We recently connected with Andrew Hardardt and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andrew thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Certified Massage Therapy focused on
• Rehabilitation from injury
• Injury prevention
• Physio-therapy
• Input on how to make adjustments in the lives of my clients so that they feel better more often and that those adjustments fit into their lives

I began this career as a necessary career change.

I spent close to 30 years as an Art Director/Designer in Brand Development for business with a focus on longevity and usability. During that time, I amassed several awards and the respect of my peers and coworkers, many of whom are still my close friends.
While working in Europe as a Marketing Design and Branding expert, I fell into an untenable situation I could not escape. With my morals and sense of justice on the line, I took on management knowing they would retaliate. I stood up for my coworkers against an amoral, sexist, misogynistic manager who started an affair with one of our teammates and then pushed her up the ziggurat of corporate management. I ended up being let go during a restructure for it.

The aftermath was a difficult three-year search for a position more suited to my abilities. In the process, I found I had been grossly underpaid. My age, experience, and awards all worked against me in a country where the pay system is government-dictated based on age and experience. with my awards taken into account, my pay scale increased enough to make me a non-candidate as businesses don’t like to take that kind of risk/reward gamble – awards don’t mean much to a business that has pay, pension, healthcare, etc. mandated and therefore rather costly from their perspective. Strike three before I even got in the door.

So, a career change was required. I spoke with family and friends both here in the States and overseas and discussed my wants with them. When I began as a production artist back in the mid 1980’s, computers barely existed in the commercial arts. I was front and center for their advent and eclipsing of manual methods, a loss I felt. I had not been “working” with my hands in 20+ years and wanted to change that; to step away from the keyboards and monitors.

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?

Almost to a person, when I laid out my wishes – manual work, closer contact with clients, something more immediately rewarding to both my clients and me – nearly all of my friends and family said “you should be a massage therapist”. I thought they were out of their minds as I’d never thought of it as a career. But, I also decided to not ignore this near-unanimous advice and began to look into it.

Tyche, one of our greatest and least understood Greek Goddesses, stepped in… hard.

From my home in Europe, I discovered a school close to my family, one of the last to offer a fully customized curriculum rather than the cookie-cutter path being foisted by the State. I could cycle to training rather than drive. My family supported and encouraged me, granting me a place to stay while in training. I didn’t need a loan; I could manage the cost while attending the institute full-time. And, I created a truly unique program for myself – which the school now offers, that matched my personal experiences, healthcare beliefs and training as an athlete and Coach; a fast-tracked 500-hour program. And, I completed it in less than six months.

I also had an offer for work before I had completed my training and I began immediately post-completion and Certification.
That was seven+ years ago and I’ve enjoyed every day of what I do.

About my Business and Me

Certified Massage Therapy focused on
• Rehabilitation from injury
• Injury prevention
• Physio-therapy
• Input on how to make adjustments in the lives of my clients so that they feel better more often and that those adjustments fit into their lives

Description of Services
• Rehabilitative, Sports and Physio-Therapy Massage
• Athletic and Health Training
• Training Plans
• ART/PRT, Yoga and Stretching
• Graston-style Massage/Physio-Therapy
• Cold Cupping
• Trigger Point Therapy
• DMS Sports and Recuperative Massage

What makes the business unique?
• My athletic and sports-related background
• Training as a National-level Coach
• The unique backgrounds and lifestyles and needs/wants of clients
• My understanding of the interconnectedness of the body, mind, life, trauma, and how various therapies can help
• I am a good therapist with a unique set of skills and knowledge/background
• I listen to my clients, develop a plan of approach, garner their buy-in/agreement, execute the plan and am available for post-therapy questions

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Pretty much every day, I have to drop any preconceived notions of what is “best for you, my patient”, what works and what doesn’t work for you, and WHY…

No matter how much I know or how much I “think” I know, there’s a mountain of knowledge I’ve yet to ascend. That mountain contains information for which I am constantly searching. Have a knee concern? We need to discover the root causes, how your body is compensating and accommodating, why that particular process, are there other issues coming into play, etc. Without that data, my ability to assist you is hampered and you’ll not get the best care I am able to give you.

When I started, I thought long about what I meant to my patients and why. I discovered a simple saying that I use constantly because it fits my professional nature: “Everybody is different… and every BODY is different”.

Sounds simple but it’s incredibly complex. The example I use to illustrate this is that you come to me today, we do the session you want, and what your body tells me, and hopefully you’re in a better place when you leave my offices. You come back tomorrow and you, and your body, are different, sometimes vastly different. Your mental state is transformed; your body has acclimated to its new self-awareness and proprioception. You feel like a different person because you are different.

Because of this, I cannot – and will not, do the same work every time I see you. You’re a very different physical and psychological being from one moment to the next so why would homogenous work practices be effective? They cannot. And this is a major issue with healthcare in the country today.

It’s also why I see more and more people seeking out “alternative” methods of staying healthy. But, that’s a story for another day. Just remember that many “alternative” practices started thousands of years ago… so why are these the “alternative” rather than “standardized medicine” which is only around hundred years old…? Seems like the “establishment” did a misdirect on us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AHMassage.biz

Image Credits

© Andrew Hardardt