Back in November of 2019 (it seems SO LONG AGO!) I was featured on It's a Tribe Thing Podcast with host Shelli Varela.
 

You can listen to it HERE.

 On Tuesday this week, I'm being interviewed on a wellness talk show, MindBodyRadio.

Here's the information I'm providing them.

YOUR BACKGROUND

I became a licensed massage therapist with the State of Ohio Medial Board in January of 1999. Starting my career in a busy day spa, I experienced typical massage therapy tendonitis issues within a few years. 

In 2002, I learned barefoot massage and have been specializing in it ever since, teaching since 2004. 

2017 began a new evolution of the way I teach barefoot massage when I co-founded the Center for Barefoot Massage. We have instructors throughout the US and also have a Pro Membership for our graduates. In 2019 I began an online company, Massage Momentum, where I provide valuable information to all massage therapists to help their careers soar.

I continue to provide barefoot massage in my busy Cincinnati studio.​

YOUR PROFESSION

In my massage studio, I provide effective, comfortable myofascially based barefoot massage.

When I teach, I help massage therapists discover more effective yet easier ways to provide deep tissue massage so they can have a long-lasting, pain-free massage career.​

Our continuing education company, the Center for Barefoot Massage, guides our instructors to teach their students how to use their feet like they do their hands, which saves careers and provides valuable support in their communities.

WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS LINE OF WORK?

The human touch is a valuable asset-I don't think there's any replacement for it. While tools may assist in providing more effective massage, the human touch is essential. 

The trouble with massage therapy is that many (if not most) massage therapists work to their detriment, hurting their bodies while they try to fix their clients. This creates injury and burnout quickly in a career that they love.

By providing barefoot massage to my own clients, I've been able to sustain a busy practice for 21 years without injury. Teaching therapists-not only can it save them physically, but they often make more money as they can do more massage without hurting. In fact, their last massage of the day may even be better than their 1st one. It also creates a ripple effect-they feel better, so they're happier, they are able to enjoy their lives with their families, and their clients feel better. When their clients feel better, it positively impacts THEIR lives and relationships.

When I was in massage school over 2 decades ago, any business information we received is completely irrelevant now. I've found that many massage schools don't provide much assistance with marketing or running a business.

It's my goal with Massage Momentum to help fill those gaps with business and marketing knowledge.

ANYTHING ELSE?

​I had 2 small children when I started massage school in 1997 and had 6 more after I became a massage therapist. Barefoot massage saved my career when I was pregnant with twins-I couldn't bend over to do hands-on work. We have 8 children, 5 of whom still live at home.

My brilliant husband, Paul, runs the back end of our businesses, and we also have a rescue German Shepherd, rescue Persian cat and an adopted turtle.

SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE (AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, PROFESSIONAL, OR PUBLIC SPEAKER):

There are a ton of business people I admire, but one that sticks out right now for me is Shelli Varela. She was the 1st female firefighter in her city, has been a featured Ted Talk speaker and hosts a fantastic podcast, It's a Tribe Thing  (on which I was featured​, episode 48). She's an exquisite listener and synthesizer of valuable information.

BIO FOR OUR WEBSITE

​Mary-Claire Fredette has been a massage therapist since 1999 and specializes in effective, comfortable, deep tissue barefoot massage at her Cincinnati practice, Affinity Massage Studio (www.affinitymassages.com)

She co-owns the Center for Barefoot Massage(www.barefootmassagecenter.com), runs an online membership for our barefoot massage therapists and has recently been a new focus on creating business courses for all massage therapists at MassageMomentum.com.

According to the BBC, all over the world from the entire US to the UK, South Korea to Japan, global companies have rolled out mandatory restrictions on coming to the office amid the spread of Covid-19.

"And it’s realistic to assume that shifting to the ‘home office’ will become the new normal for many of us for a while, given Wednesday’s announcement by the World Health Organization that the coronavirus has officially reached ‘pandemic’ status.

Some employees will be working from home for the first time, which means figuring out how to stay on task in a new environment that may not lend itself to productivity. But there are ways to deliver results and avoid going stir-crazy, from setting up a good workspace to the way you talk to your team."

1. Communication-set up times to communicate with teammates at least at the start and the end of the day.

2. Treat it like your real job. 
At least take a shower and get on the computer at your regular time. Pants may be optional. 😉

3. Create an ergonomic place for your computer.
At my house, it's on my dining room table on a stack of books. It may not be pretty, but at least my head won't fall off my neck. 

