We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Sietos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Kathy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I had absolutely no business experience at all when I started my practice. I knew right from the start though that I wanted to have a studio space that provided the feeling of safety and security so that those that entered would feel seen and able to completely experience whatever range of emotions came up in the moment knowing that they were held without judgement.

I worked really hard to get to where I am now, I had no marketing experience and no knowledge of how to get my name out there. At the time, Living Social was a popular platform for the beauty and spa industry,

Reiki wasn’t something that was popular or well known at the time so for them to run my ad I had to negotiate a package deal that was a combination treatment of Thai Yoga Massage and Reiki. I sold 500 vouchers in 3 days and only made $20 per voucher.

To be honest it was the luckiest break I ever had. With the payout that I received a week after I ran the deal I was able to rent my first studio space and had made enough money in three days to cover the rent for a year.

I worked 10 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 6 months to honor all of the vouchers that I sold.

It was hard mentally, physically and emotionally, but it was was the most satisfying accomplishment of my life because I earned it.

Since then I have been abundantly blessed with remarkable clients and a schedule that fills 2 months in advance.

My advice to any entrepreneur is this, see in your minds eye what you want and do anything you can to make it a reality. Don’t let the fear of investing (time, money, labor) stand in the way of what you want to create. When we have a vision that is heart focused there is nothing that will stand in the way of it manifesting. The first step is taking the leap and having a clear vision of what you want and everything else will follow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always knew I wanted to help people but never knew quite what that meant for me until ten years after being in the social work field.

After college I worked with people who had sustained traumatic brain injuries, helping them to become more independent and relearn basic living skills.

I then moved on to helping children with severe neglect and trauma as a mental health practitioner.

This led me to seek out ways of finding my own balance and wellness so that I could process through all of the things that I saw and experienced every day in this line of work.

After my first experience receiving Reiki my eyes were opened to a whole new reality that I didn’t even know was there.

From there I began to study all things esoteric. I have completed all three degrees of Usui Reiki and have been certified in sound therapy, core shamanism and yoga.

I take classes and workshops with teachers all over the world regularly to continue to further my understanding of the various dimensions of the human existence and to help myself, the planet and others have a better experience here on earth.

I love teaching the healing modalities that I practice and work hard to put together meaningful and beneficial classes to help others access their own wisdom and abilities.

My mom and I have been facilitating sound immersions using gongs, bowls and drums for the last 9 years and absolutely are fascinated constantly by the tremendous healing everyone receives through the potency of the scared vibrations.

I enjoy my one on one energy medicine work immensely and feel so blessed to have held space for so many incredible people over all these years.

No two days are alike and I feel so lucky to be holding space for others to do such meaningful work for themselves while using me as their conduit.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would absolutely choose this life work over and over again, without a doubt. I also would choose the path that led me here as well. I learned so much from the clients I worked with in the social service field and I know I would not be where I am now if I had not had that experience first.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

The most important thing to be successful in the wellness field is an have an honest desire to help others while knowing that you are just the vessel that they are working through. We cannot take credit for others healing. They choose it when they are ready. We are just lucky to be chosen as their space holders and their mirrors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thaiyogamassageandbodywork.massagetherapy.com/home
• Instagram: @green.light.reiki
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/TFA4jemuQnb

Image Credits
Mary Amor Jessica Jo Photo