Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Atwell.
Alexis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, short story long… (haha)
As with any story mine began really with how I grew up and the way it shaped me, challenged me and even at some points drowned me – but with help I was able to overcome.
I was born into a tumultuous family of addiction. My father left the home before I could really remember. My mother battled addiction on and off for her entire life (until she lost her life to it 3 years ago). My siblings and I experienced a lot of abuse (emotional, physical etc) throughout those years we lived with her and when we were shuffled from foster home to foster home. At the age of 9 we were adopted by our grandparents. My grandmother and I never really got along – she seemed to view me just like my mother. She was battling her own hardships but none the less took us three kids and laid down her “empty nest” years to raise us. Through out the years I have grown to admire her sacrifice and understand her a lot more and for that I am grateful. I called my grandfather Dad and to this day I feel a closeness to him even though states apart.
I worked hard to graduate high school with good enough grades to hopefully go to college to get “out” of my family. I achieved a full ride to a KSU in Georgia. Within a year I dropped out of school & ended up following in my mother’s foot steps. This once determined, bright girl with morals left all that behind and submerged herself into the world of addiction, partying and what I thought was love.
After 5 years of that lifestyle I was finding myself bored, and looking for more. I decided to try doing a mission trip to help others in another country. I came to Kansas City to get training and then was sent out with a team to Nepal for 3 months. Before we left for Nepal I had a wild, unexplainable (to the average person) experience with God, it was undeniable and in that moment I felt connection, felt seen, felt loved. I had walked into the missions training high on meth and left a new person. That very moment I was changed – forever. This was 10 years ago. 10 years this July of me being sober, clean and actually FREE from the past. Fast forward – after 4 years of mission work I was married & looking for the next season of life. I wanted to do something that actually impacted people in the moment. Something I could physically see and be apart of their healing journey – just as I had been healed before. As an athlete I always loved doing something with my body – not just sitting behind a desk. As a creative I desired connection through art & movement. As someone who experienced tremendous healing I desired for other to experience that themselves. Outside of the heartfelt reasoning I also wanted to pursue something that hit my practical goals: flexible schedule, makes enough money to give my future family a comfortable life. So I pursued massage therapy. I found that during school I was completely immersed in anatomy. I was a sponge in learning and loved every bit of it. I knew I wanted to do something more than a “vacation massage” but something that targeted the deeper thing, chronic conditions or even just improving the daily lives of others.
2 months after graduation I had my first child. So I began working 6 months later. I worked for local small businesses – all whom have my heart and support even now!
So what about my current business Salve? I promise I am getting there…
Salve Bodywork + Massage was birthed from a place of giving without expectation. From a place of generosity, encouragement and support. From a place of selflessness – none of which were from me – but all of which is how I operate and carry the business today. When you show kindness to someone when it isn’t expected that is something that can carry from person to person as a domino affect.
I had met a woman named Kim at the first place I worked, she encouraged me and helped shape my technique. After about a year she was engaged and moving out of state. She decided she wanted to GIVE me a good portion of her clients. AT NO COST. At first I decided I would just take them to the current place of work – but after a few months things shifted at home and that place no longer worked for my schedule & child care. So she encouraged me to go off on my own. Now with massage, its a little different than other businesses – you can be given clients but if you are not a good fit for them then there is no guarantee that they will stay, so this offer came with a bit of pressure.
Another big shift happened a year into the business – another massage therapist asked me to join her collective. Where we would operate in the same Studio (separate rooms and separate businesses). I decided to join. At the same time my husband left his job and is now in school for massage therapy. So I am now the sole provider for our family. My business has grown to fully support us within months. It has been a whirlwind. It has been hard. But so rewarding.
From being an addict who only took from others to becoming a holistic practitioner who thrives in seeing others feel better, move better and live better.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles:
1. Learning how to do business. Everyone has advice – but discovering what is YOUR BUSINESS and how will you operate it – is a self journey. It’s still shaping even now for me.
2. Wearing the many hats as a business owner – I love massage therapy but I don’t actually love creating content for social media. But at times that’s what my business needs.
3. We lived off our savings for 6 months and a few prayers. When not enough money was coming in – we had to grind a little harder and find a way to be seen online to attract more clients. Because I know once I can actually get them in the door then the rest will be easier – because I give a good quality massage and care about their growth and healing journey. That in itself will keep them coming!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Salve Bodywork + Massage is where you go when you want a medium between clinical and relaxation massage. We specialize in Deep Tissue, Cupping massage and Facial Massage which would include: TMJ/TMD Massage, Buccal/intra-oral massage, Facial cupping/gua sha.
Aside from individual appointments we love events! We do chair massages for private and corporate events. As well as we recently added workshops that can be done either in someone’s home (think bachelorette parties, birthdays etc), at a place of work or at a shared space (think employee appreciation, or providing a workshop for your own client base like a pediatric chiropractor asking us to teach parents how to do baby massage) . Some of the workshops we can do:
1. Couples massage (teaching couples how to massage each other at home – can be done up to a group of 10)
2. Baby massage for new moms to help with connection, gas or constipation.
3. Self care (teaching women how to do facial cupping, facial massage and gua sha to add to their self care routines.)
4. TMJ/TMD massage (For those who need extra help between appointments)
Tying back to how my business started with someone giving to me – I love sharing with other business owners FREELY what has worked for me and the practicals on doing them.
Also I started hosting a Wellness Practitioner Networking Event. I will seek out holistic practitioners in the Kansas City area who have been peer recommended or highly recommended by their clients, I will meet with them one on one and see what their vision is, their story and see if they have an abundance mindset where collaboration is more vital that competition. If all of that aligns then they are invited to the Wellness Event I put on so that they can connect EASILY with other like-minded wellness professionals. Establishing a holistic ecosystem that not only benefits them in business but really provides them with resources and referrals FOR their clients to ensure they are getting the most well-rounded approach to their wellness.
This group is ones that are not afraid to refer their clients to someone who may be able to help them more. They aren’t letting the fear of losing business keep them from seeking the best wellness outcome of their clients.
I believe that holding our clients with an open hand and putting their health first will ALWAYS benefit our business.
There are many massage therapists I refer my clients to if I think they may be a better fit. And I was hoping to build a community that thought the same way.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m not sure I believe in luck. Some things that may appear to be luck could just be the fruit of a seed you had sown years prior. Where we may not connect the dots. But something as simple as showing kindness to a stranger could sow that seed that when an opportunity comes around it was actually because of that seed. I believe in doing good – being good even when no one is watching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://salvekc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salve.bodywork
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089606472304
