We recently connected with April Fortes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi April, thanks for joining 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.

As cliche as this might sound, I feel like I have had many defining moments throughout my career.

The first one is when I decided to go to school for Massage Therapy and drop out of traditional college. Not something my parents loved, but I went for it and they supported it eventually.

I have been a massage therapist for almost 20 years now. In that time, I have owned a day spa, became a massage trade school instructor, and worked in various upscale and boutique healing centers. All of which have impacted me in many ways to show me that I am exactly where I need to be.

Almost 14 years ago, I was in a deep meditation and somehow my body began to beg me to move and so I listened. As a bodyworker, awareness of my body is heightened, and in that same vein, I could tell that many people were NOT aware of their bodies. So, I gave my body what it wanted and in an instant I was in an ecstatic movement and dance and by the end of it – I felt freedom from pain in my body, mind and soul!

You could say that was my next huge defining moment because it started a new trajectory of my role in the healing world.

Although it wasn’t something that was at all popular back then, my intuition told me to share this with others. So, I began teaching somatic movement to a small group at the YMCA around 2010. This small group came every week, and each person began to tell me how it was changing them and how they viewed themselves within their body. It was such a beautiful thing to witness!

Eventually, that Y shut down, and because I questioned if studios would even consider this work, my insecurities had me stop teaching this class back then.

I continued to work as a bodyworker, my first love, and life kept moving – I got married, had a child, and just when I was ready to start my own practice again, the pandemic hit. I could not practice at all.

So, here comes my next defining moment. Covid got me thinking again about ways to help others heal without touching them, and I started to look for ways to share my knowledge of somatics, bodywork and all the alternative healing practices I’ve learned throughout the years. I kept hearing about breathwork, and when I looked it up and joined an online session, I was so blown away with how much I released – I felt just like I did when I fell into that first ecstatic movement and dance!

I decided to get certified in Breathwork facilitation and dove deeper into my somatic studies as well!

Once things opened back up, I was ready to start teaching somatic movement and breathwork sessions. I began holding group sessions in February of 2022, and 2 years later, I’ve touched a couple hundred lives, held space for close to 50 groups, and have held 2 weekend retreats.

After all this, I know in the depths of my heart and in my bones that I am meant to help others in connecting back to their bodies and to their own true wisdom within.

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

Like I mentioned, I have been a Massage Therapist for almost 20 years now. In that time, I have dove deep into somatic healing, different alternative healing methods, and most recently breathwork facilitation.

My credentials include:
Licensed Massage Therapist
Somatic Stress Release Practitioner
Certified Breathwork Facilitator

If you take a deeper look at all the work that I do, they share a common thread – all of it is somatic healing. All of them pertain to creating a healing environment within the body by connecting to and using what we are already equipped with to heal ourselves.

For specifics, my offerings include holisitic bodywork, private somatic and breathwork coaching, group healing sessions, and retreats.

My offerings are always evolving, but the mission will always remain – which is to help others in connecting back to their bodies and helping others find the healer within themselves.

My role in healing is purely to guide others back to themselves. I truly believe that you are your own guru and you are the healer you’ve been looking for.

My most recent business, Sacred Journey Collective is the culmination of all my offerings and the community that is growing within it. In the next year or so, one can expect to see more offerings and collaborations with other healers who support the vision of seeing life as a Sacred Journey. Trainings for this work will also be coming soon!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I would say that the most effective strategy for growing my clientele is truly to keep showing up! In the beginning, it will almost always feel discouraging. Show up anyway.
You might have to cancel a session or two because no one signed up. Keep going anyway.
I believe consistency is key. Keep talking about your work, keep offering the classes.
I don’t know how many times people have told me that they have been watching for my stuff and finally something worked out for them to finally get to the class.
Staying consistent and the fact that I kept going and NOT giving up before the momentum started building is the most effective strategy for my growth in my overall business.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

So many!! I’m a sucker for a good podcast, and there are so many books that have impacted the way I approach life and business.

One really popular one is “Think and Grow Rich” – Napoleon Hill – this book is probably why I have a “keep going, keep growing” mentality.

Anything by Gary Vaynerchuk, but his first book “Crush It” really inspired me in marketing.

Miki and Radha Agrawal have both also inspired me! Radha wrote “Belong” which inspired me in creating community and creating safe spaces and transformational experiences.
Miki wrote “Disrupt-Her” which inspired me to run my business the modern woman way.

I also believe that if it is in your budget to do so, hiring a business coach or joining a coaching cohort, or joining a Mastermind group can be tremendously helpful!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sacredjourneycollective.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/holistically_april
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/aprilmayfortes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilmayfortes

Image Credits
Vanessa Magdaleno – Brand Stories