We recently connected with Kassandra Ghuloum-Plambeck and have shared our conversation below.
Kassandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
When I began Massage school in 2021 I went into the program knowing I wanted to start my own business as a Massage Therapist. I had previously worked in administrative positions where I was able to see the ins and outs of what it took to run a wellness business. I also would often go see healing practitioners who were one-person shows. They each inspired me and gave me the confidence that I too could do the same thing when I started my career. In school, myself and my colleagues would talk about our dreams. Many of us, wanted to start our own businesses eventually into the field. Some wanted to start out working for someone else, learning and gaining experience in the field before venturing out into entrepreneurship. I thought maybe in the beginning I could be a part of a collective or small group of other healing practitioners.
It seemed as if it was already in the cards for me to take the risk and start my own practice though. I grew up in Northern CA, where I went to massage school. In 2022 I finished my Advanced Neuromuscular Massage Therapist & Health Educator program at the end of the year when I moved to Minneapolis, MN. When I got here, I decided to look for Neuromuscular Massage Therapists in the Twin Cities. To my surprise, there were not that many. I came across Deborah Ramos Massage Therapy on the AMTA website. Deborah’s office was only 8 minutes away from my home. I figured I would go get a massage and seek advice about where to work in this area.
I had an amazing massage with Deborah, she is truly an exceptional Neuromuscular Massage Therapist who is attentive and intelligent at her craft. When we were in the massage, she mentioned to me that her office mate was going to be moving out of her space at the end of 2022. Here I was, fresh out of my massage program and meeting another NMT who was showing me a door opening. She said that she would teach me how to open up my own practice and that we could work on separate days and have the space to ourselves on those days. It was an incredible opportunity that fell into my lap.
So I looked at my options, I could go work for someone else who already has their marketing set up, has clientele, does the sheets for me and I would get a portion of the income OR I could take the leap of faith and start my own business learning from someone who has been in practice for over 9 years who was willing to teach me everything she knew so that I could set my own rates, give the massage I felt was my style, use my marketing skills from previous positions, and the skills I acquired as an admin and a client in my own space. I took the latter & it was a risk but it certainly had a high reward. Deborah taught me these key things: scheduling, rates, building clientele, how to keep the office clean and tidy, when to do sheets, what programs to use for billing, when to do taxes, how to keep track of expenses, and advice on keeping the doors open and anything that I need support with.
Some of the key challenges I have had to overcome are certainly financial stability. In taking the step to open up my own practice I wish I had saved more money beforehand but the opportunity came at a perfect time I could not pass it up & I figured that over time I would be able to make the money that I put into it. I would have put more money towards marketing and going out and networking with other healthcare professionals to collaborate with one another and refer our clients to each other. I have only been in practice for 9 months to this date (it hasn’t even been a year yet!) & I am happy I decided to go this route. I learn something new every day on what it takes to grow a business & as the year is ending I have been reflecting on what changes I really want to make to continue to see my business thrive and expand and I will be implementing these changes come the new year.
The advice I would give to young professionals is that you will always learn as you go. You do not need to know everything there is to start a business or you will be waiting forever to do so. Learn the foundational tools first and you build upon them as you go. Ask for help where needed and definitely find someone who is like a mentor to you who can guide you along the way. You never ever stop learning. Make sure to continue adding to your practice to not become stagnant in your day-to-day. In the massage world, it’s important to note that each client is unique and every massage is different and should be tailored to your client’s massage goals and needs. Also, don’t try to fit in and be like everyone else. Stay true to yourself, through and through.
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?
Absolutely! My name is Kassandra Ghuloum-Plambeck. I am a Neuromuscular Massage Therapist, Health Educator, Energy Worker and Intuitive Artist. I am a Queer Latinx (Central American, European & African ancestry) Womxn-led Small Business Owner of Kassandra Plambeck Massage Therapy & Wild Roseheart | Magical Adornments. I was raised in the Bay Area & have lived in Minneapolis for a little over a year now. From my Maternal lineage I am a descendant of Salvadoran, Guatemalan and African Ancestry & from my Paternal lineage I am a descendant of Swedish, Scottish, German, & English Ancestry.
In my studies, I attended National Holistic Institute of Massage, San Jose’s Core Program & Advanced Neuromuscular Massage Program from 2021-2022. In 2021, I attended Ancestral Arts (formerly known as Ancestral Apothecary) Cecemanna 9-month herbal program which means to sprinkle and plant seeds on the earth in the Nahautl Language. I currently just completed the Curanderx Toolkit (Traditional Latinx Healing) 2-month Fall Program with Ancestral Arts. I have my Bachelors Degree from San Francisco State University in Sociology. I have completed courses in herbalism, dreamwork, mental health, and much more. I have many amazing mentors, instructors, and people who have guided me along my path and I want to thank them here: Mentors of NHI, Michelle “Mo” Ousset of Maiden Mother Crone Photo & Chontelle Stapp, Deborah Ramos of Deborah Ramos Massage Therapy & teachers of Cecemanna Myrna of Flor y Machete, Abi of The Stinging Nettle & Herbalist Ayo. I also want to thank my beloved well ancestors, benevolent spirits, family, and spouse who have all supported me on my journey.
I provide massage unique to each individual and center each client who comes into my studio. My massage work draws from a spectrum of traditional and intuitive modalities, integrating Neuromuscular Massage, Swedish, Energy Work, Deep Tissue Massage, Myofascial Therapies, and Spa therapies. Neuromuscular Massage Therapy is a system of massage techniques that re-create neuromuscular health. It uses a holistic approach towards healing, emphasizing and stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself. In NMT, one of our key areas of focus are Trigger Points at the neuromuscular junction, where the nervous system meets the muscle.
