Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Brissette.
Hi Phil, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
So here we are. After nearly 20 years working in Human Resources I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the structure and, frankly, lack of humanity within the corporate world. I started therapy and embarked on a long-term journey of improving my mental and emotional health. Part of that included re-evaluating life decisions that had always seemed obvious, but perhaps were automatic. I wanted to be thoughtful in my decision making. I wanted to get better at living intentionally.
After a lot of soul-searching I decided to take a career about-face and pursue a profession I had dabbled in for years – massage therapy. I enrolled at Irene’s Myomassology Institute in 2024, and found my passion for helping people with the healing power of touch. I honed my skill with some of the absolute best in the profession. We are insanely lucky to have such a tremendous training facility right here in our backyard.
I knew from the beginning I wanted to start my own business – I had seen too many companies sacrifice the experience of customers and employees in the name of profit. I want to be different. I want my clients to feel welcome, safe, and comforted within my walls. I want to have the ability to give space for healing in all the ways that I know how. I’ve found my passion and I want to share it.
And so I started Strong Hands Wellness to do that. Welcome to my practice.
I would love for you to grow with me.
– Phil
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was a massive risk to basically start-over at almost 40 years old. There was a surprising amount of emotional growth and healing required in leaving where I was. Seems like most people really identify with their work or career, and I was no exception. So as I unpeeled the layers of identity I had been wearing, I had to get down to myself and understand who I am and what I want. That was a surprisingly difficult task in the face of everything in the world, all of the obligations I had, and the introspection required. An uncomfortable and important part of the process that took time, patience, and ultimately grace for myself.
The massage part, once I settled on it, was actually pretty easy. It came naturally, and that’s why I decided to just jump in head-first. I figured, worst case, I leave school with a useful skill and side-hustle and on to the next thing. Turns out this was the next thing.
The struggle now is finding people to give it a try. A lot of people think massage is a “sometimes treat” – which it kind of is? But also it is a critical part of our healthcare. It is preventative, rejuvenating, and core. Non-sexual, intimate human touch is something we all need. And plenty never get it. As a client I need to trust my practitioner. As a practitioner I need to help my clients feel safe and welcome. That’s the beginning of the healing process.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years reflecting on the absolute overwhelm that we feel. Increasingly it is harder to unplug. Increasingly it is harder to sift through the grift around every corner. The internet, more than ever a core part of our existence, is rife with ploys to take your attention and money. It is absolutely exhausting. This business is both my escape from some of that, and I want to help others escape from that.
As I built out my “brand” these thoughts and feelings were forefront. A couple core inspirations drove me:
-Humanity-
As an HR professional, I saw first hand when humans are viewed as a number. Common parlance is often to refer to people as “heads” in business. Decision makers are separated from those impacted. It becomes, and is encouraged to become, an exercise in cold logic. “If it can’t be measured it doesn’t matter” is a toxic viewpoint when it comes to people. Similarly, the massage chains and even healthcare make people feel like a paycheck and not a human.
My disdain for this approach informs everything I do. Whether it is for potential future employees, clients, or otherwise. We all contain multitudes. We all struggle through life. We all need a caring, supportive, person on our side from time to time. I want to make sure that people feel and see that when they come in to Strong Hands.
-Simplicity/Uncomplicated-
I took a lot of inspiration from a perhaps surprising place: Aldi. I love shopping there. Yes, the prices are good, but what really resonates is the lack of overwhelm. If I want peanut butter, there is creamy or crunchy. I look on the shelf at the normal grocery store and get overwhelmed by all the decisions I have to make while navigating it.
Same thing when people go to a “normal” massage place. Here are seventeen add-ons. Which of these five modalities do you want? Sometimes they have different pricing. Here’s a tiered membership program with a spreadsheet of benefits. Did you want a complicated puzzle with your booking?
I am trying to resist the pull to “add-on” things, optimize SEO, and build a recurring revenue stream. These are all business words that work against the uncomplicated nature, and drive toward that feeling of being a paycheck. At the same time, offering uncomplicated flexibility does have a cost. It is something I will have to balance forever.
I am trying to avoid simple, because what my clients and I do together is not simple, but getting to that shouldn’t be a chore.
Its an engaging puzzle and I am constantly tweaking it based on feedback and experiences of others.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
An important manager in my life once told me “progress, not perfection, Phil” and it really stuck. Probably because he had to keep reminding me of it. Thanks Jeff 🙂
Simple to understand, difficult to put into practice. If you’re working toward something, just take those baby steps. I did a lot of tings in a weird order because that is how my brain works. Instead of self-flagellating, just go for it. Something will start to take shape if it is meant to.
You’ll be way ahead of all the people that never start.
Pricing:
- 30 minute targeted session, $60
- 75 minute personalized session, $100
- 2-hour max relax session, $160
- house calls available for clients who see me in studio first
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stronghandswellness.com
