Hey everybody, this is the Frederick Review here today, and right now we’re here with Joyce Renner, she is the owner of Body and Sole Wellness. They offer services targeted towards self-healing opportunities for clients and community. And now Joyce, I’m just going to turn it over to you, why don’t you introduce yourself, tell us a bit more about your business, kind of elaborate on that.
Sure, my name is Joyce Renner, owner of Body and Sole Wellness. It’s a wellness business that provides Reiki, reflexology, integrated reflexology – which means, I am trained to offer reflexology of hands, feet and, ears. I am able to integrate – provide a combination of services specific to the needs of the client. I also do Reiki on animals and I’m currently studying to do craniosacral therapy.
Okay. So I’m not going to go too off-script on you, but what is Reiki, how does that all work?
Yeah, Reiki’s new to a lot of people, it’s basically energy work. Reiki is the life energy; or prana, that’s within you, kind of gets depleted from all of the stress and bad things we do to our body, mind and spirit. Reiki practitioners are trained to draw the infinite energy from the universe; act as a conduit or channel for that energy to flow through us to the client, so it kind of fills your cup up of life energy. As a result the client feels relaxed, will sleep better, be less susceptible to illness and be able to handle life’s events better.
Right, okay, cool. So then reflexology, what is that?
Reflexology is the art of using my thumbs and fingers to apply varying degrees of pressure to either the feet or hands to create a physiological response in the body – increasing blood circulation, increasing oxygen and returning the body to normal function. So again, it’s another self-healing modality, just a different way of doing it.
Got you, okay. So when did you start the Body and Sole Wellness?
I started it the end of 2013, beginning of 2014, after receiving my certification in foot reflexology.
So what was it that made you just want to get into it in the first place, you know get your certification and start your business?
Well I actually was getting reflexology from a practitioner here in Middletown where I live. My friends suggested I try it. I had no idea what it was – that was over 10 years ago. All I knew was that it felt really good. I didn’t ask or even know to ask what benefits it was giving to my body, but I knew it felt really good. And I did some research on the internet, where I stumbled across Reiki. I found a Reiki Master and took Level I training in 2010, I offered Reiki to family and friends and built up a small clientele; all the while searching for how to learn Reflexology. Around 2012, I found a school that taught Reflexology – taking the first Basic Class.
So from 2010 to 2015, I got all my certifications in Reiki and reflexology and started seeing clients and saw some awesome results. I was encouraged to obtain my National Certification which I did – adding training in hand reflexology in 2015; ear reflexology in 2017, then Reiki Master training that same year.
Oh, fantastic, that’s awesome. Five years, that’s a lot of learning in there. So at any point in time, it doesn’t have to be when you started the business, maybe it’s when you started first getting certified, what’s a piece of advice that you’d give yourself, just at any fork in the road, I guess, so-to-speak?
Well, I’ve really seen some tremendous results with reflexology and Reiki. And as people came to me with concerns and diagnosis of lyme disease, stress, migraines, neuropathy, heart disease, sciatic and a host of muscular-skeletal issues, a lot of back issues, I just felt like I needed to expand the practice and integrate other healing modalities into the practice. I like to learn, and there’s plenty of things to add to the services that I currently provide. Another added bonus has been the ability to mentoring with and join forces with other wellness practitioners who share the same passion. They have all been phenomenal to work with.
So with that all being said, currently what’s you’re favorite thing about running your business, and just doing all of this?
Seeing the results. I mean, really helping people and seeing the results with them. And a lot of people, like yourself, they don’t really know what it is, and they don’t know what to expect. So when I get done a session, they’re like, “It feels so much better,” and, “I can’t believe how relaxed I am.” To them, it’s just me rubbing their feet, but it’s much more than that; so I take that opportunity to explain the benefits and how it works; and, make some suggestions about what has worked for me to help them heal and recover from stress. The results are usually long-standing, depending on the specific situation and symptoms the client is facing, but there’s always immediate results, they just feel so much better.
Right, yeah, that’s awesome. I’ve actually talked to a few other people who work in the healing field, and the answers were all really similar, just kind of…When you see the labor of your work have a positive impression on somebody. Opposite, what’s the hardest thing? What’s the thing that you’ve found to be the most difficult, doing all this?
Well I think for most practitioners in the same field, there is the administrative side in general, marketing the business is probably the biggest challenge. Because again, in my field, Reiki and reflexology is best tried hands-on rather than a print ad, because people don’t know what it does. They want to know what does it do for me? So the most success that I have is with word-of-mouth.
Cool, word-of-mouth, so typically if someone has a really good experience, maybe they tell a family member or a friend or just anybody, “Hey, this is awesome.” Do you have a lot of people who, returning clients, like people come back to you like, “Ah, it was great before,” you know? Do you have a lot of frequent clients?
Yeah, most of my clients are return clients, and I get them through referrals. Attending events, like Illuminate Frederick and local Middletown events where I’m actually on-site. So I keep my skills and abilities current and relevant and out there; so I speak at HOA’s and places like senior centers and things like that, where I can demonstrate what I do.
Right, because when you’re there in person, it makes it so much easier to just explain to somebody who may not know, rather than trying to convey it over the internet, yeah. No, I totally get that. So what sets your business apart from other businesses that are in your realm, or what sets you apart from other businesses in your realm?
I feel there’s several things. The fact that I’ve actually partaken in both modalities. Reiki, reflexology and personally how they’ve helped me, but also the space that I have is open, I wish I could show you the space that I have. It’s been called a sanctuary, the room has windows on three of the four sides and you can just look outside at open space, trees and fields and wildlife. It’s very relaxing just being inside; very calming. And one of the things that people say when they first come in is “ahhh”.
So I think that sets me apart from others. It’s also not a spa-like environment, because you get healing benefits in a calming environment. They feel good, like you’re in a spa, but it’s not a clinical setting, per se, and it’s a healing practice. So a lot of times I’ll do Reiki and reflexology or Reiki and craniosacral, that helps too, having the ability to integrate several of those modalities to really customize the treatment for the person, based on their specific needs.
Wow, yeah. That’s all really thorough, that’s awesome. So how has technology helped you in any capacity? Whether it’s getting your business going, or what capacity has technology played a role for you?
Well, I think technology’s a little challenging for me. I think that the hardest part, again, for what I do, it’s on a personal relationship that I create. So I think that’s one of the challenges for my business, for me describing what I do on my website so people understand the benefits and what to expect – because it is such a hands-on modality.
That’s really understandable. And just anything, really not just Reiki and all the stuff that you do, but really anything that requires personal contact, it’s definitely tough to bring people in without physically meeting them and getting a personal feel and stuff like that. So I feel like you’re not alone in that endeavor.
I asked you about advice before, what’s a piece of advice that you’d give to someone else who maybe wants to start their own Reiki practice, or maybe just wants to start learning reflexology and Reiki, like getting certified. Maybe not even starting a business. What would you say to them?
Sure. I think for me, having a passion for what you do. Because if you had told me back in 2010 that I would be doing Reiki and reflexology, I would be like, “No, not a chance. I think when you’re both excited and passionate about what you do and build those relationships with your clients and other practitioners, I think that’s first and foremost. What’s helped me along the way is having mentors in different fields. And I’ve built those going to network meetings, and also through clients. They’re like, “Oh, I know” a certain practitioner. So we’re able to collaborate together. Having mentors and will of people that are in a non-competitive environment is great because I am able to learn what has worked for them and what hasn’t.
Fantastic, well Joyce this has been very good! I always learn a lot about new things in a very small time frame when I do these interviews and this was no different. Thanks for talking to me today!
Thank you for having me, this was very nice!
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