The beginning of my path with the healing world began in my early 20s when I got diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I was unable to stay awake throughout the day, was often ill, and was struggling in my college classes. Doctors were unable to give me answers so I turned to traditional medicine and began seeking care from practitioners in acupuncture, herbalism, chiropractic care, energy work, and massage therapy. I also grew up figure skating and would see my chiropractor for the aches and pains that I got from being an athlete.
All of these modalities helped me start to see improvement in my wellness, and I realized that “Western” medicine was not the only road to recovery. This experience brought me back to drawing from my roots, and ancestral lineages. I do not only live with a physical illness, as a person who lives with mental health struggles I have witnessed firsthand how effective bodywork is in releasing the trauma that is harbored in our bodies as well as promoting relaxation. I have dedicated my life to studying and healing my own trauma to assist others through my lens. Both of my illnesses have felt like an initiation into the healing world and providing healing for others. I provide a space that is respectful and honors each individual. I have a strong belief in helping people regain their body autonomy with massage by helping others with empowerment and embodiment.
Wild Roseheart was born in 2019 with the intention of creating a jewelry business, but it didn’t stick in the beginning. It took me years to perfect my craft and find the right form of medium to work with. Once I touched polymer clay at the beginning of 2023, I couldn’t keep my hands off of it. I started to create little herbal worlds on a white arch-shaped background. Therefore, Wild Roseheart was reborn. In my Creative work, my main medium is an exploration of herbal-inspired polymer clay earrings with gold accents, crystals, and the magic of color. My magical adornments are meant to invoke the spirit of the plant/herb that the wearer adorns their vessel with. I am inspired by plants, herbs, astrology, ancestry, duality, fairies, and the medicine of grief. I have a belief that we are all walking altars & what we adorn ourselves with can be an offering to the good spirits. My hope is that the adornments I make will be symbols of empowerment, beauty, and a deep reverence & reciprocity for the plants and land.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Trigger Warning: Suicide
My story of getting to where I am today has not been an easy one. It has come with a lot of ups and downs, grief, accepting diagnoses, and feelings of inadequacy. There were times in my life when I didn’t know I would be able to make it to this time in my life. I have had a lot of self-doubt on my path and have had to really take the time to unlearn self-limiting beliefs. At the age of 19, I lost my eldest brother to suicide. I fell into a deep depression shortly after losing him. He was 31 years old, the age I am going to be next year. Losing my brother was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through.
I was so young and it was a time in my life when I was just beginning college and trying to figure out what I wanted to be in life. This time of my life was filled with immense amounts of grief and sorrow. On the other side of the coin, the grief and sorrow transmuted into my calling to help others. The Sufi Poet Rumi says, “The wound is where the light enters you,” and I truly believe this statement. Sometimes we go through the darkness to find the light. I believe that losing someone is the greatest connection to Love that we can feel. To grieve and to miss someone is to Love that someone. When we lose someone close to us, we know how much it is possible to care for someone in life.
A few years later after losing my brother, I saw an energy worker Rami Abu-Sitta @ramidreams who helped me to let go of the hold that was connecting me to my grief and sorrow through a cord-cutting ritual so I could move forward in my life. During this energetic session, I heard my brother whisper to me, “You no longer have to live life for me, you can now live life for yourself”. After this session was complete, my energy shifted and I was able to change how I was living. Energy work became a huge part of my journey and is now a part of my own practice supporting clients.
In losing my brother I began struggling with my own physical and mental health. Each day is a blessing. Losing him, taught me how short life truly is and how important it is to live life to your fullest potential. Losing him, taught me to follow my dreams and to do what it is I am meant to do in my lifetime. I am here, living, breathing, and am at the age of 30. I have opened up my own small businesses for two of the passions of my life in massage and creating jewelry and crafts & this is only just the beginning. I have dreams to add to my practice because the care does not stop at massage and art.
My next steps are to continue walking towards the paths that my heart leads me. To learn more about herbalism, dreamwork, end-of-life care, grief, baking cakes, making candles, new types of jewelry mediums, more crafts, ancestral connections & divination. I have many new things in store that I am dreaming up for the new year & I can’t wait to continue following my dreams and sharing them with the world. I tell my story because I want people to know that it is possible to overcome their struggles and doubts. Humans are resilient & no matter what you go through, keep working towards your dreams.
Sometimes we must take things week by week, day by day, even moment by moment at times. But we must persevere and keep going. That is the medicine.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Every massage is important. Every single one. In between my sessions, I give myself about 20 minutes to get the room ready for the next client. This means clearing any energetic debris that I picked up from the last session and then clearing the space energetically. I take a moment to thank the space and the tools that I use and then I set intentions for the next client.
When I see my clients I begin with a thorough assessment to go over health history, observation, palpation, range of motion testing, and special tests. I take the time to listen to what my clients come in with. I care deeply about my clients and each session that we work together. My clients often come out of the session feeling better than they did before they come in and they feel the care that I put into their massages.
When a client is connected to your work, they often share that with others. Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective strategies in this type of work and I often get new clients who were referred to me by regular clients. I believe my reputation in this field has come from being true to myself and caring for my clients. This goes the same with any customers to whom I sell my jewelry. Thank you for letting me tell my story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kassandraplambeck.amtamembers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kassandramassage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kassandramassage
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassandra-plambeck/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kassandra-plambeck-massage-therapy-minneapolis
- Other: Jewelry ETSY URL: www.wildroseheart.etsy.com | Jewelry IG URL: https://www.instagram.com/wildroseheart/ Image Credits: @kristineanastacia
Image Credits
Image Credits: @kristineanastacia