We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kells Mcelveen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kells below.

Kells, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

The first year into my career I was working as an independent contractor for a spa here in downtown Forney. I knew that stepping into this career God had big plans for me & that this is what He had called me to from the last career I was in as a registered dental assistant. Little did I know that 4 months into working for someone else, shortly after that I would be called to bigger & better plans of owning my own business here in the town that I had grown up in.

The first two years of owning my own business had it’s challenges for sure, mainly because I went into it with this “boss babe” mentality & it definitely had it’s ups + downs, but it didn’t get me far. I thought that I was in control of my business & developed this toxic workaholic mindset to where I was placing work over God, my family & myself. After two years of chaos, I closed my doors to male clients + started working with females only because of a vision that God had placed in my heart.

Christ showed me that if I wanted to reach the world, I needed to start filling up the cups of the women… pouring into them so that they could turn around to pour into their families/homes the way that God biblically designed them to. Giving everything over to God after my first two years in my career changed everything for me.

It allowed me to see that the strength that I had wasn’t found in myself… that I found it in God & God alone. I wished I didn’t wait as long as I did to unlock my gift of serving my community & helping others for as long as I did… but I am so glad I did.

I have owned my own business here for a little over 5 years now & it was the best thing I could have ever done for my family. The freedom of working for myself has been liberating, being able to surrender my job as an LMT over to God every day has blessed my business beyond measure.

I start all of my session with gratitude & work with my clients intentionally. It’s not just body work for me… it’s a complete mind, body & soul transformation when you step into the room with me. I invite the Holy Spirit to be there with me in all of my sessions & allow Him to be my hands + feet when it comes to any connection I have made. I do not take any credit for where I am at in this career. He deserves all of the glory.

I have been Licensed for almost 6 years & I do not see myself being in another career. Stepping into this chapter has allowed me to be the woman God has designed me to be. I am able to be with my family more, raising up our children + showing them that moms can stay home with their children & also own your own business, working for the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.

With God’s help… you really can have the best of both worlds. My advice to those out there who are thinking about or wanting to start their own business would be to SURRENDER. Surrendering everything over to the Lord has transformed my clients to see the light of Christ through me & because of it, my schedule stays booked out for about 2-3 months out at a time. Thank You, Jesus!

Kells, 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?

At 25 years old. I decided to help serve my community in whatever way that I could, making people feel better in the bodies they were given & blessed with. After rededicating my life back to Christ, I made the switch after being in another career for almost 6 years because I knew with everything in me that God created me to help the world become a better place. He told & showed me how to take the pain of the world that has been binding people down, taking them away from their full potential… one body at a time. I knew this was the gift He had given me from day one & I truly believe this is something I will forever do, even after I retire.

Little did I know that I would follow in my mother’s footsteps & become a therapist just like her. My mother started late in her career, she was 45 to be exact & she stuck with it for 23 years… before she blew her back out & was forced into retirement before she was ready to stop doing what she loved. In school, we were instructed to practice what we preach by getting body work regularly. Not only that, but also staying in alignment so that our body mechanics were stacked in the right places so that we could make longer careers for ourselves as therapists.

Massage therapy & chiropractic care go hand-in-hand… you cannot have one with out the other in order to release the trauma that is being stored in the body. Those 2 factors are crucial if you want to have longevity in this career. Seeing my mother not take care of the vessel that God blessed her with is what truly inspired me to help take care of her after she blew out her back, in hopes to inspire her & other LMT’s to take better care of themselves in this career. It is vital to keep your body in alignment & to also work out the tension in your muscles when it comes to any career you choose…. But specifically THIS one. We are not designed to be carrying around stress & tension that the world has placed on us.

So that’s why I have holistically designed massage routines to release trauma in the body that has been trapped from every day life & also from previous injuries to help refresh, restore & rejuvenate the body from breaking down. I know first hand how hard pregnancy, birth & after birth can be on the bodies & I am forever grateful that God showed me exactly what he wanted me to do here for His people. Unlocking my gift from above to help others not only heal internally/externally, but to also reach those who might not know how good our Heavenly Father is & to shine His bright light to all the ends of the world.

Because I have chosen to walk in obedience with the Lord, He has allowed me to start my own business working for myself & also getting to stay home with my children… getting back & making up for all of the years that I lost working my life away as a dental assistant. I now choose the days that I want to work, around the hours I want to home-school our children. God set me apart from other LMT’s who are out there just “fluffing & buffing” bodies, make them feel good on a superficial layer.

He chose me to become a healer of the world, by residing in me everyday so that when I have a client on my table who are vulnerable, in pain & looking for the light at the end of the tunnel… He is my hands, my touch, my mind, my words, my heart. Not only does God allow me to help the physical side to your healing, but also your mind & spirit. Your mental, emotional, physical & spiritual health play a HUGE factor on your everyday life & health.

I am here to meet you where ever you are at & point you in the direction that God wants you to go. I work directly for Christ Jesus & nobody else. I am very picky on what clients I take on into my world, because not only do these clients that He picks just for me trust me to play a big part in their lives every month… but they truly impact my realm when it comes to bringing them into my safe space for therapy.

I want my clients to all know when they walk through my door that they are loved, chosen, redeemed & most importantly… they are enough. I want my clients to come as they are & come to me weary, weak & in the worst condition possible. I choose the clients who truly want to put their health first & make small deposits in their lives so that they can function & fire the way that God has designed them to.

I cannot thank Christ enough for pushing me to start my own business & giving me a vision on how to help my community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Over the last 5+ years, I have lost some clients due to my faith in Jesus & also due to price increases. Over the 23 years of my moms career, she never increased her prices. She remained $35/hour for her body work sessions & because of that… she wasn’t able to engage in chiropractic care, massage therapy, supplements or spend time working her body out at the gym to help fill up her cup.

My prices are what they are because I am choosing to put my health first to give my career the longevity it needs. I 110% believe that you pay for what you get & people only prioritize the things in life that are most important to them. I know my prices aren’t affordable for some people, but God has been so good to me & He continues sending me many people to help on their journey’s so that I can not only fill up my cup in return, but I am also able to give back to God & give my family the life I never had.

If anyone feels the urge to switch jobs because they aren’t passionate about the one they are currently in… I would be happy to help support, encourage or mentor you if you are possibly thinking about finding a new career. Becoming a licensed massage therapist has allowed me to have the freedom of setting my own prices, creating my own schedule around the things that God has called me to & you, too can also step into a life of serving people & helping others one body at a time.

Massage therapy has been the best thing I have ever done for my well-being & I hope that I can retire a happy, God-fearing woman knowing that I worked & did what I loved. Friends… it is never to late to change careers, I know because I switched in the middle of my 20’s & my mother decided to start a career of her own in her mid 40’s. So please reach out if you are thinking about it & do not know which way to go… I would be happy to help in any way that I can.

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

Oh without a doubt, I would choose this career over & over again. Now that I know what it’s like to physically help others heal their bodies, I would never give the feeling up that I am left with everyday when helping others.

I know that God has big things are coming for Nomad Massage Therapy & it is what keeps me coming back for more. I not only work with clients who want to feel better externally but most importantly I show them how good our God is & continues to be.

I am so grateful to be where the Lord has brought me to & I love sharing all what God is doing in my life + career as an LMT. I am so honored to be able to do this interview to be able to shine Christ Jesus’ light all over the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thenomadmt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenomadmt?igsh=ZmN6Z29xOTk0eTN6&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-mcelveen-39822686

Image Credits

Marchele Johnson (Marchele J Photo) — www.marchelejphoto.com