Massage. Business. Success.

Amy Bradley Radford
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

The Massage. Business. Success podcast, hosted by Amy Bradley Radford, focuses on helping massage therapists grow their businesses and improve their skills. It covers topics such as marketing strategies, business management, client retention, and pain management techniques, providing practical advice and insights to help massage therapists succeed in their careers.

  1. 4d ago

    Whose Business are You Building Anyways?

    Most of us built our first massage business when we knew the least about running one. We looked around, figured out what everyone else was charging, working, offering and doing—and we started there. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem comes years later when we're still making decisions from that original version of the business, even though we aren't the same therapist or business owner anymore. In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when the decisions that helped you get started eventually become the decisions holding you back, why fear can keep you protecting a business you've already outgrown, and the lesson I learned after working myself completely out of massage the first time. Your business has been giving you information for years. The question is whether you're using it. And maybe the most important question of all: If you were building your business today, knowing everything you know now, would you build it the same way? Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome to Massage Business Success 00:20 — Starting a business with absolutely no idea what I was doing 02:24 — The decisions we make when we know the least about business 04:46 — Becoming “under-undervalued” at $25 an hour 07:05 — Why fear can keep us protecting a business we have already outgrown 09:25 — Learning to read what your business is actually telling you 14:03 — The first time I quit massage 16:24 — What changing my prices taught me about my own value 18:50 — Recognizing the parts of your business you have outgrown 21:15 — Whose business are you building, anyways? 23:38 — Deciding what you actually want your business to become If this episode made you look differently at your own business, subscribe to Massage. Business. Success. and share it with another massage therapist who may be ready to reevaluate what they have built. DO YOU WANT AMY TO COACH YOU? Fill out this coaching application: https://forms.gle/8fX1mLawrRTwZ7Xs6 MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD: COACHING: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching WEBSITE:  https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 STORE: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ ALIGN ESSENTIAL OILS: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    Whose Business are You Building Anyways?

  2. Sep 29

    Manifesting Appointments with a Sharpie

    What if manifesting a full massage schedule had less to do with hoping more clients showed up and more to do with knowing exactly what you were trying to fill? When I first started my massage practice, I used a paper planner and a Sharpie to mark every appointment I wanted filled. I did not realize it at the time, but that simple habit changed the way I looked at my business. Instead of staring at a blank calendar and wondering where all the clients were going to come from, I had individual appointments I could actually work toward. In this Amy’s Corner episode, I’m talking about what that little Sharpie habit eventually taught me about managing a schedule, keeping a cancellation list and an invitation list, staying proactive even after your practice gets busy, and the difference between putting marketing out into the world and actually working your business. If your schedule feels lighter than you want it to be, this may change the way you look at those empty spaces. Free Referral Resource: 3 Things Your Referral System Needs If you want to go deeper, my 1 CE Referrals class teaches the full referral system I use to help massage therapists create referrals intentionally instead of simply hoping they happen. Class: Referral Card System Have a question you would like me to answer on an upcoming Q&A episode?Put Your Questions in the Comment Section   TIMESTAMPS 00:00 I Manifested Appointments With a Sharpie02:20 When an Empty Schedule Starts Talking to You06:50 Ten Clients vs. Ten Appointments to Fill08:55 Your Schedule Is Your Business11:15 Cancellation Lists and Invitation Lists15:58 Keep Your Foot on the Accelerator20:36 Making Your Schedule Visible Today22:42 Proactive Business Building vs. Waiting for Marketing25:06 Maybe I Was Manifesting After All27:23 Send Me Your Questions  DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH AMY? Fill out this coaching application: https://forms.gle/8fX1mLawrRTwZ7Xs6   MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD: COACHING: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching WEBSITE:  https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 STORE: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ ALIGN ESSENTIAL OILS: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    Manifesting Appointments with a Sharpie

