Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kisiah Cole. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kisiah , thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Being able to express empathy. For a lot of people, that time on my massage table is the only time they really get to have for themselves uninterrupted. The ‘therapist’ in massage therapist has been the forefront more often than not in sessions.
I’ve had people really have more of an emotional moment on the table which actually helped their physical ailment to release. I had a client come in at one of my first massage therapy jobs and it was the night before she was getting her first chemotherapy treatment. She just needed a healthy, safe touch and a listening ear. And I provided that safe space for her. I think in that moment I learned how massage is so much more than a physical experience, and it’s allowed me to have a certain level of empathy going into my sessions.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well I’m a Cincinnati native. I served in the Army National Guard for six years and actually just finished my contract last year in 2021. During my time in the military is when I decided to become a massage therapist. After being away, training for my job for almost a year, I felt like it was time for me to do something different and to have a stable career. I wanted to be a therapist and go to school for psychology but I did not feel comfortable entering into an undergrad program because of how long it had been since I was in school. So my plan was to go to school for massage therapy and graduate be able to work that for you a few days out of the week and go to school full-time for Psychology.

However, while I was in school, I realized that I actually enjoyed massaging people. I really enjoyed having someone come in and they have lack of range of motion or pain in certain areas and after an hour with me they are feeling like themselves again. I fell in love with being able to help people. After getting licensed I realize that there is a demographic who always needs that type of work and care to their muscles and that’s athletes. And so I decided that’s what I would l concentrate on and so I started up my business back in 2018. I took various contain education courses, I’ve trained at NFL combine training facilities, I’ve worked with various professional, amateur and collegiate athletes.

I focus on recovery for those athletes and preventing injuries, while also helping maintain their most optimal condition in and out of season. No session is the same. Different tools and methods are used for each person. I’m always tailoring my work to what each client needs. I spend countless hours studying the work of different massage therapists that are in my field. I have worked with physical therapists picking their brains. I have great relationships with chiropractors in the area and just really taking the time to learn what techniques are most beneficial to my clients.

I feel what sets me apart is that I really care about how my clients are treating their bodies after they get off the table. My work itself is unique to the person but also the treatment plan suggested to them is very unique as well. I also make it my business to know about the other wellness practitioners that my clients are working with so that we can be on the same page as far as a treatment plan with my clients and a lot of therapists do not do that. I want to make sure that my client is getting the best possible results and it’s important to be able to work as a team with other people.

The brand of Calming Souls Massage at its core is to educate and to make sure that you’re leaving a session or any encounter with me, feeling empowered on how to care for your body. Confident that you have the knowledge to create better habits and that you just got a unique and tailored massage session that is going to not only help heal whatever issues that you have going on but also help prevent them from coming back. The ultimate goal is to help heal and educate. Even if I can’t address your issue, I can direct you into the right place where you can get the help that you need.

I would say that I’m most proud of my current work with Miami University in Oxford. I dreamt of being in this place where I could help student athletes be their best selves on and off the field and I’m doing that now along with working with pro athletes. I have Bengals players that I work with and other awesome athletes as well. I prayed and hoped for the moment that I’m in right now. Also just being able to accomplish all this with a small child just adds to the fulfillment. I’m a mom of a one-year-old little boy named Derrick. I never envisioned having children but the fact that I’m still able to reach my goals and still accomplish the things that I want maybe not in the timeframe that I had expected but still being able to achieve what I wanted to achieve while also being a parent is a major accomplishment for me and something that I’m very proud of.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Networking. Putting a face to the name. Giving out so many free massages. Going to gyms and local events. Just meeting people. I’ve learned that people aren’t buying from your business because they necessarily like what you offer or what you do, but they like YOU as a person. There are many other talented massage therapists but my clients come to me and recommend me because of the conversation they get on top of the quality off work. Engaging with people consistently has probably been the biggest way I’ve built my community of people. And just telling everyone what I do when I meet them.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Getting back into the momentum of having the same full schedule I had before I had my son. I worked all the way until my 9th month and then took a 4/5 month break to be home. My schedule was not full when I started back. Dealing with post partum depression, while also in school for my bachelors degree, while also trying to run my business and adult was ROUGH. Looking at my peers in the industry and seeing where they were I questioned myself a lot. I really felt so far behind, I felt like my career took a major step backwards and I didn’t know if I’d be able to rebuild what looked like was lost. But I just went back to the basics. I networked, met new people, did events. I had to reach a new audience again and that was difficult to do but it paid off and not only did I gain many new clients, I signed a contract with Miami University a few months after my maternity leave ended. It was hard but I’m glad that I pulled through.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.calmingsoulsmassage.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/calmingsoulsmassagetherapy?r=nametag

Image Credits
Rooted Creative