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

Shayna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

After graduating from massage school, I went to work at a local franchise to get experience. Well, and that is honestly what school preps you for. Is to work at franchises. After about 18 months, I got burned out from working long days and not many breaks. I took some time away from massage and worked a variety of other jobs. After a few years, I decided to get back to massage therapy, but work for myself. That has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had no education or knowledge on how to run a business. I didn’t know who to talk to, what forms I need to fill out… anything. It took a lot of trial, error and successes to get off the ground. After a couple years of working for myself, I met Shayna. We were doing our individual businesses out of the same location. We spent quite a bit of time together and decided to become business partners. We had invited a couple other people to join us, but we learned very quickly, COMMUNICATION was KING! If we wanted to be successful in anything we wanted to build, it was going to come down to communication. We didn’t have any other professionals that we could reach out to or lean on about building a business. We try our best to be that support for other massage therapists that are starting out. We highly suggest to them to make connections with other professionals, never stop learning and to always remember that our profession is not a competition.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

At Empowered Bodywork & Wellness, we believe real results come from intuitive care-not discomfort. We deliver result-driven bodywork and holistic therapies in a luxurious, nurturing environment. Every session is personalized using a wide range of advanced tools and time-honored techniques to help you feel your best — physically, mentally, and energetically. You’re not paying for individual modalities — you’re investing in intentional time, customized completely to your goals.
We have our menu set to where you pay for time, not individual modalities. When you come in for your session, we go over what your goals are and pull from our tool box how to support you in reaching your desired results. Some of our tools include: infrared sauna blanket, red light therapy, hot stones, cupping, Reiki Energy Work, Sarga, Intraoral Work and more.
Our clients love that we are authentic in everything we do. When you come to us, you are treated as a dear friend. When we work with you, we genuinely want to support you in finding relief. We don’t see you as another file or our next paycheck.
Thank you for letting us do what we are so passionate about.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Our top favorite book is Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. This really taught us how to set up our finances, not just for business but also personal, to be successful. Another favorite is The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber. This has been very validating as we have gone from infancy to adolescent growing pains. We have been able to avoid pit falls.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Our support systems. We wouldn’t be successful in our field or our business if it wasn’t for the support of our husbands and our families. They are so understanding when we have needed to work extra days or long hours. They see our drive, dedication and passion we have for our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empoweredbodywork.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredbodyworkwellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredbodyworkwellness
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@empoweredbodywork