We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Preusser recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Natalie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In life, we are faced with choices and decisions everyday. Some easy, some not. Moving to Cincinnati at 18 years old from Youngstown OH was a risk. I was alone, broke & didn’t know what to expect. However, I was determined to make it work and push for my dreams. I didn’t expect to go into massage therapy and leaving UC to pursue massage school was a huge risk. I took it and I haven’t looked back since.
Massage Therapy has changed my life. Its made me grow as a person; mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and after practicing for over a year and a half working for someone else I sat back and decided to open my own business.
I remember shopping around for office spaces, nervous but excited. When I finally came across the perfect starter space I knew I was making the right decision. I remember telling the leasing manager I was going to ‘sleep on it’ before signing a lease to my own building…but I got into my car…and turned right back around into the building and signed. Something just felt right, it was like a wave of light telling me to just…DO IT!
After working on marketing & the fun content creating that helps promote a business I started getting my first few clients. I had never been so happy and felt so complete in what I was doing. Opening my business was scary, I didn’t know how to run a business, I didn’t know who to ask for help, all I knew was I loved my career and wanted to flourish. It is single handedly the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I cannot thank everyone around me enough for supporting me, my business and my dreams. I cannot wait to see where I go in the next 6 months.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Natalie Preusser, I am currently 22 years old and am originally from Youngstown OH but moved to Cincinnati when I was 18! I moved to Cincinnati to pursue a career in Pre-Med at the University of Cincinnati; and after working in surgery and completing 2 years of Pre-Med in Neuroscience, I fell in love with holistic medicine. While working in surgery I met a woman who’s husband was having surgery and she had told me that she was a massage therapist for over 30+ years. She made me curious, we stayed in contact & after learning her way of life; I knew I wanted to start my journey in holistic medicine. It was a huge decision to make, but one that I will never regret. Going to massage school was hard, I was working full-time, in school full-time and completing clinic hours as well. You have to discipline yourself to get everything done in order to prep for the State Medical Board Exam (MBLEX) and if you pass you get your license. I studied hard, I had sleepless nights & times where I wanted to give up, but I didn’t and… I PASSED STATE BOARD!
After working at a massage chain for over a year and a half I learned a lot about what I love and don’t love as much in my practice. I quickly found out about myself that I wasn’t very good at relaxation massages, but that I focused in more on pain management, well-ness & sports therapy. Now as a business owner I offer the creative works to make people feel better in their bodies, not be in pain, have better flexibility and truly understand & connect why they feel the way they do. To me, massage isn’t just relaxation, it is well-ness & a necessity for you to feel good everyday you wake up!
I offer different services then most massage places like Thai Stretch; where the client lays on a mat and I stretch all their muscles for them while helping them breathe through it to open up joints, release muscle tension & improve flexibility. I offer things like cupping & IASTM technique which can be used for things like scar tissue, improved adhesion repair and enhanced circulation. I also offer things like dry brushing (for the lymphatics), hot stones, cryotherapy, sinus/migraine relief, TMJ & TENS Unit therapy. All of these services are to help clients feel good not only on the table, but off. It is so important to me as a therapist that clients are getting relief for weeks after our sessions and not just for the time they are with me. No massage is the same, each one is specific to the client and their needs! I truly think that my mind-set on having my clients understand & know how to take care of their bodies on & off my table is what sets me apart from other therapists. I work hard with other well-ness providers my clients also see so that as a team we can all assist in making this person feel amazing everyday. Pain & tension should never be normalized!
Wow, I have so much to be thankful for & proud of. However, without a doubt I am most proud that Bee-Healed Massage & Stretch Therapy has only been open 6 months…and it has flourished beautifully. I have been so blessed to have an amazing clientele & support system! I get to work with UC athletes, the Bengals & all the amazing people in-between. It is truly an amazing experience everyday and I cannot wait to see where it goes in the future!
To anyone reading this, potential client or not, never be afraid to reach for your goals. I never thought I’d be where I am now and I encourage everyone to shoot for the stars everyday! Never give up!
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Other than training and gaining knowledge in this field it is so important to just be a genuinely good person, listen, and work hard. Nobody wants to go to a therapist that is mean, rude or doesn’t listen to your needs as a client. A lot of the times people are very open about their personal life in the session. As a massage therapist sometimes you truly are a ‘therapist’ for people and it can be a beautiful thing to help someone, not only physically, but emotionally/mentally as well it is key to remember that sometimes we carry that stuff with us, even if we don’t mean too. You can sometimes feel heavy, or drained and it’s helpful as a therapist to learn how to let that all go so you don’t carry it yourself, or transfer it to anyone else. In this field if you don’t take care of yourself in every way possible than you can get burnt out, and I think self-care is so important in this career. Something as simple as stretching, going out with friends, meditating, taking a hot bath or eating your favorite food can all be ways to ensure you are still maintaining a balance of work hard-play hard.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing your clientele is word-of-mouth! I have networked a lot in my career thus far, however nothing has carried me more into this business like word-of-mouth. People who have had great experiences with you, and feel better then ever tell EVERYONE! Like I said before, being a great person and being knowledgeable in your field make people comfortable with you; and feel better so of course they are going to tell all their friends, co-workers, family, and even strangers about you! I am so thankful and blessed my clients think so highly of me, I don’t know what I’d do without them!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beehealedmassage.com
- Instagram: beehealedmassage
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beehealedmassage/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-preusser-a47839209
- Other: TikTok: beehealedmassage
Image Credits
Image Credits: @beehealedmassage