Although the field of massage therapy is expanding, most MTs don’t work full time at the table. Instead, many create their own blended careers by combining several part-time pursuits, a strategy career counselors call slashing.
A massage therapist who teaches at the local community college and writes science fiction novels might describe herself as an MT/teacher/author, separating her professional roles with slashes. An attorney who balances the tedious brainwork of contract law with hands-on sessions in the treatment room may describe himself as a lawyer/MT/marathon runner. A spa owner who practices reiki and offers nutrition counseling might call herself a healer/diet coach/entrepreneur.
Interviews with slashers like these led Marci Alboher, a New York City-based coach/speaker/author of One Person/Multiple Careers (Business Plus, 2007), to believe “slashing is a way of life, not just a way of looking at work.” Slashers choose to delve deeply into multiple areas—and they don’t all have to be moneymakers. “Very often, rather than juggling multiple divergent occupations, slashers find a way to layer or blend their interests into something that leverages their particular orientation in the world,” Alboher says. The resulting combinations are as unique as the people who create them.
The Benefits of Slashing
Even if massage therapy pays the bills and gives you a sense of purpose, expanding your professional identity may be smart. Adding a slash can re-energize your career and fuel continued personal growth. Because you’ll maintain some continuity (and cash flow), slashing may feel less risky than quitting one job to take another. Your first slash keeps you grounded in prior successes while new ones take root and grow.
“The current economic recession has caused people to be more industrious when it comes to earning a livelihood,” says career coach Ed Hunter of Wayne, Pennsylvania, who notes slashing is becoming more popular. Multiple revenue streams can safeguard your financial health when bookings decline or when personal injuries interfere with your work as an MT.
Benefits of slashing go beyond supplementing your primary source of income. “When your slash roles are in sync, you can create synergies in customer benefits, as well as your own learning and development,” Hunter says. For instance, an MT who does speed coaching for runners may garner additional sports massage clients in the process—complementary slashes generate referrals. An MT who sells herbal supplements in a storefront retail space may also offer wellness coaching or write a health-related blog. The result? Learning in one area supports expansion in others and contributes to a well-rounded sense of fulfillment.
A desire to balance work roles, family obligations, and personal hobbies also makes slashing attractive. “The demands of two traditional jobs may not provide enough flexibility for many families,” Hunter says. Although their schedules rarely resemble a conventional 9-to-5 gig, most slashers feel busy in a good way.
Searching for Slashes
Consulting, speaking, teaching, and writing are common slashes for MTs. Retail sales of dietary supplements, essential oils, and health-care products are common as well. But the beauty of a slash career is you get to choose or create work that excites you. Your options aren’t limited to the part-time positions posted in the classified ads.
The most gratifying and lucrative slashes often arise from a mixture of past experience, current positions, and personal passion. To find these synergies, identify ways to increase the benefits you offer to current clients, extend services to other client groups, apply old skills to new interests, or enhance your competencies. “Past jobs provide fertile ground for new career growth, because you can leverage the knowledge, skills, and social connections you already have,” Alboher says. Don’t underestimate the value of these assets—sometimes it pays to go back in order to get to know your future.
You may want to try new slashes before you fully commit. Unpaid internships and apprenticeships are great ways to build skills and relationships, but keep your eye on the bottom line. Your income won’t magically increase because you work more hours. You’ve got to have paying customers. “The best opportunities for slashing lie at the intersection of what you love and what people will pay for,” Hunter says.
Hadley Earabino’s career path is instructive. Now a life coach/career coach/MT in suburban Atlanta, Earabino’s description of her professional development reveals a number of growing circles. “After about seven years as a massage therapist and instructor, I decided to expand my business by offering a couples’ massage class,” Earabino says. “I taught massage techniques to one partner while demonstrating on the other partner.”
Soon, couples began to ask Earabino for relationship coaching, and her background in recovery counseling made this kind of work appealing, so she scaled back her massage practice and completed nine months of training to become a Martha Beck-certified life coach. Now she spends most of her work time helping people navigate relationship challenges and career transitions and is careful not to blend the two during treatment. She continues to do massage, and acknowledges she feels pulled to get back into teaching as well. “Career progression isn’t linear,” she says. “It can be circular.” That’s an idea savvy slashers embrace wholeheartedly.
Striking a Balance
Slashes can be complementary on many levels. The physical demands of massage may be balanced by a more sedentary pursuit, such as writing. An emotionally intense massage practice that provides care to hospice patients may be complemented by an expressive, artistic enterprise. Seasonal work for a professional sports team may be supplemented by steady income from teaching at a nearby massage school. Take account of the emotional, physical, and practical requirements of each role and make sure they fit with your personality and preferences.
