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Vicars Grad Wins Prestigious New Therapist Award

For the second year in a row, the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta’s Peter Martin Award has been given to an MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy graduate!

Please join us in congratulating massage therapist Lee Brill, who graduated from Vicars in 2021.

“We’re incredibly proud of Lee for winning this year’s award,” said Robin Collum, the school’s communications director. “She represents the compassion, ambition, and dedication to comprehensive client care that Vicars therapists are so well-known for, and we’re thrilled that she’s been honoured in this way by the MTAA.”

The Peter Martin Award recognizes a newly qualified massage therapist for their accomplishments in their first year as a practicing RMT, and their dedication to advancing the profession in Alberta. It is given out annually by the MTAA, one of Alberta’s leading massage therapy professional associations.

Last year’s winner, Sheena Taggart, was also a Vicars graduate. Read Sheena’s story here.

“The MTAA is committed to supporting new massage therapists that have completed their education and are ready to embark on their new career,” said Kaitlyn Crawford, MTAA Marketing & Member Services Coordinator. “One of the ways we do this is by offering the Peter Martin Award. It provides new graduates with the opportunity to receive a $750 cash award that can go towards their student loans, purchase of supplies to get their practice started, or for their MTAA Active Membership.”

Lee chose to become a massage therapist in part because of her interest in women’s health, particularly around pre- and post-natal care. Lee’s previous career experience includes acting as a doula and a nanny, which opened her eyes to new ways she could provide care and support to her clients during pregnancy and beyond.

“While working as a birth doula I started to realize how many things were missing from prenatal care in Alberta and specifically what I was unable to provide for my clients,” Lee explained in her application essay for the award. “I have a strong sporting background as well and have always had an

interest in the human body and all that comes with that. I felt that massage therapy was the

most natural next step for me to satisfy my interests and my clients’ needs.”

Lee has turned her dream into a reality since graduating in June. She currently practices out of the Holistic Institute of Health & Fertility in Calgary, a multidisciplinary clinic that specializes in fertility, prenatal, postnatal, pediatric, and menopausal care.

“I was introduced to the world of fertility and infertility through working at HIHF, and have learnt so much more about what massage can do to help individuals and families through their fertility journeys,” Lee said. “I’m so excited to keep learning and growing in this profession.”

Lee’s plans for the future include taking continuing education courses in prenatal and postnatal massage as well as complementary modalities such as cupping and neurofascial reset therapy.

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Alumni Spotlight: It Takes a Village to Raise an RMT!

Having a strong support system: in conversation with Krista Quinlan and Joan Oancia

Mother knows best! It was Krista Quinlan’s mother Joan who suggested that she should consider a massage therapy career. Joan had been a regular client at the MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy public clinic in Edmonton for years, and she had a feeling that her daughter had what it takes to become a successful RMT.

And she was right! Krista has a thriving practice at BodyTx Massage & Health in Fort Saskatchewan—and Joan still visits the Edmonton clinic for regular massages.

In this edition of Alumni Spotlight, Krista and Joan talked with Vicars communications director Robin Collum about how important it is for students to have a strong support system while they’re in school. Watch the full video, or scroll down to read an edited transcript of our conversation.

Robin

Let’s send our minds back in time a little bit to 2015, when you were considering a change in career and thinking of going back to school. Can you tell us a little bit about where you were in your life at that point when you were considering massage as a career?

 

Krista

Absolutely. So massage was actually the third time that I’ve gone back to school. I had gone into education, and then I tried to get into paramedics and I wasn’t able to really find a lot of work. And my mom said “You’re so into helping people, why don’t you look into massage?”

She had been going to the student clinic for I don’t know how many years before I even looked at going into massage therapy. And I was looking for just a different thing, a change, something where I could still work one-on-one with people. And massage just seemed to be right up my alley. So I went to an Open House, and Robin I think you were there! And it was just like, “This is going to be perfect for me, because then I can set my own hours and, you know, I want to have a family.” So I just thought it would be the perfect setup for me.

 

Robin

So it was your idea, Joan, which seems very convenient for you. Were there ulterior motives there?

 

Joan

Perhaps a little bit! I was client of Krista’s to begin with when she was practicing, and at first it was a little bit pokey, but it became very very good.

 

Robin

So why did you initially think that massage therapy would be a good choice for Krista?

 

Joan

I just thought she would be a good person to be able to give you good advice on your body or your aches and pains. She’d tried a few other careers and it just wasn’t really for her, so I thought this would be really good.

 

Robin

And obviously you were, by that point, very well acquainted with quality of massage of MH Vicars students. How did that experience as a regular clinic client factor in?

 

Joan

Well, because I had been going to the clinic for quite a while, and you could see the girls’ progress as they were practicing on the clients myself. And I was coming like weekly, so I could see the improvement that was happening with the girls. So I just thought it would be really good fit for Krista. Basically, I thought it would be better than the other couple of careers that she had looked at.

 

Robin

And Krista, by that point, you would have gotten to know a bit about yourself as an adult student. Were you looking for anything particular in an educational experience when you started looking for massage schools?

 

Krista

I was just looking, honestly, for something that was flexible. When I went to university, class schedules were Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursdays. And it was very heavy, just a lot of on campus time. So that didn’t really provide for a lot of home life stuff or work stuff. And when I found out that I only either had to go to school one day a week or one weekend a month [at Vicars] I was like, “This totally aligns with what I’ve got going on.”

Because I am an adult, and I was going back to school as an adult. So I already had a job, and I needed to figure out how I was going to go into higher education. I needed something that met with my schedule and what I needed. So being able to have an option of going one day a week and doing the studying at home, which I mean—there is quite a bit—but I really thrive in a very chaotic environment! [laughs]

I just found like, “Okay, I’ve got time here, and I’ve got time here. And this is when I can do this, and this is when I can do that.”

And I just found it really just nice, honestly, nice to have that ability to change. Say I couldn’t make it one day. I had the option of being able to talk to some of the other instructors, say, hey, look, could I pop in for this day because I missed it or I had an appointment or something came up, and I loved that ability, too. And it wasn’t all the time. It was just for those emergency times. But you guys were always so accommodating, and I just loved that and appreciated that so much.

 

Robin

That’s lovely to hear. One of the reasons that I wanted to talk to both of you at the same time is not just because it was an excuse to see you both, but we talk to our future students so much about the support system that they’re going to need while they’re in school. Because we want them to think ahead. Where are you going to find the time? Who’s going to pick up the slack and some of your responsibilities? Who are you going to go to for emotional support, logistical support, all of those things. And I know that Joan was such a huge part of your support system when you were a student, Krista. So can you talk a little bit about what kind of support you needed as a student, particularly in a program like this one?

 

Krista

Oh, all kinds of support. Honestly, I found that the biggest thing for me was just having the support with the day to day tasks that needed to be done. I was living back home with my parents, but I still had responsibilities around the house. And so obviously I’m not going to be able to do everything that I had been doing before because this is a priority for me. This is something that I need to do for myself. So really just sitting down and having a conversation of like, “This is what I’m going to need from you. I’m not going to be able to help out as much. I’m not going to be able to galavant and do all the fun things with my mom all the time, because I’m like school comes first!” And just telling them—and them knowing—that “Hey look, this is important to me.” It made it a lot easier for me to say no to certain things that I may have wanted to participate in.

