Today we’d like to introduce you to Anja Wuerminghausen
Hi Anja, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Anja Wuerminghausen, I am an Ohio Medical board licensed massage therapist who was born and raised in Germany and moved to Florida in 1997.
Today I am the proud owner of InSync Massage Therapy LLC and InSync Equine LLC in Uniontown, Ohio.
Why did I choose the name “InSync”? Because “Synergy” (being In-Sync) is the bonus that is achieved when things work together in harmony (Mark Twain) and my goal in my sessions is to create an “InSync” and balanced body with the help of different modalities.
Before I moved to the US, I had always worked in the corporate world.
At the time of our move, I was a mom of two little girls and was looking for opportunities to be more flexible in my work schedule. My desire to help people had always been there. I also had finished a fitness and nutrition degree back in Germany. When we immigrated into the US there were a lot of rules and regulations in order to be able to stay here. One of the requirements was that we had to work in a field where we did not take a job away from an American Citizen. My degree from Germany enabled me to work as a German teacher in a Montessori school, which helped me at the same time to be with my kids who were not proficient in English yet. In addition, I worked for an immigration lawyer to help with translations.
My desire to find a career in a holistic health field led me to a massage therapy school which offered evening classes.
I cannot tell you how much I loved going to this school. I hardly could wait for the evening classes to start. I never had thought that “touching people” and making them feel better would become my life’s passion, but it did. Not only did I become a licensed massage therapist, but over the years I trained in many other modalities.
In 2004 we moved to Ohio. One summer something very interesting happened. One of my further education classes offered Craniosacral Therapy on horses in Denver, Colorado, to improve our “palpitation skills” as manual therapists. (CST is a gentle, hands-on method that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improves whole body health). I was trained in CST work with humans, but this class changed my life. After finishing the class, I was eager to come back to Ohio and try my new skills on my own horse and on some of my equine friends’ horses. The results were incredible. And so my love for treating horses was born! And by the way, the class did improve our palpitation skills!
It is such a different experience to work with these amazing animals, since you really depend on your “listening skills”. And that means feeling, observing and hearing. All your senses need to be on high alert, just like theirs. It requires you to be with them in the moment. Great lessons to be learned!
Fast forward, I took more equine further education classes and became an equine bodyworker as well. After finishing all of my equine classes, I did not have much time to work with horses due to a pretty full schedule in my office. Then Covid hit and all massage therapy businesses had to close in March 2020 due to health restrictions from the Ohio Medical Board. I thought to myself: while I cannot work inside my office, I still can work outside on horses!
And this was the start of InSync Equine LLC.
Today I am so very grateful that I am able to work with people as well as with horses. It can be challenging to balance both businesses at times, but I would not want to miss either one of them. There is nothing better than seeing people as well as horses leaving feeling better after a session.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would not say that it was a smooth road. There were quite a few challenges along the way:
First of all, Ohio’s massage therapy schools required a few different classes than Florida. Also at the time, you could only take the test for the Ohio Medical Board License once a year and we had just moved a few weeks too late for that. I had to wait an entire year to get licensed.
Finding clients was a challenge. Not being from Ohio and also foreigners, we had no family or friends to fall back on for referrals.
I was also still working on getting my American Citizenship.
Finding the right location for the office was not easy. I moved into an office with a few other already well-established therapists and then we were forced to move our office. I had to move my office 3 times until I found a space with the right size and a location which was easily accessible for my clients. Every time I was moving, I was hoping my clients would follow, which most of them did. That meant a lot to me!
Advertising was another challenge. How to do it the best way? Not having a big budget to spend on advertising forced me to get creative. I gave speeches at luncheons, became a member of the Chamber of Commerce and other groups and associations.
Then I started offering chair massages to businesses, which was the best decision I ever made! I was a subcontractor to Goodyear for 10 years, gave chair massages at law firms, tax departments, golf courses, hospital health events, etc. I got so busy that I hired some subcontractors to send to my existing business clients. Some worked out really well, others not so much. I did not pursue this avenue any further. We all learn by doing, right?
