We recently connected with Jenika Gunter and have shared our conversation below.

Jenika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents have always been supportive of me no matter what decisions I made. The decision to become a massage therapist raised their eyebrows but once I explained more as to why I’m passionate about learning the craft and furthering my education they were on board. I practiced on both of my parents while in massage school and it helped me gain more confidence.

Jenika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As a young kid I was always soothed through touch. Getting a back rub really meant it’s time to wind down for bed and rest for the next day. My dad is an amputee so he would have me rotate his arm left to right so he could feel the blood flowing through his arm. While doing so, my dad would fall sound asleep. Once I got older I learned that caring for others was a great hospitality field to get into. I thought maybe physical therapy would be it for me as I did my senior project in high school studying the field. I felt as though there was something more that I wanted and massage therapy kept coming to mind. I did lots of research and found a great school to learn the craft. During enrollment I was excited about the journey ahead. I struggled in the beginning of school due to working night shift when I needed to be resting but I overcame obstacles that actually rushed me to pass my Mblex exam on the first try. My dedication was developing from the start so the amount of time invested in studying the dysfunction’s of the body to help my guests gain a designated treatment plan. I took and excelled in kinesiology, physiology, psychology, trigger point therapy and other continuing education courses. I absolutely fell in love with getting in there and using all of my skills and knowledge to help my guests feel their best.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Although I have been running this business for two years, the main concept I had to grasp was be consistent no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you need a mental break from time to time, when you go out you should have systems in place to keep the ball rolling. It’s very hard to stop momentum and pick right back up when you are still in the beginning of your career. I had to slow down with certain things in my business because I was overwhelming myself but I never completely stopped.

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

When I first started out in my business, I rented one room out of a seven roomed suite. I thought that was fine until I was faced with a decision to move out completely or stay and keep all seven rooms to myself. This decision was heavy on my head and heart because I thought I was already a boss but I was quickly humbled and had to learn how to become an actual CEO. The decision to keep the suite was a game changer for me and I will tell anyone, if the opportunity knocks don’t sit on it because if you have the dedication in you then you are more than capable to handle anything thrown your way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamrosemassage.as.me
• Instagram: iamrosemassage
• Facebook: Rejuvenation of Self Enjoyment