I did not get any financial support from my parents with school, but they supported me in other ways, especially when it came to exam times and I was going through major anxiety and feeling like “I don’t know if I can do this.” Just knowing that I had my mom and my dad in my corner supporting me and pushing me and saying “You’ve got this.”

And we’d always celebrate when I came home saying “Look what I got on my exam!” Especially when I was having those anxious moments and fearful moments of “Am I going to do it? Can I do it? I don’t know.” They were always there supporting, which you absolutely need.

You need a support system. And if they aren’t your immediate people you’re living with or people who are immediately in your circle, the other people in the classes can also be your support. I had a close-knit group of friends within my own class, and we always got together, texted, called, did whatever we had to do if we needed some extra help. And we supported each other as well. So  if you don’t necessarily have that support at home, there is plenty of support that you can find through the school to help you get through this and do something for yourself.

 

Robin

Nobody understands what you’re going through like someone who is also going through it!

Joan, what do you remember about those two years? Do you remember having that sit-down conversation where she said “This is what I’m getting myself into.”?

 

Joan

Yes, I do. And I thought it would be really good for her. And like she said, her dad and I would really push for her to be going to school to find something that she really wanted to do. So it was easy to support. There were days that she just was anxious. But we were there to stand beside her—and there to get the extra few massages!

 

Robin

Yeah, that’s what I was going to get to next, actually, because people who aren’t familiar with our school might not know! Obviously, it’s a blended learning program, and you do lots of hands-on in class, but you also do lots of hands-on practice at home. We call it your Out-of-Class Practicals: your massage assignments. Can you talk a little bit about your experience as being one of Krista’s go-to ‘bodies’? Getting to watching her, or rather feeling her, improve?

 

Joan

Yes. In the very beginning, it was a little bit pokey! And as time had gone on, it was getting better and better. And then I was handing out flyers to bring more customers into our home, so she could have more practice. Quite a few neighbours benefited! I’m sure they were finding it a little bit pokey to begin with, too! But it was very good. And I really enjoy getting a massage from her now.

 

Robin

There’s something special about getting a massage now and also having experienced every step along that journey.

 

Joan

Now I’m like “I’ll be over every day!”

 

Robin

Krista, what are you most proud of in terms of accomplishments or challenges that you’ve overcome in your career?

 

Krista

It was a brand new experience, this whole massage thing. I was like, “I don’t know, I don’t know!” New situations give me really bad anxiety, but I was like, “You know what? I’m going to push through.”

 

And I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it and pushing myself as hard as I possibly could. I knew for myself having to pay for school on my own that this was my own thing. I was responsible. And just looking back and seeing the progress that I made, I am so proud of where I’ve gotten and where I’m at in terms of my massage career. I’ve gone on and done some other [continuing education] courses, and I’m just really finding my own way.

And the clinic that I work at just fills my heart because all of our therapists are amazing. We all talk to each other about different techniques that we’re using, and we’re very much a family. And I wouldn’t have known that massage therapists were so family-oriented or into wanting to help each other out until you kind of get into that.

So I’m just honestly proud of myself for sticking through, and even after school. Because the other two career paths that I went down, I finished the schooling, I attempted to go into the workforce, but it didn’t push myself nearly as hard as I did with massage. Because I really found that I had a much bigger passion for it than I did for my other career choices.

So I’m just proud of the fact that I stuck with it and I did it. And I pushed through the anxiety and that fear of “Am I going to be good?” You just get better and better with time and the more you learn, right? So I’m just really proud of myself for pushing forward and doing something for me.

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graduate spotlight - Nicole Ouellette and Darby Maglione

Alumni Spotlight Nicole Ouellette and Darby Maglione

Massage therapy can be an incredible career. Registered massage therapists enjoy flexible hours and financial independence, and have the satisfaction of knowing that they’re making a difference every day.

But being a massage therapist isn’t easy, and neither is being a massage therapy student. It’s a physically and intellectually demanding job, and not everybody’s cut out for it.

So if you’re a successful RMT who also spent nearly a decade teaching massage therapy, what do you do when your daughter tells you that she wants to follow in your footsteps?

If you’re Nicole Ouellette, you celebrate her decision, offer your support—and make sure that she goes to the best school available!

Nicole Ouellette graduated from MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy in 2005, and returned as an instructor in 2010. Nicole retired from teaching in June 2018; Darby started her massage education that September and graduated in 2020.

Today, both mother and daughter have successful massage practices. They recently joined Vicars communications director Robin Collum talk about their experiences, and it turned into a fascinating and hilarious reunion. Check out the video, or scroll down to read the transcript of our conversation.

 

 

Robin:

Darby, why don’t I start by asking you why you chose to follow in your mother’s footsteps into massage therapy?

 

Darby:

I think I got the opportunity to watch her and be a body for her and watch her be able to juggle a full-time job, parenting me, doing it alone, and going to school. And I don’t think back then I really realized what a big deal it was. I was like, “Mom needs to learn more muscles on my arms today,” when I’d rather just be playing with my Barbies. But looking back, that’s such a feat.

And knowing that the school offers that to people and that that’s an option is huge. I didn’t do the same thing [as my mom] ]by any means, but I did get to work full-time and go to school. And I know a lot of people just don’t get that opportunity. So basically, I saw her do it and if she can do it, I figured I could too.

 

Nicole:

And she was incredibly resilient child, no matter what was going on. But when I registered to go to school—yes, it fits in nicely with a full-time job, but I was working in the school system then, and I had to take a day off per week because I attended the Wednesday class.

That’s a significant amount of income I wasn’t bringing in, that one day a week.

So we had to move. We moved to the country. We were living in Sherwood Park proper, and we moved to an acreage basement suite ten minutes east of Sherwood Park.

So we had that ten minute drive into town every day for sports in school and all of that kind of thing. It was a very regimented lifestyle for us. School for Darby, work and school for me. Homework for me, homework for her. Whatever activities she had going on extracurricularly.

We made it work, but there were some sacrifices that had to be made.

 

Robin:

We always tell our students: “Where are you going to find 30 hours or more a week? Where are you going to find room for another full-time thing? And sometimes it means that it’s not working full-time anymore. Sometimes it means that your partner has to take on way more if you’re lucky enough to be able to juggle that. Or maybe you put all of your hobbies on hold.

 

Nicole

I would tell my students often, that in those two years I didn’t date or read a novel. So if you want to call those the hobbies…!

 

Robin

Darby, coming to Vicars was less of a change in your lifestyle because you weren’t a single parent who had to move to the country in order to do it. But that said, by the time you came to the program we had added a lot to it, in terms of clinic hours and also the intensive nature of some of the material. So how did you balance school and life while you were a student?

 

Darby

I think I was really fortunate that I was already working in a field that was relevant. So I would learn something in school, and then I would go to work, and I would hear this chiropractic doctor that I was working for speak of that, and all of a sudden it clicks. I’m like, “Oh my God, that’s what he’s been talking about!” Or “That’s what they meant in school!” I was really fortunate that I had that crossover.

It solidified things that we were learning or that I’d read in my Anatomy and Physiology textbook.

Memorization is definitely a strong suit for myself, and that’s huge in the program, but so is learning hands-on. So I found that the program literally ticked both those boxes. I felt like I could really excel. So I was confident, definitely.

 

Robin

And it certainly helps in terms of confidence going into the program, knowing a little bit about what you’re in for! Because not only had your mom been through the program, she had been with the program, teaching it every day for years. So you knew what you were getting into and you knew what to expect.

