We recently connected with Tony Schwartz and have shared our conversation below.

Tony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

I think one of the most important points in my career and one of the most sincere moments in my career has been the care of veterans. Back in 2014 I received a session request via text message from a soldier’s wife. Now back then I used to provide two free hours a year to veterans at no charge as well as provide discounts on additional services because I was so close to the local veterans hospital. She contacted me because she saw that I worked with veterans and that I was in an area that her husband would be familiar with (as both of them were not raised in the area). Being in their late 20s and having one child and soon expecting another she felt there was and issue that needed to be addressed. What made this such an out of ordinary request was that she indicated her husband had been in the army working as a logistics driver and had been struck by several IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) but escaping serious injuries on every encounter. This had left some psychological injuries and many military families do struggle with soldiers when they return home for good as she was so it was not unfamiliar to hear the story. He was not interested in psychotherapy at that time he was more interested in reestablishing a life and providing for his growing family more than his own health. In this particular case he was unwilling to remove his clothing and boots when coming home or spending time relaxing. He got a job working for a retailer doing logistics transport and so he wore jeans and boots every day to work so it did match up with his previous military service. For instance when he got home he would remove his work boots and then immediately take a shower and put on clothing and a clean set of boots that were only worn in the house. The only time he would remove any clothing would be to take a shower or use the bathroom. This would not stop even in the bedroom to get into bed. As a result her bedsheets were getting damaged. They even conceive their second child with most of his clothing still on. She was concerned that he would not be able to get over this but refused to go to counseling. She asked if there was anything I could do and honestly I didn’t know the answer but I did encourage her to make sure that her husband understand what the session would be and who would be with and all they had to do was come in and meet with me we didn’t have to do any work he could just see if the vibe felt good. So several weeks later we did meet and he was cautious but not unfriendly or rude. I suggested a course of sessions in which he could simply lay on the table and listen to music or if you want to chat with me I would not touch him I would simply allow him to be in the space and feel safe. We did not discuss any of his personal life nor why he was here but slowly overtime over. Over many months he would loosen a shoes lace on one boot and eventually got his boots off. I still see this client at least 4 – 5 times a year and now he can enjoy a standard massage undressing to his comfort level (now he undressing completely) underneath the sheet and he can feel safe and comfortable. With years of patience and understanding and developing trust between us he has been able to change. Without needing a lot of common ground or pushing we moved the needle. It is definitely not been my most profitable client I’ve dealt with over the years and definitely one of the most severe cases of PTSD I’ve ever seen but it also helped a family that I’ve never met. Sometimes it’s not about paying the bills it’s about looking out for each other. This person needs someone to help him along without lectures or orders or even a push just someone who was a neutral party who didn’t know any baggage or want to know any baggage just somebody who wanted to be there.

Tony, 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?

It’s a pleasure to be introduced to all of you in this wonderful magazine. I have been a body worker since 2009 and I am very proud to be considered for an article. After years of running my own business and helping with the family business I decided to enter the massage therapy world. Over the years I have grown into a specialist in the orthopedic bodywork realm. Most of my clientele range from weekend warriors to professional athletes and in some cases those individuals who can find another qualified body worker to do specialty work such as prenatal work. I also provide classes and mini workshops for massage therapists in the Minnesota area as well as provide full-time business consultation services for spas, chiropractic facilities, and other employers who employ massage therapist to help them with training needs or developing policy guidelines. It is always been my philosophy that they are extremes in the health and wellness industry of those who see the work as healthcare and those that see the work as a spiritual journey as well as a physical journey. I think there’s room for everyone and I think the most important thing we can do is to listen and understand our client but also to know more limitations and what we can do for our clients.

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

When it comes to building a reputation among my peers I think my ability to communicate effectively the necessity of continuing education and the ability to present that to clients. It’s not about giving out your résumé to every client it’s about showing them the value of your education during a session. The ability to articulate that to your peers as well as clients I think really has built up my reputation as someone you can ask questions too and get responses from even if I don’t know the answer people know that I’m more and willing to explore helping them find the answers they’re looking for.

When it comes to building a reputation among my clients I think the ability to keep my business model simple has been a great advantage. People don’t wanna read unless amount of paperwork or go through tons of pages on a website to get the answers to their questions. Instead people are looking for simple and straightforward information and the ability if necessary to ask questions. A prime example that has really built my reputation among my clients is my simple pricing. I charge one price that includes sales tax a living wage and it covers all my therapies. Instead of offering additional services at an additional charge or charging each thing like taxes tip and other things as separate line items on a bill. People know what they’re paying and getting before they come in the door. You look at many businesses and they won’t even come close to doing that and that’s unfortunate to me because pricing transparency means something. It also alleviates the pressure on me to provide huge discounts or coupons for the deal seekers. Deal seekers are not typically loyal customers in my experience and as a result I don’t waste a lot of time on trying to bring them in.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I could give everyone simple answers to this about events of the last several years but I think that’s overplayed. I’d rather share a story about having to pivot because I found out I just wasn’t good at something. Many businesses like mine will use retail as another form of revenue and I have found that the simplicity of my marketing methods including my pricing and policies of cultivated a clientele that is not truly interested in retail or interested in finding out if what they are choosing is right for them. An example of this would be a client who brings me a foam roller and asks if it’s the right kind for them rather than buying a foam roller from me. After attempts for years to make retail work I decided that it was no longer in the cards for me and would save me a substantial amount of grief on my balance sheet later in the year. Just because you want to do something doesn’t mean you’re good at it. And when it comes to running a business sometimes you have to make that decision that you’re not good at it and that the universe is trying to tell you that and so stop wasting money on it that can be used on other much more valuable investments in your business and your customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TonySchwartzBodywork.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyschwartzbodywork/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZsgkdtLJrkryr-ons4nWgQ/featured
• Other: TikTok @tonyschwartzbodywork