326 - Building a Wellness Collective Where People Feel They Belong w/ Shaelyn Elliott AKA of Stretch Fairy Wellness Co.

327 - The Untold Truth About Building a 6-7 Group Massage Practice

In this episode, I explore why so many massage therapists struggle with the idea of building a larger business, where those fears come from, and the hidden cost of staying small simply because growth feels uncomfortable. This isn't a conversation about getting bigger for the sake of getting bigger. It's a conversation about building a business that supports the people inside it including you. We'll get into: * Why so many therapists are suspicious of successful group practices * Where those beliefs come from and why they often make sense * The difference between healthy discernment and self-protection * Why many owners attach a moral meaning to money, growth, and success * The hidden cost of staying fully booked, exhausted, and responsible for everything * Why good intentions alone don't create a sustainable business * What ethical profitability actually looks like in practice * How profit creates more options for owners, employees, and clients * Why a business that depends entirely on your hands is more fragile than it appears * The deeper identity fears many therapists have around growth and leadership * How to build a business that reflects your values without sacrificing your well-being If you've ever found yourself thinking, "I don't want to become that kind of owner," I think you'll get a lot out of this conversation. --- *Brought to you by GlossGenius.* Are you dealing with gaps in your schedule? Clients who don't rebook? Low profits and high payment processing fees? When you're running your own practice, you don't have time to figure out where you're leaving money on the table especially when you're stitching together booking, payments, and clunky software that only makes things harder. GlossGenius is the booking and business management platform built for massage therapists and wellness practitioners. It fills your calendar, automatically reBooks clients, upsells high-margin services, and has the lowest flat-rate payment processing fees in the industry. Plus all the HIPAA-compliant tools you need for charting, consents, and client records without the admin chaos. More growth. Less busywork. Use code **SCALING** at http://glossgenius.comglossgenius.com/scalingwellness [http://glossgenius.com/scalingwellness] for 50% off your first two months of their Gold or Platinum plan. Build a wellness business that gives you both time and income: www.scalingwellness.com [http://www.scalingwellness.com] Book a free strategy call: www.scalingwellness.com/chat [http://www.scalingwellness.com/chat] Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scalingwellness [http://www.instagram.com/scalingwellness]

326 - Building a Wellness Collective Where People Feel They Belong w/ Shaelyn Elliott AKA of Stretch Fairy Wellness Co.

In this episode, Shaelyn Elliott shares how Stretch Fairy grew from a solo massage practice into a wellness ecosystem blending massage, movement, community, and education. We talk about building a team, creating client pathways, hiring for values, and making the shift from service provider to CEO all while navigating some of the hardest seasons of life. * How free online fitness classes during COVID created a waitlist that sparked the growth of Stretch Fairy. * Why Shaelyn built an ecosystem business that combines massage therapy, movement, education, and community. * The client journey she uses to move clients from treatment into long-term health and wellness habits. * How she hires for values, communication, and culture fit over experience alone. * The systems she uses to keep her team aligned, accountable, and growing. * Why she believes every practitioner should play a role in marketing and growing their own client base. * How she expanded into a 2,000 sq. ft. movement studio during one of the most challenging personal seasons of her life. * The mindset shifts around money, self-worth, and leadership that helped her evolve from practitioner to CEO. * What she's learning now as she navigates the next stage of growth, delegation, and scaling beyond herself. --- *Brought to you by GlossGenius.* Are you dealing with gaps in your schedule? Clients who don't rebook? Low profits and high payment processing fees? When you're running your own practice, you don't have time to figure out where you're leaving money on the table especially when you're stitching together booking, payments, and clunky software that only makes things harder. GlossGenius is the booking and business management platform built for massage therapists and wellness practitioners. It fills your calendar, automatically reBooks clients, upsells high-margin services, and has the lowest flat-rate payment processing fees in the industry. Plus all the HIPAA-compliant tools you need for charting, consents, and client records without the admin chaos. More growth. Less busywork. Use code **SCALING** at http://glossgenius.comglossgenius.com/scalingwellness [http://glossgenius.com/scalingwellness] for 50% off your first two months of their Gold or Platinum plan. Build a wellness business that gives you both time and income: www.scalingwellness.com [http://www.scalingwellness.com] Book a free strategy call: www.scalingwellness.com/chat [http://www.scalingwellness.com/chat] Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scalingwellness [http://www.instagram.com/scalingwellness]

325 - How To Interview A Massage Therapist (and Prevent a Bad Hire)

Ever hired someone who looked perfect on paper… only to realize a few weeks later they were the wrong fit? The truth is, most bad hires aren't caused by hiring the wrong person; they happen because there's no hiring process behind the decision. In this episode, I break down the three hiring mistakes that quietly cost wellness business owners time, money, energy, and team culture. You'll learn how to spot red flags before they become problems, avoid making decisions from a place of desperation, and create a simple hiring framework that helps you find therapists who align with your business, not just candidates with the best resume. We'll get into: * The three hiring mistakes that lead to costly team problems * Why hiring based on "good vibes" isn't enough * How to evaluate hard skills, soft skills, and culture fit * The interview questions that reveal what resumes can't * Why coachability often matters more than experience * How to trust your instincts without relying on them alone If you're growing your team or thinking about making your next hire, this episode could save you from an expensive mistake. --- *Brought to you by GlossGenius.* Are you dealing with gaps in your schedule? Clients who don't rebook? Low profits and high payment processing fees? When you're running your own practice, you don't have time to figure out where you're leaving money on the table especially when you're stitching together booking, payments, and clunky software that only makes things harder. GlossGenius is the booking and business management platform built for massage therapists and wellness practitioners. It fills your calendar, automatically reBooks clients, upsells high-margin services, and has the lowest flat-rate payment processing fees in the industry. Plus all the HIPAA-compliant tools you need for charting, consents, and client records without the admin chaos. More growth. Less busywork. Use code **SCALING** at http://glossgenius.comglossgenius.com/scalingwellness [http://glossgenius.com/scalingwellness] for 50% off your first two months of their Gold or Platinum plan. Build a wellness business that gives you both time and income: www.scalingwellness.com [http://www.scalingwellness.com] Book a free strategy call: www.scalingwellness.com/chat [http://www.scalingwellness.com/chat] Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scalingwellness [http://www.instagram.com/scalingwellness]

