We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Reyna Quinn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Reyna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

The defining moment of my career happened upon the completion of a business course I took over the span of a few months. I had a full-on emotional breakdown once I completed the program and felt like I was all on my own. I struggled to put myself out there and I had the realization that I simply was not the person that I wanted to be when I launched my solo practice. I was depressed and anxious. My mental health was in shambles. I felt very unhappy. I felt like a fraud. I felt that it would be impossible for me to continue on (in life, in business, and in general) without help from a specialized mental health professional. It was at this time I decided to seek professional help, and began therapy. This decision has saved my life and thus, my career.

Reyna, 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?

My name is Reyna (she/her), and I am a licensed massage therapist and the owner of SD Inclusive Massage, where I specialize in trauma-informed pain & stress relief. The year 2016 changed my life. This was the year that I took intuitive leaps into the unknown, traveling to two different countries and attending several different wellness retreats. Through my adventures experiencing the body-mind connection, breath work, sound healing, community, and movement, I rediscovered my body, mind, and spirit in a way that made me feel alive and like myself again.

Newly aware of my aversion to human touch and its traumatic origin, with the intention to grow, heal, change, and evolve, I enrolled in massage therapy school in December 2017. I liked the idea of connecting with people and providing healing through touch. This idea felt very important to me, knowing how harmful and scary receiving touch could be as someone who has experienced sexual/physical abuse as a child and as an adult, and knowing I am not the only one. Since obtaining my license in 2018 and embarking on this journey, I have stayed curious about and focused on my own health & wellness. I’ve been able to heal many parts of myself and I’m still evolving more and more each day. I prioritize and specialize in creating a safe, trauma-informed space for individuals to connect with their body, mind, and spirit so that they may cultivate a practice of self-love and care, and be reminded of their true nature and the inherent power within themselves. I provide my clients with resources to help them on their healing journeys, and I possess the knowledge and skills that are necessary when people may become triggered and/or experience dissociation (a common trauma response). The purpose of my practice is to provide support while venturing down personal paths of healing, health, and wellness. I want potential clients and the world to know that SD Inclusive Massage is a place where you can come as you are, feel and BE safe doing so, and reap all the reward that a self-care practice can offer.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Rest is important! Pour back into yourself! Take time for yourself and try your best not to compromise on that. Experiencing burnout while being in a wellness career happens, and it can feel contradicting. In my experience, we can be very hard on ourselves when we begin to feel its effects. When my body starts to feel like it’s falling apart, or my emotional state isn’t favorable, I can find myself questioning my career choices in this field and doubting my ability as a solo practitioner and business owner. Kick imposter syndrome to the curb by putting yourself first and prioritizing feeling your best. You cannot give your practice what you do not possess.

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

I had to unlearn that I wasn’t capable and had no creative vision.

It was a few years ago that I wanted to rebrand and decided to hire a photographer to capture new content. I believe in getting help where you need it. As a small business owner, you can’t do it all on your own. While I did have my own creative vision, I decided to trust the photographer with their own vision due to the tools/equipment they had that I didn’t, and to it being their career to bring visions to life. However, throughout the process, it seemed like the photographer wasn’t as invested in the vision or as passionate about the project as I was. The few images that were sent over to me were not what I wanted. I didn’t feel confident about the images, the way I looked in them, or what they translated about me/my business. I let the photographer know that I was unhappy with how things were going, and to put it simply, that was the end of our relationship.

I decided to go with my original vision and captured all of the images and videos myself on my iPhone. They came out exactly how I wanted them to, and I still use them for marketing purposes to this day.

I am grateful for what this experience has taught me, and I’m happy with the confidence that I’ve been able to cultivate in regard to my capability to execute creative tasks.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sdinclusive.com
• Instagram: @sdinclusive
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086486255341