Today we’d like to introduce you to Kisha Dorsey.
Hi Kisha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It started at my high school football game. I was in the band, and I remember watching the student athletic trainers on the field helping the players. I started wondering, “How did those students get on the field? How do they get to help the players? And how can I do that?”
That following school year, a hiccup I couldn’t change in my school schedule made me go to the Athletic Trainer and ask him to be a part of the program. Luckily, I had taken the sports medicine class as a freshman, which, little did I know, was a prerequisite. I started with football, which led me to help with other sports, a growing interest in athletic training, and a growing love of rehab. I went to UTSA for my undergraduate degree and then got my Master’s in Athletic Training from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2012, which set me up to become a Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer (ATC/LAT) and Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).
Over the past 14 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with athletes at all levels, from middle school and high school to college and professional. I’ve also worked in a hospital and with professional organizations. That range of experience not only helped me see many different sides of sports medicine, but also shaped how I approach working with athletes today, because you learn different things treating a 12-year-old versus a pro athlete.
Over time, I realized I really enjoyed the prevention and recovery side of athletic training, helping young athletes move better, feel better, and hopefully avoid injuries in the first place. That’s what eventually led me to start iBodyworx.
Now I’m taking everything I’ve learned over the years and using it to help athletes, parents of athletes, and active individuals take better care of their bodies. Growing into a business owner too means thinking not just about how to help the athlete in front of me, but how to build something that can help more athletes, more consistently, over time.
It’s kind of crazy to think that it all started with me sitting in the band at a football game, wondering how I could get on the field and help the players too.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. With a full-time job, it’s been anything but smooth, but regardless, I think that’s true for most people building something from the ground up. I think the biggest struggle has been figuring out how to take something I’m really good at and turn it into a business.
Working in athletic training and sports medicine is one thing. Building a brand, marketing yourself, consistently putting yourself out there, getting clients, money moves, taxes, and figuring out how to grow a business is a completely different thing. I’ve had periods where I didn’t know what the next step was and questioned what I was doing, could I do this, and was I doing this business thing right.
Credibility was another real challenge. Breaking into established networks with coaches, parents, sports organizations, and athletic programs as a newer name takes time and persistence. People want to trust who’s working with their athletes, and that trust has to be earned and built; there’s no shortcut for it.
As a businesswoman, I’ve had to learn to be patient with myself and understand that building something great takes time. I’m still figuring things out, but I’ve also learned a lot along the way.
The struggles have actually helped me understand what I want iBodyworx to become. I don’t just want to be someone who provides a service. I want to build something that has an impact, especially with younger athletes, and create opportunities to help people take better care of their bodies.
So no, the road hasn’t been easy or smooth. There have definitely been some bumps, but I think those experiences are part of what’s helping me build something that’s actually mine, that I can share with the world.
As you know, we’re big fans of iBodyworx (Integrative Bodyworx). For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Integrative Bodyworx, aka iBodyworx, is a recovery and performance practice, rooted in sports medicine, based in Humble and serving the Greater Houston area.
It’s focused on helping athletes from middle school to professional level move better, feel better, recover faster, stay ahead of injury, and stay active. My core offerings include Painworx (injury evaluation, treatment, soft-tissue work), Stretchworx (assisted stretching and mobility work), and GOATA (functional movement training). I also offer a new client special and packages.
A big part of what I do is helping athletes with things like tight muscles, limited mobility, soreness, sprains, strains, tendonitis, back pain, and other issues that can affect how they move and perform. I also focus a lot on injury prevention, performance, and helping athletes understand what their body is telling them before a small problem becomes a bigger one.
