Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Campbell.
Crystal, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My original background started in the finance industry. I had a good job that paid me well with insurance, a 401k and paid vacation. Still, I had a feeling of missing something in my life. I didn’t feel like I was living for a purpose and so I decided to go back to school. I became attracted to the field of massage therapy after my first experience in my early 20s when I began having severe neck pain and wanted to try natural pain relief. I was completely blown away by my experience and the way my therapist was able to relieve my pain! I was amazed at the miraculous quality of massage and that by laying hands on a person you could completely change the way they feel and improve the quality of their life. I decided to go to school for my license and really delve into Holistic therapies and self-care.
Self-care had a different meaning for me back then. Self-care was massages, manis, pedis, and hair appointments every two weeks. It involved shopping whenever I wanted, being able to go on trips and go out with my friends. It wasn’t until I found myself back in school, working two jobs, and helping friends and family that I began to really struggle. Amidst all my new obligations, I began to feel chronic stress and anxiety. It seemed like I could never get enough sleep and my eating habits became very poor. Pretty soon, while trying to stay on top of all my responsibilities, I began to neglect myself altogether. As a result, in April 2017 at the age of 34 years old, I ended up 233lbs with high blood pressure, severe joint/muscle pain, and chronic fatigue.
After a lot of thought, I had to face some hard truths. I’d realized that while trying to take care of work, school, family, & bills I’d stopped putting myself on the “to-do” list. I stopped making my feelings and dreams a priority for the sake of putting everything and everyone else in my life first. I had become a caretaker without any care for myself. Now I was faced with the problem of having lost my health and vigor and I didn’t know how to fix it. It took a lot of prayer and research and over time, I began to find my answers in self-care. I began to focus my attention and energy to exercise, clean eating, and holistic practices such as yoga and meditation. Today, I’m 149 lbs, I lift weight 5 days a week, attend yoga classes regularly, and run a few mornings during the week. I am astounded by my new lease on life after prioritizing my self-care and it’s what motivated me to move beyond massage and create my self-care business, Divine Body.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been unpredictable at times and challenging to be very honest. When I first began my self-care journey in 2017, I didn’t foresee turning my experience into a business. At that time, my main focus was losing weight and improving my health. Once I had experienced consistent, positive changes in my life, I began to be inspired and excited to go into business for myself as a self-care advocate. Even then, I wasn’t very confident and I didn’t know where to begin. Many times I struggled with my mindset, motivation, self-esteem, and I wasn’t convinced that I was going the right direction a lot of the time. Still, whenever I felt insecure or uncertain about which way I should go in the pursuit of my goals, something remarkable would happen or I would meet some influential person who would validate that I was heading the right way while pursuing my passion. After a while, I learned not to focus on whatever was not working for me and pay attention to the methods that did bring me success and growth. To any person who would take a similar journey, I would say trust your gut, follow your bliss and honor what’s in your heart to find your way. Know that your feelings matter and your dreams are not impossible as long as you have faith and are willing to work hard to bring them to life. Find yourself a strong support system and learn to love yourself wherever you’re at even if you don’t feel like you’re enough sometimes. Believe me, you are MORE than enough!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Divine Body – what should we know?
I’ve been practicing Holistic massage therapy for almost a decade and in 2018 I created Divine Body, a self-care company. I specialize in deep tissue and sports massage and I also offer other natural therapies such as fascia blasting and assisted stretch. I’ve worked extensively with pregnant women, geriatric clients, chronic pain sufferers, and individuals with structural issues such as scoliosis and herniated discs. I’ve assisted athletes in rehabbing injuries and I’ve helped patients in their recovery post-surgery. I work with my clients to set goals for themselves and help them to create a plan for their self-care that we work on together.
Over the years, I have developed wonderful relationships with people who’ve come to trust my methods to add to their quality of life. I feel that what sets me apart from most practitioners is my empathy for the unique issues that my clients encounter while trying to maintain a self-care regimen that fits their needs and lifestyle. I’ve personally dealt with illness, severe pain, and I understand what it’s like to not feel good every day. I’ve also experienced times in my life when I needed someone else to help me with my self-care because I didn’t have the right knowledge to do better and I barely even had the time! My clients know that I GET IT and I’m proud of that.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I really enjoy listening to Audible when I’m driving or doing chores around the house. The 3 most recent audiobooks that have really helped me are: “Girl, Wash Your Face”, by Rachel Hollis, “The Power of Habit”, by Charles Duhigg, and “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, by Dale Carnegie. I listen to a lot of spiritual advisors such as Joyce Meyer and T.D. Jakes and I watch educational segments on TedTalk regularly. One recent addition to my resources has been joining a phenomenal networking group for female entrepreneurs called Promote Her. In our Houston chapter, we aim to support and encourage each other and work together to impact our communities through service and contributions. I would encourage any young business owner to join a group of like-minded individuals to grow with and help each other win.
Contact Info:
- Website: massagebook.com/biz/divinebody
- Phone: 8322755536
- Email: lmt.crystalc@gmail.com
- Instagram: @divinebodysc
- Facebook: @divinebodysc
Image Credit:
Cicely Snow, Janell Joseph, Alain Noel
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