I'm getting a lot of work done on my new website, Massage Momentum.

Honestly, I need to thank my husband, Paul, for putting together the site and dealing with the idiosyncratic functioning of Wordpress.

While I miss doing massage-a lot (it turns out that giving barefoot massage is great for my abs), being able to provide free content with Massage Momentum's "lead magnet" (free download) fulfills part of my mission.

And what is this mission, pray tell?

As you know, giving barefoot massage lights me up. Part 1 of my mission is to help clients feel better through awesome, comfortable deep tissue massage.

Part 2 of my mission is to help massage therapists soar in long-lasting careers.

Yes, teaching barefoot massage is a great way to be able to provide deep tissue massage long term, but it's more than that. Many massage therapists don't have great business skills (it's not their fault-they haven't been taught) but become overwhelmed with tech, writing emails, and knowing how to provide consistent income. 

This is where I come in. 😊

And that's what I'm working on in my "free" COVID-19 time.

How's your self-care been this month?

I don't know about you, but I've had a hard time taking care of myself since the state of Ohio went on Stay-at-Home. 

Eating the wrong things (sugar much? Oy.), not giving massage (turns out that giving barefoot massage is good for my abs), not getting enough exercise...You know how it goes.

Sometimes, we need a little self-care help.

Just for fun, are you interested in Self-Care bingo?

Take the download-feel free to print!- and see how many ways you can take care of yourself in a day.

When you get a line, reward yourself with something that makes you happy.

Enjoy!

Massage therapists...

have you heard about my new website, Massage Momentum?

It's a bit different from what I've done before. I'll be focusing on providing ways to help ALL massage therapist in business create recurring income by learning how to discover Massage Memberships.

In the meantime, if you are interested in my 17-page guide on 9 Ways to Make Online Income When You Can't Massage, head on over to Massage Momentum. 

Just pop in your name and email, and the Guide will zip on over to your inbox.

Let me know how else I can serve you as a massage therapist at this time!

And yes, I'll still be massaging barefoot and teaching massage therapists deep tissue barefoot massage!

The psoas, which are actually called "iliopsoas" as they include the ilacus + psoas, lie deep beneath your abdominal muscles and intestines.

They attach to the sides of your lumbar vertebrae (low back spine), starting at your last (12th) rib and continuing down to the pelvis.

Psoas combines with iliacus in the groin and follows down into the top of the femur. If you imagine that your hip bone on the front of your pelvis is a bowl, you can envision how the muscles also attach to the underside of the bowl (I like to think of it as how you would grease up a bowl-the grease would stick to the sides of the bowl. That's what iliacus does, in essence).

Trigger points in the psoas muscles can contribute to both low back pain and the groin. 

Causes are often:
✔️sitting
✔️overuses (athletes)
✔️physical and emotional trauma
✔️may be caused by tension or fear

Here's a video I did to show you how to help loosen them up.

All you need is a foam roller. 

I can also work them during your deep tissue barefoot massage. I will say that it tends to be unpleasant, but if that's the source of low back pain, you'll feel better right away.

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.