Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Caleena Karstens. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Caleena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I became a Reiki practitioner in March of 2021 at just the right time in my life. It helped me come back to life when I did not know I was mostly dead inside. I got fired from my corporate job in May of 2021, a blessing in disguise and was able to start following my passion. I did a lot of random jobs over the years as I got certified as a health and life coach and eventually added massage therapy. Having all three aspects helps heal the body, mind and spirit. We hold trauma and stress in our bodies in a way that hurts us if we do not learn to let it go. When you bring together energy healing (reiki), getting the mind right (coaching) and releasing the soft tissue (massage), the full body can finally perform at its optimal level. My goal is to be a “safe space for transformation” so anyone and everyone can learn to be their best selves.

Caleena, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Caleena Karstens. I am a wellness practitioner in Saint Louis, MO. I bring massage, reiki and life coaching together to help heal body, mind, and spirit. Becoming a massage therapist is about 20 years in the making and I finally completed the training March of 2023. It has been a long-time dream since I was in high school. I was in drumline in high school and often gave the guys massages because our backs hurt from the harnesses. I loved helping people relax and feel better to continue feeling better in their everyday life. Life circumstances took me a different direction for quite a few years, but the universe always brings everything full circle. While I was working a new job as a health coach, the business I worked for was looking for a massage therapist to rent out a room too. I wanted to do that, so I started looking for a massage therapy program. I found one that incorporated Reiki and had a cancer clinic, working with clients who have been diagnosed with cancer. That is near and dear to my heart, my aunt had cancer when I was in high school, and I saw how much pain she was in. I always wished I could help relieve her pain, but I didn’t know how before she passed away, so this was my way of paying it forward and hopefully helping others feel better in their time of need.

Now, I have trauma awareness and specialize in working with those that would like to release the trauma they are holding in their bodies. I am coming up with a coaching program to implement coaching, reiki and massage to help individuals really get rid of the extra weight on their shoulders and live a freer lifestyle. I hope to help heal as many people as I can. I really love what I do and enjoy making people feel better in more ways than one. I am proud of the fact of people coming out from a first massage with me and so many times I have heard, “That was the best massage I have ever had”. I’m grateful for healing hands that can help others prosper.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I REALLY started my business in May of 2023, even though I had had the LLC since January of 2022. I had been doing reiki for people and had a couple coaching clients, but not many. However, I got licensed as a massage therapist in March of 2024, started a new job right away and teamed up with another LMT that rented a room at the studio I started working at, he was looking for a little more help and I needed to get my name out there more, so we teamed up. However, things were going really well for me and because of my Little Black Book family I also got connected to another woman who was looking to rent out a room to a massage therapist/health coach (me!). Her rent was super minimal and doable, so I jumped on the opportunity. I wasn’t planning on changing anything else that I was doing, working at the studio and working with the other LMT. However, he did not like I took this other opportunity and said that I was making a big mistake, he had made running a business look too easy, I’m not capable of running my own business and if I fall flat on my face, he wasn’t going to be there to take me back… So, I bet on myself and took the leap and less than a year later, I am so grateful. I have some amazing clients that have shared my information with their friends and family, so I am keeping myself busy. I was scared to not have the safety net, but I am so grateful for my support group who helped me get where I am today and helping to push me even further.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to make a big pivot when I got fired from my corporate job in May of 2021. That was a whirlwind of a month… My dad was back home in Arizona and had to have a quintuple bypass surgery at the beginning of the month. I graduated with my MBA on May 8th, got fired on May 10th and went home to officiate my best friend’s wedding on May 12th. So, when I returned from the wedding I had to find somewhere to live (my new landlord did not like me and my dogs in his new property) and had to find a job. I was already a reiki practitioner, so I was letting people know about that, but hadn’t really started my business. I started working at a pet care company which was wonderful. I got a lot of walking in, spend time with wonderful animals and drove Uber/Lyft on my spare time to cover all the bills that I could. Eventually that wasn’t cutting it, so I added another job and another. At one point I had 4 or 5 jobs and usually worked about 3 a day. I ended up still needing a roommate which helped me a lot in the long run. From May of 2021 until now there has been a lot of time spend in survival mode; however, I feel like I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and can finally breathe. Again, I am so grateful for this part of my journey thus far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.therenewalhaven.com
• Instagram: @therenewalhaven
• Facebook: @therenewalhaven
• Linkedin: Caleena Karstens
• Youtube: @discoveringlaelllc1295
• Yelp: The Renewal Haven

Image Credits

AbbieTakesPictures