We recently connected with Todd Brozman and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Todd thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us 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.

When I first moved to New York City over a decade ago, it was an exciting time but also very overwhelming. This was before I had become a massage therapist, and one evening during that period, in an effort to relax and re-center myself, I went and got a massage. It turned out to be a profound experience that blew me away. After an hour on the table, my subjective experience had been completely transformed. I was struck by what capacity bodywork had to reorient my energy, my relationship to my body and resultantly, my perception of life — it felt like magic. This experience and other similar ones that followed helped me greatly on my path towards self-integration and ultimately inspired me to become a bodyworker myself.

Todd, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a licensed massage therapist and bodyworker and currently operate my own private practice in Manhattan under the name Urban Ease Bodywork. There it is my mission to serve clients on their journey towards somatic ease and embodiment. This often means helping them treat orthopedic conditions such as neck and shoulder issues, lower back pain, TMJ disorders, etc., but also includes treating those looking to destress, manage anxiety, and center themselves emotionally and somatically. Part of what makes bodywork so powerful and wonderful is that it’s potential benefits are so broad and multi-dimensional. Having experienced many of these benefits myself, I’m honored to assist others on their own journey towards wellness, comfort and integration.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Without a doubt. Bodywork had felt like a calling for me for years before I finally made the leap to go back to school and study it, and since then I haven’t looked back. My direct passion for bodywork aside, this career has also satisfied more general needs of mine when it comes to work. This includes being about to work independently, working in a capacity that engages my body in addition to my mind, and being able to serve individuals in a direct and personal way.

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

When it comes to massage therapy, in addition to the concrete skills of knowing one’s physiology and being versed in the mechanics of providing quality bodywork, I’ve found there is an entire suite of “soft skills” that contributes towards having a successful practice as an independent practitioner. These mostly relate to how one manages the client/practitioner relationship and how the provider holds space for the client to feel comfortable receiving care. This involves maintaining compassion, cultivating rapport, and being able to adapt one’s approach towards different client’s needs and styles. I’ve found these skills can only be developed through experience, but for me this is part of what makes practicing massage continually engaging and dynamic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.urbaneasebodywork.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddbrozman.lmt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbaneasebodywork
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/urban-ease-bodywork-new-york

Image Credits
Jonathan Pilkington, Jennifer Wetzel