 

Darby

I did. I remember my classmates when they found out what my mom did and who she was and whatever, they would not necessarily envy me, but they were like, “Oh, you’re so lucky that you have her as an asset.”

And not in a spiteful way, but didn’t really want to use my mom that much. I wanted it to be my journey.

If I really needed help, sure. Read over my case report, the big stuff. But other than that I just really wanted to take it on myself and then maybe just get some reinforcement from her. But I really didn’t use at home as much as I thought I was going to.

 

Robin

And I imagine it was really useful to have part of your support system fully understand what you were doing. But on the flip side, I can only imagine how using her as one of your practice bodies in the first few months of the program would have been more stressful than if someone didn’t know anything about, say, draping!

 

Darby

Pretty much! Yeah, that’s exactly it.

 

Nicole

I couldn’t wait to help her. I couldn’t wait to help her, but she was like, “No, I’m good!”

In the two years, she maybe got me to read her case study, maybe her business plan, and that was it.

And it was already done—those things were done, and she was just showing them to me. She wasn’t really having me do anything with them at all.

So I get that that she wanted to complete it and be successful on her own steam, 100%.  She probably doesn’t remember this, but when I was studying… flashcards are an amazing study tool, but I was single, though, right? I didn’t have anyone holding the cards and asking me.

So I would literally give the cards to her and ask her. And these are the anatomy terms and the names of the nerves and names! And she’s seven years old!

 

Robin

And they’re all in Greek and Latin!

 

Nicole
Yeah! So I would just ask her to try to say the word, and so she would start and she would start to sound it out. And then I would kind of clue in on what she was asking me, and so I double check, “Oh, is this it? Yes? Okay, that inserts here and does this and originates there.”

So she got her first study session with anatomy at seven!

 

Darby

Maybe subconsciously, I just had retained all of that information, and it just clicked for me.

 

Robin

That’s the study secret.

 

Darby

That’s it—start when you’re seven.

 

Robin

Than take a long break.

 

Darby

Exactly.

 

Robin

What was it like for you Nicole, as a mother, to watch her go through this experience?

Obviously, it’s a big deal when your daughter goes into a full-time post-secondary program, watching them choose a career and work towards it. But knowing as you did what she was in for and knowing so much about the career already, as well as having gone through a version of that experience yourself, what was it like to just be on the sidelines and watch?

 

Nicole

Yeah, I was worried. I knew she could handle it, but I knew what she was going to face. That feeling overwhelmed by the learning and the work that was involved, the anxiety of the practicals, the disappointment of maybe not doing so great on something that you thought you had nailed.

As an instructor I had seen it in students. Those ebbs and flows, those highs and lows of feeling really thinned out, and then the growth, and taking more on and major life changes.

That was something I always cautioned about. It’s like, try not to do anything major in your life in these two years because you’ve got a lot going on. And Darby did do some of that kind of stuff, moving and getting into a serious relationship and that kind of thing. But I had to stand back and be there for her if she needed my support.

But it’s kind of been my tactic with her throughout her growing up. Allowing her to experience her life as it is and not try to remove all of the obstacles in front of her, but rather just be there should it happen, and should she need a soft place to fall.

 

Robin

And when she told you, she decided that she was interested in becoming a massage therapist—whether that was right before she applied or if she’d been thinking about it for years—what was your reaction? What concerns did you have? What advice did you have for her?

 

Robin

Yeah. This is actually kind of a funny story, because obviously from the time she was seven to when she was 20, anytime people met her they asked, “Are you going to become a massage therapist like your mother?”

And it was a resounding no. No, no, no. She was not at all interested.

But like she said, she kind of got into a related field. She took athletic trainer type courses, sport taping. She was kind of right in that same realm. And one day I was giving her massage, and it was very quiet. And I just started thinking about the sports massage that we offer. It’s very brief, but at least it’s an introduction. And I thought as I was massaging her, she could get her two years, get her diploma, and then maybe she could start working in that direction. I thought that that would be something she would really enjoy.

So I wrap up the massage, we come out of the room and I said to her, “Darby, I know you said you’re not interested in massage therapy…”

And she goes, “Well, actually…”

I was like, “What?”

And she was literally in the same mindset that I was. I was shocked. We were on the same page right in that very moment.

 

Robin

The mother-daughter mind meld!

 

Nicole

Yeah, that happens a lot!

 

Robin

Darby, is that how you’ve continued now that you have your diploma and are practicing in Banff, a fairly athletic town?

 

Darby

Yeah, I’ve had a bit of—I think a lot of grads go through this—of just kind of trying to find the right fit.

It’s very much like trying on shoes. You think it works, you take a couple of steps and then you find out something just not quite what either you deserve or what fits or what suits you in your work style.

I went right straight into chiropractic clinics because that’s what I was familiar with. I knew how to apply my newfound knowledge to what they were doing in treatment rooms, I knew what they were asking of me, and things like that. So I had confidence going into that and still do.

But each office and business structure is very different. So I was just kind of figuring out what I deserve, because even though being I was a new grad I still deserved to be compensated correctly, and treated with respect. I’m a professional.

I think I did about three different clinics, part-time, just kind of feeling it out.

And then I had an opportunity to move to Banff and work at the Springs, which is ironic, because I always said I would never work in a spa! And then I go into this world class spa, wearing cargo shorts! So I did that for a while. And again, no matter how great it is or how much people fawn over the Banff Springs and all that, it’s just another clinic where you do generally the same thing.

The clientele is different than you get {in a more clinical setting]. We were getting a lot of different cases, whereas at the Springs, you’re getting a lot of relaxation clients, which has its place but it gets a little repetitive.

So I did that for about a year and just kind of asked myself if I was happy, and if it was worth living in this pretty expensive town to do.

So I took a break. I bartended and loved it. And now I’m working with CMH Heli-Ski and I’m working as a bartender and a massage therapist. I get to do both, based out of Revelstoke. So I’m very excited. It’s kind of the pinnacle. This is where I want to be.

 

Robin

So you found the career that you love and found a way to do it in a place that you want to be.

 

Darby

And I found that balance between the more social aspect and getting to hang out with people and get to know them, and then using my more practical skills and what I’ve been trained to do and what I’m confident in doing. So it’s great.

 

Robin

That’s wonderful!

Nicole, one of the really remarkable things about your career is the involvement that you’ve had over the years with the Robin Hood Association, working with clients with disabilities and brain and spinal cord injuries. Can you tell me a little bit about your involvement over the years with that demographic and that organization?

 

Nicole

Yeah. That started really young for me. I’ve always had an interest—I’ve always been drawn to that population, even as a young child and seeing individuals in my hometown. And when I graduated from University with a BA, the economy at that time was very difficult. It was very difficult to find a job. So I actually found work in providing supports for people with disabilities, developmental disabilities. I worked in a couple of different organizations and eventually landed at Michener Center in Red Deer, and did that for a few years. I absolutely loved that job.

And then ended up in Sherwood Park with Robin Hood Association, working as a personal care support worker, and stayed with them for many years. I began with them in 1997.

The thing is, though, is that work is quite financially limiting. And as you know, I was a single mom. And so as much as I loved it, I felt like I needed more. I needed more control over my finances. That’s ultimately what had me seeking something else.

I can work pretty damn hard. And I just wanted to do something where if I chose to work pretty damn hard, I got paid for that.

