn’t take their class because it was too dangerous, too difficult for a blind person, or too time-consuming for them to teach me. My fourth grade teacher told the school principal that I belonged in a school for mentally challenged children and he agreed with her even though I had been in that school since kindergarten. My mother had to fight to keep me in that school for the rest of the year. I went to a different public school the next year and did well. In 9th grade I went to a catholic high school and ran into more problems. When I got the highest grade in the class on the chemistry midterm, my teacher insisted that it was impossible and that the person who read me the questions must have helped me by giving me the answers. At the end of that school year, she told me that I was not allowed to take physics the following year unless I got my parents to sign a permission slip even though I was an A student in her class. My mother gave me the permission. I took physics the next year and got an A in it. My mother was a positive influence throughout my childhood and most of my adulthood, helping me overcome the obstacles that sighted individuals placed before me. She often spent hours assisting me with homework that was only available to me in printed books rather than in braille. I remember when she used a plate with pieces of scotch tape to help me visualize my geometry homework with circles and triangles. My mother did these thing for me so that I could realize my potential and become the success that I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kheist.massagetherapy.com
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Anthea T. Piscarik