Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Holloway.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always been the nurturing type. I am a twin and was born first by 40 minutes. My twin brother stubbornly did not want to come out of the womb, so I inherently felt the need to care for my twin! My mother said I would take care of him even as a baby trying to soothe him or as we got a bit older, tying his shoes and doing his schoolwork (in kindergarten) so they realized they had to separate us, or I would just take care of things for him all the time.
I grew up in Indianola Iowa and as a small child, I dreamed of being a teacher. I would play school all the time. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and my dad traveled for work a lot. Massage was not something my family received regularly, at least not that I remember. So, there was no inclination for me to seek massage therapy for healing or as a career early on.
When I was 19, I moved to Phoenix Arizona, and began my professional career working at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital as a nursing assistant. I had a true passion for caring and nurturing others, and I learned so much in that job working alongside nurses and doctors and meeting patients from all walks of life. It was a humbling experience because it can be a hard job for not much pay, but it built my character and it felt good to help take care of others. I knew then that I wanted to continue working to help people.
My now husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, married me and whisked me off to Italy for a military assignment overseas. There we had our first daughter Gina. In these early years massage wasn’t even on my radar still, but having a baby forever changed our lives. It felt magical and scary to be a parent!!
After three years in Italy, we moved to Florida and had our son Jack. My daughter Gina, who was 2.5 months at the time, started having severe sensory issues with clothes and it was hard to cope with. I was a stay-at-home mom for several years, so Gina didn’t have to be in daycare because of her struggles. It was meant to be! I loved being home with my babies. Gina ended up being my inspiration to pursue ways to provide stress relief for moms.
For me, motherhood felt like my calling, and I loved having fun with my babies, but it was hard too! I suddenly realized that I needed some self-care strategies to cope with motherhood and show up fully for my family. I initially became obsessed with essential oils and yoga for stress relief. I had a wonderful friend who owned her massage practice, and she encouraged me to attend massage school. I had never even given that a thought and I didn’t know if I would be any good at massage therapy, but I wanted flexibility with work and to be with my kids still.
So, I did some reading because I love to read. I loved patient care as a nursing assistant and have always enjoyed learning about the body and why not muscles! I was intrigued by some of the things I read about massage possibly helping children with sensory processing issues. It made me feel hopeful and thought well maybe I can at least bless the moms in their motherhood journey and their children one day. It wasn’t until I entered massage school that massage also became a staple in my self-care.
I truly have a special place in my heart for Moms, especially Moms of kids on the spectrum or with behavioral issues. It’s hard to be a mom in this world and on top of that if you have a child that doesn’t “fit in the box” it’s even more stressful. So, I went to massage school at night when my husband was off work. I loved the experience and to my surprise, I fell in love with massage therapy work! It truly felt like my calling. I lucked out starting my career in a gorgeous North Florida spa and learned so much from some seasoned massage therapists! Shout out to A Day Away Massage & Spa! It was quite the experience to have the honor of working there.
In 2020 we got military orders to move to Ohio and it was challenging to have my massage license transferred due to some credential differences in school credit hours as states have different requirements. So, I chose to return to massage school at Dayton School of Medical Massage. Thankfully I was still able to work as a massage therapist while on a temporary license.
While working in other establishments, I realized there was a desperate need for more massage therapists to learn prenatal and postpartum skills to provide quality massage for expecting women. Massage schools typically brush on the topic of pregnancy massage and it’s very brief. Most of the training is online as well so it may not always be easy for every student or therapist to truly gain the confidence, they need to provide a quality massage for a woman during pregnancy.
After finishing massage school for a second time in a medical massage school, I attended a Claire Marie Miller Nurturing the Mother Massage training in-person in Toledo, OH, and studied Rebecca Overson’s Maternity Massage Specialist training online, then decided to step out in faith and open my practice and specialize for women in their motherhood journey. I have since continued my studies and training in birth doula education, and other bodywork for women in their motherhood journey with the Spinning Babies, and Body Ready Method.
I am a lifelong student. I’m always learning about myself and growing in my knowledge to serve my clients. I also want to give credit to Rebecca e Azevedo’s Rock Your Massage Practice Academy program. I joined her coaching program before I graduated from massage school in Ohio to help walk me through setting up a massage practice the right way from the start! It was profoundly helpful in walking me through the business aspects of starting a massage practice instead of walking into it aimlessly and making a ton of mistakes!