4. Celebrate your teammates' birthdays and work anniversaries via teleconference (I use Zoom).
Especially if you're an extrovert, you need face to face "contact".

5. Get exercise.
Set a timer for every 50 minutes. Get up, walk around your house and stretch. And get "real" exercise to keep you feeling tip top.

6. Eat real food.
If we don't watch out, we'll all end up with diabetes from eating junk out of boredom. The clothing stores will rejoice when we all have to buy bigger clothes. Sugar contributes to inflammation, so try to keep it at a minimum.

I work best completely undisturbed by music and distractions, which means I need quiet. I'm not above sending my kids outside when the weather is decent or shoving them into the basement to play Minecraft when I need to get work done. 

Let's just all do the best we can do...

Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!
 

Mary-Claire

Unfortunately, the spread of Coronavirus has taken yet another toll...

Massage businesses in Ohio have been mandated to shut down.

I can't say I haven't shed a few tears over this.

As an empathetic person, I feel badly for those of you who rely upon massage to keep your mental and physical health in check. Some of you are relied upon in times of crisis via police work, healthcare, or in the food business.

I wish I could work on you. I know you carry a heavy load.

As soon as the Governor allows us to open the doors again, I welcome you once again with open arms (and maybe even a hug).

(The estimated date is April 7, 2020.)

I can't wait to see you again,

all of you.

Sincerely,
Mary-Claire

I love practicing and learning barefoot massage, even though I've been doing it for 17 years.

No matter how I feel before I come into the office, I always feel better having made them feel better.

While I've always loved to write, I never saw really how this passion could coincide with barefoot massage. But ya know what? I've made it happen.

As a co-founder of the Center for Barefoot Massage, I've written a lot of blog posts and filmed what feels like a bazillion Tuesday Toes-day tips. 

Helping others lights my fire. 

We have a Pro Membership that helps our Tribe get better with their skills both in massage and business. I create memes and email campaigns. 

I create Massage Momentum.

And I love it.

Meet my 2002 barefoot massage room

My first barefoot massage room, circa autumn 2002. Because I have low ceilings (7.5'!)  and no electric table means my table was at 19”.

No wall at the head of the table means I couldn't lean back to do seated work,  so I improvised with my mom’s 1940’s high chair /stool.

I loved the sunshine and plants-the room has windows that open on 3 of the 4 walls. I miss having fresh air and a gentle breeze in my massage room. 

One of these days, I'm going to knock a hole in the wall of my current massage training / barefoot massage room and put in a window that opens. I'm sure that'll be cheap. 😉

Visit Massage Momentum if you're a massage therapist, will ya?

View this post on Instagram

Hey! I'm Mary-Claire. I love shoes, which is ironic since I work barefoot 👣. Platforms are my current fave, but boots are a close second. Since I have to keep my feet healthy and mobile, it's important to wear good quality shoes. : Take care of your feet! They literally carry you through the day. : #ashiatsuworkshops #deeptissuemassage #barefootmassagetraining #continuingeducation #ashiatsutraining #footcare @centerforbarefootmassage @thecompassionatetouch #cincinnati

A post shared by Ashiatsu Classes (@ashiatsuclasses) on Jun 23, 2019 at 8:45am PDT

This is me maybe a week before I delivered our last baby (#8!). 

I recently worked on a friend of mine who's 6 months pregnant. 

You know what I love about doing pregnancy massage? 

Pregnant women loved being touched. (Except in labor. She might kill you.) I have found that the expectant mom is alway uber grateful for having been tended to for an hour or so, especially when they get to nap.

I remember how it was when I was pregnant, especially with twins. My husband was not comfortable massaging me, so he happily sent me to a pregnancy massage specialist every other week in the last trimester.

The problem with this is that it's expensive! It's worth it, but it IS expensive.

Men need to learn how to massage their pregnant ladies.

Just sayin'.

View this post on Instagram

Why I love to teach barefoot massage... 👣 If you're an LMT, come join us for our comfortable, effective deep tissue Barefoot Massage classes. I teach in Cincinnati. : : #cincinnati #barefootmassage #massagece #massageclass #ashiatsu #ashiatsutraing @centerforbarefootmassage #fasciashi

A post shared by Ashiatsu Classes (@ashiatsuclasses) on Jun 21, 2019 at 11:44am PDT