You’ll also need to find room on your calendar. “Some slashes may require you to be at a specified place during specified business hours,” Alboher says. Others may be virtual, portable, or completely autonomous. Preserving a sense of balance and flow can be challenging when you try to combine several roles with rigid constraints. If scheduling consumes all your mental energy, you won’t enjoy slashing.
Your blended career needs to feel right for you. Some people are comfortable with incoherent, even incongruous, slash combinations. They’re energized by disparate endeavors. Others may feel a need to craft an integrated professional identity if combining unrelated slashes makes them feel frazzled or unfocused. Self-awareness is critical. An optimal combination meets your needs for adventure, authenticity, and stability.
Making the Transition
It takes time to find your footing when you add a new slash. Consider whether you’ll need to shift time and attention away from one slash to give another one room to grow. “You don’t have to sustain the same work tempo or schedule forever,” says Philadelphia-area small business coach Karyn Greenstreet. Successful slashers frequently adjust the balance between their roles.
Too much flexibility can undermine your effectiveness. “Setting aside clear, consistent blocks of time for each role can be helpful,” Hunter says. Clients want (and deserve) your full attention during their sessions, and you will benefit from having separate physical and mental space for different slashes. Boundaries minimize distractions and prevent you from becoming burned out.
As you expand your professional identity, be mindful of concerns your current employer or clients might have about your availability, commitment, and loyalty. There can be a lot of pressure associated with trying to be all things to all people at the same time, and that kind of stress can decrease performance across the board.
Proactively address potential conflicts of interest. Your current boss may fear you’ll poach clients when you start your own business. Customers may need reassurance that you won’t misuse their personal information or aggressively market your other products or services during massage sessions. Reassure both of them by reinforcing your commitment to service, professionalism, and boundaries.
Putting It Out There
Deciding what to tell others about your hybrid career can be tricky. You don’t want to seem flighty or unfocused, but it’s not wise to force a link between unrelated slashes, such as dog grooming and bodywork. (Unless you practice pet massage!) Doing so may come across as unprofessional to both groups of clients.
Be strategic about what you share and how you share it. “As a multicareer professional, you are building networks and communities that may not intersect,” Hunter says. Mention other slashes briefly, then refocus the conversation on the relevant role. With a thoughtful self-presentation, you can be both approachable and appropriate.
If your slashes reflect distinct products and services that appeal to different groups of customers, you’ll need to craft a unique brand for each one. “That means a customized version of your resume for each role, along with separate business cards, brochures, and websites,” Greenstreet says. Clients need to feel comfortable with what you’re offering.
Social media sites like LinkedIn may be different. “In that case, you are primarily in a community with other professionals,” Hunter says. “I recommend proudly sharing your slash career. It’s who you are.” Celebrate your diverse interests—just be clear about the lines between them.
Revisit and Revise
“One hallmark of a slash life is constant tinkering and tweaking,” Alboher says. “You evolve at the same time as the world around you is evolving, and you need to respond to both of those things.” Nurturing a slash career is a lot like tending a garden. You’ll plant a lot of seeds. Some will flourish; others will wither or go out of season. Dormant opportunities will all of a sudden turn green again. You may need to prune or rearrange slashes to maximize engagement and earnings.
Periodic review is crucial. “The slash strategy that works well for you now may not fit in six months or a year,” Greenstreet says. It’s easy to get focused on doing the work and lose sight of whether you’re achieving your longer-term goals. Greenstreet suggests slashers write down projected milestones and schedule time to analyze their results on a monthly basis. Once a year, a more thorough review and revision is in order. Invest one or two full days in reflection and planning to ensure you proceed with a clear sense of direction and commitment.
Although slashing may seem like a solitary endeavor, it helps to have other people in your corner. You may want to bounce ideas off a career coach or a friend. Putting your wishes and worries into words—spoken or written—can reveal limiting beliefs, dissatisfactions, and directions you’d like to move. Formalized, career-focused “mastermind groups” offer ongoing accountability, encouragement, and inspiration, Greenstreet says. Find the right group for you online or start a group of your own.
Don’t Slash Self-Care
“People who’ve figured out how to add slashes to their lives are an incredibly fulfilled bunch, both in what they think of as work and in what they think of as life,” Alboher says. Of course, it is easy to overdo it when trying to balance all that comes with slashing.
Take regular breaks from the physical and mental demands of work. “Good stress management is good for business,” Hunter says. Eat well, stay fit, and get plenty of rest. More work isn’t always better. It’s OK to eliminate slashes that fail to return a profit, feel disconnected from your passions, or sap your energy. “Remember, you have the alternative of pouring your energy into another role,” Hunter says. Endless opportunities come to those who keep growing.
Heidi Smith Luedtke, PhD, is a personality psychologist/writer/military spouse who has worked as an educator, small business development consultant, and leadership coach. She writes about business, parenting, and people skills and is studying Russian to prepare for her next big adventure. Learn more at www.heidiluedtke.com.