And quite literally, it was serendipity. I think I was just reading the Sherwood Park newspaper, and I saw a little ad from Vicars School of Massage that said,”Study massage therapy without quitting your day job.”

And it literally was a light bulb moment. I’d only ever had one massage, didn’t care for it. [laughs. ]But for whatever reason, I’m like that’s it, I’m doing that!

I maintained some work with Robin Hood—I still worked for them on weekends. I still work for the school system as an educational assistant, working with children with disabilities. That was my work when I wasn’t in school. And I remember in my first year sitting in class, we had a guest speaker. And I can’t remember the topic of what she was speaking on, but provided massage for people with disabilities.

And again, another light bulb moment in my head. I was like, “I want to do that. That’s definitely something. It may not be all that I do, but I definitely want to do that.”

And fast forward, I’m five years post-grad and I was still doing some weekend work with Robin Hood.

One day they called me and they said, “We want to add a massage therapist contract to our services here. Would you be interested?”

And it was like, not even a hesitation. Absolutely yes. And that was in 2010.

So I’ve been growing that. And it’s been a slow growth. It’s kind of been a little challenging to get families to buy in to signing up their children for the service because it was an extra cost.

I started out where I maybe had eight to ten individuals that I would see on a fairly regular basis, like once a week. And now my case load is near 50. I did the math the other day, and I’m doing close to between 110 and 120 20-minute massages a month on those individuals.

And it’s been incredibly rewarding. Very, very rewarding.

And there’s been some very interesting developments with them. When I first began, I was just super excited to really get into the muscles, get into the tissues, because, you know, a lot of those folks are in wheelchairs several hours a day. So flexed hips, flexed, knees, postural dysfunction. So I just was really excited to provide some relief to the muscles that were probably screaming for help.

But in my first month, what really stood out for me was the psycho-emotional impact. The calming effect of just touching them for a few minutes. Sometimes they would fall asleep, , sometimes they would sigh. Sometimes there would be weeping.

And it was because they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Whatever they’re experiencing, you get to experience it with them. And that was really, really impactful. And to this day, I absolutely adore going and being with my people.

/by
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Graduate Spotlight: Claudia Wattel

For our latest entry in our graduate spotlight series, we’re switching things up a bit. Instead of interviewing a grad and writing about our conversation, we handed over the whole blog to her! 

In this post, Claudia Wattel tells the story of her massage therapy career in her own words—from going back to school as an adult, to starting her own business in her small town. 

Hello! My name is Claudia Wattel, RMT. I run my own home-based massage clinic, R.E.M Massage in Barrhead, Alberta. I graduated from MH Vicars of Massage Therapy in Edmonton in 2017.

 

For me, going back to school was a life-changing event in more ways than one. When I decided to go back to school and pursue a career in massage, it was a now-or-never moment in my life. It was also, in a lot of ways, a spur of the moment decision.

 

I was 43 years old and I had already been a single mom for many years. I was looking for something that would be fulfilling and I wanted to do something that would benefit the health of others. I was looking for a career that would give me freedom and would not tie me to a specific place.

 

I also wanted options so that I would never feel stuck in any job. At the time, I was working full time as manager of a furniture store. I was doing okay making a living off of that, but knew that something had to change if I ever wanted to get ahead financially so that one day I could retire.  

 

I was also looking for a career where I could attend school while working full time. After doing a lot of research I was pulled in the direction of massage therapy because MH Vicars offered a blended-learning schedule option that would make this possible. 

 

But I still was not sure I would like it. So when I saw that MH Vicars was offering a weekend introductory massage course, I signed up for it.

 

This in itself was way out of my comfort zone, but I decided if I was ever going to do it then now was the time. My two older children had already graduated and in the work force, and my youngest daughter was in high school. I wanted to be done my own schooling before she went into her grade 12 year—I wanted to be able to dedicate my time to her in her graduation year.  

 

After taking the weekend massage course, I decided to jump in with both feet. I was called into MH Vicars for an interview after which I was accepted into the weekly program.

 

I will admit it was a very tough 2 years. But I knew it was doable. I remember thinking when I started that if I can make the pass grade of 75% I will be happy. Being a mature student, I knew that failure really was not an option. There is not only a lot of money invested into education but also a lot of time. Time is a precious commodity. And I will admit—there is also a sense of pride that is not always there when you are younger. There was no way I was going to go home at the end and have to tell people that I failed! 

 

I was working full time most weeks. I had two days off each week: Sunday and Wednesday, the day I had class. 

 

The first year I was in school from 9am-5pm (plus the commute to and from Barrhead, which is 2 hours each way). I also did about 4-5 hours of independent study work every weekday evening and most weekends. 

 

Once public clinic was added into the mix, it became even more time-consuming. I chose to do my public clinic shifts on Wednesdays after class so that I wouldn’t have to drive into the city more often than necessary. So I was in school pretty much every Wednesday from 9am-9 pm. 

 

I was thankful that my kids were older and fairly self-sufficient. I was also thankful that I had a strong support system: my sister and brother-in-law helped me out a lot.

 

When all was said and done it was all worth it: hard work and perseverance definitely pays off. Not only did I achieve my goal of not failing—I graduated from MH Vicars with honors! 

I received a great education through MH Vicars. 

 

The program is jam-packed. I had very hands-on instructors and public clinic supervisors. By the time I graduated I was prepared to confidently put into practice what I had learned. Today, I am doing what I love.

 

I was very fortunate because I still had my full-time job at the furniture store when I graduated. This meant that I didn’t have to stress about having a full client base right away and gave me the freedom to build my massage practice at my own pace. 

 

I started working part time at Pembina Massage in Barrhead in September 2017. I knew that I eventually wanted to have a home-based practice where I would have complete control over my schedule and my clients, but I also wanted to get some more clinic experience first.

For almost three years, I worked at Pembina Massage three evenings a week and treated a few clients at the clinic space I set up in my home. And then COVID hit in spring of 2020 and Alberta had its first shutdown. 

 

When Alberta Health made the decision to allow massage clinics to open up again, I decided that the time was right to leave the clinic and focus on my home-based business. 

 

I knew that this would mean rebuilding my clientele, but I could afford to take this risk because I am still working at the furniture store (I love that job too!). 

 

It was always my intention to practice massage part time. This career supplements my existing income. At first that additional income went towards paying off my student loans. Now that I have done that, I can slowly work towards retirement.
 

I believe that massage therapy in a small town differs a lot from a city practice. In a small town everyone knows everyone. When you walk down the street it is a constant stream of saying hi to people you know. This also means that your clinic has a much more personal feel to it. 
 

When we studied ethics in school, our instructors really stressed the importance of having boundaries between your friendships and your client relationships. In a small town, many of your clients are friends or acquaintances before they become clients. So I need to pay special attention to enforcing the appropriate boundaries and maintaining the therapeutic relationship both during massage treatment sessions, and in my everyday life. When my friends and neighbours come to me for a massage treatment, they know that for the time they are in the clinic space, they are my clients and I am their massage therapist. Outside of that space, I’m their friend and not their RMT.

 

Professionalism is very important. I have found that because I work from my home, new clients are sometimes surprised that it’s a professional space, a professional business. But they learn right away that my clinic is exactly that: my clinic. It is a professional environment, and I my clients receive the same respect and care that they would in any professional clinic. 

 

In a small town there is a lot of “it’s not just what you know, but who you know.” Advertising happens through word of mouth. You have to be good at what you do, because if you are not news travels fast. That being said, if you do your job well others will hear about it.  

