Meet Karen Henery, LMT

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karen Henery, LMT. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karen below.

Karen, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.

A lifetime of experiences – and practice! Effective communication can be mimicked by use of a template or script, but truly effective and authentic communication comes from a place of deeper connection to not just the people, but also the world around us. I’ve been fortunate throughout my life to receive mentors and peers that recommended or provided resources to me at moments when my ability to communicate was in need of improvement. Recognizing that others who care for us can provide valuable support without judgement or anger is a skill in and of itself, but those people are a blessing. Sometimes in disguise but often very clearly right in front of us! When I was in my mid- to late-20s, my direct supervisor believed in me so fully that when others called for my termination after a difficult period in my life, she sat me down face-to-face and told me the situation. She gave me the opportunity to find workshops, classes, and training – on the company budget, nonetheless – that enabled me to learn more effective communication skills and how to apply them in the professional world. This continued on with personal growth in seeking out additional healing classes and eventually led to my discovering massage therapy as a profession, along with the self awareness to pursue mental health support and eventually receive training as a certified peer specialist. All of the training that goes with the license or certification process inevitably connects back to effective communication with others – but more importantly, with myself.

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?

Currently, I am mom to my amazing 17-month old daughter, along with co-owning and managing WAY Wellness Center – a large acupuncture and natural health center with 8 independent contractors on staff. We recently underwent a major renovation and rebrand along with a web site redesign, all of which I have coordinated while maintaining daily operations and taking care of my daughter. The week before she was born, I completed my culinary arts degree and hope to add focus on my culinary arts and pastry career in the near future.

WAY Wellness Center is one of the largest acupuncture offices in the region, along with providing herbal medicine, massage therapy, holistic bodywork, chiropractic, holistic allergy elimination, fertility support, and functional nutrition. We also have the capacity to provide workshops and instruction on meal planning, nutritional support, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Yoga, and other movement based activities.

Coming from a background in corporate PR, advertising, and hospital-based health care project management – the holistic medicine world is a very different place! The open-mindedness and wide range of practitioners and clients lends a different feel to daily life. Being able to support our practitioners in their ability to help clients find their healing journeys is rewarding. It keeps me on my toes and requires constant use of my entire brain – logic and creativity! I value this aspect of our business.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Vulnerability, Communication, and Self-Motivation! Without these, it would have been difficult for me to move forward as an independent business owner or practitioner. I’m a big fan of workshops, classes, and peer groups of other business owners. Whether it’s a paid membership to a networking group, or being a member of your local chamber of commerce, or something else – these are all valuable resources to use and learn from.

Vulnerability not just with others, but with myself. Being vulnerable includes being open, honest, able to take criticism and feedback and apply it, being on the same level as clients and sharing deep personal knowledge or experiences. Being able to assess your own progress and shortcomings in a way that leads to positive change and personal growth.

Communication is key! It is not possible to manage a business of any size without recognizing the importance of consistent, clear, and effective communication. Whether through natural development of the skill or intentionally taking workshops and training to build up a tool box to pull from.

Self-motivation! No one else is “above” you pulling the strings and keeping you on track. You’re it! Learning how to manage your time is part of this, but it’s mostly just having the drive to achieve your goals and keep on task. No one is perfectly self-motivated all the time. But it does take energy to maintain this sense of moving forward. Take breaks when needed but also know that it isn’t getting done if you don’t do it yourself or delegate it properly to someone else.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Believe it or not, one of the most influential books throughout my life has been “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. It’s actually a book intended for children and pre-teens, but it is truly a masterpiece. In the book, Milo – a young boy – is bored with everything in his world. One day, a mysterious package shows up. It turns out to be a toy tollbooth. With thinking the world is dreary and nothing better to do (and the attitude to match), he hops in his toy car and drives past the booth – only to find himself suddenly in another world. His journey takes him through a world full of double entendres, puns, and beautifully written characters who teach him some great lessons. Get yourself out of the doldrums! Look around and get out of your head! Appreciate the beauty and order of nature! Look at things from different perspectives! Don’t get caught up in menial tasks and minutia! Rhyme and Reason are never far away if you seek them out. It’s really quite lovely and a favorite of mine for short flights.

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Image Credits

Julie Kahlbaugh

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