We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen McGhee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

The first few years of my massage career I was exploring and finding my way. Just looking for my passion in the field. I then discovered I had more interest in working with the elderly and more medically involved client. I soon started getting clients as old as 100 as regulars, also clients that were terminally ill. I found my passion and gained the knowledge to work in medical and oncology massage. Today I have my own practice and enjoy helping a wide variety individuals with chronic pain.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started this journey twenty years ago. I came to the valley from Iowa in 1997 with my three children and my husband at the time. I worked in special education, more specifically working with adolescents that struggled with behavioral issues. After working for the Maricopa county Sheriff’s office as a paraprofessional in the education department I had a desire to become a police officer. Due to osteoarthritis in my knee I was unable to pass the physical. I then did 911 dispatch and soon realized that it wasn’t for me. I kept seeing commercials for massage schools everywhere I turned. I looked into it and loved it from the very first moment!

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

Other than knowledge and training it is most helpful and very important you are able to have exceptional communication skills with your client. Along with this it is important to have the client feel welcome, safe, and comfortable. Let them know it’s ok if they have questions, especially if they have never had a massage therapy session before.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back I most definitely would choose the same profession. I find so much joy in what I do and the experience I had before massage shaped the kind of therapist I am today!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sagemassageaz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sagemassageaz/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sagemassageaz
• Yelp: Yelp.com/biz/sage-massage-and-wellness-tempe