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

Alright, Tania thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

Deciding to have my own business has been, so far, the hardest decision of my life—even harder than being an immigrant. It’s a tough mental debate between the stability of a weekly paycheck but not being happy with what you do, and on the other hand, being happy doing what you love but not having a fixed income and struggling with household expenses and the stress of not having money. I think if there’s one thing I could have done better, it would have been to have a savings cushion to cover expenses for at least a year before starting my business.

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.

I am a 49-year-old Venezuelan woman, a wife, and a mother of two children, aged 25 and 18. I am a professional in Marketing and Advertising and hold a certification as a Professor in Commercial Education in my home country. We emigrated to the United States 11 years ago, and from the moment I arrived until I decided to start my own business, I worked in Customer Service.

In my country, I had a severe episode of migraines due to stress, which forced me to take a six-month leave. At that time, my neurologist advised me to do something that would distract my mind, which led me to take a facial and body aesthetics course. That’s when I fell in love with body massage. After getting certified, I started offering my services to family and friends, and it helped me relax incredibly.

Years later, in the United States, I decided to take advantage of an educational opportunity available to immigrants and went looking for a massage school. I was fortunate to find a College of Chinese Medicine, where I graduated with honors as a Therapeutic Massage Therapist. Later, I obtained a special diploma in the Japanese Shiatsu technique and other holistic therapies.

One of my greatest achievements, of which I am deeply proud, is having studied in English and graduated with honors, despite it not being my native language.

Holistic or alternative medicine has become a passion for me. I have integrated many therapies into my services, and the most recent one is sound therapy with Tibetan bowls. I intend for my brand, Healing Bodies, to reach my community in a simple and natural way, helping them feel comfortable discovering the power of healing in a holistic way—body, mind, heart, and spirit.

I enjoy sharing my experiences in the most human way possible and making it known that the decision to heal is personal. The process is ongoing since life constantly presents us with different challenges along the way.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would definitely choose the same path, but perhaps in a more complete way, like finishing acupuncture school. I feel that at some point, I will complete it—it is my goal, and I will do everything possible to achieve it. But if time could go back, I would choose exactly the same path, only completing acupuncture at that moment.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Trusting in your skills and knowledge is vital in this field; however, I believe that having a strong willingness to serve, being empathetic, and showing compassion are equally important. I have come to understand that behind every illness or pain, there is a significant emotional process involved. To achieve a true healing effect, it is essential to put ourselves in the patient’s shoes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Healingbodies_bytete
• Facebook: Healing Bodies by Tete
• Linkedin: Tania Elorza

Image Credits

Tania Elorza