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

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

My moment was defined when I found myself inside a unique spa, after receiving a massage while I was out of town for a weekend trip away. I knew that my body needed a massage and didn’t care where I got one, as long as I could try to relax and destress. I didn’t research this spa, just picked the first one I saw in the area that had the date available. I was stressed and at the middle of a crossroads trying to find a career choice for the next in the next phase of my life. I thought about becoming a holistic wellness coach and was logically trying to make sense if I should pursue it. I wanted to still do something that had a purpose and be able to help others while making a living at it. This stress on top of other areas of stress was affecting my body, I was starting to have unexplained pain and dysfunction. When I walked into this spa, you instantly felt connected to the space and the energy it gave. As my awareness tuned into the environment more, I felt safe and grounded, and it was something I longed for. You could tell that the owners put in a lot of intent and wanted you to feel that way. As a highly sensitive person and empath, it made my energy go up and stress start to go down. While I was receiving my massage my mind began to settle more, my pain and dysfunction seemed to be melting away with my massage therapist’s touch. I gained a sense of self-awareness and became in tune with my body once again. I haven’t had that connection for so long and this was the best massage that I had experienced so far. I complimented my massage therapist on that and told her that she had a gift for giving massages. Then I asked her how long she had been giving massages. She told me about her journey & about finding her purpose, gifts, and talents, and while we chatted we found out we had a lot in common. Our values and views were similar and I was grateful for her sharing her story with me. When my massage session ended I began to get dressed I suddenly had a strong overwhelming feeling that I should become a massage therapist myself and eventually create something like this back home to share with others. I asked my faith to validate this feeling and said if this is meant to be, show me the signs, guide me, and provide it to me if it were true. I was starting to have doubts because I was in my 40s and wondering if I should pursue this and if I could physically do it. But still, I had this feeling and pull in my heart and soul to do it. After weeks of having this constant feeling and after talking with my husband, my four kids, and family & friends I began a quest to find a massage school to see if it would happen. I needed to find a school that met my needs along with my busy family’s schedule. I found one that met my requirements and wasn’t that far away from where I lived. I filled out an application, interviewed, got accepted, enrolled, and then graduated as a certified massage therapist within a year. While in massage school, I came to realize several things. A better understanding of the way the human body works, the other was the emphasis on health, wellness, and well-being. All these matched my holistic values and beliefs. I loved learning the different modalities and no longer view massage as a luxury at a spa, it is truly alternative and integrative medicine and it can help heal the body, mind, and spirit. I have learned to trust more of my, faith, and intuition and have been told numerous times I’m a natural at giving massages. With these reassurances and validations, I know I have found the right profession in this phase of my life.

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

I’m Amanda Sundblad and I started a journey to achieve better wellness and well-being which has led me to my current profession as a massage therapist/bodyworker and owner of Blue Lotus Massage & Wellness,LLC. I use my knowledge, training, and intuition as a guide to help restore the body, mind, and spirit through therapeutic touch. I genuinely care about my client’s needs and let them know that they are in safe hands and a safe place. I want them to be able to relax in a calm environment even if it is for an hour while on my massage table. I want to also bring an awareness that massage is more than a luxury in relaxation, but is an alternative medicine for good health practices. It has many health benefits and is a natural drug-free option to restore your body, mind, and spirit. And helping others achieve good health and well-being is very important to me. Your very own body is amazing and complex. The key is getting the body to respond and back into balance. Which is something that I didn’t realize for a long time. For the past 19 years, I have been learning the ebbs and flows of raising my family of six, with my husband and four children. I am also a highly sensitive person and empath. I see and feel things deeply on a different level and very differently than others most time. This is a gift that I have learned to accept and still learning to use. I have an innate nurturing spirit along with compassion and love for helping others. With these qualities and gifts, I learned to understand and help people and children on a unique level. I have over 24 years of experience as a care provider and teacher in early childhood and had a management role in child daycare centers, and also worked as a paraprofessional in public schools. I passionately loved working with infants and children, but the stress of that and other aspects of my life was taking a toll on my well-being and health was deteriorating and I was constantly fatigued, with low energy and vibration that caused pain and dysfunction. It was debilitating at times and MDs would run tests and couldn’t find out what was causing it and put me on prescription medications that seemed to make other things worse. I felt that I was going crazy at times because they couldn’t find anything physically wrong with me but I knew something was wrong because my body was telling me that. I found myself getting hopeless and starting to get depressed and felt that I wasn’t the same person anymore. I felt like I was stuck in a dark storm that wouldn’t pass. When a friend told me about acupuncture, I thought it was worth a try so I went to a TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioner and within 3 months, I started to feel better and my body started to heal. With the continuing maintenance of acupuncture and other alternative treatments, I became more educated and aware of my health and awareness of wellness. During this process, I learned and accepted that stress was never going to go away, but holistically and alternative/ integrative medicines gave me the tools I needed to help me cope with it. I started to shift my thinking and change my lifestyle which is only one part of the step to wellness. What is wellness? Wellness has several dimensions: mental, physical, social, financial, spiritual, environmental, and vocational. These are interdependent and influence each other. When one dimension of our well-being is out of balance, the other dimensions are affected. I was way out of balance on so many levels. After wanting to change my lifestyle and knew I wanted to teach and help others with their wellness. So I set out my goal of going to massage school after the age of 40 and becoming a certified massage therapist. Life phases happen and my father happened to pass away unexpectedly when I was about to graduate. Grief is hard and everyone grieves differently. I was close to my dad. My dad showed me a lot about being resilient from a young age. He had overcome trials both physically and mentally and proved to others that things are possible with your intention and thoughts. He was in an accident that broke his lower back and was told he was never walk again and be in a wheelchair the rest of his life. This news was hard to accept. But he was audacious in his thinking and found help to balance his wellness. He built his strength both physically and mentally and within two years he showed that the impossible was possible. He was able to walk with two canes. Many trials and tribulations were a part of his life journey and I witnessed some of those lessons. I had been through a lot of trauma and hard experiences myself and I learned not to let them define me, just as my dad showed me. Life can be a struggle at times. It’s about finding the light in the darkness. Balance is not something you find, its something you create. Since my dad passed, he gives me signs that he is still with us. When I was trying to figure out what to name my practice, I kept on seeing lotus flowers everywhere. I looked up the meaning it represents strength, resilience & rebirth. It was was a reminder for me. And then I found the saying of the lotus that resonated. Just like a lotus, we too have the ability to rise from the mud bloom out of the darkness, and radiate into the world. I believe this was my dad’s way of saying this one and you know what to do. When I found the blue lotus flower I instantly loved it, and when I found the meaning for it; the pursuit of understanding, clarity, and greater wisdom, I knew this was indeed the one. In tribute to my dad, and to help others find their light again. I named my business and practice Blue Lotus Massage & Wellness LLC. It’s an honor to use the lotus symbol for my business name and logo. It brings me joy to work and help others with their health and wellness and I am grateful to be on my journey with them.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth, repeat clients, discounts, referrals, networking, and using the web and social media has helped my practice grow.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Having a clear intention for your practice/business, setting your goals, and having deadlines. Show compassion and be professional with your clients. Communicate with your client and check in with your client’s needs and what they are looking for from their session. If you are not able to provide them with what they want, graciously refer them to another massage therapist or another practitioner who possibly can. Ask for your client’s feedback, and learn from it. Learn from your mistakes and admit them. Be kind to yourself. Attract what you want. Enjoy the journey and be sure you make your own self-care and wellness priority!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandabluelotus.massagetherapy.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085660260407
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-sundblad-740aab254
• Other: https://www.nulifeservices.org/