Jason Nadeau started down his current path while he was in college. Like most of us, his degree was in a different direction and such was his initial career in environmental consulting. It was the traditional 8-5, Monday through Friday, except when he was needed out in the field. His salary was the same every week, and he was expected to be in the office doing reports and analysis for hazardous waste sites during those hours unless he was doing field work – which meant going out to a hazardous waste site about 6 in the morning and being done whenever the job was done. In March of 2004, he got his escape from that company – the company had lost a client again and would be out of business by Thanksgiving, and for the second time in 6 months he was laid off from the same company. But this was his escape, he had a plan – he had been accepted to a Massage and Hydrotherapy Program in Florida that would take 6 months of full-time studying to get the training needed to become a Licensed Massage Therapist in almost any state in the US, and he could collect unemployment while there and for a few months after while taking the National Certification Exam. “I ate better, hiked more, worked out my issues, and got massage almost every day”.
Switching Gears
Jason am now entirely self-employed as a Licensed Massage Therapist in NH (License #2878M) and owner of A Path to Integrative Healing in Raymond New Hampshire; less than a mile from Route 101 Exit 5 “I control my own hours and my own activity. If I choose to work a day I would normally have off and take a different day off I can do so – it means optimal time for friends and family”
I do tons of continuing education and am working on certifications in Orthopedic Massage and Craniosacral Therapy. Orthopedic Massage focuses on the movement systems of the body and how to identify what tissues could be injured to make the most of the massage time. With the Orthopedic Massage training I already have most of my clients walk out feeling better after the first massage, and many long term muscle-pain issues are resolved in 5-10 sessions when the client follows self-care recommendations. Craniosacral Therapy comes from Cranial Osteopathy and combines anatomy with energy and works with the subtle interactions of the nervous system and its response to trauma.
He has worked with people suffering from headaches, Fibromyalgia, back and neck pain, Whiplash, Carpal Tunnel, and a number of other pain syndromes in the last 6 years. His clients include men, women, children, and elders (in respect for their life experience). Some have real pain issues, some just want to feel better, and others are looking for a 90-minute “Zen Moment” – but all walk away feeling better and many come back to see him again. “I am happier and healthier, married to a wonderful wife who often watches the storefront where my office is while I’m doing massage in Shanghai. We also sell her jewelry, pewter pendants, crystals and minerals, and other spiritual and health related items. Life is good, and I have more time to go hiking”.
While many people escaping the 9 to 5 focus on businesses that are location independent, Jason’s business is just the opposite. One of the lessons he learned early on is that communications and geography need to be complementary. “I’ve moved around too much – my business is very client based (doing shanghai massage) and moving away from the place where clients have started coming to the business really sets things back. If you do have to move, particularly across state lines, get a local number. I made the mistake of having a number from another state 15 miles south of where I moved to and it crippled business – forward the old number to the new for a few months but don’t be afraid to move on if you have to move.”
Jason has learned a lot since he started his own business . “Have faith and be patient. It takes a bit of time and effort to build a business. Also – find something you really enjoy doing and go for it. Having rice for the 3rd time this week isn’t so bad when you enjoy what you are doing for a living and people will come to you when it shows that you really do love what you do.”