324 - She Almost Quit Massage. Now Her Business Runs Without Her. (w/Katie Reschney of The Elm Massage, and LMT Refinery)

What happens when the business you dreamed of building starts depending on you for everything? In this episode, DJ sits down with Katie Reschny of The Elm Body Co. to talk about the messy, emotional, and deeply human side of growing a wellness business beyond yourself. Katie shares the behind-the-scenes reality of building a multi-location massage and bodywork business with a team of 12+ practitioners including the identity shifts, leadership challenges, systems, emotional labor, and hard decisions that rarely get talked about publicly. This isn't one of those conversations that makes growth sound glamorous. It's a conversation about what actually happens after you become "successful." The pressure of being the one everyone depends on. The guilt of stepping away from hands-on work. The fear of becoming a "bad boss." The emotional weight of leading people while still trying to protect your own energy. Katie opens up about what it looked like to go from massage therapist to business owner… and eventually into a leadership role she never originally planned for. Together, DJ and Katie unpack: * Why being fully booked is not the same thing as having freedom * The surprising emotional challenges of leading a team * How systems and structure actually create safety (not corporate coldness) * The tension between wanting to help everyone and protecting your own capacity * Why many wellness business owners accidentally build businesses that trap them * The mindset shifts required to step out of the treatment room * How leadership changes your relationship with time, money, and responsibility * What it really takes to create a business that doesn't rely entirely on your hands This episode will especially resonate with massage therapists and wellness business owners who: * feel overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility * are struggling to get clients to book with their team instead of just them * want to work less without feeling guilty * are afraid of losing the heart of their business as they grow * feel stuck between "I can't keep doing this forever" and "I don't know what comes next" There's also a powerful conversation in this episode around sustainability. Not just financial sustainability. Personal sustainability. Emotional sustainability. Physical sustainability. Because eventually, almost every massage therapist reaches a point where they quietly wonder: "Can I keep doing this the same way forever?" And this conversation is about what comes next. --- *Brought to you by GlossGenius.* Are you dealing with gaps in your schedule? Clients who don't rebook? Low profits and high payment processing fees? When you're running your own practice, you don't have time to figure out where you're leaving money on the table especially when you're stitching together booking, payments, and clunky software that only makes things harder. GlossGenius is the booking and business management platform built for massage therapists and wellness practitioners. It fills your calendar, automatically reBooks clients, upsells high-margin services, and has the lowest flat-rate payment processing fees in the industry. Plus all the HIPAA-compliant tools you need for charting, consents, and client records without the admin chaos. More growth. Less busywork. Use code **SCALING** at http://glossgenius.comglossgenius.com/scalingwellness [http://glossgenius.com/scalingwellness] for 50% off your first two months of their Gold or Platinum plan. Build a wellness business that gives you both time and income: www.scalingwellness.com [http://www.scalingwellness.com] Book a free strategy call: www.scalingwellness.com/chat [http://www.scalingwellness.com/chat] Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scalingwellness [http://www.instagram.com/scalingwellness]

323 - Why the Best Healers Make the Worst Business Owners (And What To Do About It)

The thing that makes someone an incredible healer can also make the business fail to get traction. The best massage therapists are often deeply caring, highly responsible, intuitive people. They notice everything. They step in quickly. They protect people. They fix problems before anyone else even notices them. Those traits create incredible client experiences. But in business? Those same instincts can slowly turn the owner into the bottleneck. In this episode, I unpack why so many skilled healers struggle with leadership once they begin growing beyond themselves, and why the shift from practitioner to owner can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. I talk about: * Why healing and leadership often reward opposite behaviors * How "being helpful" can accidentally create dependence in your team * The hidden difference between empathy and conflict avoidance * Why do many wellness owners avoid systems or swing too far into control * How structure can actually protect your values instead of destroying them * What "caring differently" really looks like as a leader * The identity shift from hands-on healer to business builder This episode is especially for massage therapists and wellness practice owners who: * feel like everything still depends on them * struggle to step back without guilt * feel emotionally exhausted by leadership * want more freedom without becoming "corporate" * are trying to grow beyond their own hands without losing the heart behind their work --- *Brought to you by GlossGenius.* Are you dealing with gaps in your schedule? Clients who don't rebook? Low profits and high payment processing fees? When you're running your own practice, you don't have time to figure out where you're leaving money on the table especially when you're stitching together booking, payments, and clunky software that only makes things harder. GlossGenius is the booking and business management platform built for massage therapists and wellness practitioners. It fills your calendar, automatically reBooks clients, upsells high-margin services, and has the lowest flat-rate payment processing fees in the industry. Plus all the HIPAA-compliant tools you need for charting, consents, and client records without the admin chaos. More growth. Less busywork. Use code **SCALING** at glossgenius.com/scalingwellness [http://glossgenius.com/scalingwellness] for 50% off your first two months of their Gold or Platinum plan. Build a wellness business that gives you both time and income: www.scalingwellness.com [http://www.scalingwellness.com] Book a free strategy call: www.scalingwellness.com/chat [http://www.scalingwellness.com/chat] Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scalingwellness [http://www.instagram.com/scalingwellness]