How I Retrained as a Holistic and Massage Therapist

My journey into holistic therapies began with a Reiki treatment. I remember how deeply it touched me—and how quickly I wanted to learn more. I was truly hooked.

I’d always been drawn to self-care, health and wellness, spirituality and healing. For years, those interests lived quietly alongside my career. Before the internet, I read books on all sorts of subjects and looked forward to my monthly psychology magazine. I loved learning, but I never imagined those interests would one day become my work.

Hairdressing had always been my passion. I worked hard to progress in the profession and eventually trained as a teacher. I felt proud of what I’d achieved and had never really pictured myself doing anything else.

Then Reiki opened a new door. What began as a personal journey gradually became something more. I discovered how much it meant to support people through Reiki, and how rewarding it felt to help them in my own way. Slowly, my passion—and my sense of direction—began to shift.

A 12-month course in holistic life coaching became my first holistic therapy qualification. It helped me find the confidence to take those first steps towards a different future. From there, I began learning a range of holistic and massage therapies to complement my Reiki. Each new skill brought me joy, and together they gave me ways to create personal, individual experiences for my clients.

My last day teaching hairdressing was in June 2007. It was frightening to leave behind a career I knew so well, but it was also full of possibility. I was stepping into something that felt true to who I was becoming.

I was a single mum with three young children, so it was a big leap for all of us. Looking back, perhaps it was a moment of madness—but it was also an act of faith in myself and in the life I wanted to build.

I’m so glad I took that leap.