We recently connected with Danielle Dudley and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I am not a big risk taker. I am not a gambler unless I know the odds are more than in my favor. However, at the end of 2020 I decided I was no longer happy at my job. I had become a single mom of my toddler and newborn girls. It was a really tough time (and sometimes still is). I was only planning on taking 10 weeks for maternity leave, but that turned into 8 months, partly due to COVID. After I went back to my job at a franchise, I dreaded going to work. I didn’t feel like there was any more room for growth as a massage therapist or income. I tried to start my own practice two other times by renting from massage therapists that already had their practices. Neither experience was great. At that point I never wanted to rent from someone else again. I decided to take the leap of faith to start my own massage therapy practice. I had repeatedly seen advertisements for a massage business course called Rock Your Massage Practice Academy. I gave them a call and immediately signed up for the program. I was terrified. This was something that I wanted so badly, but I didn’t want to fail. This course is life changing. I was able to quit my franchise job and learned the ins and outs of running my own business. I do not have a completely full schedule yet, but I can proudly say I have been a successful business owner for almost 2 years now. I would not be where I am in my practice if I had not taken the program. Being my own boss, there is so much room for growth in all aspects including business, personal, professional and financial. This is the greatest and best risk I have ever taken which paid off immensely!

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?

Hi! I’m Danielle Dudley, a licensed massage therapist since 2012 and founder of St. Louis Prenatal Massage.

My goal is to make pregnancy as easy and comfortable as possible. I want to help pregnant women to be able to enjoy the journey of growing a tiny human.

Before going to massage school, I went to a community college for three years and completed my Associates Degree in General Education. Anatomy and Physiology was my favorite class, which is one reason that led me to become a massage therapist.

I was a massage therapist before having my two daughters, which made me realize there are only a few therapists who specialize in prenatal care. I received a few massages while pregnant, but none of them gave me that “wow” feeling.
It became my mission to help as many pregnant women as possible after going through my own pregnancies without a knowledgeable and supportive prenatal massage therapist.

When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my two girls, two dogs and two hedgehogs. I love country music and line dancing, and I love to hike. I haven’t done much traveling yet, but I would love to be able to one day visit all 50 states as well as travel to some other countries.

I love supporting women throughout their pregnancies and beyond!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In the beginning of 2019, I found out I was pregnant with baby 2. This was a baby that was planned. My husband and I talked about having a second child. But things didn’t go as planned. Two weeks after I found out I was pregnant he decided to leave me. I was willing to do whatever it took to try to make our marriage work. By the time he told me he wanted to leave he was so far checked out that he didn’t even want to try. Not only was this two weeks after I found out I was pregnant, but it was also three weeks before our one-year wedding anniversary. A few months later I found out he was dating another woman. This woman happened to be at my wedding. I also found out they lived together, had a car together and a bank account together. I went through my whole pregnancy without his support. I had my family making sure my daughter and I were okay. My co-workers and some clients would ask “How are you here right now?” or “I don’t know how you do it.” My response was simple. I told them I had no other choice. I still had bills to pay and most importantly I had to take care of my 1.5-year-old daughter and my unborn baby. After my second daughter was born, I took 8 months off work. I even moved me, both my girls and 2 dogs into my parents’ house so they could help me. This was also partly due to COVID. I needed their support and help. When I went back to work, I ended up dreading every day I had to go in. I still loved what I do, but I wasn’t enjoying my workplace anymore. I needed something more. That’s when I decided to become my own boss and start St. Louis Prenatal Massage. I love working with all my clients and hearing their stories. I love being part of their pregnancy journey and beyond. I have more time with my kids, can create my own schedule, have a better income and work less hours. I am overall a happier and healthier woman and mom despite everything that happened over the last 3.5 years.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been networking, word of mouth and social media. I have connected with Webster certified chiropractors, midwives, doulas, OBGYNs, maternity and newborn photographers, pelvic floor physical therapists and so many other professionals that work with the pregnant community. We have become referral recourse for each other. I encourage my clients to tell their friends and family about my practice by offering a referral program. When a client refers 3 family or friends who complete their session, the client who referred new clients receives a free 60-minute massage! I also joined many local moms’ groups and birthing groups on social media. This has been extremely beneficial in growing my clientele. When someone is looking for a prenatal massage, I introduce myself as well as have many past and current clients recommend me in the comments. I am continuing to grow my clientele and love connecting with new clients and other professionals!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stlprenatalmassage.com
• Instagram: @stlprenatalmassage
• Facebook: St. Louis Prenatal Massage

Image Credits
Brittany Gail Photography (Brittany Gail Smith) Sutherland Photography (Maggie Sutherland)