Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexander Stadler, LMT. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alexander, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I’d considered massage therapy as a potential career while I was working as a Facilities Manager for a fairly large law firm in Atlanta. It was my partner at the time who’d initially gotten interested, and when I looked I didn’t think I could make enough to offset my then career, which made me somewhat reluctant to pursue that path. However, several factors actually shaped my trajectory. That relationship ended painfully, and within a year or two several things changed. Ultimately, I left that position, which had been a powerful, well-respected, and profitable position, but I was not happy working with the firm. I didn’t even choose to leave, not really, but I caused it to happen with negative energy. It took me a while to understand what I’d done, but I’d been attracting it out loud, though I’d been too scared to give up a “good job” that I really hadn’t enjoyed. I learned a lot, but much of it was negative.
It was not too long thereafter that I decided to give massage school a try. While I immediately enjoyed the open-minded environment, and I connected quickly to the nurturing mindset of the school, I still harbored fears about establishing myself and supporting myself. About halfway through the program, during a transitional phase when multiple classes wound up coming together, I had an odd event change the way I looked at bodywork. The atmosphere was very warm, and we weren’t discouraged from moving around or even gently working on one another. I felt a burning, painful sensation in the back of my right shoulder, and I couldn’t get it to relax. When I felt around, nothing seemed to be wrong with my shoulder. On instinct, I wandered around until I felt like I was closing in on the issue. I walked right up to a student I didn’t know, and I put my hand right on that area of their back and began rubbing. It was almost as though I wasn’t even thinking. They immediately expressed relief and thanks saying, “Oh, man! That spot has been bothering me forever!” I’d had some previous, odd expressions of intuition, and while I had learned to listen, this made me feel so much more validated in following those feelings and potential insights.
While that certainly wasn’t the end of my journey, it was a new beginning, and while there were also many obstacles to success I feel that particular moment helped me to realize that I was on the path I needed to follow. I’m glad I did, because now I can honestly say that I love what I do and how it helps others! Loving what you do is a powerful place from which to gain agency for oneself. It’s empowering, and helps to empower others.
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
My name is Alex Stadler, and I began Full Compass Massage around 14 years ago. We focus on postural alignment through assessment, practice, and education, and our motto is “Providing Wellness Through Healing Touch & Education”. A large portion of our clientele have experienced physical or emotional trauma, and our mindset and approach allow our clients the space to process the physically-related components of these traumas. FCM is an equal opportunity provider and employer, and the range of our clients is from adolescence to centenarian. Many come to learn more about how their body works and how to empower themselves to be more in tune with their bodies to not only avoid pain but also to become more at peace and capable within their bodies.
Currently, there are two of us in practice at FCM, and both Alex Stadler and Ian Williams practice Alex’s unique “Deep Listening Method”, which is embodied in the way that our practitioners look at and connect with our clients and their bodies. We allow the clients’ bodies to inform our pathway to recovery based on the frequency of their musculature, neural response, emotional and mental feedback, as well as the inherent tension matrix that is the glue of the postural set of any body. Multiple assessments are performed before, during, and after our sessions, and we discuss, inform, and educate our clients about what we are seeing and what factors can be causative, as well as how to avoid potential pitfalls and dangers.
Between the two of us, we collectively work seven days, and we are by appointment. In part I’m proud to say that we no longer advertise, because we stay busy on continuous and bountiful recommendations of our beautiful and beloved client family! Our ideal clients seek to get better, are willing to do the work, and they are ready and willing to support themselves on their wellness journey, and we are excited to meet them and to watch and to help them to grow!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Well, a lesson I believe that many bodyworkers should learn is that not all injuries are created equally. When we’re taught techniques in massage school we’re often show a template for approaching a physical injury. The way that information is portrayed is often monolithic, unbending. As in, “You should always approach this injury in this way.” That, I believe, is demonstrably short-sighted, false, and ultimately restrictive in such a way as to become harmful. There are quite often many layers to an injury, and these have connections within the individually both physically, as well as psychologically, emotionally… We are more complex and more individually patterned than any technique, so the approach and our ability to be open to what is needed and to connect to that individual is wherein power to change lies.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
While knowledge is powerful, and experience is very helpful, what I believe makes the most difference in accomplishing change, being successful both as a practitioner and in our career, is a willingness to listen. Continuing to grow our willingness and ability to hear/feel/connect is paramount for a bodyworker and for any healer. We first make space, and then we allow the truth in that moment of connect to fill that space.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fullcompassmassage.com
Image Credits
Photos by Earl Skates of EZ AZ That Photography