We were lucky to catch up with Martika Mitchell-Holmes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Martika, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am so grateful and blessed to be a business owner! I have had my thoughts on returning back to the workforce but I am always reminded that this is my calling and I can’t back down when things get tough. Starting my career I worked in a variety of settings and for that it has led me to where I am now. I am happy that I get to work for myself and create something.

Martika, 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?

Crazy story—when I first enrolled in school, I was set on becoming a medical assistant. But I was told the program was no longer accepting students, and that’s when they introduced me to massage therapy instead. I was immediately intrigued and blown away by how powerful it could be in helping people.

I’ve always had a passion for working in the medical field, and this felt like discovering a different side of it—one rooted in functional healing, helping people move better, feel better, and truly connect with their bodies.

What I’m most proud of is being able to support my clients not just physically, but emotionally as well—creating a safe, welcoming space where they can relax, release, and just be. That, more than anything, is what matters most to me in this work.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One moment that really showed me my resilience was when I first started my journey into massage therapy. I originally planned to become a medical assistant, but when that path unexpectedly closed, I had to quickly pivot and step into something completely unfamiliar. At the time, it felt uncertain, and I wasn’t sure if I was making the “right” choice.

Starting over in a new direction wasn’t easy—I had to learn new skills, build confidence in my hands, and trust that I could create something meaningful out of it. There were moments of doubt, especially in the beginning, but I stayed committed and kept showing up for myself.

Over time, I not only grew into the work, I found my purpose in it. Now, being able to run my own business and help people heal physically and emotionally reminds me that that unexpected shift wasn’t a setback—it was a redirection. That experience taught me how to adapt, trust myself, and keep going even when things don’t go as planned.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that success has to follow a straight, predictable path. For a long time, I believed that if things didn’t go according to plan, it meant I was falling behind or doing something wrong.

That mindset really got challenged when I recently decided to take a step back from school planning to become a nurse, and that path unexpectedly closed which wasn’t part of my original plan at all. At first, it felt like I was settling or taking a detour.

But over time, I realized that what I thought was a setback was actually alignment. Massage therapy opened the door for me to help people in a deeper, more hands-on way than I ever imagined. It also allowed me to create my own business and define success on my own terms.

Unlearning that “one right path” mindset taught me to trust redirection, stay open, and understand that growth doesn’t always look how you expect—but it can turn out even better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://essentialwellness-tx.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essential.wellness.massage?igsh=eDQ5ejlza2JveHM%3D&utm_source=qr
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