The Journey of Massage is Life | Massage is Life, LLC

The Story Behind Massage Is Life: Rooted In Healing

From Thriving → To Rock Bottom → To Rebuilding… To Be Continued

The Beginning: A Passion for Healing

When I first became a massage therapist, my passion was always healing — but my journey didn’t start full-time.

In the beginning, I worked for another massage business while growing my own practice part-time on the side. I started small — turning a portion of my home into my very first massage space.

As my client base grew, I took the next step and began renting a room, slowly building my own name and business. Each client, each session, each leap — I was growing something I knew was bigger than just massage.

The Stepping Out On Faith Moment (2019)

In 2019, I made the decision to fully step out on faith and pursue my business full-time.

I signed the lease for my current space about 4 months before the world changed.

With no safety net and no backup plan, I fully committed to creating Massage Is Life — not just as a service, but as a space where people could heal. I was finally doing what I loved on my terms.

The Pandemic Hits (2020)

Then the pandemic came.

Barely four months into my new space, everything shut down.

Like so many small business owners, I was forced to close my doors, lose income, and navigate a world none of us saw coming. The momentum I worked so hard to build came to a sudden halt.

But in the midst of the pandemic — while trying to hold my business together — life hit me even harder.

The Loss of My Daughter (2020)

In 2020, I experienced one of the most devastating losses of my life — the loss of my daughter, Jordyn.

It broke me.

But in that moment, I didn’t pause. I didn’t stop to grieve.

I threw myself into work and survival mode. I stayed busy, because staying busy felt safer than facing the grief head-on.

For nearly two years, I kept moving, pouring into my business and clients — doing everything I could to keep myself going. But grief always waits for its moment.

The Quiet Fall Apart

Around two years after my loss, I could no longer outrun it.

The grief I had tried so hard to avoid finally caught up to me.

I had to sit in it.
Feel it.
Process it.

And in doing so, I realized just how deeply tied healing and grief truly are.

The Long-Term Impact: How The Pandemic Changed Everything

Even as the world slowly reopened, the business I once knew was no longer the same. The pandemic didn’t just create a temporary pause — it shifted everything.

What was once a thriving, growing business year after year, slowly became a constant fight to stay afloat. Every year since 2020 seemed to get harder — financially, emotionally, physically.

I’ve faced the worst of the worst:

Financial ruin.
Scrambling to cover bills.
Carrying overwhelming business debt.
Sacrificing to keep the doors open.
The weight of trying to hold it all together while everything around me was falling apart.

The stress took a toll on my health.

The nonstop survival mode wore me down mentally and physically.

I lived in a constant state of exhaustion — trying to balance business, grief, life, and finances — often wondering how much longer I could hold on.

The pandemic didn’t just create a hard season — it completely changed the trajectory of my business and my life. And truthfully, I’m still feeling the effects of it today.

Early 2025: My Breaking Point

By early 2025, I did basically throw in the towel.

I was on such an emotional rollercoaster, and financially I was barely holding on — some days literally hoping for enough tip money to put gas in my car or buy groceries. Yes, it got bad. Very bad.

Even in being transparent, I don’t think most people truly know just how hard it’s been — because I’ve continued to show up every day.
Smiling.
Working.
Pouring into others.
Serving my clients.
All while carrying the weight behind the scenes.

Showing up doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard.
It just means I refused to quit — even on the days where quitting felt easier.

I tried to come up with new plans, telling myself I could at least downsize and only take my monthly regulars. I even took on outside jobs that I hoped would help fill the financial gaps — but instead, they made me even more miserable. Every single plan I tried to build outside of my office — fell apart.

And that's when I took it as a sign:
Don’t give up yet.

Rooted in Healing Is Born (Spring 2025)

And that’s when God stepped in.

Just when I was ready to walk away, He threw the towel back.
I refocused. I revisioned.
And in that space of surrender, clarity came.

I no longer just saw “a massage business.”
I saw an experience.
I envisioned a space where people could heal deeply — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually too.

The vision of a garden came to me — and everything began to connect.
Our bodies are like gardens:

Sometimes blooming.
Sometimes needing pruning.
Always requiring care, attention, and patience.

From that image, Rooted in Healing was born.

The Full Circle Shift (2024-2026)

In 2024, I also started my nonprofit, Jordyn’s Light, to support families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss — another layer of healing born from my personal journey.

Now, 2025 and into 2026, so much is shifting:

The rebrand of Massage Is Life: Rooted in Healing is unfolding.
New offerings are blossoming.
New levels of care are being created.
And both my clients and I are walking into a new season of healing — together.

Massage Is Life Today — A New Beginning

While I’m still facing challenges and in many ways starting fresh, this season has given me an entirely new outlook.

But this time — I’m walking into it smarter.
Stronger.
Wiser.

Because these last 8 years have taught me lessons I couldn’t have learned any other way.

Massage Is Life: Rooted in Healing now fully reflects everything this journey has taught me:

The weight of loss.
The courage it takes to start over.
The faith it takes to surrender your own plans.
The exhaustion of rebuilding.
And the peace that comes when you finally step fully into your purpose.

What This Means For You

When you walk into my space, you’re not entering a business that was built overnight.

You’re stepping into a space that’s been built through real life, real lessons, and real healing.

My hope is that every client feels:

Safe.
Cared for.
Heard.
And able to honor whatever season of life they’re in.

Because healing doesn’t look the same for everyone — but every person deserves a space where they can be rooted in healing.

Massage Is Life — because healing is life.