We were lucky to catch up with Andy Prescott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I have a number of stories like this, but I have worked with a client for over a year now who, when they first started seeing me, were just beginning their a trauma healing, which included seeking out safe touch experiences. Their nervous system was so hypervigilant to touch when they first started seeing me, we did the whole massage through the sheet and blanket because skin to skin touch was too triggering at the time.

After months of working together (and months of them pursuing complimentary services such as clinical therapy and chiropractic care), they eventually got to a point where they felt comfortable receiving direct skin to skin touch, felt comfortable speaking up and giving feedback throughout our sessions together (which can be difficult with people with trauma histories and a tendency to shift into a fawn response), and felt relief from the constant tension they were holding in their body.

They also have just opened up and livened up so much in their general demeanor so much since we started working together. I’m really proud of them and their progress.

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

I currently offer bodywork services such as massage, reiki, and one on one sound healing sessions, with a focus on providing trauma-responsive care to people who may experience various forms of exclusion from a traditional bodywork experience.

I also offer couple’s massage lessons, to help facilitate deeper connection between partners and polycules, and chair massage to make office settings a little more welcoming. In late spring, I will also be opening up the CONNECT Community Center for Well-being with Liberty Gonzalez and Dakota Gonzalez, two incredible individuals who are also centered around accessibility, community, and liberation. At the CONNECT Center, I will be offering group sound baths, guided meditation courses, and educational workshops in the future.

I understand how difficult it is to find a safe space while living through marginalizing experiences, and I know that practices like meditation, bodywork, and community connection can be vital resources for those striving towards embodiment and well-being, regardless of identity.

It is my mission to help all people feel better in their bodies, whether that’s recovery from an injury, or holding compassionate space for people to receive care for their bodies and spirit, every body is welcome to receive care on my table.

I have worked hard to understand my own trauma and how to have a good relationship with my body. I have also made my practice be a place where all people can come and feel seen and cared for in a way that is best for them.

I studied massage at Midwest Institute. I use various techniques such as swedish massage, deep tissue, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, hot stone massage, lymphatic drainage, and reflexology.

In addition to massage, I have expanded my knowledge as a wellness practitioner through the study of reiki, guided meditation, and sound healing.

I see people of all different kinds in my practice. I believe that that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

By virtue of being an openly queer, trans, neurodivergent person, I attract a lot of clients that are also queer, trans, neurodivergent, or otherwise feel othered by the wellness industry, which widely prioritizes people in bodies that are white, cisgender, heterosexual, neurotypical, able-bodied, and thin bodied. There isn’t currently a lot of space for supporting the well-being of clients with historically marginalized experiences, and people with marginalized experiences tend to develop rich support networks to get their needs met.

So, when I started offering my services as a self-employed person, separate from a larger spa, I was able to be very intentional about the experience from start to finish for my clients, to provide an experience that accommodates clients to the best of my knowledge, and I am transparent that I am always growing and improving my practices to continue improving accommodations for clients. Because marginalized communities have these deeply connected support networks, once I started providing my services, it was only natural that my clients would share with the communities they’re connected to that I am a safe person for them.

My clients take comfort in knowing that I am a person who personally lives some marginalized experiences, and that for those experiences that I don’t share with a client, I have put effort into educating myself, building systems that take their needs into consideration, and I am comfortable recieving feedback on how I can do better. So, I am blessed that my clients often enthusiastically recommend my services to their support networks.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There’s no substitute for quality work. No amount of using inclusive language when marketing one’s services will make up for services that can’t be adjusted to meet a wide array of needs. So, when I thought about how I wanted to run my business, developing the process of how to meet people where they are in their journey was always the first priority.

As a person offering healing services to marginalized communities I’m a part of, I am also aware that earning the trust of my fellow community members to hold vulnerable space for them requires that I be a trustworthy person. I am very conscious and introspective about how I can best live my values in every space and relationship I occupy, both online and in person.

I also practice intentional vulnerability in all the spaces and relationships I occupy. While still respecting others’ energetic boundaries, I make it clear that I’m still a human who makes mistakes, has feelings, and struggles along with everyone else.

Ultimately, there’s no marketing, SEO, or PR strategy that can substitute doing the internal work to actually be a safe, trustworthy person who’s good at what they do. You build a reputation by being reputable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trianglewellnesscollective.com/
• Instagram: @trianglewellnessco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Triwellnessco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-prescott-b6b92160/
• Other: https://www.connectforwellbeing.com/

Image Credits
Elizabeth Rajchart Photography