 

I have been very blessed.  My career in massage therapy to date has been very fulfilling. I have been able to help a lot of people and continue to do so. My clinic is open 3 nights a week. I am fully booked through October and am booking clients into November and December. I have not had to advertise for my clinic and have had to turn clients away because I am already busier than I imagined I would be. 

 

My massage career has also given me that step up that I was hoping for financially. In addition to saving for retirement, I was able to purchase a new home this spring and I have been able to create a perfect set up for my home-based clinic. 

 

When I was a student, we had to create a business plan. One of the required elements was a mission statement. I still believe in what I wrote back then, and it’s now the mission statement of R.E.M Massage: 

 

To assist in the healing of body and mind. 

To relieve tension and pain. 

To bring an overall feeling of health and wellness to each and every client in a professional and relaxed environment. 

One massage at a time. 

 

Claudia Wattel, RMT 

R.E.M. Massage 

Rejuvenate. Enhance. Maintain. 

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Communicating, Collaborating and What You Learn When You Open a Business

Q & A with Jocelyn Stewart: RMT and owner of Sunrae Massage and Wellness

 

A career in massage therapy called to Jocelyn Stewart. She enrolled in the 2-year program at MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy in Edmonton and  graduated in 2013.  Jocelyn got a job in a clinic as a student therapist when she was in her second year at MH Vicars, and stayed on after she graduated. During her four years there, she established a loyal client base, developed as a therapist, and learned even more about the business side of massage therapy.grad spotlight- Jocelyn Stewart

When she was ready to strike out on her own, she opened Sunrae Massage and Wellness in Fort Saskatchewan. Sunrae is now a thriving multi-therapist practice. Jocelyn herself is booking four or five months in advance, and she rents clinic space to other RMTs as well. 

She recently sat down with us to talk about how she became the therapist she is today, and what she’s learned along the way.

 

Tell me about your experiences as a business owner

I had the most wonderful mentor at the first clinic I worked at. She was so open to teaching me or letting me ask any questions, but yet letting me explore my own way. When she decided she was going to work from home, I decided to open Sunrae. I found this beautiful little building – and then I got a lot of life lessons!

Renovating, signing contracts, dealing with leases, accountants, all of that.

Maybe the biggest thing, on the business side of it, is I have learned the importance of a contract. My whole motto in life now is: “To be clear is to be kind.” 

When I have new therapists come in, I really try to foster them and say: “You know what, I don’t want to be on a split, I want you to have your own business. I want you to rent the room. I want you to develop, and do what you want to do.” 

 

You’ve been working as an RMT for nearly a decade. How has your client base changed over the years?

I don’t work with a lot of new clients now. Some of my clients are the same ones I’ve had for nearly ten years, and I’ve been so blessed. Right now I’m booking into October and November.

I have one client that I massaged at school outreach event when I was a student—I think it was the Mother’s Day Run. I massaged him for ten minutes, and he asked me for my card. [Laughs] I didn’t have cards! I was just a student! But I gave him the information of the place that I was working, and I’ve been treating him ever since. 

When you get a real connection with your clients, it’s so nice. You can build on each massage therapy treatment, and have an idea of where we need to go next. That’s really interesting.

I’m kind of nervous when I do get a new client now. I’m like “Oh my god! I’m going to have to explain myself and what my philosophies are!”

 

Can you elaborate on that? How have you managed to build a client base that aligns with your outlook and what you’re trying to do? 

I think that as a new therapist, you really try to please everybody and in doing so, sometimes you don’t get to find your own gifts or your own qualities. 

You have to be OK with the fact that you’re not for everybody. My style may not be for everybody. And, you know, you have to let your ego go and do what’s best for the client. 

Communication is so important, with all your clients. You tell them, “This is what we’re going to try, and why.” And at the end, I ask them how they feel and ask for feedback. And to my newer clients, I do say: “I’m not for everybody, and there’s other types of massage that may help you better.”

You really have to communicate and listen to what the client’s saying. 

It can be really hard to be open enough to know that you can and even should refer out to other therapists. I will refer out to the other RMTs that work with me sometimes, or to other colleagues. Sometimes I’ll tell them that they should try going to a physio, and so on.

And another thing that sometimes we don’t talk about is when you get a complaint about how you’ve performed, or in my case sometimes I hear a complaint about one of the therapists working for me. 

You have to take a step back, take the deep breath and go, “OK, how do I make this better? Is this a learning situation or is it a little bit unreasonable? Is this person just not for us?”

It can be really hard! I mean, I put my heart and soul into this. This is a little piece of me.

 

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your practice?

When it hit, there were three of us working at the clinic. It was difficult because of all the new regulations. I took that very seriously: I went into the clinic, removed the waiting room, put up the signs, got all the new things we needed. And then we were off for what, four months? 

I didn’t get a rent break, I still had to pay my lease. I was able to give a rent break to the RMTs who rent rooms from me, because I was able to access some of the financial support. 

But you sit at home for four months and you think, “Oh my god, how am I going to keep my clients?”

But I had clients asking to buy gift cards to help me stay in business. I was just so humbled and grateful. And most of my clients came back. 

I went right back to my normal schedule, following the new rules. And then we got shut down again [in December 2020]. And again, you worry about how you’re going to pay the bills. But it was ok.

The only thing that I have really struggled with is clients who were anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. I got really tired of having to fight for them to wear a mask. I have a couple of clients that I just didn’t rebook, because I couldn’t deal with it anymore. It’s my safety, you know?

I was following the restrictions, and really trying to do my best with that. The other RMTs and I just sat down and discussed what we want to do now that the government has said that there’s no more restrictions. We’ve decided to keep them going for now, because that’s what we’re comfortable with at this moment.

 

Those can be tough conversations to have. 

I really think it’s great that we just sat down and discussed how this going to look for us. We’ve been pretty much on par, and so supportive of each other. We’ve been there for each other. 

I really enjoy that part of the business—trying to empower younger therapists. 

It’s hard to find somebody who’s brave enough to go out on their own. It’s hard. So I try to create an environment of support for them. 

 

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their massage therapy career? 

It is really important to make sure that, with any place that you go to work, that you have a very good contract. A contract protects both you and the other person—a verbal agreement isn’t good enough. You really do need to have a contract, because then there’s no guesswork and I would really do things.

And take continuing education courses. Get excited about new techniques, and get excited about what you’re doing. 

When you go into that massage room, go find what needs to be done—not what you think needs to be done. Really, really try to be open to solving the problem.

It can be really hard to be open because I think massage therapists are, as a rule, fairly sensitive people. So just know that it’s okay to say to yourself, “That didn’t go as well. What can I do to do better?”

And of course, support each other. There’s no need to be cutthroat. Support each other, and let’s make this industry really well respected. 

A massage therapy career (and the opportunity to open your own business!) is well within reach. Jocelyn got her start with our massage training program and you can too! Set up your virtual tour today to learn more about how MH Vicars can help set you on a path to a new career as a registered massage therapist.

 

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Massage therapist Sheena Taggart is based in Bragg Creek Alberta, outside of Calgary
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How this rural RMT turned thoughtful client education into an award-winning marketing strategy

Please join us in congratulating MH Vicars School graduate Sheena Taggart, winner of the 2020 Peter Martin Award of Excellence from the Massage Therapists Association of Alberta.Massage therapist Sheena Taggart is based in Bragg Creek Alberta, outside of Calgary

The Peter Martin Award is an annual prize that honours recent graduates who have shown exceptional contributions to massage therapy as a student or new therapist. Sheena impressed the award judges this year with her commitment to educating her clients and community about the benefits of massage therapy.