What I think sets iBodyworx apart is my background, the combination of credentials and an athlete first approach. I’m a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC), with other certifications and licenses under my belt, with 14 years of working directly with athletes, so this isn’t general wellness or relaxation focused bodywork, it’s sports medicine, applied specifically to performance and injury prevention. I sit in a different lane than massage therapists, chiropractors, or traditional physical therapy; I’m focused on keeping athletes moving well and performing, not just treating pain after the fact. I’m not just looking at where someone hurts and working on that one spot. I look at the person as a whole, how they move, what they’re doing, what their goals are, and what may be contributing to the problem. My athletic training background gives me a different perspective because I’m trying to bridge the gap between treatment, recovery, and performance. I want to help someone feel better, but I also want to understand why they’re having the problem, how they’re moving, and what I can do to help them move and perform better going forward. I work closely with coaches, parents, and athletes themselves, which means education is a huge part of what I do. Helping parents understand how to actually take care of a young athlete’s body, not just treat problems as they come up.
What I’m most proud of is the trust I have built and what the iBodyworx brand represents. I’ve built real trust within the youth and competitive athletics community here in Houston, with coaches, organizations, and sports facilities recommending me because of the professionalism and because they’ve seen the results firsthand, not because of marketing. That word of mouth credibility being built is exactly the kind of brand I set out to build. I want people to understand that taking care of your body shouldn’t only happen after you’re injured. Recovery and maintenance should be part of the process, whether you’re a professional athlete or just want to stay active.
I also want people to know that iBodyworx isn’t just for elite athletes. You don’t have to be a professional athlete or even an athlete at all. Whether you’re a high school athlete trying to stay healthy through a long season or someone who just wants to be able to work out and move without constantly feeling stiff or sore, I want iBodyworx to be a place where you can get individualized care based on what your body actually needs. Overall, I want iBodyworx to be known for helping people understand their bodies, move better, recover better, and perform at their best, whatever their best looks like for them.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Some of what you see might look like luck, but it was really God, me putting in the work, being in the right place at the right time, and when that opportunity showed up, I ran with it. There have been people I’ve met, opportunities I’ve been given, and situations I probably wouldn’t have been in if things hadn’t just worked out a certain way. Relationships have genuinely been one of the biggest accelerators, and a lot of that started with being in the right place, talking to the right person, at the right moment.
But in business and in life, if there’s something you want, you have to be ready when those opportunities come at you. You can be lucky enough to get the opportunity, God can put it right in your hands, but you still have to put in the work once you get it. On the flip side, I’ve been pushed into things I didn’t feel ready for, but once I walked through the door, if it was something I eventually wanted, that was my chance, and I had to work through it.
There have also been things that didn’t work out the way I wanted them to, connections, office locations, opportunities, partners, moments where things out of my control set me back. At the time, some of those situations felt like bad luck or setbacks, but looking back, they pushed me in different directions, to new opportunities, and helped me figure out what I really wanted. For example, I started out as a mobile business. I listened to a business person and opened an office in a prime location because so many wanted me to have one, but I didn’t realize how much work it would take to get clients in the door, especially the ones that said they would show up once I got the spot. I spent more time trying to get clients than working on them. Time ticked, rent got higher (after the initial promotion time), and my stress level skyrocketed. I talked to a business/gym owner about my situation, and he said, “Break your lease and come here. I have a room you can use.” I did exactly that and am forever grateful for Kevin at Infinity Fitness Solutions in Humble because that is where I’ve been housed ever since.
Even in starting iBodyworx, there have been some lucky breaks, but there has also been a lot of figuring things out as I go. I’m still building it, still learning the business side, and still trying different things.
So I’d say luck has opened some doors for me, but I’ve had to walk through them and do the work once I got there.
Pricing:
- Stretchworx (stretch with massage incorporated for relief of stiffness and aches- 30min-$60, 60min-$100
- Painworx (A personalized session for pain relief using different tools)- 30min-$65, 60min-$110
- GOATA Intro- $125, 60min, Will include a video recording for movement analysis and a stretch
- New Client Special- $135, includes a 60min Painworx and 30 min Stretchworx session
- Youth Athlete Packages (ages 10-14)- $140 for 3-30min sessions, $240 for 3-60 min sessions, $285 (MOBILE) for 3-60min session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ibodyworx.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ibodyworx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ibodyworx
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kisha-dorsey/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ibodyworx
