Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Thorne.
Athena, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Northern Minnesota after having traveled quite a bit in my middle school and teen years. I lived all over the southwest as a kid, having been born in New Mexico, and lived in Texas, Arizona, and even southern Mexico before establishing my own roots in Park Rapids.
I went to art school for several years and have always identified as an artist first and foremost. After graduating high school, I went to a tech college and majored in business entrepreneurship, management marketing and sales, and graphic design and web development – certificates/degrees and knowledge of which I use on a daily basis today.
I am a creative soul at heart, but I’ve also had a knack for business since a very young age, having begun freelance illustrative commission work at 13 years old. I worked in food service for many years, following in the footsteps of my mother and older brother, my mother having owned a truck stop for many years and my older brother being a chef. When I was 24 I started a small skincare business in my hometown utilizing my beeswax and honey as I was beekeeping at that time. There was a retail space on Main Street and an online store as well and the business did very well right out of the gate. Unfortunately, having gone into business with my best friend, after two years I was left without a business and without a friend, a mistake I will never make again.
I started massage therapy full-time in the wake of my business partnership falling apart and I really had no intention of becoming a massage therapist on a full-time basis, but after I started as a “side hustle” I pretty quickly realized that massage was my calling; helping people through body work was what I was put on this earth to do.
I began as an in-home/traveling therapist which wasn’t as fulfilling as I’d hoped. Then, after soliciting my skincare products to a local salon, I was hired on as a massage therapist. I worked in the salon environment for two years before I decided to take the plunge and go solo in my practice.
I rented a space in my town and hit the ground running. I opened for bookings two weeks after signing a lease and I haven’t looked back since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A week after having gone solo (renting a space, building a website, setting up a booking software, and booking new clients) my dad committed suicide. This was beyond devastating on so many levels. I still don’t have words, a year and a half later.
My entire life, my nervous system, and my brain chemistry is forever altered beyond recognition. When something like this happens, there’s a distinct separation between the “before” and the “after.”
Because my business was in its infancy, I really couldn’t take time off to grieve. My success was hanging in the balance while my personal life and mental health were hanging on by a thread. I had to be honest with my brand new clientele and share with them what was going on so that they understood why my energy was clearly off. The grief and surprise and pain was rolling off of me in waves and there was no way I could hide it from others. This created an atmosphere of utmost vulnerability in the new space. It was hard. I knew it was a big ask to continue to invite clients into the space. I know it was hard for them too.
In the wake of this tragedy and in the midst of building up my practice, I filed for divorce from my husband of 12 years. This created another huge hurdle to overcome but I knew it was my only choice. You get one life to live, you might as well do it fulfilled and happy. I decided it was in my best interest to move on from the life that he and I had built as it was no longer serving me and my priorities. Obviously, there is a multitude of nuance and complexities as well, but it boiled down to my inability to continue living his lifestyle and my priorities and what I wanted my future to look like having completely shifted after my dad’s death. My now ex-husband is a good man. Emotionally unavailable and lives a lifestyle I could no longer stomach, but he is a good man through and through.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Massage by Athena Rose?
My goal as a massage therapist and body works specialist is to create a unique atmosphere of safety and comfort where I may hold space for my clients to relax, heal, establish the mind-body connection, and maintain overall wellness through consistency.
Client experience is at the forefront of my practice; establishing meaningful, fulfilling relationships within my practice is integral to my work. I specialize primarily in pain management.
What were you like growing up?
I had kind of a weird childhood, I’d say. I was adopted by my grandmother and shortly after the adoption went through, my grandpa, legally my dad, suffered a brain aneurism and died very suddenly and tragically. This was utterly devastating for my mom/grandma who now had a small child to take care of on her own. She did her best and we did okay, despite the unfortunate hand we were dealt.
I was always a little odd and socially awkward but my sense of humor carried me all the way into adulthood and it’s one of my most defining traits to this day.
I loved animals and horseback riding as a kid. I spent a lot of time outside, in the woods. I read a lot too, getting lost in the fantasies of my favorite authors. I still read a lot as an adult too.
My mom taught me the value of working hard from a young age and I’ve always been extremely tenacious because of it. Now, as I get older and look back at the way life unfolds, I understand the importance of hobbies and downtime too – work hard, play hard!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MassageByAthenaRose.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/massagebyathenarose