At MH Vicars School, we have always believed that our graduates are the best therapists around. We’re never surprised when they get recognized and celebrated by other massage professionals – but we’re always delighted!

From new graduate to business owner overnight

Sheena graduated from our Calgary campus in June 2020, and immediately launched her own clinic, Connective Wellness. To get things started, she used the business plan that she’d created for her second-year business course at Vicars.

“I took that assignment very seriously, and it really helped me start my business,” says Sheena. “It meant I wasn’t completely lost when I started setting everything up, because I already had my ducks in a row.”

The clinic is based in her home in Bragg Creek, Alberta. Sheena knew that as a new business owner in a small town, she was going to have to get creative in order to get her name out there.

Having lived and worked in Bragg Creek for many years, Sheena has deep roots in the community. So she was able to begin building her client base through traditional word-of-mouth promotion, as well as the 21st-century version – social media.

“I have found that if I want to be busy, or if I have a last-minute cancellation, I just put a post up on the Facebook ‘Buy and Sell’ page for our little area,” she explained. “And any time I post on Facebook, I also have friends and clients who like or share it, so there’s a community feel to it.”

For Sheena, simply getting her name out there didn’t feel like enough. She wanted to make sure that her marketing reflected that she is an RMT who provides effective, therapeutic massage treatments. And she wanted to help the general public understand the health benefits of massage. After all, discovering those benefits is why she became a massage therapist in the first place.

Spreading the word about massage therapy

Before discovering massage therapy, Sheena worked as a Canada Post mail carrier for many years. This meant she was no stranger to muscle and joint pains and overuse injuries.

“Until my first therapeutic massage, I honestly did not know what therapeutic massage was like,” Sheena explains. “I did years and years of physio, and my fair share of chiropractic, I took anti-inflammatories and did stretches. And then I found massage therapy and it encompassed almost everything that I’d been doing, but it worked better.

“So now I’m trying to let people know what massage therapists can do. If you’re suffering, you can get better.”

So how could she spread the word about the health benefits of massage therapy, and connect with new clients at the same time? The answer was waiting for her in her Canada Post mailbag.

“Because I worked for Canada Post, I know that there are these community newsletters and newspapers that go to everyone,” she explains. “I asked my own physiotherapist, and he said ‘well, when we run a regular ad we don’t really get anything from it. But when we put an article with it, we get results.’

“So that got me thinking: I can do some actual education!”

Soon after opening her clinic in summer 2020, Sheena began submitting articles in the High Country News alongside a small ad for her business. The free monthly newspaper is delivered to thousands of households and businesses southwest of Calgary.

The results of her writing are clear. The articles attract new clients to her practice – clients who are coming specifically for her therapeutic expertise.

“I have had clients book in with me because my articles really connected with them,” she says. “And the people that were calling me from the articles tended to be older people that had never had massage therapy before.”

The topics Sheena has covered so far include hyperkyphosis, fascia, and TMJD.

Here’s an example of the kind of short and informative article that Sheena Taggart writes for in the High Country News. This piece was published there in November 2020. It can also be found on Sheena’s website.

Does Your Massage Therapist Treat Antagonist Muscles?

Have you ever had a treatment that fixes your pain but comes back within days? Most people have chronically sore shoulders and mid back. A common cause is due to your pectoral muscles being too tight and pulling you forward. The pectoral muscles can get so tight that it rolls your shoulders forward. As a result the back muscles become stretched and overworked.  This also happens with the neck muscles. The front neck muscles become tight causing a head forward posture and pain in the back of the neck and shoulders.  

To treat these issues properly the antagonist pectoral muscles need to be treated.  Many clients tell me that they have never had a massage therapist treat their pectoral muscles. Often the result of treating these muscles patients immediately comment how open their chest is. They then report later that their back pain has changed dramatically with just one treatment.

My goal as a therapeutic massage therapist is to leave my clients with lasting results. I also wish to empower them to further their health. I do this by providing a plan of stretches and strengthening exercises to re-educate and maintain the muscles. If you feel an initial trial treatment may address your health issues, please reach out to me by contacting me at info@connectivewellness.ca or go to my website www.connectivewellness.ca to book online. Direct billing is available.

About the Award

The Peter Martin Award of Excellence is an annual prize given to a recent graduate who has shown exceptional contributions to massage therapy as a student or new therapist. The winner is determined based on a letter of recommendation from an instructor or fellow therapist, and a personal essay in which they describe their career goals and accomplishments and why they chose to become a massage therapist.

It was launched in 2019 as a way for the MTAA to recognize and support outstanding RMTs as they begin their career. The award is named in memory of Peter Martin, a long-time MTAA member, and is open to therapists who have recently upgraded from student to full association membership. In addition to the professional recognition, the award comes with a $750 cash prize. To learn more about the award, including past winners and full eligibility criteria, visit the MTAA’s website.

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Vicars Graduate Spotlight: Carly Turner and Gwen Evans Part 2

At MH Vicars School, we often say that a massage therapy career can be whatever you want it to be. Carly Turner and Gwen Evans are a great example of this. Carly and Gwen were classmates at Vicars, and graduated in 2018. They now work together at Theralleve Therapeutic Massage and Wellness Clinic in Calgary, which Carly owns. Both Carly and Gwen offer a wide range of therapeutic massage treatments, but what really makes their clinic stand out is how clearly the two of them have been able to develop and communicate their professional philosophies. They both have a very clear idea of what kind of massage therapists they want to be. This important because it not only motivates them, but helps them find and retain clients who share the same goals.

Our Edmonton Director Robin Collum recently had the opportunity to talk with Carly and Gwen, and they were having such a good time that they couldn’t bear to cut it short! So we’ve broken the conversation into two parts.

Part 2, the three of us talked about the business of massage, opening your own clinic during a pandemic, and they offered some wise words to current and future Vicars students! Watch the video of our conversation, or read it below.

Robin

Carly, you’re the owner of Theralleve Calgary. Can you tell us a little bit about the clinic?

Carly

We’re relatively new: we opened in February 2020.

Robin

Oh, good timing!

Carly

Yeah, perfect timing! It was like, “Oh, the economy’s kind of bad…let’s just add in a pandemic!”

So we did end up closing for a little bit, but we reopened our doors in July and we’ve been going ever since. And it’s been a really amazing, interesting, big experience for me especially.

It’s something that has always been on my radar as something I wanted to do, and there was an opportunity in 2019 to kind of get things going and open up a clinic.

Gwen and I had gone to school together and created a really strong friendship, and we were just kind of like, “You know, let’s take this and run with it.”

And now here we are.

Robin

Had you planned on opening your own clinic back when you were in school? Did you always have dreams of being an entrepreneur as well as an RMT?

Carly

With our school curriculum, we had the added bonus of doing that business assignment, where it’s essentially plotting out how you would open a business. I remember that mine was very specific to cancer-related massage. But I had definitely thought of it as a “five years later” kind of plan.

So this kind of came a little bit sooner than expected, I would say.

But I’ve always had a very big entrepreneurial spirit. So taking something on like this, knowing that I interact very well with other people, I kind of rallied up that response of “What do we need to do?” and doing the research and the planning behind it…I’m certainly not afraid of that kind of hard work.

