Community Highlights: Meet Tammy Dunn of Elementals Massage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Dunn. 

Hi Tammy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a native Nashvillian currently living in the Donelson area with my husband and 3 rescue pets, (1 Boxer and 2 cats).

Massage Therapy is my 2nd career. I used to be a travel agent. That was my job. When I went to school for it, I really thought it was what I wanted to do. But it never became anything more than a job to me, even after twenty 20 years. The job required 40+ hours per week of sitting at a desk and my lifestyle became increasingly sedentary. I developed some stress-related health problems and began seeing a chiropractor and a massage therapist. I worked with them for over a year and saw the benefits of what they did. I realized how much I wanted to be part of that. It improved my life on so many different levels that I wasn’t expecting.

At about the same time, things were changing very rapidly in the travel industry, making it less and less desirable to be a travel agent. My personal stress was building, and one day I looked at my husband and said “I just can’t do this anymore”. I was fighting myself trying to get to work each day. It just was not what I wanted to do. So, with my husband’s help, we scraped together the finances, and I went back to school for massage therapy.

I found a program I liked and began attending school full-time while continuing to work full-time as a travel agent. It was a very precise juggling act. Every minute of the day had to be scheduled, planned, and coordinated so I could get done what I needed to get done and be where I needed to be. It was exhausting, but also incredibly rewarding, and the entire time I realized that I was finding my passion. I never thought about giving up. The day I graduated from massage school was the day I walked away from my corporate career, and I haven’t looked back.

On the logical side, it was very scary. I was giving up a stable and well-paying career, something I had invested 20 years in and could do, for the most part, with my eyes closed. I left it to pursue something completely new – not only to become a massage therapist but to go into business for myself. I originally thought I might join an established practice, but then I realized I didn’t want to work for anybody else. I had my own ideas about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. If I wanted those things, I was going to have to do it myself.

I haven’t regretted that decision. I was unaware of how much physical damage the stress of my old life was doing. I was sitting in a chair all day; I was, completely sedentary. I have lost 60 lbs. since I changed jobs. When I got out from behind a desk and started doing a job that I absolutely love to do, my body could become healthy again.

I spent the first few years as a massage therapist renting space from the massage school I attended. This allowed me to build a solid clientele, and after 3 years I was ready to move Elementals Massage into its own space.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Understandably, money was tight at the beginning, and going to school full-time while working full-time was challenging, but overall, the transition from corporate life to being a small business owner has been fairly easy for me.

There have been a few ‘learning experiences” along the way. I know now to ALWAYS get a signed lease for your office space, and business plans, marketing plans, and budgets are essential even for a 1 woman show.

Other than that, my experience has been pretty smooth.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a Licensed Massage Therapist specializing in pain management particularly for headaches/migraines, hip, and low back. I’ve lived with pain. I was diagnosed with migraines over 30 years ago as well as suffering a low back injury in my 20s. I know the impact of chronic pain on your life.

I use that knowledge along with a decade of experience in multiple therapy techniques to create customized sessions for each client. The process can be very intuitive and is based largely on how the client’s tissue reacts to the therapy.

The human body is like every other organism in that its main purpose is homeostasis: It wants to be whole and healthy so it can perform at its optimum.

It’s my job to help restore your optimum.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I began training in Krav Maga about a year ago. This allowed me to work with instructors and training partners not only as a student but as their therapist. These athletes have very specific therapeutic requirements to do what they do, and I’ve been able to provide that support for a number of them.

Pricing:

• 30 minute Targeted Sessions: $30
• 60 minute Sessions: $85
• 90 minute Session: $115
• 120 minute Sessions: $145

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.elementalsmassage.com

Image Credits
AmeliaBoothPhotography