Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Camille Mathis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Camille, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
As long as I have been studying Massage Therapy, I have had an interest in its application to healthcare for children. When I saw and understood the benefits of massage for preventative and complementary healthcare I thought it would even more amazing and beneficial to introduce it at a young age. My interest in Pediatric Massage Therapy has grown and lead to classes and certifications so that I can offer it to more families in my community. One particular family stands out as to why Pediatric Massage is important and valuable. A woman came in to bring her two preteen daughters to get a massage. One of her daughters dealt with some social-emotional difficulties and I could tell she was very timid and apprehensive about the massage. Her mom and sister went first, and after seeing her sister’s enjoyment she decided she was comfortable giving it a try. I always follow-up with with new clients, so I reached out to the mom a few days later to see how everyone was feeling and the mom said “…what’s really cool is that **** is super shy and uncomfortable around new people we don’t know. She said she would love to come back to see you!” Those were the kindest words I had heard in a while! The research and studying I have done supports that positive touch can increase trust, social development and emotional wellbeing in children, especially those that may struggle with these things due to a variety of circumstances. I was so grateful that she shared those words with me and helped remind me of why this work is important and how beneficial it can be.
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?
I got into Massage Therapy mainly because I wanted to get into a field that allowed me to help people and do something I believe in. Massage was something that I had seen growing because my father struggled with pain associated with scoliosis and massage was always helpful for him. I also grew up with my mom and aunt relying heavily on home remedies and homeopathic medicine to take care of myself and my siblings. Having that basis also made me want to stick to holistic medicine and when a friend of my older sister mentioned how much she loved her new career in Massage Therapy, I dove right in. I have been a LMT for about 7 years now. Five of those years I spend predominantly working with Chiropractors, so most of my experience is working with chronic pain management related to autoimmune disorders, joint, bone and muscle disfunction as well as general wellness for families. I also work for children and infants doing and teaching Pediatric and Infant Massage Therapy. I try to incorporate holistic wellness, so I encourage my clients to address all aspects of wellness including nutrition and emotional wellbeing.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Beside training I think what is most helpful to succeed in Massage Therapy is intention! This is a field that requires that you care about people and you have a deep desire to help them. I have to give a lot of physical and emotional energy and having a clear “WHY” and purpose and what you do is what helps push me to keep going and excel for the people I work with. I believe that that being motivated by purpose is the key to success in any line of work, but specifically in body work where you touch people regularly having the intention to help others and doing your best for the sake of others.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
What has been the most effective way for me to grow my clientele is to focus not just on selling the service I offer but instead sharing the experience people have by receiving this service from me. I do most of my marketing through word-of-mouth because people seemed to be more comfortable with getting a massage from someone who someone they know has gotten a massage from. I am still working on even better strategies to grow my clientele, but they are all focused around ways to share more about me and the experience I offer so that people can get to know who I am and what they can expect and hopefully decide to book with me. The easiest way to attract your ideal client is to be yourself and the people you want will be drawn to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HelpingHandsMT.com
- Instagram: @CammyLMT