It was taking advantage of an opportunity mixed with, “Ok, well, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it!”

That’s why it’s been such an experience, because it wasn’t something for me that was necessarily planned so soon. But, you know, here I am doing it!

Robin

It sounds like it’s been a baptism by fire.

Carly

Kind of, yeah. But it’s been great. And I’ve had such wonderful people surrounding me and supporting me, including Gwen. I can only really be as good as my team and my team is pretty awesome!

Robin

Do you have any wisdom or advice to share with anyone who might be considering a career massage therapy?

Gwen

It is very much a “You get what you give” career. If you don’t put any work into it, you’re not going to get a lot of out of it. And it’s not the easiest one, but it is probably one of the most rewarding. So stick with it, get through it. The curriculum is worth it.

And just be ready to be a bit self-starting. Even if you’re working under an employee contract instead of being an independent contractor, you’re still going to have to try and reach out and prospect for those clients. So just be ready to do that a bit too.

Robin

Anything to add to that, Carly?

Carly

So succinct!

Gwen knows this, because as I said we were first year together, but I cried a lot in first year. I was frustrated. I just was like, “I don’t get this. I’m not sure I’m getting it properly.” Because there’s just so many nuances involved with massage. Nobody’s going to tell you “This is the exact pressure you need” or “That’s the exact symptom that’s going to correlate to that exact cause and effect,” and everything else.

I definitely agree with Gwen that you get what you give. Because there’s going to be a lot of challenge in it, in terms of just making sure that you are putting in the time and that you’re trying to study all of those muscle groups, and you are trying to learn what is out there, and what is being given to you.

And I mean, at MH Vicars, you’ll have amazing, amazing teachers. So that really helped.

I was just actually telling Gwen recently, it’s amazing how much has stuck and how much has deepened in our knowledge base for what we’re working with, each time we massage.

So, I mean, yes, you have to be personable in order to be a massage therapist. That’s kind of a given, but it’s amazing how much you can really learn and then eventually you can just trust the process.

And then as you’re working, you know, you might not remember all the Latin origins and insertions, but you know what you’re working on. And you know how to affect that muscle and what you can do about it if something happens. And that’s the beauty of it! Just acknowledging that you will get there.

Don’t forget to check out Part 1 of our conversation, in which Carly and Gwen talked about their approaches to massage therapy.

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Vicars Graduate Spotlight: Carly Turner and Gwen Evans Part 1

At MH Vicars School, we often say that a massage therapy career can be whatever you want it to be. Carly Turner and Gwen Evans are a great example of this. Carly and Gwen were classmates at Vicars, and graduated in 2018. They now work together at Theralleve Therapeutic Massage and Wellness Clinic in Calgary, which Carly owns. Both Carly and Gwen offer a wide range of therapeutic massage treatments, but what really makes their clinic stand out is how clearly the two of them have been able to develop and communicate their professional philosophies. They both have a very clear idea of what kind of massage therapists they want to be. This important because it not only motivates them, but helps them find clients who share the same goals.

Our Edmonton Director Robin Collum recently had the opportunity to talk with Carly and Gwen, and they were having such a good time that they couldn’t bear to cut it short! So we’ve broken the conversation into two parts.

In Part 1, the three of us talked about the approach they take to practicing massage therapy. Watch the video of our conversation, or read it below.

Robin

Carly, I’ll start with you. Can you tell us a little bit about your treatment philosophy?

Carly

Well, I think that for so long, there’s been a reputation around massage that it’s is strictly to help somebody feel good for an hour. That it’s just going to feel really relaxed, you’re not really going to get into anything major. You know, that the client is there just to calm down and sleep. But it’s so much more! If people come in and they have an injury, or if they have some sort of pain, we really want to get to the core of that pain. This is where our training in orthopedic testing can come in, and the overall assessment.

I’m very big on asking very specific questions. And although I definitely have some intuitive spots to my massage, I’m definitely very, very technical in my approach. And that really informs the questions that I’m going to ask, how I’m going to treat the muscle group. I say, “OK, how can we educate the client?”

I want to help them know more about what their pain is, and then be able to empower them further by giving them home care, by giving them the ability to really connect the dots so that it isn’t so passive.

We want to make things more two-sided. It’s not the therapist saying “I know all.” At the end of the day, you know your body as a client. And if I can help you understand it better by what I’m also noticing, then we create that better relationship for your health going forward.

Robin

Same question for you, Gwen. Can you tell me a little bit about your approach to massage therapy, and what kind of practice you’re trying to build?

Gwen

It’s actually very, very close to how Carly approaches it. We were classmates in first year, so we got a lot of that together. But there is there’s a couple of things where my approach is a little bit different. Whereas Carly is definitely very much about education—and I am too—I’m also very much about mindfulness of the stuff that people deal with mentally.

And obviously we stay within our scope of practice. But I have a lot of clients who deal with anxiety and body or gender dysmorphia and things like that. So my focus to that is ensuring that they constantly feel safe and that they can trust me to give them an effective treatment based on how they’re experiencing things, because not everybody experiences things the same way.

I work a lot with the LGBTQ+ community, and I also work a lot with clients who have a history of trauma as well as just increased generalized or social anxiety. And I live with a lot of that stuff personally. So for me, it’s really easy to translate that into massage—without exceeding my scope, obviously.

So for example, a client with trauma might have issues with having their neck worked on. So it’s a simple question of knowing to ask “Are you comfortable with this?”

With the LGBTQ community, body and gender dysphoria are huge things. So body neutrality is kind of the approach that I take with that. With generalized anxiety, it’s a lot more checking in. And the biggest thing that connects all of that is something that we learned in school—thank you, Courtney! —was explicit consent.

I’m really big on consent. Even with Carly, if we do a treatment for each other, if I’m working on the glutes or other sensitive areas, I get her consent every single time without fail.

It’s very important to me to get it every single time, regardless of who I’m working with.

So this has helped me find a niche in the industry. Because I get a lot of people who have had—for lack of a better term—insensitive therapists. It’s simply just not knowing, more than anything. But taking that extra second to ask that important question of “Can I work on your neck?” or “Is there anything I need to be mindful of?” can make a huge impact for somebody with anxiety or touch related trauma issues.

Come back next week for Part 2!

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Maureen de Sosa Kalas, RMT
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Vicars Graduate Spotlight: Maureen de Sosa Kalas, RMT and clinic owner

Maureen de Sosa Kalas, RMT

Maureen de Sosa Kalas, RMT

Maureen de Sosa Kalas is a lot of things: a healer, entrepreneur, an athlete, and an adventurer. And an MH Vicars graduate, of course.
In the decade since she completed the two-year diploma program at MH Vicars School in Calgary, Maureen has built a successful massage therapy career that has allowed her to combine everything she loves to do.
She owns MassageWorks Cochrane & Chiropractic Care, a multi-therapist clinic in Cochrane, Alberta, where she specializes in sports massage and treating clients with injuries and chronic conditions. Maureen took the time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions about being an RMT and running her own business.

Tell us about your massage practice!

I was a teacher by trade and decided to pursue a career in health and wellness and in a more therapeutic, caring aspect of it. I love being physically active and enjoy getting tangible results.
My focus going into massage therapy education was in the sports side of treatment as I enjoy the outdoors, and was interested in sports injuries and rehab overall. With that in mind, the focus of my practice has been in the sports and therapeutic side. After graduating from MH Vicars, I took extra courses with the Canadian Sports Massage Therapists Association in Toronto, and various other sports massage courses.