As massage therapists, we can be good at our craft and not do well with the business and advertising part of our work and it can make it hard to thrive! I don’t think I would be where I am so quickly if I had not joined her program! I truly believe a women’s journey from conception, pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond, self-care is essential! Massage can profoundly help down-regulate the nervous system to decrease that “fight or flight” response we all live in so much more nowadays!
And when having a baby, it’s even more important to soften the tissues and calm the nervous system so the baby can more easily come earthside! For women who are not in the thick of their motherhood journey, I offer therapeutic massage tailored to their needs. Maybe they couldn’t have children, their children are grown, or they’re still trying to conceive, regardless all women need self-care too, and are welcome to work with me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was hard to balance school, student clinicals, and working on the side both times I went to massage school. My daughter was in a lot of different therapy appointments the first time I attended massage school so I was often running her to appointments as well. When we moved to Ohio life was challenging because the pandemic happened and it made it hard to choose to go back to work as a massage therapist and had me questioning whether returning to school to meet Ohio’s credentialing standards was worth it!
I ultimately decided it was because I am so passionate about it, but again as a mother, it was challenging to juggle school and family life. Then the journey of opening my massage therapy practice and specializing in Prenatal Massage came with its challenges as well. It was hard not to let others’ voices get in my head telling me I’m crazy to narrow my clientele with such a defined niche, or how hard it is to start a business and get clients as a massage therapist.
It’s often challenging to shut out the voices of other people’s fears or opinions that cloud your courage and passion and your “why.” Pregnant moms deserve quality massages too and it needs to be accessible to find! It’s always challenging for massage therapists to get into the cycle of thinking “oh I need clients, I’ll take anyone who wants to work with me!”
But truly believe we all have a different gift in our work as therapists and it serves us and our clients best to know our lane and be clear on who we serve best!! If sports massage isn’t my gift I’m not going to advertise for big athletes to get on my table. My work may disappoint them! So, that being said I love having a network of massage therapists who I know have a gift for different types of work that I can refer clients to when looking!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I own Dayton Prenatal Massage and specialize in prenatal and postpartum massage and bodywork. My mission is to serve women wherever they are in their motherhood journey whether they’re trying to conceive, they’re pregnant, or postpartum and beyond. Once a mom, always a mom. We all need self-care!
I still consider myself a new business as it’s been less than a year! But really, I am becoming known for serving women with quality massage and bodywork in their pregnancy to decrease their stress and provide pain relief and doing it with the mindset that they’re not fragile or going to break. They also don’t have a disease, they are doing something the body is designed to do which is grow a baby!
I think what sets me apart is such a defined niche I have built my practice around. To some, it’s a bit scary to narrow their market of clients, and don’t get me wrong I was nervous! It’s always risky being an entrepreneur making choices! But I knew it was what I wanted to do and I truly felt in my heart it will serve people well. I believe it helps to have real clarity on what a practitioner is best at when choosing one to work with you for anything!
I also don’t accept tips in my practice. I tell my clients to put it towards their next massage or tip me with an amazing review and I like to keep things as simple as possible for clients and have a simple menu of services, organic clean products, and include all enhancement options as complementary to the session they’re paying for so choice-making and extra costs feel minimal!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love to listen to podcasts and read! I am currently reading and will probably always be studying birth doula training looks and other personal development books:
-The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
-Nurture by Erica Chidi
-The Fertile Female by Julia Indichova
-Crucial Conversations – Joseph Granny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillian, Al Switzer, Emily Gregory
I love any book by Lysa Terkeurst! She truly speaks to me as a woman who loves Jesus and is also very honest about being messy and human.
I love listening to leadership podcasts. I believe everyone leads somewhere in their life! But I have a conviction as a business owner that leadership skills are even more valuable to true success as a business and working with others in any capacity!
I listen to:
-Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast.
-I enjoy listening to content from Simon Sinek.
-Of Course, Tony Robbins is inspiring!
-I also love Mel Robbins.
Massage Resources:
-I am an ABMP member as a massage therapist and they have a wonderful library of resources I look to draw on.
-I love Claire-Marie Miller’s training materials. I often refer back to her material in my work.
-Rebecca Overson Maternity Massage Specialist training materials. I often refer back to her as well.
-I also love Allison Denny’s Youtube Channel Rebel Massage and Ian Harvey’s channel Massage Sloth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.prenatalmassagedayton.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daytonprenatalmassage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prenatalmassagedayton
Image Credits
The Carrs & Co Photography, https://thecarrsco.com, @carrsandco
Dorothy Beam Photography, https://www.dorothybeamphotography.com, @dorothybeamphotography