  3. Sep 22

    What Actually Works in Massage Therapy Marketing? with Paige Rowberry

    Are you marketing your massage business — or are you simply doing more marketing activities? There is a difference. For Episode 41, I'm bringing back my friend Paige Rowberry. Paige works professionally in marketing, she's also a massage therapist, and she was one of the people who pushed me to finally start this podcast almost two years ago. What makes her perspective so interesting is that although Paige understands ads, social media, Reels, email lists, funnels, metrics, and modern marketing, she didn't use most of those things to build her massage clientele. She built her practice through word of mouth. In this conversation, we talk about what your brand actually is when you're a massage therapist, why your client experience becomes part of your marketing, the difference between creating awareness and actually creating appointments, and why getting out from behind your phone and meeting real people still matters in a hands-on profession. We also talk about follow-up — because sometimes someone has already told you they want what you offer. The next step isn't another Instagram post. The next step may simply be inviting them to schedule. If you're staring at openings in your calendar and wondering which marketing strategy you're supposed to try next, start here. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome back, Paige Roberry02:45 Why marketing feels more complicated than it is03:25 What your massage therapy brand really includes09:47 Two reasons clients look for another massage therapist11:13 Why the client experience is marketing18:36 Ads, Reels, email lists and marketing funnels21:20 How a marketer built her massage practice through referrals24:39 The fear of being seen26:39 Where to focus when your schedule has openings29:03 Why following up isn't being pushy32:30 Decide how many clients you actually want Paige Rowberry Manifestation Coach: @paige.rowberry paigerowberry@outlook.com   READY TO GROW YOUR MASSAGE BUSINESS? FREE RESOURCE PDF: Earn More Without Working More COURSE & WORKBOOK: Maximize Your Massage Business WANT TO WORK WITH AMY? https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching    MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD WEBSITE: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 STORE: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ ALIGN ESSENTIAL OILS: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    What Actually Works in Massage Therapy Marketing? with Paige Rowberry

  4. Sep 15

    Have You Reached Your Limit—or Just the Limit of What You Know?

    Maybe I should just get a job. It's a thought that runs through the minds of a lot of self-employed massage therapists—but what are you actually looking for when you think about leaving? More security? A predictable paycheck? Retirement? Time off? A way to earn more without asking your body to do more? In Episode #40, Amy looks at what happens when a massage therapist becomes successful enough to fill the schedule but doesn't know what comes next. Through real coaching examples and her own experience, Amy explores how to read the behavior of your business instead of simply copying somebody else's tactic, why raising prices doesn't work just because you want more money, and how to intentionally increase the value of what you offer. She also shares why she once left self-employment for the security of a paycheck—only to discover that she could replace that income through massage in a fraction of the time. This episode is also about something massage therapists don't always give themselves permission to recognize: the value that has accumulated in your hands through years of practice, experience, mistakes, learning, and caring for people. You have agency over your own value. And you may not have reached the limit of massage at all. You may have simply reached the limit of what you currently know how to build. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Maybe I should just get a job?02:24 — The $5 price increase that backfired04:43 — Learn to read what your business is telling you07:11 — You can increase your value on purpose08:15 — Why the paycheck felt safer09:35 — The $10 realization12:20 — My value wasn't standing still. I was.16:38 — You have agency over your own value   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE FREE RESOURCE: Earn More Without Working More COURSE & WORKBOOK: Maximize Your Massage Business WANT TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH AMY? Learn more about coaching   MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD WEBSITE: amybradleyradford.com YOUTUBE: Amy Bradley Radford on YouTube INSTAGRAM: @amybradleyradford

    Have You Reached Your Limit—or Just the Limit of What You Know?

  5. Sep 8

    PPS Episode 3: Mapping — How Do You Know Your Massage Worked?

    If you work with clients who come to you because they're in pain, how do you really know whether the massage you just gave worked?  A client can get off your table and tell you they feel better. Your hands may tell you the tissue changed. Their range of motion may improve. But what actually happened to the pain they came in with—and did that change last? In this PPS episode, Amy shares the process that eventually led her to start mapping pain before and after massage. What began as a simple way to measure change became one of the tools that helped her see repeating pain relationships, develop her four-point pain marker, explore scar tissue and bilateral assessment, and eventually build Pain Patterns & Solutions. You'll also hear why Amy says pain is information, not an invitation, how she began using pain as a clue rather than automatically treating where someone hurt, and why mapping can be useful no matter what type of pain-management bodywork you practice. You do not need to know PPS to start using this. Amy is making the pain map she uses available as a free download, along with simple directions and examples so you can begin experimenting with mapping in your own treatment room. Download the free Pain Mapping Tool:PPS Pain Mapping Guide TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Who this episode is for 04:40 Why Amy wanted a way to measure massage outcomes 09:23 When better posture didn’t mean less pain 11:45 Trigger points and learning to get specific about pain 16:30 How body charts became pain maps 23:41 Red pain, blue treatment, and seeing what changed 28:21 Why “I feel better” wasn’t enough 30:41 The four-point PPS pain marker 35:30 Bilateral assessment and looking beyond muscles 40:13 How mapping grew into Pain Patterns & Solutions 44:44 How to start mapping your own clients 51:55 Free mapping download and what’s next with PPS    FREE RESOURCE PDF: Earn More Without Working More  COURSE & WORKBOOK: Maximize Your Massage Business DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH AMY? Fill out this coaching application: https://forms.gle/8fX1mLawrRTwZ7Xs6   MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD: COACHING: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching WEBSITE:  https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 STORE: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ ALIGN ESSENTIAL OILS: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    PPS Episode 3: Mapping — How Do You Know Your Massage Worked?

