We recently connected with Marissa Hawkins and have shared our conversation below.

Marissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

After working 7 years in corporate America in Pharmaceuticals. I decided to leave my secure job with good medical insurance, with 3 young kids in tow to step into the world of entrepreneurship all while my husband was building his real estate business.

Why did I do it?

I was fed up with the mundane and knew my young kids were going to need their mother to be present in their lives. I wanted freedom of time, freedom to create, and freedom to grow.

Without having anyone to turn to, to seek business advice, I turned to family and friends. My immigrant parents knew nothing about running a business and were scared for me to leave a stable job. My pharmaceutical buddies were pessimistic because no one leaves big pharma with all the perks and benefits like company car and great medical insurance/401k.

I was torn between wanting freedom and leaving a great job. I broke out in hives and had many sleepless nights prior to taking that leap of faith. It was my mentor, Steve Cook who gave me that ounce of courage that I needed to jump. He said darling, “F.e.a.r is nothing but false evidence appearing real and if you take this leap of faith I promise you your life will change, but I just can’t promise you that the numbers in Arizona will translate to Vegas.

Well, 18+ years later with the memories of my loved ones thinking I was once crazy, I have done some remarkable things and met some incredible people along the way. Was it risky? Heck yeah!, but I wouldn’t change my life for the life of me. I’m a better person now because I’ve grown a lot as an individual and I’ve helped thousands of people by using our businesses as a platform to provide jobs and help in causes and nonprofits that mean a lot to me.

I now get to share my story to our youth and aspiring entrepreneurs to let them know that if I can do it they can too.

Marissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was always into self care long before it became a thing. It was only fitting my husband and I got into the health and wellness industry being that my career at that time was in pharmaceuticals and my husband and I were into fitness, self care and living a healthy lifestyle. We would get two for one massage specials at the local massage schools and stay active in the gym.

Knowing our local Massage Envy business provides an outlet for our community of members and guest to take care of their own health through massage and healthy facials is very rewarding.

Health is an important part of our lives and is essential to maintaining physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stability. I’m happy to know that we chose a business that provides that through touch and connection.

Whether someone has lost a loved one, experiencing health issues, or financial, and the list goes on and on in some ways we have the ability to help others in their moments of despair get through the pain and to help them feel their best.

We all choose our paths to recovery through life’s stresses and daily challenges. It’s definitely different for everyone. We are glad to be a part of the of healing that people can experience.

When I speak about the topic of health and wellness I always like to leave on the note of taking your good MEDS before you get caught up in having to take the bad meds for life. The acronym for good MEDS for me is:
M- massage & mediation
E- exercise
D- diet
S- sleep

Incorporating a healthy lifestyle, great relationships and a positive outlook on life is the secret to getting through this sacred journey.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I had to face 3 challenges when opening up Massage Envy earlier on.

Being young, a woman and a minority I have had my fair share of adversity and challenges.

I remember an advertising person coming into my business asking to speak to the owner about marketing strategies and that person being shocked when I told them I was the owner but then not surprised because I was Asian and clearly it made much sense since it was a stereotype that I was the type to own one.

Despite living in a different time one would think that we’ve been able to move forward and break the barriers that keep us from thinking this way. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and we are met with trying to find ways to change that type of thinking. I’m just glad to have a seat at the table to both teach and learn. I feel like I’m forever a student always learning and forever a teacher always teaching while inspiring and uplifting through experience and education.

I personally believe we need to be more proficient in our communication to build a strong foundation of awareness in compassion. I remain optimistic and hopeful that by amplifying our voices we can be heard.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Long before I knew my management style, I was a servant based leader.

I realize after two decades of running our businesses that I haven’t changed.

I say invest in your teams and show them that you care about them. Actions speak louder than words and we must leave them better than we found them. Regardless if they stay or leave we want them to remember us in a positive light.

My husband and I try our best to instil The Hawkins Group philosophy with the 3 H’s….living Happy, Healthy, and Helpful.

Investing in others and serving our communities has been an integral part of our lives. By teaching our managers how to live a balanced life and having them be a part of the process we feel confident about their future and the work we do together.

We establish happiness by engaging in constant communication on ways to be efficient and effective. We give our teams the ability to think for themselves and offer feedback to lead them into the best decision they can make. We celebrate as much as we can to show our teams that we appreciate them. We use the analogy of watering the plants by providing them with water initially which is a tool they need to get started you only need to water it once a week but leave them to fend for themselves a majority of the time.

Our leaders are the backbone to that plant receiving all the nourishment it needs to grow. When our leaders are grounded they seem to grow significantly. Our teams figure it out through repetition, failures, and critical thinking they are not only surprised by their strength but happy to know they have contributed by their own efforts. At the end of the day it’s their own will that makes them succeed.

We can’t practice what we preach if we are the only ones benefiting. Health is also a big part of the equation. We believe in sharing the knowledge and spreading the word. Recently we invested in our teams mental health through a meditation and affirmation class for our leaders. We know our leaders are put through a lot of stress running businesses like ours. Sometimes having the tools to be strong mentally allows one to decompress from hard days and life circumstances. They enjoy learning new skills and it makes them feel like we care enough to invest in them.

Lastly, being helpful in showing them that there is more to life than themselves. Offering guidance in ways to be better individually as well as together as a community. Belonging to something greater than themselves. Once a year we get our teams involved in some type of philanthropic activity. This year we are partnering with Opportunity Village to dedicate time to volunteering and working alongside those that are physically or mentally disabled.

In connecting with our non profits or initiating new projects organically we have done great things that have helped children, health care workers and veterans. We strive to teach our Leaders and other business owners to do the same.

In Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words,
“Fight for causes that matter to you, but do so in a way that leads others into following.”

Maintaining high morale is through training on things that matter most to an organization in hopes that those that come on board are in alignment with your vision & values.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @marissahawkins10
• Facebook: Marissa Hawkins
• Linkedin: Marissaphawkins

Image Credits
Studio Momo Production