We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful, Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage specialist, Deanna Quinn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deanna below.
Deanna, can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Yes, so I am from upstate New York and currently live in the beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I absolutely love it here!
I am a dog mom, a nature lover, and in the past have worked as a wildlife technician alongside bears, coyotes, and parrots before finding my now passion, massage therapy.
My journey into massage therapy started with a phone call from my mom. She was in the hospital with my grandma, who had just had a double mastectomy. Due to the surgery which removed breast tissue and axillary (underarm) lymph nodes, my grandma was experiencing a lot of discomfort and swelling. The hospital brought in a Manual Lymphatic Drainage therapist who brought an incredible amount of relief to my grandmas state of being. That’s when my mom encouraged me to consider putting my career as an environmental scientist on hold and explore the possibilities that going to school for massage therapy may provide.
Since that phone call, I have become a Certified Lymph Drainage therapist. I am proud to offer the same care that once helped my grandma and inspired the idea of my current career and life path. I am now the owner of my own private massage practice, Form Bodywork and Lymphatics, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I offer Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Bodywork Therapy, and Ashiatsu (barefoot massage).
What would you say sets you apart from others in your field?
I view all my knowledge and education in massage and bodywork as tools to help others, in whatever way I can. What this means is that I often change what I had “planned” for a session last minute based on how the client describes feeling that day, or on what their specific needs might be.
My constant desire to continue learning about our bodies and welcomed flexibility might set me aside from others, but I view my peers as a community of resources, not competition. We are all here to help others feel well, so if I’m not the best fit for someone, I’ll happily refer them to another therapist if I think it will be best for their healing journey.
I love helping people feel better, but I truly love educating people on their bodies, inspiring them to ask questions about their aches and pains, encouraging connection to their body and their breath, and to understand they have complete autonomy over their bodies. I want every client to feel as comfortable during their discomforts as my grandma did after that first inspiring session that lead me to where I am today, so I view each session as an opportunity to inspire change and growth for us all.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
While massage therapy is my main source of income today, it was once my side-hustle! When I went back to school for massage, I had my Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management and was working full-time as an Environmental Scientist in the Oil &Gas Industry. I really loved protecting different ecosystems and species but didn’t see myself loving the long weeks away traveling for field work or cubical data entry and report preparation for the rest of my work life. So, after I graduated from The Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy and passed my PA State Board exams, I went part-time at my corporate job and started massaging professionally.
During my first few years in bodywork I found myself in larger, fast-paced chain environments, small private spas, large high end day spas, and even rented a room in a gym – as my first attempt in owning my own business. None of those clicked for me. I think I didn’t fully believe in myself or my abilities during those attempts. To be honest, I didn’t really love massaging either. I like to tell people you have to learn what you don’t like before understanding what you do like!
Since then, I’ve traveled & dabbled, gotten to know myself, and realized the value I can offer others. I always knew I wanted to work for myself, I’ve even tried and failed in the past. I didn’t seriously consider when or if I might be ready to step out on my own again until I had no less than 20 clients in a short period of time ask if I ever would, then insist that I am their forever massage therapist and they’d support me in any way they could.
I believe this overwhelming encouragement, my want to live in a pain-free body, earn my worth, and have a flexible schedule has given me the push I didn’t know I needed to be where I am today. It clicked. I could see myself years down the road supporting myself and feeling fulfilled in my day-to-day operations. Having a clear goal in mind ignited my belief in myself, and my want for such a life.
I now feel that daily fulfillment from helping others and am so thankful to be on this path. Massage therapy, my once questionable side-hustle turned purposeful vocation.
What did your parents do that has impacted you in your life and career?
One of the most impactful lessons my parents instilled in me is to understand that nothing is forever. This taught me to value the good moments and allowed me the mindset to change my path if I didn’t like the view. My mom was the one who called me one day, some six years into my “safe” corporate career, and said, “hey Dee, you should think about looking into massage school.” That phone call was my “green light” to make a lateral move off the secure route I was on, and jump into unknown waters. This lesson has brought me the understanding that I am in control of the direction that my life is headed. I get to choose, and if I don’t like something, I’m allowed to change it and explore what I do like. Nothing has to be forever.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I’ve had to unlearn is to question the lessons I did learn.
While in massage school there are a lot of lessons on how to get clients in your door, how to maintain them, how to view them as income, how to speak to them, what questions to never ask, what guidelines to always follow, and so-on. Truthfully, I think a majority of why I didn’t love massaging in the beginning of my “side-hustle career” was because of these “rules.”
Eventually, I decided that while this person on my table is, in fact, a paying “client,” they are also a unique individual, and deserve to be treated as more than a check list of rules to follow, or a dollar sign. This means I operate in a way that while appropriate and professional, feels less strict and more easygoing for everyone. My style of bodywork is based on learned skill, but also on how I would want to receive the work. How I would want my family members to feel during their sessions. All of this combined to say that nothing is forced or fake, I just try to be my true, authentic self and treat my client as real people, not just an income.
Massage and business ownership, just like medicine and yoga, is a practice. I accept and communicate that I am always learning and growing in this field (and in life) and welcome clients to humble me, voice their needs, explore that works for them, and treat their health journey as a practice as well. I will continue to offer them my true present self if they continue to show up for themselves as well. I want to work with you if you want to work with you. Show up for yourself, we all deserve to feel good in our bodies, and we only get one, so treat it with love, patience, and kindness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.formbodylymph.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formbodylymph/