Discovering Hope Initiative

Discovering Hope Initiative

You are bold, brilliant, and unique. Within your eyes is a light that burns brighter than any fire. You are powerful, purposeful, and capable of achieving any goal. You can make a difference. You are not alone. There are others in this world who share your goal. Join us on our journey, discover community, and help others explore the joy of feeling whole. We are the Discovering Hope Initiative. We are a coalition of passionate people who love massage, wellness, and those who live to help others. We are here to help you on your journey, cultivate life-long friendships, and encourage mentorships.

It is our goal to build a legacy, to enrich the lives of others, and guide the massage industry into the greatest era of all time. As massage therapists, wellness professionals, and loving spirits, we can cultivate a culture of peace, serenity, and prosperity. Together we can spread hope throughout the cities and townships of Missouri. We can encourage meaningful change, guide our peers towards excellence, and help people feel the vibrant light of life.

Our Industry Needs to be in the Hands of LMTS

The massage industry should be in the hands of massage therapists. Right now, it is primarily directed by people who have never performed a massage, who treat massage like a fast-food restaurant, and do not care about the loving souls who live to help others. Together we can change this, we can build the career of our dreams in an industry that genuinely cares for us.

Actions Proposed by the Discovering Hope Initiative

Our industry needs to improve, but what can we do to address the meat grinder of massage? We do it as an individual, with personal investment, sacrifice, and love. Meaningful change begins from within. It starts when we as individuals decide we have reached our threshold of discomfort and no long wish to suffer under the reigns of another’s will.

“The professional organizations need to do something!” -They won’t. They have no reason to. Why would they, their biggest customers are the chains, the system in place allows them to remain in business.

“We need unions to stand up for us!” -We don’t. What will yet another monolithic organization do for us that our professional organizations failed to do? When we add a union to the equation it is just another hand reaching into our wallet. Everything a union can do for you; you can already accomplish. As an LMT you are the industry, and together as individuals we can make it our industry.

As a community we need to stop asking others to do our work for us. If we are unwilling to advocate for ourselves, we will remain shackled to an industry that strips away our hopes and dreams. Collective think is our enemy, it takes away the beautiful individuality of our existence. Instead, we can join together as a consortium, working as allies and friends to achieve a greater good.

Let go of the idea that you need to be saved by someone. Become your own knight in shining armor, stand up for your peers, and educate others so they may become their own advocate. Inside your heart is everything you need to achieve the career of your dreams. You do not need a union or a professional organization to transform your world, you can do it yourself. I know it can be done, because I have accomplished it, I have guided others to do it, and I will teach you to do it as well.

I will teach and mentor you because I love massage with my entire heart. It is my purpose and passion. My existence is dedicated to helping my professional peers discover the career of their dreams. I want to show you how to feel free, to make the money you need, and live a life helping others feel the best they can be. I will do this until I can no longer breathe, or until our industry is once again in the hands of licensed massage therapists.

How is this achieved?

• The schools must stop feeding the chains new lmts.
• LMTs need to stop working for facilities that are not owned by wellness professionals. We need to encourage new massage therapists to work for people who live a life dedicated to the enrichment of others.
•  We need to let go of our lone wolf mentality as massage therapists. There is enough business for all of us.
• We need to embrace humility by sharing our techniques, experiences, and wisdom with others. Far too many new massage therapists lack the basic skills necessary to succeed, avoid burnout and injury. They need our guidance and support.
• We need to show the schools they can survive without the scholarships of the chains. We can work together with the schools who are invested in the future of massage by cultivating scholarships within local consortiums.
• We need to mentor students while they are in massage school. Offer to share our stories with them, and to hear theirs. Give them some of your time and let them watch you perform a massage, simply observing how a professional perform a massage can be an invaluable asset to a student. If you have any time offer them a tutorship. Teach them everything you wished you needed to know at the start of your career.
• We need to stop waiting for the professional organizations to help us. It may be hard to believe, but they are insurance companies, their boards and clubs are roleplays designed to trick you into believing you have influence over our industry. Everything they do is with the intent of protecting their revenue generation.
• We need to create our own lmt owned publications. Nearly every major magazine and massage publication is owned by a single professional organization. This same professional organization provides insurance to every lmt of the largest chain in the United States. Who are they going to protect first, an lmt, or a monolithic money-making entity who is responsible for a large percentage of their revenue?
• We need to be teaching lmts how to actually run a business, to become great leaders, and valuable employees.
• We need to create and cultivate local massage support groups.
• We need to inspire our peers. Simply teaching techniques and theories is not enough. We must actively attempt to raise each other’s spirits and reconnect with our love for life.
• We need to educate the public about the terrible work culture of the chains, and the benefit of purchasing services from lmt owned clinics.

If even a small percentage of experienced massage therapists participate with a small fraction of these suggestions it would have a huge impact on our careers and the direction of our industry.

What is Jennifer Brand Doing to Help the Industry?

The Discovering Hope Initiative is searching for LMT owned massage facilities who are attempting to recruit new members. It is our goal to connect massage therapists and recent graduates with companies who love, and care about our beautiful profession. The passionate and loving professionals of our industry enter the workforce lost and alone, we need to provide them a guiding light so they may live their highest quality life. Massage therapists need to be working for leaders, mentors and companies who understand their plight as a professional, people who can cultivate their career, help them avoid burnout and injury, and achieve the career of their dreams.

Currently the schools are a direct pipeline into the chains, serving as a conveyor belt into the meat grinder of massage. Many of the schools tell their students to work for the chains for a few years to gain hands-on experience. This is the worst advice a new LMT can receive. Massage was never meant to be practiced as an assembly line. We are meant to connect with our clientele, explore their wants and needs, and serve as a guide to help set them free.

“I live and love massage, it is my purpose and calling. I am here to create a community, to support my peers and usher in the greatest age of massage. We can accomplish this together, we can foster meaningful relationships, and lead the next generation of therapists toward a meaningful career.” -Shawn White, LMT