What’s the best thing about being a massage therapist?
I love the instant, tangible result or improvement when I work on someone that comes in with an injury or chronic issues. Especially when they have been so desperate in getting help and no one has figured out how to treat them, and then I’m able to help them.

What are the biggest challenge of being a massage therapist? 
I find the biggest challenge with being a RMT is having a home-life balance. Sometimes, when you are sought-after, it’s hard to take time off. But it is necessary to decompress and recharge one’s sanity, mental clarity, and wellness. My way of decompressing is through running, hiking, climbing, and cooking. Living close to the mountains affords me that lifestyle and a great client base who followed me throughout these years.

What do you think it takes to be a good massage therapist?
Having a great skill set. Not just knowing your stuff, but being a good listener, compassionate, and down-to-earth.
And having great biomechanics is essential to having a long term career in this industry. I’ve been fortunate that I am very aware of my own body mechanics, and never had any injuries such as repetitive strain injuries. I always advise any RMT to master this skill as this is not a long-term career once injuries starts happening.

What advice can you offer for someone considering a career in massage?

Take the time to know the industry. I’ve hired and interviewed so many RMTs and I find that for the most part people get into the industry because they want to help someone, which is intrinsic for most of us. But knowing what it takes to grow and build your client base and all the practical skills that comes with it, takes skill and experience and the willingness to learn. Money is not all of it but at the same time, we have to compensate ourselves well for what we do. And getting compensated well is a result of having a good skill set, including the business skills. Because as RMTs, we are a walking business entity.

Why did you choose MH Vicars for your massage education?
It was a great school, and the program was suited to what I needed at that time. It had a great reputation as well—I knew that MH Vicars produced quality graduates.

What has been the biggest accomplishment of your massage career so far? What are you most proud of, professionally?
I am most proud of the many people that I have met along the way that are now friends. I have been to their high and lows in their life, from marriages, to births, divorces, and raising kids – and I’ve treated their families – and I am still very much connected to them. I love that over the years I’ve seen them and know their story and history.

What are your professional goals right now?
My professional goal is to grow and expand our practice. I want to venture into other businesses, mentor other RMTs, and continue doing massage.

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A Tribute to Vittorio Congi

In April, the MH Vicars School community lost one of our own to COVID-19. Vitto Congi graduated from our Edmonton campus in 2019, and was just beginning to build his new career and new life. Vitto was a kind and caring man who had a bright future ahead of him, and those of us at Vicars who had the pleasure to get to know him are incredibly saddened by this loss. Though no words can do justice to what his friends and family are feeling, we have collected a few of our memories of Vitto here as a small tribute.

I had the pleasure of being one of Vitto’s second-year instructors and I was always amazed at how genuine of a person he was. He always treated everyone with such kindness and respect. He would come to class early to ask questions or to show me some of the beautiful wood paintings he was creating. He was very admired by his classmates and was always working hard to make theme laugh or making sure he was supporting them best he could. Vitto spoke so highly of his family and friends and had great plans to further his education after massage to support troops and service members of the military. I am very grateful to have met him play a small part in his journey and wonderful life story. May he rest in peace.
-Crystal Dunn, Faculty

For almost 4 years I was lucky enough to have Vitto in my life; for 2 of those years sharing weekly morning greetings.

Vitto was a champion. Not in the traditional sense of athleticism, loud and proud, or even the constant winner. No, in the quiet, fierce and steadfast sense – a champion to those he cared for.

Vitto with staff members Katherine Ward and Corrina Cornforth at his graduation in 2019.

A fierce loyalty to his mother and sister and equally fierce determination to overcome any adversity that may present itself. This was how I first defined and knew Vittorio Congi. A young man passionately pursuing his dream to further his ability to help, heal and empower others. Vitto wanted to become a massage therapist and then complete his osteopath studies so he could serve others who suffered with chronic pain and injury as he had. He wanted to ease others, as he had been eased by his dedicated practitioners.
Vitto joined our MH Vicars family and quickly became a confidante, a cheerleader, a comedian, and a friend to his classmates. Vitto had the perfect joke to share on those dull mornings and hands that were continually being offered to assist if needed.
Vitto was an artist. He painted landscapes that had beauty and depth that gave a glimpse of the man within. He not only shared Bob Ross’ style, but his gentle calmness. And Vitto was soon painting any surface he could get his hands on.
Vitto was always looking for ways to give more. He loved those in his life so deeply that he was continually encouraging and supporting his friends anyway he could. That was the beautiful thing about Vitto, once he knew you he loved you like family. I don’t think anyone was really an acquaintance to him. He’d champion you without hesitation.
If life is a classroom and we are all here to learn from each other, to experience love, to give love, to grow in love by helping others grow in love… Vitto excelled. Vitto didn’t need as much time in this classroom to learn this lesson. Vitto was a teacher. He was one of life’s lighthouses. A beacon that would help guide you and protect you from the rocks.
We were so blessed to have had Vitto’s light touch our lives, no matter how briefly. This man was never far from an eye-twinkled grin. I can’t help but smile brightly remembering him. It’s the greatest tribute to his life, his story. Smile big. Love big. Hug big. Dream big. And maybe even show up in a toga.
-Corrina Cornforth, Admissions Advisor

I didn’t have the pleasure of teaching Vitto but I did get to interact with him on campus and at public clinics, and it’s easy to say that he made a difference there. He was the kind of guy that was so intentional about his interactions with people and it was obvious he was about connection before business. He truly cared about people and the environment we all worked in. He created a positive and cooperative atmosphere and had fun doing it. Truly a good man and we were blessed to know him.

-Kerri Wagensveld, Faculty

When I think of Vitto my mind immediately goes to Monday mornings. He did most of his supervised public clinic shifts on Mondays, and his shift was supposed to begin at 11am. But he would get here at 9, every time. I think it was just more convenient for him.

Vitto and one of his instructors, Jaime De Groot, at his graduation in 2019.

He could have spent those two hours studying, playing on his phone, or even napping on the couch. But instead, he would set up the clinic: he’d prepare the schedule, pull all the client files, and make sure that everything was organized and ready for whomever was going to be the receptionist that day.
I’ll always remember this because it seems like a perfect summary of who he was as a student and as a person: hard-working, thoughtful, selfless, and kind. He loved massage therapy, and worked incredibly hard. He had a long and successful career ahead of him, and I’m so sad that we’ve lost him.
-Robin Collum, Edmonton Director

Vitto and Marci Terpsma, one of his instructors.

I will always remember the first day Vitto came to class. He was at first this shy, goofy, quiet, giant of a man who always had a smile on his face. Vitto was an absolute gem of a person. For a man dealing with so much in his life, he always had a positive outlook. He always had some sort of joke to make me and his classmates laugh. He was inquisitive, wanting to know more, always more, or to understand it all better. I was lucky enough to spend extra hours with Vitto before public clinics or after class to facilitate his learning and in that time, he also taught me. He taught me patience and resilience. I learned choosing to have a good day is always the best choice. I gained respect for hardships he endured all the while maintaining grace and good grades. I learned perseverance despite adversity. Vitto, my friend, you along with our weekly banter and texts, will be dearly missed. I hope you are cracking jokes in heaven!
-Marci Terpsma, Faculty

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