We were lucky to catch up with Colleen Fletcher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Colleen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

David, My First Client

In 1995, I met my first client, David, at a chair massage event in Salem, Oregon. He was a kind and gentle soul, and I felt honored to start my massage therapy career with him.

David quickly became a regular client, and more than that, a dear friend. We would chat during our sessions about his life as a musician, his family, and his storied past. He was a huge supporter of me and my son, who is now also a musician.

David was always there for me, cheering me on as I built my business and raised my son as a single mom. When we moved to a new state, he was my first client there.

As David aged, I knew he wouldn’t be able to fly in to see me as often. Instead, we talked on the phone, and I cherished our conversations.

When David passed away, I was heartbroken. But I knew he’d lived a wonderful life, and I was grateful for his friendship and support.

David inspired me to expand my business into somatic wellness, and I know he’s always with me, cheering me on.

I’m so grateful for David. He was a special person who made a big difference in my life.

Colleen, 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?

As I peer into the past, my supple hands glow. 1994, Salem, OR: A newborn baby in my arms opened my eyes to the ever-changing churn of the world. On the night horizon loomed a divorce, but the morning poured light into my new career as a massage therapist. Instinctually, I knew I could help others, so I began to define my guiding-force toward inner and outer beauty for all. I could feel the energy bound in people’s bodies and sense when actions would ripple throughout the generations. With this ethos, I set out to cultivate humanities foundation for a mindful and beautiful existence.
Through the art of massage therapy, I learned to traverse the aches and pains of others — healing them and healing myself. The physical ailments my clients suffered blocked them from their fullest potential, so I mended the gap confining them from their prized lives by listening to their bodies. My healing hands hummed, but I needed them to sing. Training in postural rebalancing gave me the freedom to manually adjust muscles, which allowed my clients to be healthier for life. With the ability to release bound muscles, long held miseries on a deep physical level vanished. This unique perspective into body mechanics broadened my client base — musicians, plumbers, stay at home moms, other massage therapists and bookkeepers were all welcome. My guidance initiated the change for those who washed the world with a song of their own.

While massage has a way of opening doors to alignment and tranquility, I was led toward energetic pains — emotional bottlenecks blocking true, deep recovery. Reiki brings an energetic release into the body, as spasms of the physical self reveal themselves as spasms of the energetic self. So I saw my clients’ pains and used reiki to connect to their severed energetic and physical wellbeing. It became integral to my work the more my hands harmonized physical massage and reiki energetic treatments. I reconciled both aspects of healing my clients to hear the harmony within them all. With my ever-present curiosity to expand my understanding of the healer’s way, this led me to undertake the path of becoming a metaphysician, a hypnotherapist and an ordained minister. Blending symbiotically with the bodywork and the energy work at the heart of my practice, I shined more light into whole health. I became a voice of power and guided holistic wellness by encouraging my clients to find and polish their hallmark characteristics.

But I was missing something. I wanted to continue being a voice of power mentally, physically and spiritually and needed another way to do it. How could I take my guiding one step further and help fully elevate my clients? I had to look to my own past. Since I was a little girl, I accepted the solace that meditation gave me. Now that I was aware of my capabilities as a modern healer with continued business expansion, I tied together meditative healing as the next piece to the triangular approach I had to offer. Now, I could relieve immediate tension, retrain my clients’ postures and help them to retrain their minds. My healing hands transcended physical, mental and spiritual bounds.

My husband, son and I moved to Boise in the winter of 2006. Our journey to Idaho led me to a sabbatical from my healing work, which allowed me to actualize my teachings in my personal life. I had a teenage son to raise and a body I wanted to rejuvenate. However, as my son grew older and wiser, once again I felt compelled to build my business with my healing hands leading the way. I learned an important lesson while I was gone, that my actions will ripple for generations to come. My business wouldn’t be around to see the full-force of my impact, but regardless, I needed to think conscientiously. I ran for Mrs. Idaho under a green living platform, and I continued to help steward my family, my friends, and my world with the concept of the next seven generations. Somatic wellness, mindful connections still drove my business, but now I was ready to embark again with more care toward the future of the world.

Incorporating holistic beauty products into my healing ways, I sought after beauty and body products that were all natural and healthy for my business, the environment, and, most importantly, my clients. Unquestioning in the stewardship of our shared habitat, I furthered my practice with conscious thought toward the products I offered and used. But once again, knowledge was at the forefront of my mind. So I endeavored to learn more in esthetics. Esthetics has a powerful thread in human history, and in 2014, I set out to weave that thread into my own tapestry. What I wove: The pure outward expression of health and wellness, coupled with my mastery of inward wellbeing. Esthetics filled my gap in education. Working in harmony with body, mind, spirit and skin, the full support I offered allowed my clients’ best beauty to evolve. Esthetics gave me more ways to guide my clients to a glowing, delighted life. I was honored to merge being a licensed esthetician into my practice.

My trail of guiding others through massage therapy, energetics, conscious thought, and esthetics is far from over. My career is driven by mindful actions because I know how far those actions will ripple in time. Throughout the past 28 years, I have realized that I want only to mend the world one person at a time and see their true beauty shine. My holistic healing nurtures my clients, nurtures the world, and nurtures my family. It nurtures me. With the mind of a Somatic Wellness Guide, I am honored to see the transformation of inner and outer beauty, guiding and caring for those choosing to grow in their dazzling lives. As the odyssey continues, I am elated to have these guiding forces in my journey to esthetics. My benevolent, healing hands are happy.

I believe that women hold the keys to naturally healing themselves, their families and the world we all share.

I am trained in the art of listening to your body, mind and spirit as a massage therapist a metaphysician a natural intuitive a meditation guide an esthetician a reiki master – usui and holy fire a hypnotist, and an ordained minister

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

I love to read, I have a blog outlining many of the books I have read both for personal and professional. Here is the list of professional books. The Complete Book of Water Healing and Herbal Medicine – Dian Dincin Buchman
The Hidden Messages in Water – Masaru Emoto
Your Body’s Many Cries for Wate – F. Batmanghelidj
Jesus Buddha Krishna Lao Tzu – The Parallel Sayings – Richard Hooper
Heal Your Body – Louise Hay
The Art of War – Sun Tzu
Healing Oils of the Bible – David Stewart
The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn
The Sermon on the Mount, The Keys to Success in Life – Emmet Fox
The Soul’s Code, In Search of Character and Calling – James Hillman. I love this book
Herbal Healing for Women -Rosemary Gladstar
Chi Nei Tsang – Mantak Chi
QED – Richard Feynman
Books about the I Ching – there are many different options.
Feng Shui Beauty – Billy Yamaguchi
Atlas of Human Anatomy – Frank Netter
Esoteric Anatomy, The Body as Consciousness – Bruce Burger
The Psoas Book – Liz Koch
Peels and Peeling Agents – Pamela Hill
Treating Diverse pigmentation – Aliesh Pierce. This is a brilliant book on the diversity of skin.
Nature Speak and Animal Speak – Ted Andrews
Magic of the Celtic Otherworld and Celtic Tree Mysteries – Steve Blamires
Unified, A Course on Truth and Practical Guidance from Babaji – Roger G. Lanphear

Here is the link to the blog as a whole. https://colleen-fletcher.com/blogs/wholistic-tips/books-i-have-read

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I shared this story in the about me section. I feel it is a great story about moving and starting again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colleen-fletcher.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleen.d.fletcher/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleendfletcher/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-fletcher-0413758/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKuyPvQPZsei6efJe4KHIg

Image Credits
I have all rights to my images