Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Schroeder
Hi Adrienne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2018 my husband, son and myself were moving back to Michigan from a 5-year relocation in Houston, Texas. I had been a middle school teacher for 12 years at that point and my way to destress was to work out or run. I have always been very wellness oriented. When we moved back to the Detroit area I intended to seek another teaching job but there wasn’t one that met my needs. There were signs telling me that my run as a teacher was coming to an end so I decided to be open-minded about new career possibilities. When I thought about what a wellness career would look like my first idea was to check out physical therapy school. That did not light me up too much so I kept thinking about it. My grandfather lived close to Irene’s School of Myomassology, which is where I ended up going to school to become a massage therapist. Whenever we’d drive past it he would point it out to me because of unique shape of the building. I think it was subtle cues planting the seed that I should consider massage therapy. My grandfather passed away in 2016 so when we moved back to Michigan and I was not going to teach, and I was not going to be a physical therapist, massage therapy intrigued me as a way to still be able to educate while doing something therapeutic with my hands and body. I took a tour of the school in December 2018 and promptly enrolled for the next cohort of February 2019.
The rest is history, as they say, as I graduated and became a licensed massage therapist in March 2020. I had been working at a spa already during the last month of my schooling with the intention of staying there once I passed my MBLEX exam. Well, Covid had other plans so when I graduated I was mandated to stop working. Between March through June I had all the time in the world to consider if I wanted to work for someone else or be my own boss. I decided to work at a different spa one last time to learn some tricks of the trade while slowly branching out on my own.
I spent most of my working days at a high-end spa while seeing private clients two days a week until those scales tipped and I became busier with my own bookings. In May 2021 I left the spa and I’ve been on my own ever since while building a roster of amazing clients who seek the kind of work I do and want to stay with me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My growth as a therapist happened quickly. I became one of the most booked therapists at the spa I was at until going out on my own. When I was fully on my own my business acumen kicked in as I wanted to build my clientele organically with as little advertising as possible. There were ads I ran on social media and paid a hefty price tag to do radio marketing and sponsorships with the local high school. Those efforts did not return my investment hardly at all, so that was a teachable moment that has remained with me since then. My business has grown from mostly word-of-mouth. My clients have told me they found me when someone asked for a recommendation on social media, or they were recommended to me through someone in their yoga class, etc.
About a year into my solo practice my schedule exploded and there weren’t enough hours in the day for me to treat everyone who wanted a session with me. The burnout was heavy, my hands hurt all the time, the fatigue never seemed to go away. I would cry to my husband that I wanted better work/life balance and all he could do was listen and be as supportive as possible. Being an in-demand therapist is a good reason to have the problem of burnout but without taking a step back and allowing myself some space to just be me, I would’ve become a statistic really quickly of therapists who leave the industry within 2 years.
I’m just getting to the point of hiring mentors and taking business classes. Sure, it may be a little backwards but I’m the kind of person who does best learning through experience, not through textbooks. My schedule has balanced out and I’m in a good place.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Evolve Bodywork is a container for those who want to evolve on their path. I’m a massage therapist on paper yet I do so much more than just hands-on therapy. I’m a Reiki practitioner/energy worker, which means there’s a spiritual component to the work I do. People can specifically book an energy session but even if they don’t, the Life Force energy still runs through me into my clients.
In a room where it’s just myself and my client people tend to offload a lot of what’s going on in their lives, or what they’ve been thinking about, what they’re nervous about, or even recent victories and successes. I’m there to celebrate with them and also empathize; to offer compassion with a healthy dose of curiosity to bring my clients closer to resolution or evaluation of what’s going on at the present moment. I humbly accept my position as someone who can hold space for one’s deepest sentiments, whether vocalized or not.
Technically I’m mostly known for my scalp/head/face work. In everything I do my work leans into fascial lines and patterns of strain: one thing up top may affect something at the very bottom. I’ve created two signature treatments: It’s All in Your Head, which focuses on tension in the scalp, neck, and jaw, and Embrace Your Face, which includes the scalp work and really leans into lymphatic drainage and sculpting of the face.
I’ve taken extensive continuing education courses that furthers my application of fascial techniques (at least 2 classes a year) as well as studied crystals and their therapeutic use. I’m looking to venture into teaching self-care using gua sha tools, lymphatic brushes, and massage balls in order to empower my clients to treat themselves between sessions.
At the end of each session my clients are served a glass of water and a chocolate, which has been a big hit since day 1. Each sense is addressed in a treatment, from aromatherapy in the face cradle (unless there are allergies), chocolate at the end, soothing music, a visually calming environment through soft lighting and crystals, and of course, touch therapy. My clients know when they see me that they are receiving 100% of my care and intention and the session is customized for them.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Recalling childhood brings many memories of playing, whether that was on a playground or when I got into organized sports. I’ve always loved volleyball and began playing in 6th grade through college and random recreation leagues beyond that. It was great having my mom there to support me and cheer me on at the tournaments.
Pricing:
- 60-minute Therapeutic Massage: $90
- 90-minute Therapeutic Massage: $125
- It’s All in Your Head: $90
- Embrace Your Face: $110/$145
- Inner Peace (massage + energy work): $125
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evolvebodyworkllc.com
- Instagram: @evolve.bodywork
- Facebook: @evolvebodyworkdetroit
