Today we’d like to introduce you to Frances Jackson.
Frances, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I got into Massage therapy during my journey through college. Once completing my Associate’s degree I was still uncertain of which path I wanted to take towards my career. Not wanting to go right back into college and risk wasting time and money switching majors, I decided to get into Massage therapy.
Massage therapy was ideal for me because I wanted a career that would influence me to be a better version of myself; mind, body, and spirit. The times that I notice when I am at my best is while I am helping others and Massage therapy does just that. The summer of 2013, I obtained my license for Massage in Orlando, Florida where I was raised. After I got my license, I moved in January 2014 back to where I was born, Houston, Texas.
Since then, I enrolled and graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Health, where I also worked and performed massage therapy for my fellow faculty and classmates.
From there until now, I have started my own business, Jackson Hands, with an emphasis on performing Massage therapy. As I continue to grow along with my business, I wish to incorporate the knowledge I have obtained from my degree. By making an emphasis to Improve Communication in Health; mind, body, and spirit, I look forward to furthering my education in alternative health care. I look forward to collaborating with individuals who share the same mission as I do, to help others heal.
Has it been a smooth road?
For a while it was a smooth road but there wasn’t any growth, only complacency. I wanted to challenge myself so I took a leap of faith and at the beginning of year 2017 is when I made Jackson Hands an official business and purchased an LLC. I will be honest; it was out of complete impulse (Which I do not advise.)
My biggest challenge has been managing myself. I have never managed myself before without the authority of someone else. It is easy when someone else is there to tell you what to do and markets, advertises, promotes, and brings in all of your clients for you. When you start off on your own, you are really on your own which is why it is always important to ask for help, reach out within your community. I can’t stress enough how important it is to network and socialize with people who are out there doing the same as you. Don’t be like me and pass up opportunities because you think you should do everything on your own. Learn how to take constructive criticism well, and thank those who give it to you.
We’d love to hear more about Jackson Hands.
Right now, Jackson Hands main focus is on Massage therapy. As a massage therapist, I perform a wide range of modalities that include Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, Prenatal, Stretching, Hot-stone, Reflexology, and Cupping. Of course, there is much more to learn in this field, but what I seem to specialize in is Deep Tissue and Sports massage. I say this based on the people I have been able to work with including athletes in the NFL, Ladies that participate in the amateur Ladies Pro Golf Association, and other trainers and instructors that are involved within the Houston Fitness Community.
I have recently rented a space at a local gym but I hardly find myself treating clients there with most of my client’s requests are out-calls, which I am okay with. Personally, I believe preventable health care, others call it “alternative,” which I consider massage therapy to be, should be affordable, as well as accessible. Due to this personal belief, as a therapist, I make it my mission to be able to make massage therapy as accessible and affordable for those who are seeking a form of preventable health care.
What I think sets me apart from other therapists are the experiences I have had learning to heal myself. During my schooling for Massage therapy, I injured my sciatica. Since then, I have learned so much about proper body mechanics. Meeting with trainers, chiropractors, and other alternative practitioners, I have been able to use what I have learned to help others.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Massage therapy hasn’t had the best reputation for ethical practices in sexual misconduct and it is important, especially for females, to be clear and precise with what our code of conduct entails in Massage therapy. We are therapists, not Masseuses. We work with people on a table, not a bed. What we do constitutes as therapeutic, not sexual. As long as that is properly communicated there shouldn’t be too many issues.
Massage therapy isn’t properly regulated, nor is considered to be a real career in the eyes of many. Therefore, I feel that those who are in this industry get the short end of the stick with restricted wages and health care compared to other employees in other professions.
I was told by my massage instructor that to prevent physical burnout you should stick to a maximum of 20 massages a week. Sure, you can make up to $100 an hour or more working on your own, but most therapist work within an establishment where their pay is cut to a fourth of that. Meaning they are only making $25 an hour or less. Sure, it’s more than minimum wage, but on that type of budget, to make at least $50,000 annually, that means you need to massage 40 people a week. That’s twice as many people that a therapist should physically work on. I read in a massage magazine that the career expectancy for a massage therapist is ten years. I am a firm believer that is because of physical burnout. This isn’t the case for all therapists but it is for some.
It is great to see massage therapy become popular and more available in the Western hemisphere, and as therapists, we have come a long way but we still have a long way to go when it comes to what constitutes as fair pay and a right to be considered a real profession.
Contact Info:
- Website: jacksonhands.com
- Email: dba.j.hands@gmail.com
- Instagram: jackson_hands
Image Credit:
Keith Sloan (Profile Picture), Trish Badger (Professional Headshot)
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