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

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

In November of 2016, I lost my dad to suicide. It took a toll on me. I slipped into suicidal, alcoholic depression after that. One day, I got really drunk, and I just wanted to end my own life to be honest. I didn’t really care what that was going to look like. I was just desperate. So, I decided to drive. Thank God, I got pulled over and got a DUI. On my one phone call, I threatened suicide, and I had methods of how I would carry it out. So, straight from jail, I was Baker acted. After that Baker act, one of the first things I did was book a massage for myself. I knew I needed something that would instantly make me feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I knew a massage would cover that. It was then that I knew my life’s purpose was to be massage therapist. I immediately enrolled in massage school. In April of 2017, I graduated as the Valedictorian of my class. On May 7, 2017, exactly one year to the day after my DUI, I became a licensed massage therapist in the state of Florida.

Megan, 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?

My name is Megan Thorne. I am a native of Tampa, Florida. I’ve been living in Tampa for my entire life, and I absolutely love it! I love the community and the unique culture of Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas. I enjoy visiting all the beautiful parks and beaches in the area. I really enjoy rollerblading and kayaking when the weather is nice. There are also many great bars and restaurants to visit and activities to do in Tampa.

I have been a licensed massage therapist since May of 2018. I have been blessed to own a massage practice, Thorne Wellness, since June of 2021. I love to work on athletes, because I am one myself. I weight-lift and I box. Also, car accident victims are great for me too because I’m actually one of those as well, and I’ve worked for two chiropractors that specialize in auto accident rehab. I love to work with prenatal and postpartum moms as well. I love helping clients that have major issues that need to be addressed. I never shy away from a challenge. With that being said, I absolutely can and will perform Swedish/ Relaxation massages as well. I strive to have excellent communication with my clients to go above and beyond meeting their expectations every single session.

My dad inspires everything that I do. I lost him to suicide in November of 2016. I named my business after him, Thorne Wellness. My dad had a very traumatic life, but none of that turned him cold. My dad was the most loving and kind person that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. When I think about my dad, I think about Jesus. My dad was a big believer too. It’s my responsibility now to represent the best parts of who he was and to blot out the inequities. The pain and anguish that I feel because I miss him so very much is the same thing that motivates me to continue my life’s work.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started my career as a massage therapist, I was blessed to have an excellent mentor. He was my chiropractor long before I even considered being a massage therapist. He helped me recover from a car accident. Through that process, I became interested in healing arts. He was extremely supportive every step of the way. By the time I graduated massage school, he offered to rent one of the rooms in his office to me and help me start my own massage practice. At that time, I was brand new to the field. So, I decided to work at a spa before attempting to start my own practice. I ended up working for a local spa that went bankrupt after about a year and a half after I started working there. The owner of that spa was nice enough to allow me to take what I could from the room I worked in. So, from that event, I ended up with a lot of spa equipment that I put into a spare room in my home. After that, I bounced around to a few different spas until I ended up working for Hand & Stone of Carrollwood. After about six months of working there, I started working at the Wesley Chapel location in addition to the Carrollwood location. At first, I really enjoyed it. I was expanding my network of clients as well as expanding my network of fellow massage therapists. I met a lot of people and learned a lot of new things. However, it didn’t take long before I felt like I was being spread too thin. I felt like I was just working on a bunch of people every day but, not actually healing anyone. I didn’t have enough time to give the quality care that I knew that I was capable of. It was then that I decided that it was time to start my own practice. I already had most of the equipment I needed to start up. I contacted my chiropractor and mentor about the room, and he still had it available. Thorne Wellness was born at that time, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth is the best way to grow your clientele. The only way to get word of mouth is by being present in the community and by having excellent products or services. That means going to as many networking events as you can and making an impression on as many people as you can. You make an impression on people by being genuine. Don’t act like a big shot businessperson, because that is what people expect. What makes you and your business unique is your story. What makes you different from everyone else in your industry is your unique life experiences and how you use those experiences to do what you do now.

Contact Info:

• Website: meganthornewellness.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thorne.wellness/
• Facebook: facebook.com/thorne.megan
• Other: facebook.com/p/Thorne-Wellness-100069336052109/

Image Credits
Captured by Arlene RAD Photography