  6. Sep 1

    What Kind of Massage Therapist Do You Want to Become?

    Professional growth in massage therapy doesn't always mean climbing higher, collecting another certification, adding more clients, or working more hours. Sometimes growth means going deeper—becoming more intentional about your skills, your professionalism, the experience you create for your clients, and the value of every hour you choose to work. In this episode, Amy explores what happens after your schedule is full and your business is doing “fine,” but you know there could be more. She talks about the fear that can keep therapists from making changes, the many different directions a massage career can grow, and why raising your professional standards can ultimately change both the client experience and your income. You'll also hear a practical example of what “work smarter, not harder” can actually mean for a massage therapist—including how increasing the value of the hours you're already working could create significantly more annual income without adding more massages to your schedule. If you know you want something to change but aren't quite sure what needs to change, this episode will help you start looking at your business differently. Free Resource: Download Earn More Without Working More here or from the link in the show notes and start exploring how your existing working hours can better support you. Maximize Your Massage Business: Amy also shares how the class grew out of the process she repeatedly used with coaching clients—and how the accompanying workbook lets you work through those same questions using your own numbers, schedule, prices, and income goals. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — What Kind of Therapist Do You Want to Become? 02:11 — What If Growth Means Going Deeper? 04:31 — Your Schedule Is Full. Now What? 08:30 — When “Fine” Keeps You From Changing 14:55 — There Is More Than One Way to Grow 20:55 — Leveling Up the Client Experience 27:57 — What Does Working Smarter Actually Mean? 30:15 — Increasing the Value of Your Hour 35:30 — Growth Requires Change 37:00 — When You Don't Know What to Do Next 39:25 — Becoming the Therapist You Want to Be   FREE RESOURCE PDF: Earn More Without Working More  COURSE & WORKBOOK: Maximize Your Massage Business DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH AMY? Fill out this coaching application: https://forms.gle/8fX1mLawrRTwZ7Xs6   MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD: COACHING: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching WEBSITE:  https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 STORE: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ ALIGN ESSENTIAL OILS: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    What Kind of Massage Therapist Do You Want to Become?

  7. Aug 25

    Sometimes the Best Move Is to Pivot

    What if the problem isn't that you need to work harder—but that the business you've built no longer works for you?  In the very first Amy's Corner, Amy shares a small change she recently made in her own business: moving the Massage. Business. Success. podcast from Monday to Tuesday. What sounds like a simple scheduling decision revealed a much bigger lesson about business ownership. Sometimes we create a plan based on how we think things will work, only to discover something different once we're actually living inside it. The same thing happens in massage businesses. We build schedules, set hours, take clients, establish prices and create routines—often before we really understand what will work for our bodies, our income needs and our lives. In this episode, Amy talks about recognizing the difference between something that's simply difficult and a pattern that's repeatedly telling you something needs to change. You'll explore how to recognize when your schedule may be working against you, why being busier isn't always the answer to earning more, how to separate your actual goal from the method you've been using to reach it, and why your massage business should support your life—not require you to continually recover from it. Sometimes you don't need more discipline, more clients or more hours. Sometimes you need to understand your business well enough to make a different decision. Ready to take a closer look at your own business? Maximize Your Massage Business helps massage therapists understand their numbers, evaluate their schedule and discover ways to increase income without simply adding more clients and hours. Learn more at AmyBradleyRadford.com TIMESTAMPS  00:00 — Welcome to Massage. Business. Success. 00:23 — Introducing Amy's Corner 01:20 — Why I moved my podcast from Monday to Tuesday 01:50 — My plan to publish every week 04:10 — When the plan in your head doesn't match real life 06:32 — Are you treating a business decision like a rule? 08:58 — When frustration becomes useful information 11:06 — What is your schedule trying to tell you? 13:24 — Building a business vs. designing a business 15:48 — Maybe you're not tired of massage 18:10 — Separate the goal from the method 20:33 — Start observing your business differently 22:54 — What should your business give back to you? 23:35 — Maximize Your Massage Business 25:17 — Find the place where you need to pivot Maximize Your Massage Business Course: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/revenue Discover Your Value Free PDF   MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD: Coaching: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/coaching Website:   https://www.amybradleyradford.com/ Amy Bradley Radford YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amybradleyradford8414 Store: https://2274d0.myshopify.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amybradleyradford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybradleyradford/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Bradley-Radford-Massage-Business-Coaching/61556419647184/ Align Essential Oils: https://www.amybradleyradford.com/align-oils