Meanwhile the clientele in the office grew. I was forced to reduce the chair massages and then finally stopped offering them completely. It was not an easy decision. I enjoyed leaving my office occasionally to work in another professional setting, meet new people and be able to help the ones that could not get to an office or could not afford a full body treatment in an office.
Then in 2020 Covid caused the shutdown of all massage therapy businesses.
Then I had to make the decision, should I start working with horses? Later on, will I have to give up one or the other business? How can I make it work to help people and horses?
And then there are always the physical challenges. Being a massage therapist is hard work. It is very rewarding to be able to help people, but also can be physically and mentally exhausting.
Reports show that the average lifespan of a career in massage therapy is 5 – 7 years. Therefore, self-care is important which brings us to the challenge of getting your own workouts and treatments in. It is very important to schedule time for yourself. If you run on empty yourself, there is no way you can help others! And you want to be the best you can be!
We’ve been impressed with InSync Massage Therapy LLC, InSync Equine LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My two businesses are: InSync Massage Therapy LLC and InSync Equine LLC
I am specialized in pain management and stress relief for humans and horses and trained in many modalities from which I select during my sessions. I call these skills my “toolbox” and I will use whatever “tool” might be most helpful during a session. Every session is customized to my clients, no matter if it is a human or a horse. One session might consist of several modalities. And it is always most important to listen to the client. The person on the table knows his/her body best! I always ask my clients for the amount of pressure they prefer. Never assume!
I am a big believer in further education, learning about new treatments and staying informed about our profession.
Being bilingual gives me the opportunity to study and research in both languages/countries (English and German). I have had the privilege to have studied with educators from different countries.
My training consists of:
Therapeutic and Orthopedic Massage
Myofascial Release
CranioSacral Therapy
Manual Lymph Drainage
Reflexology
Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques
Red Light Therapy
Kinesiotaping
Auricular Therapy
Australian Bush Flower Essences Consultant
Animal Reiki Master
Another accomplishment I am proud of is my own lotion for Pain Relief and Improved Circulation, which is created for me in Switzerland, with herbs from the Alps, and is called “InSync Lotion”.
I am also a brand partner for LifeWave, which is a leader in wearable phototherapy (among many other benefits LifeWave Patches work great on acupuncture points on humans and horses).
In my opinion Bodywork is like a dance, a dance with the tissue to create a balanced body. The tissue leads, the hands follow, a give and take, pressure and release…. Music is important during a session as well. Music creates a multi-sensory journey which engages body, mind and soul and can have an additional healing effect.
Seeing clients leave happier, less stressed, pain-free and with improved mobility after a session is my goal!
My motto: No matter if it is massage therapy, myofascial therapy, craniosacral therapy, etc. you need to listen to the body. The body will tell. Be patient, be respectful, be kind and most of all work with:
Love, Care and Compassion!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Huge credit goes to my human and equine clients who believe in me and trust me with my skills. Without them my businesses would not exist.
Some of my clients have been with me since I have started InSync Massage Therapy. I am so thankful for their continued support, business and also friendship.
I am so grateful for all the schools, educators and trainers I have had over the years, too many to name and my family who always supported me even when I got the “crazy” idea of working with horses.
AMTA, ABMP and FSMTA, all associations with a lot of resources for us therapists.
My mentor and long-time friend Tom Oakes (former owner of a Massage school, now retired) who always believed in me and helped me figuring out how to get my license in Ohio, all the businesses that allowed me to be their chair massage provider, especially Goodyear, Lockheed Martin, the Canton Tax Department, the Green Chamber of Commerce and the law firm Brennan, Manna and Diamond. These are just a few of the businesses that helped me grow my business! SCORE Canton for giving great business starting advice!
The biggest credit goes to my husband, who had been the best supporter, teammate, business advisor and cheerleader I could have ever wished for.
And…. sure enough, all the horses that allow me to work with them deserve credit. They are some of the best teachers and healers when there are tough times! They have excellent skills in teaching patience, being present, confidence, teamwork, trust, communication skills and overcoming your own fears!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.InSyncMT.com , https://lifewave.com/insyncmt
- Facebook: 1. https://www.facebook.com/InsyncMassageTherapyLLC 2. https://www.facebook.com/InSyncEquineMT/
