We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ten M a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ten, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
Being a professional in the wellness industry means that I really have to walk my talk. I have been a massage therapist for 13 years and I know so many other massage therapists that do not get their own massages.
I have been doing other things for self-care for longer than I’ve been a bodyworker: yoga since age 11, chiropractic since age 16, and massage school gave me even more pieces. There I learned about hydrotherapy: ice baths, Epsom salt baths. I learned how to prevent injury with proper body mechanics along with other tips and I started getting my own massage.
Early in my career I traded bodywork as often as I could and as soon as my budget had a little extra I prioritized paying for that care every two weeks. This is monumental and is still one of the last things I will give up if my budget needs trimming.
Not only does caring for my body in this way protect my most valuable tool from injury and burnout, it also has been an opportunity to learn from other therapists.
Plus it can be very difficult to provide bodywork to others if you aren’t getting any for yourself. Imagine being a world class chef but never having a nice meal for yourself; if you live on PB&J and ramen you can’t put the same energy into cooking for others.
Today my self-care includes massage, chiropractic, stretching, foam rolling, self massage, strength training, salt baths, slow mornings, resting when I need to rest, pursuing fun, and of course cupping therapy.
Not only can I more effectively care for others when I myself am well cared for but it also means I can speak from experience when advising clients on their own self care. This allows me to suggest the best self-care pieces for them to get the most out of it for their personal needs.
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?
After being a massage therapist for 13 years with my own practice focusing on Rehabilitative bodywork for the last 9 I have recently launched something brand new and never before seen: Cup You.
Cup You is a cupping exclusive practice, something that doesn’t exist in this country, where folx can walk-in for an on-demand cupping session for only $40. This bridges the gap between the appointment based format of the massage industry and the last minute or same day requirements of clients who need relief.
It also allows me to reduce the wear and tear on my own body so I can help far more people for many years to come.
Perhaps the best part about Cup You (besides the branding) is that it’s a business-on-wheels. We spent 10 months on a custom renovation of a class C RV with a reliable engine that was otherwise a clunker. The RV body was repaired, redesigned, and rebuilt both inside and out to create a roadside oasis relaxing enough that folx are nodding off during their session.
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?
I think the first skill that made me really successful was having a natural business sense. A lot of people in the wellness industries, especially massage therapy, tend to be more of the “healer” personality which often doesn’t lend itself to the more type A business skills. If you want to work for yourself, these skills are a must, but luckily there are tons of ways to learn better business skills both formally and informally. I think it’s most important for people to consider the way that they can best learn since they’re so many options in this arena: books, podcasts, videos, classes, etc.
I think I was also incredibly well served by my natural ingenuity. This trait allowed me to approach my business and career in ways that were wildly different than any of the common examples and in hindsight, i know for sure this served me well. A great example of that would be the workload that I placed on myself as my own boss. The massage industry is one where people are commonly overworked and underpaid and while you would think that most people would fix that problem when they start working for themselves, I almost never saw it happen. It was important to me to figure out how to format my business so that I could be financially stable without overworking and in order to do that, I really went against the grain at times. I think people can supplement a lack of natural strength in this arena by asking someone they know who is great at out-of-the-box problem solving to help them brainstorm. Eventually, repetition of this process will expand your own thinking too.
Lastly, I think one of my best strengths is having a strong sense of self-care. This includes taking care of my health and wellness of course, but I also believe that boundaries fall under this category too. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people who are called to help others often do it at the expense of themselves. The problem with that is that they burn out because they’re trying to pour from an empty cup, and in the end that means that they can’t help anybody anymore. I remember a time when I raised my prices pretty dramatically and a friend expressed criticism because he thought that this action meant I was more interested in making money than helping people. The reality is that my business never would have survived even the short-term much less the long-term at the prices I had. I was severely under charging and if my business failed financially then I wouldn’t be able to help anyone at all. By making sure that I was providing myself with what I truly needed, I was able to keep providing for others. Much like business skills, I think self-care and boundaries are an area of study that has abundant resources. Folx can explore all of these and pick the ones that work best for them!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m currently seeking Instagram collaborations with influencers in the Denver area especially accounts that focus on things to do in Denver. Ideally those interested should send a direct message to @CupYou,CO from the same account they’d like to collaborate with.
I’m also seeking pop-up partnerships in central Denver, especially RiNo. These could be markets large or small, other businesses or events with a lot of foot traffic, or businesses that are related such as gyms. Business or events where patrons are drinking are not a good match as this is a contraindication for cupping. These collaborations would need to provide a place to park and we would work together on mutual promotion. I can also offer an employee discount for collaborating businesses. Interested parties should also send a direct message via Instagram to @CupYou.CO or can also email [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website:www.CupYou.CO
- Instagram: Instagram.com/CupYou.CO
- Facebook: facebook.com/CupYou.CO
