1. Tell us a bit more about you and your practice as it is today? i.e. are you a solo practitioner or a business owner? If solo, what kind of an establishment do you work for, how large is it, what is the clientele like, what is the specialty offered? If it is a business that you own, kindly include the same time of relevant information that will give the reader a good idea about your establishment/practice. Please also include where you live and work?
I am a Health & Wellness coach and Essential Oils Educator. I became an entrepreneur as of January 2015. I left my fulltime job in the Occupational Therapy field because of the changing healthcare field. Consumers want more and are turning to alternative and natural solutions to their health concerns.
I am looking to perfect my knowledge in both areas and wanted to dedicate more time to my specialties to give my clients the best of the services I offer. I am focusing on detoxification, sustainable weight loss, stress management all with essential oils as part of the protocol for natural solutions to health.
2. Tell us why you chose to go into massage and at what point in your life did you decide to do so? What were you doing at the time? Where did you first hear about the massage career? What factors influenced your decision? What were you looking to get out of this decision?
I am not a massage therapist, I did think about it for a bit but my passion was in health coaching and essential oils. I am certified in the AromaTouch Massage Technique that Dr. David Hill developed through doTERRA Essential Oils. A very light touch in which the oils do the work.
3. What were some of your questions and concerns before further pursuing your massage therapy goals? Talk about concerns with school and the profession itself.
I have a 13 year background in Occupational Therapy helping people through their rehab process to return to their functional best.
4. What is your specialty and what are the top three contributing factors to your success today?
My specialty is helping people decipher through all of the dietary information on the market and introduce them to essential oils and natural products that can help bring the body naturally back into homeostasis.
5. What do you like about your specialty? What do you like about what you do in general as a career? Why?
I love working with the essential oils because of the profound, immediate effect they have on people and their safe use. I like helping others take control of their health through natural means .
6.What do you not like about what you do? Why?
I would love it if I had the ability to reach more people with simple tips to natural health faster.
7.If there were three things you could change about your work or the industry as a whole what would they be? Why would you change them? What would you change them to?
I would have health coaches affiliated with every doctors office.
I would have every doctor attend some training on essential oils so they would consider them as a natural modality in their practice.
I would help put essential oils in many peoples hands so they can help remove toxins from their body and reduce the amount of medications they use.
8. How long do you plan to practice and what do you plan to do after?
This is now my full time career and I will have my wellness center in a few years so I plan to work for some time.
9. Do you currently have another job or business whether full time or part time? Tell us a bit more about it and how you are able to juggle that with your massage career?
I left my full time job in January 2015 in the Occupational Therapy field after 13 years. I was able to juggle my multiple careers because I am very passionate about them all. However I feel the healthcare field is drastically changing and patient care is no longer the first concern.
10. What are some mistakes you made in your career pursuit that you’d like to warn other students about so they can learn from your experience and avoid it?
I lost money trying to get my website up, get a contract up front, I did not have one the first time
11. What would you advice someone who is looking at massage therapy schools? What do you recommend they look for and how? How do you recommend they determine whether the school is the right one for them?
Do your research and not only look at the cost, but possible funding you can acquire but most of all what are you looking to achieve. Compare all the pros and cons as well as convenience in fulfilling the end result.
12. What do you recommend for someone who wants to go to massage school but cannot afford it?
Ask yourself where will you be in five years if you do not do what you have a passion for. Do you homework and check on grants and loans…but follow your dream.
13. What are your three biggest points of advice for an aspiring massage therapist today? What should they do/not do? What should they think about and consider?
Specialize in an area within your field that you have a passion for, that you can speak from the heart with. Be in tune with your clients, be an active listener and be observant, you will feel what their needs are.
Walk the walk and talk the talk. People need to be around positive people and especially those that they are turning to for an outlet, don’t disappoint
14. Any open thoughts / comments – anything else that you’d like to share about yourself, the massage industry, profession, future, etc? If nothing, make one prediction for the future of massage?
Always be in tune to your client, most clients will come to you for relaxation, stress release, pain, etc. Give them your best which does not always mean speaking to them. I have had many massages with therapist talking throughout at a time when I did not want that.
Most people will not ask you to have the quiet. I see massage as on ongoing alternative modality that more and more people will utilize due to the changing healthcare in our country. Know your trade and specialize in an area of passion.
The quality of the essential oils you use can play an additional benefit in your work and although partial, check them out thoroughly. Give your client the best of the best and they will always come back.
15. What is your passion outside of massage? What are your hobbies and interests which you pursue when you are not working? Tell us why you enjoy what you enjoy.
I am certified in the AromaTouch Massage Technique with doTERRA essential oils and will look to take that further one day to a level of teaching the certification seminar. I love teaching and inspirational speaking engagements. I love lifting weights because it keeps me strong and fit, I love cycling anywhere between 30 and 70 miles because you get to see things you don’t see in a car and it’s great fitness.
I love to cook and try new recipes, I find it very therapeutic and keeps me healthy. I like to read, journal, the beach, get massages and facials all part of my own self care which is so Important in me carrying out my work and relationships in a positive way. Most of all I love spending time with those that I love.
Lisa Ciotto is aHealth & Wellness Coach, Essential Oils Educator, founder of NEW Foundations Health, LLC, ceritified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP), aBoard Certified and Accredited Member, certified in Reflexology, AromaTouch Technique. You can reach her on her websites here and here.
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