We recently connected with Ramsie Cannady and have shared our conversation below.

Ramsie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

In the year 2020 I was getting close to graduating from High School, until Covid hit and we had to shut down in March… like the rest of the world. We switched to online and had our “graduation” at the end of June. I had applied to Asheville Buncombe Community College to do Dental Hygiene. I had picked my career early in school and stuck with it up until graduation.

One of my classmates through a party for all of us to celebrate, while attending and hanging out with everyone I spoke with a friend about what they had planned to do in the Fall. He was the only one who went out on a limb and wanted to do something different with his life instead of the 4 year college degree or working job from job to get by. I envied that about him, not doing what everyone else was doing and following his heart.

A few weeks went by, getting close to starting school, and all of a sudden my world just crushed. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, the thought of settling made me sick! I didn’t want to go to school for long, I didn’t want to work the 9-5, I didn’t want to do something I truly didn’t like.

So one night I was praying to God and I just cried out to him, I had hit rock bottom. In that moment I felt him just hold me and tell me “It’s going to be okay, I got you.” And believe it or not, He was right.

I started to get the vision of me being my own boss and owning my own business. I knew i wanted it to reflect my personality, down to earth, mellow, natural, etc. I had ran various things through my head of what i could do, but never could put my finger on it. Probably like two days later my grandmother and my mother had mentioned that the local community college was offering Massage Therapy classes. I had no interest AT ALL, i never liked massaging people and i actually never had a massage at that time either, so i didn’t know anything about it. They told me, “Ramsie, give it a shot, go to the first class” and so I did… I LOVED IT! I loved that i could create a business and make it my own with this profession. I also loved massaging people, being able to help with ones discomfort or pain made me see how essential this profession is.

After finishing a year of school, i opened up my own business called “Down to Earth with Ramsie”. I have officially been opened for a little over 2 years. I continue to grow my business, adding new services, growing my clientele, getting involved in the community and doing what God called me to do…serve others. I am so blessed to be on this journey, if you would’ve told me I’d be where i am now, i would laugh and say you’re joking! I love being a Massage and Bodywork Therapist and i can’t wait to see where I’ll go in life with it !

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?

Practicing Massage and Bodywork Therapy has been so fun, educating and makes me feel good about what i do. I think one thing that I’ve learned about myself and my craft is that i listen not only to my clients needs, but to their body as i am performing. It’s one thing to tell your therapist that you carry stress in your shoulders, but it’s important to pay attention to how they’re feeling during and after the massage. I tell my clients to journal the pain or discomfort they’re feeling. Bad day at work ? Notice how that effects you mentally and physically and write it down. I think it’s important to listen to your body on a daily basis, and to follow it. Sometimes all we need to do is veg out on a couch all day, sometimes our bodies are telling us we need to get outside and ground ourselves and take a nice stroll. Whatever the case, it’s super important to listen to yourself and your body.

One thing about the work I do is that there is a stigma that it is a luxury rather than a necessity. That is far from the truth! Massage and bodywork is beneficial for everyone on this earth! Whether you’re having issues or not, it detoxifies the body physically, and mentally it can relax you and help with depression and anxiety, even! I recommend to all my clients that you need to get a massage once a month, minimum. Of course, if you are in recovery, that may be once a week or every other week thing. If you’re seeking maintenance, it’s recommended once a month. Massage is for everyone!

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

When it comes to growing my clientele, I have learned over the last couple years, that word of mouth is my best friend! When I first started out, I wanted to get on social media and try and grow it from there, only because that’s what the rest of the field seem to do and similar professions as well. I thought doing reels, posting every day, taking pictures, educating people were the things i needed to do. As time started to go by I noticed my social media wasn’t really growing, the clients I started off with I would always ask them “ How did you hear about me?” their answer was always word of mouth. Whether they heard it from their family member, their friend, their work, etc. I still post on my social media accounts sharing my work and things that I have going on at that time, but it’s pretty minimal. You hear some business owners say that social media has been the best way for them to grow and I think that’s amazing! I never have been into social media, so sometimes I think it worked out for the best for me and my clientele.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think when it comes to me building my reputation, a lot of people like to feel welcomed and heard. That’s one thing I personally feel like I’m good at. When my clients come through the door, whether they are new or not, I give them my undivided attention, listening to their needs, and what they’re looking for that day of their treatment. I often hear that previous therapist that my clients have gone to don’t make them feel like they’re important, or doesn’t help them with their needs. Yes any therapist can give a massage, but also finding a therapist that is almost like your best friend is super important!

Contact Info:

• Website: downtoearthwithramsie.com
• Instagram: dtewramsie
• Facebook: Down to Earth with Ramsie

Image Credits
Kacey Ruppe Photography