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

Hi Lesley, thanks for joining us today. Have you ever experienced a times when your entire field felt like it was taking a U-Turn?

I’m happy to admit I’ve been in the natural healing industry for a little over two decades now. It’s fascinating to see the changes over the years and to feel my priorities change.

When I first began my career as a massage therapist, there wasn’t a great deal of social media. Next thing you know, the social media platforms seemed to take over an aggressive amount of business marketing, and my time on the computer got more and more invested in making posts. This may not seem exhausting to some, but for me, after busy days at work, the computer was the last thing I wanted to be on.

That all came to a halt when my computer and other tech gadgets got hacked. It took a while to understand what had happened because they slowly began to infiltrate every social media profile I had, every online account I worked with, down to all the information I stored in the cloud. They were so bold to even create fake profiles of me with my pictures and business info.

This is something I would never wish on anyone, business or personal. The damage was done, so what could I do?

This experience shook me to the core and it forced me to clean house. My first step was to change all of my business accounts and financial information. It was during this process I realized how much digital clutter I had accumulated over the years. Old email accounts, old documents, and other profiles I happily signed up for in the past, only at that point became a nuisance. “Delete” became my favorite action as my clutter got lighter and lighter. All the old accounts I barely used were immediately deleted. In the end, I still had to delete some very important social media pages because they were also hacked.

It was unfortunate because I had to let years of my social history and connections go.

Letting go of my social platforms also helped me to realize that I can lead my own path for marketing my business. I don’t need to do what everyone else is doing, just because it’s popular. Plus, to be honest, social media never brought in referrals for me. It was disappointing to see all the work I invested with little to no return. So why continue to do what doesn’t work?

This experience encouraged me to find my own path to marketing.

In the health and wellness industry, I find word-of-mouth referrals have been the best way of marketing my business. I have gained so many wonderful, dependable clients just from them sharing their experiences with family and friends. Because of these lovely clients I’ve seen and continue to see, their support has kept me afloat during strange and trying times. I owe my success in their return visits and so my marketing has taken a new direction and focus. All that energy I used to put into making posts now goes into the certainty that my clients are benefitting from their sessions with me whether it’s massage, facials, energy work, or sound healing.

By redirecting my energies, I no longer feel like I’m wearing myself thin. Don’t get me wrong, I think the internet is great. However, there is nothing like holding a conversation with another person face to face and really listen to what they have to say. That kind of marketing is priceless. It doesn’t even feel like marketing, it’s about making new connections. People don’t want to feel like they’re on an assembly line, and they certainly don’t want to talk to a ‘robot’ or an ‘automated’ person. Everyone wants to be heard and everyone needs that personal interaction and touch.

I won’t say I’ll never do social media again, however I WILL say if I do, I’m not going to spend as much time as I did before. My spare time is now going into recharging my-Self and taking workshops to keep my skills fluid and memorable.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Twenty-one years ago, I got certified in Massage Therapy after having dropped my office job. I was only a year fresh out of college and I lacked the enthusiasm for my newfound job position. Not too long after that, 9/11 happened. That day was a turning point for me because I observed firsthand a whirlwind of people’s reactions, coping mechanisms and emotions from that horrific event. I felt we as a people could do better in a supportive environment, and it was then I realized that I was in the wrong business. I wanted to be in a place that was calm and serene…a place where I could help people’s troubles dissipate.

I often found myself day-dreaming during that very strenuous time and recalled childhood memories of offering neck rubs to family and friends each time they visited our home. There I was, eight-year-old little Lesley, literally working my rounds around the dining table, massaging the shoulders of my parents and company while they played their favorite game Tripoley. One of their friends in particular loved my massage so much, it gave her goose bumps whenever I worked on her.

…and that was why I decided to give massage school a try; a persistent recurring memory.

Twenty-one years later, even though I still feel very much like a student, I absolutely love what I do. I’m very passionate about my work and there’s still so much I want to learn, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the process of discovery. I continue to learn from other professionals, and as each year passes, I collect more and more modalities for my wellness toolbox.

My business, Universal Touch, came into fruition after my first decade of experience in the spa industry. I wanted a name that would allow me to grow in my field and support that evolution over time.

I chose the name Universal Touch because of its ambiguity. The Universe fascinates me because it began from what seems like nothing. We are stardust, it’s the root of how we came to be…very few elements. In the other context, Universal means “applicable to all cases.” The natural healing modalities I offer tie into this universal umbrella. Touch is the word that links this ambiguity to how I present it to the world: my massage touch, my facial touch, my energetic touch, and even how my words touch a person’s mind or heart. Universal Touch became my brand before I even knew what a brand was. It was perfect for just me.

My mission is to bring you back into your innate way of BE-ing; sound wellness. It’s a harmonious balance to feel heart-centered and calm, and experience a deeper sense of connection and peace within your mind, body, and spirit.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Knowing that magnetism is a real thing and it can either bring your clients in or repel them. The magnetism comes from no one else but YOU.

Over the years I’ve noticed that whenever I change things about my-Self…BIG changes…my clients begin to change. It’s like my change shuffles the deck somehow. Sometimes it’ll unfold where some of my clients slowly exit my schedule book, while others will increase their appointments, or I’ll get new ones that seem to come out of nowhere.

I’ve now witnessed this a few times with different client circles, in different cities. In the end, you attract who you’re supposed to attract, and oftentimes, they resonate with who you are as a person.

Be prepared though, because when you change…there’s a ripple effect!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

In all the education I’ve invested in, and the variety of modalities I’m passionate about, nothing has truly taught me but experience.

I learned what kind of employer I wanted to be (if I chose to be one) by being an employee.

I learned how to interview by observing the nonverbal language in my interviewer’s questions.

I learned what kind of atmosphere I wanted to present to my clients after working in a spa for ten years.

I learned what kind of clientele I wanted to attract, after experiencing shady, ‘discount,’ or disrespectful clients.

I learned how to become a better practitioner by listening to my client’s feedback.

I learned how to tap into my intuition and trust my-Self in the success of my own business.

If you want to learn something, learn the foundation. After that, practice, practice, practice…and remember not to be afraid to add your own distinctive flare…YOU.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lesleyalmer.com
• Other: Blog: https://remla-method.com

Image Credits
Good Human Photography Julia Brucato Seven