Forced career change surfaced a new found passion

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This article was posted in 2009 on the Examiner.com website. Since then they have closed their doors and took the content down that was with them!

Michelle's story is really inspirational to me. I'm in the same boat and I'm hoping 6 years from now I'll be feeling confident and I'll be happy with my career transition. I love writing and creating art and I'm hopeful it will support my lifestyle and I'll be able to consider it a career!

Michelle is actually offering dinner massages in the Toledo area. She and another Massage Therapist, along with a chef, go into peoples home and massage (the couple) while the chef prepares their meal. They've developed a pretty cool package!

Michelle is genuinely serving other's needs and helping spread good health and happiness. We need more people on the earth like her!

Forced career change surfaced a new found passion

Michelle is an extraordinary woman, someone who reinvented herself after her world was turned upside down by a job loss in 2003. Like most people who’ve lost their job, she wasn’t sure where to turn.  She decided to go back to school for Massage Therapy, “Without one door closing I don't think I would have even considered opening another one.” Her forced career change surfaced her new found passion, “Massage is such a rewarding career, I'm grateful, as strange as it may sound to have lost that job!”

Michelle transitioned from a Finance career to Massage. She is a Massage Therapist and instructor at Owens Community college in Toledo. Her passion is clear when you meet her, “It’s important to love your work, because your attitude will definitely come out in your massage. I believe in healing touch, I believe it works. My job is to be the best hour of your day.”

She feels strongly about this holistic healing approach, “Massage definitely benefits both mind and body, treating not only the symptoms, but establishing a cause whether it’s internal or external."

Michelle discussed some of its many benefits, “Massage increases overall circulation, helps in alleviating lower back pain, improves range of motion, assists with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers, helps athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts and is, overall, great for relaxation.” When asked what she would say to someone who isn’t comfortable with touch, she offered Chair Massage as an option. “This 10 – 20 minute, fully clothed, seated massage slowly introduces you to massage giving you an idea of what to expect.”

Michelle’s thoughts on massage necessity, “Most people still consider massage a luxury and say they can’t afford it, what they don’t realize is, it’s not a luxury, it has extreme benefits and what you can’t afford is to not take care of yourself. It’s the best preventative medicine I know of!" 

Michelle’s career transition rewards her daily by meeting people like Patty Wilson; someone who is coping with Dementia. Patty’s response after receiving a massage Michelle donated is testimony of the power of therapeutic touch, “I feel giddy! You know-- happy all over!  I felt, today, like a normal person, doing things a normal woman would do, it was a wonderful day!"  Michelle could have never imagined any of this would have been possible without suffering the tragedy of her job loss. It was a true blessing in disguise for her!