We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrienne Schroeder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Adrienne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
About two years into my career and with a well-established roster of clients, I was encouraged to hear of the plans of two of my clients in particular. Both were considering enrolling in school to become a licensed massage therapist as seeing me as their therapist tipped the scales for them to do so. One was already established as a successful esthetician and she was looking to add more to her service menu. What she gleaned from me was the ability to be versatile and to know one’s audience. Just as I am easily able to offer manual therapy and energy work (very different approaches to self-healing), she wanted to offer esthetician services with touch therapy. Seeing that I could treat one person in multiple ways to get to the same great result showed her that she could add massage therapy to her menu of esthetic services. Since she’s gone to school and earned her massage license, her business has evolved even more and her clients often express how they like her broader offerings, often booking a facial with a massage. She and I now connect on topics that mutually engage us such as facial massage and at-home self-care practices for our clients.
My other client completely switched careers leaving behind a 25-year run at a printing press laden with chemicals and manual labor, to opening up her own studio space and offering gentle touch therapy for a niche group of people. She focuses on helping people through grief with touch therapy and blends essential oils and craniosacral therapy into her craft. The growth I’ve seen in her as she’s lovingly called me her mentor has been amazing and I cannot be more proud of the therapist she’s become. It truly was a defining moment to know I helped someone step into a career that has far-reaching rewards and pays it forward. Seeing myself as a mentor and an inspiration has certainly been a humbling moment, and even the time of this article I’ve got another client who’s considering getting her massage license.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In 2018, my family and I moved back to Michigan from a five-year relocation in Houston, Texas. At the time, I had been a middle school teacher for 12 years and planned to continue teaching. However, I couldn’t find a position that met my needs, and I started feeling like my teaching career was coming to an end. I’ve always been wellness-oriented, so I began to explore new career possibilities in that realm. I first considered physical therapy but realized it didn’t excite me. Around that time, I remembered Irene’s School of Myomassology, a place my late grandfather often pointed out to me when we drove past it. Something about it intrigued me, and in December 2018, I toured the school and promptly enrolled in their February 2019 program.
I graduated in March 2020 and became a licensed massage therapist. I had started working at a spa during my last month of school, planning to continue there after passing my MBLEX exam. Then, COVID hit, and I had to stop working. During the lockdown I took time to decide whether I wanted to work for someone else or branch out on my own. I eventually chose to work at another spa briefly to learn more about the industry before starting my own practice.
By May 2021, I left the spa and fully focused on building my business, Evolve Bodywork. I’ve grown my clientele organically, mostly through word-of-mouth. Clients find me through recommendations on social media, yoga classes, and personal referrals. It hasn’t always been smooth—early marketing investments didn’t pay off, and I experienced burnout when my schedule became overwhelming. I leaned on my husband’s support and learned to prioritize balance. I also started taking business classes and seeking mentors to refine my approach.
At Evolve Bodywork, I’ve created a space for clients to heal, evolve, and feel cared for. While I’m a licensed massage therapist, I incorporate much more into my work, including Reiki and energy healing. I’ve also developed signature treatments like “It’s All in Your Head,” which focuses on scalp, neck, and jaw tension, and “Embrace Your Face,” which combines scalp work with lymphatic drainage and facial sculpting. My sessions are deeply personalized, addressing each client’s unique needs while creating a multi-sensory experience with aromatherapy, calming music, and even a chocolate treat at the end.
I’ve taken extensive courses on fascial techniques, crystal therapy, and other modalities, and I’m now exploring teaching self-care techniques to empower my clients between sessions. Today, I’m proud of the business I’ve built and the meaningful relationships I’ve formed with my clients, offering them not just therapy but a place to feel seen, heard, and supported.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
One thing that strikes me as a path to success but not often talked about is the value of curiosity. If a therapist can remain curious about the human experience throughout her career on a macro scale, and on a micro scale be curious about her client, that openness leads to breakthroughs in the way one performs the therapeutic treatment.
One example of being curious on a macro scale is to be up-to-date on current research in our industry. There was recently a new cell discovered in our fascial system called fasciacytes, whose role is to produce hyaluronic acid in order to support the glide of our tissue layers. In 2018 the research into this just exploded and has had positive implications regarding the understanding of how our fascial system works. On a micro scale, being curious about why a client might have a chronic restricted shoulder girdle may lead to attempting techniques that “awaken” the fasciacytes, thus producing hyaluronic acid and leading to smoother movement and range-of-motion in that client’s shoulder.
Being curious about the socio-emotional components of a person’s lifestyle and how it may present in the physical body is another example of how one can be open to observations and allowing those observations to influence the therapeutic treatment. This comes from active listening and a genuine curiosity about the client’s situation – past or present – and really taking in all that the client has to say.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My clients often share that they feel truly heard and that I address their needs during our sessions, going above and beyond. By exploring further and applying thoughtful techniques, I help them become aware of pain or holding patterns in their bodies and reconnect with areas they may have felt disconnected from. One person told me, “it feels like you’re having a conversation with my body and I’m eavesdropping.” I thought that was quite flattering, and also amazing for someone to have such body awareness!
What’s also helped my reputation has been my sincerity. Often when it’s just myself and my client in the room I get to hear the deep things going on in their life. People find me very trustworthy rather quickly and what comes with that is the responsibility to be non-judgmental. Therefore, my clients know that not only do I hear what they say without criticism, but I use that information to deliver a compassionate, empathetic treatment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evolvebodyworkllc.com
- Instagram: @evolve.bodywork
- Facebook: @evolvebodyworkdetroit
Image Credits
Erin Hannum Photography