    Sometimes the Best Move Is to Pivot

  8. Aug 20

    PPS Episode 2: The Forces Behind Pain

    PPS Episode 2: The Forces Behind Pain Why can a muscle feel incredibly tight when it is actually being held in a lengthened position? Why can working somewhere far away from the painful area sometimes change the pain almost immediately? And why does tissue we work over and over sometimes seem to come right back?  Those were some of the questions that led me toward Pain Patterns & Solutions Bodywork. In this second PPS episode, I'm taking you deeper into the principles that changed the way I began thinking about pain, inflammation, scar tissue, and eventually force within the body. We start with something almost every massage therapist has encountered: that stubborn, painful spot in the rhomboids. I'll walk you through why “tight” doesn't necessarily mean “short,” and I'll tell you about the client who unexpectedly showed me a relationship between her painful rhomboid and scar tissue along her IT band. That discovery created more questions than answers. Why did working the IT band change the rhomboid? Why did the scar tissue eventually return? Why did the IT band stop responding after several treatments? And what was the body trying to maintain that I hadn't understood yet? Those questions eventually led me toward the idea of paired scar-tissue relationships, the order in which those relationships develop, and some surprisingly simple physics principles that helped me begin understanding what I had already been observing in my clients. We'll also begin exploring one of the larger ideas behind PPS: pain doesn't necessarily tell me where to work. Pain gives me a clue about where to start looking. This episode lays another piece of the PPS foundation and introduces concepts we'll continue developing next month when we explore direction, reversals, transfers, and what happens when the body's efficient suspension against gravity begins shifting toward compression. If PPS is new to you, I recommend beginning with PPS Episode 1: Learning to See the Body Differently, because these episodes are intentionally building on one another. Interested in learning PPS? I'm currently developing and testing the next generation of PPS training and refilming the hands-on curriculum. You'll find a PPS Interest Form in the resources below if you'd like to be notified as training and educational opportunities become available. Want to see the rhomboid/IT-band relationship? I've also included my YouTube demonstration in the resources below. It doesn't demonstrate the entire relationship discussed in this episode, but it gives you a visual introduction to that connection. Timestamps  00:00 — Welcome + What PPS Is 04:33 — PPS, Inflammation + Scar Tissue 16:09 — How PPS Differs From Myofascial Work 21:00 — Pain Is Often Felt in Lengthened Tissue 25:25 — The Rhomboid Client Who Changed Everything 27:43 — The Unexpected IT Band Connection 34:50 — Physics Enters the PPS Story 39:25 — The IT Band Wasn't the Beginning 44:06 — There Is an Order to Scar Tissue 48:49 — Untying the Knot 51:11 — Understanding Speed + Direction 55:58 — When Suspension Becomes Compression 58:23 — Pain Tells Me Where to Go 1:03:00 — Why I Kept Following the Unconventional 1:05:24 — Where PPS Goes Next WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PPS? If this episode has you curious about Pain Patterns & Solutions Bodywork, I’d love to know what you’re interested in learning. Fill out the short PPS Interest Form and tell me what you’d like to learn more about. It also makes sure I can get the right information to you as I release new PPS education, resources, classes, and future training opportunities. → Fill Out the PPS Interest Form SEE THE RHOMBOID + IT BAND CONNECTION Want to see the connection I talked about in this episode? I have a YouTube demonstration that gives you a simple visual introduction to the relationship between the IT band and rhomboid. It doesn't take you through the entire PPS pattern we discussed in this episode, but it's a great place to begin seeing the connection. → Watch the Rhomboid + IT Band Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1TSzNhMeEs&t=597s LOOKING FOR BUSINESS COACHING? Sometimes you don't need another class—you need someone to sit down with you, look at your business, and help you figure out what needs to happen next. If you'd like to explore working with me one-on-one, fill out my coaching application and tell me a little about where you are and where you'd like your business to go. → Apply for Business Coaching with Amy FREE RESOURCE FOR MASSAGE THERAPISTS Discover Your Value — A free PDF to help you think differently about the value you bring to your clients and your career. → Download Discover Your Value MORE FROM AMY BRADLEY RADFORD Website: amybradleyradford.com Business Coaching: Work With Amy YouTube: Amy Bradley Radford Store: Shop Amy's Products Instagram: @amybradleyradford LinkedIn: Amy Bradley Radford Facebook: Amy Bradley Radford Massage Business Coaching Align Essential Oils: Explore Align Essential Oils

    PPS Episode 2: The Forces Behind Pain
See All (43)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Massage. Business. Success podcast, hosted by Amy Bradley Radford, focuses on helping massage therapists grow their businesses and improve their skills. It covers topics such as marketing strategies, business management, client retention, and pain management techniques, providing practical advice and insights to help massage therapists succeed in their careers.

Information

You Might Also Like