Meet Esther Ruggles of Restorative Bodywork & Rare Earth Goods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Ruggles.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
I grew up in Washington State with 6 siblings. We were put into foster care when I was 14 due to abuse, neglect, and childhood sexual abuse. At 19 I decided to do a program called AmeriCorps for 18–24-year-olds. We lived, worked, ate, exercised, and traveled as a group around the southern region of the US for 10 months. I completed a second year with a different group traveling around the southwestern region of the US. 

After that, I decided I could move anywhere. I decided to attend college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at Northern Michigan University. 

After a few years, I decided I wanted to settle down here. Lake Superior is my oasis. I used to have reoccurring dreams about standing in a huge body of water and it being perfectly blue and calm. When I was a kid, all I knew were the oceans. Because there was no tide or many typical ocean waves, I rationalized it in my kid brain as heaven. 

When I first visited Lake Superior, I immediately knew this was my reoccurring dream. I had to stay. 

I’ve lived in the Upper Peninsula for a little over 10 years. The locals told me 10 winters in the UP, and you’ll be a true Yooper. 

In June of 2023, I was featured on a reality show called The Blox. It’s the largest live-in competition for entrepreneurs. I was competing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 65 other entrepreneurs. I was chosen out of 50,000 applicants and was featured on Season 9. 

After the show, I was left with an entire community of entrepreneurs to encourage me on my journey. It might have been a competition show, but it left me with a family. After months of learning how to run a business, with everything from marketing to taxes, I decided to buy Rare Earth Goods. It was the perfect opportunity for me to support local as well as the perfect place for my first business, Restorative Bodywork. 

You miss out on every opportunity you don’t take. 

I decided to give it my all for one year, and if I fail, at least I can say that I tried. 

I’m now a “serial entrepreneur,” and I am exactly where I need to be right now. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Failure is a key component to success. I have failed forward so many times. When I first started my massage business, I changed the name and had to have business cards re-printed 3 times. I kept having to invest my money back into the business. I was working paycheck to paycheck at a minimum wage job, so that was incredibly difficult. I started an in-home massage service, which was going pretty well; however, my ex was less than supportive.

I figure everything out as I go. With Rare Earth Goods, I had to change everything from pen and paper to digital. Everyone wants something in the store that isn’t in the inventory, so I have to try and cater to the customers’ wants and needs as well as focus on what I want my “niche” to be which is the zero waste and sustainable household produts as well as the local artists work.  And after just spending all my money on the business, I don’t have much to re-invest into the inventory. So I face the challenges as they arise, I’m on a huge learning curve, and time will tell how I am able to scale the business.

The only formal education I’ve received about business was from the accelerated boot camp educational program I was part of called The Blox.

After I saw Lake Superior, I decided I wanted to settle down here. Lake Superior is my oasis. I used to have reoccurring dreams about standing in a huge body of water and it being perfectly blue and calm. When I was a kid, all I knew were the oceans. And because there was no tide or many typical ocean waves in these dreams, I rationalized it in my kid brain as heaven.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Restorative Bodywork LLC & Rare Earth Goods?
Restorative Bodywork LLC: Had our Ribbon Cutting and grand opening in January of 2021. I specialize in Trigger Point Therapy which is a therapy that helps relieve pain naturally by diving into the root of the pain problem located in the muscle tissue. Often times, doctors will prescribe medications designed to reduce pain (opioids). These medications are addictive and don’t solve any pain problems long term. They will mask the problem temporarily, however when the medication wears off there’s a need to take more pain medication which can lead to serious addiction. 

With trigger point therapy, the pain relief is immediate and can last several days up to a week. Depending on the pain levels and how chronically one has been dealing with the pain. After one session, clients will feel the pain-relieving benefits. Oftentimes, when they’re dealing with chronic pain, especially if it’s been years of pain, they will have to book multiple sessions. However, more times than not, people will say it’s worth their investment because nothing else has worked to reduce or eliminate their pain. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My foster parents who I just call my parents, Brian and Sharon Mattax, The Blox crew, my siblings, Nikki L who owns Encompass Academy (a massage school) her school just recently opened and although I didn’t attend there, she taught me about trigger point therapy. All of the other mentors I’ve had throughout my life, they know who they are. And. Of course, my dog, Scout, who has been through it all with me, is my emotional support companion during work at Rare Earth Goods and in sessions at Restorative Bodywork. 

Pricing:

• 30 minute Massage-$40
• 60 minute Massage-$80
• 90 minute Massage-$110
• Cupping + $10 to any session
• Hot stones + $10 to any session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rareearthgoods.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restorativebodyworkllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064849035798&mibextid=ZbWKwL
  https://www.facebook.com/RareEarthGoods?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/rare_earth_goods

Image Credits
Naomi Ruggles