Sustainable Bodyworker

As we move into November, the energy naturally begins to slow. The days shorten, the air cools, and everything around us invites a deeper inward turn — a time to rest, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. This month’s guided hypnotherapy experience is designed to help you do just that. Together, we’ll ground into the body, create an energetic shield for protection, and open to intuitive...

Get your FREE Mindset Shift hypnotherapy session with Gretchen HERE ! Ever notice how burnout sneaks up on you, not just in your hands or your calendar, but in those moments when you realize you’re putting everyone else first—and forgetting what actually fills you up? Gretchen sits down with Ezralea Robbins, and what stands out isn’t just her decades of practical business wisdom—it’s the radically...

Ever notice how some sessions leave you feeling lighter and restored, while others just drain you dry—even when you’re doing all the “right” things? This conversation with Gretchen, Kelsy, and guest Alyse Faith gets brutally honest about the back-and-forth dance of flow states in massage therapy, why getting stuck in overthinking mode is part of the job, and how burnout sneaks in when we’re always...

How many times have you been told there’s only one “right” way to do your work—or felt that anxiety spike when you consider stepping outside the lines of what you were taught? If you’ve ever worried about getting it “wrong,” especially with something as vulnerable as abdominal massage, you’re going to feel seen in this conversation. Michelle Hansen (who went from burnt-out nurse to fiercely empowe...

So many of us know what we should do for our practices—raise our rates, set boundaries, say yes to that new idea—but actually getting our minds and bodies on board? That’s a whole different challenge. In this episode, Gretchen introduces a gentle, real-time hypnotherapy session designed just for massage therapists and bodyworkers who get stuck in old patterns (think: avoidance, self-sabotage, or j...

Ever catch yourself looking at another massage therapist’s success and thinking, “Okay, but why not me?” If imposter syndrome or comparison spirals have you stuck, this conversation with Michelle Ratz McGuire is the real talk you need. Gretchen shares her own experience of coaching ambitious, burned-out bodyworkers—including what it’s like to be seen as “the expert” when, behind the scenes, you’re...

Ever glaze over at the thought of insurance billing, picturing a mountain of paperwork you'll never see a dime for? Same.   That's why this conversation with Adrienne O’Brien hit so hard—she lays out how billing auto insurance isn’t the soul-sucking mess a lot of us think it is, and how it can actually open doors for clients who need our work the most (hello, accessible massage for folks after ser...

What if you stopped waiting for the “perfect” time, skill level, or outside validation—and just said yes to that little nudge inside, even if you felt wildly underqualified? This episode is for every bodyworker who’s ever wrestled with imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or the story that you’re not “expert” enough to lead, teach, or offer something new. Gretchen sits down with Chantelle Williamson,...

Ever catch yourself feeling totally depleted after a workday—even when you’re “doing everything right”? Those sessions where every client’s energy feels like it seeps into your bones, or you notice your own armor coming up before you even hit the table with someone. In this episode, Gretchen sits down with Tracy Windmill to get honest about what’s really happening in the room: the constant push-pu...

Wondering if burnout is just part of the deal, no matter how “healthy” you try to be? Gretchen gets brutally honest about her own crash-and-burn story as a young massage therapist—how she went from hustling for validation at a franchise spa (while ignoring her body’s red flags) to dealing with a full-blown fibromyalgia flare that forced her out of work. She opens up about all the ways burnout is s...

When was the last time you actually admitted out loud how hard this job is? This episode with Corey Rivera goes right to the heart of the “ secret crisis ” so many massage therapists carry: the isolation, the emotional exhaustion, even the guilt we feel when loving our work just isn’t enough to keep us afloat. Gretchen gets real about the sacrifices she’s made in her own social life and the unspok...

How many times have you caught yourself powering through pain—whether it’s your wrists, your back, or just that stubborn voice saying “well, this is part of the job”? Natalie Pendergrass gets it. She’s built a career out of living in the gray zones of discomfort and hypermobility (hello, Ehlers-Danlos fam), and in this conversation, we get real about how even the smallest, subtlest shifts can tran...

Book your Alignment Call with Gretchen HERE !   It’s easy to think you “should” have it all figured out by now—maybe you’ve tried every trick in the book to calm the chaos, or followed all the business advice only to end up feeling more depleted and out of alignment than ever. Gretchen gets brutally honest in this episode, not just about her own experience running a clinic with massive income but...

Register HERE for the Sustainable Success Blueprint Live Class on August 9th, 2025! Struggling to break free from the feeling that your whole life revolves around hustling for clients and scrambling when one cancels? You’re definitely not the only one. Gretchen cracks open her own story of moving from white-knuckling her massage business out of fear and overwork to actually designing her days arou...

Get on the waitlist for the Sustainable Success Blueprint HERE ! If you’re tired of feeling like you’re checking off all the business advice boxes—networking, raising your rates, squeezing in one more client—yet still wind up totally depleted, then you’re in the right place. This episode goes straight to the heart of why so much “proven” business strategy just doesn’t fit our world as massage ther...

Ever feel like your sessions are missing something — not because you’re doing it wrong, but because your clients are stuck in overdrive before they even hit the table? This episode is all about vibroacoustics — and before you tune out thinking you don’t have time to learn a whole new modality, hang tight. We’re talking about sound and vibration in ways that are simple, intuitive, and surprisingly...

Ever catch yourself re-reading a text to a client for the millionth time, convinced that one wrong sentence will unleash chaos—or at least a passive-aggressive Google review? This episode is a gentle gut check for every bodyworker who’s ever lost sleep over boundaries, pricing, or just saying what you actually mean (without becoming an emotionless robot). Gretchen sits down with Annette Montgomery...

Feeling overwhelmed by a mountain of unfinished projects or half-baked business ideas? You’re definitely not alone. In this episode of Sustainable Bodyworker, Gretchen Popp dives deep into the all-too-familiar cycle of getting sparked by inspiration, starting lots of projects, and then losing momentum before anything gets finished. This isn’t a flaw in your motivation or a sign of bad time managem...

Get your FREE Mindset Shift hypnotherapy session with Gretchen HERE ! Ever feel like you’re the only one quietly unraveling behind the scenes—staring at the clock during sessions, wondering how much longer your body (or your brain) can handle this grind? This episode’s for you. Gretchen sits down with longtime massage therapist and mentor Melinda Loo, who’s seen both sides: the burnout spiral and...

Real rest isn’t just taking time off—it’s giving each part of you the type of recharge it actually needs.   In today’s episode, Gretchen and Kelsy discuss how massage therapists can avoid burnout by embracing Seven Types of Rest model, created by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. These seven types are: physical, mental, emotional, sensory, social, creative, and spiritual rest. They discuss ways to use thi...

Feeling drained no matter how much time off you take? In this episode, Gretchen unpacks what joy really means for massage therapists who are trying to build sustainable businesses — and why it’s often the missing link in your burnout recovery plan. She shares her own story of hitting a wall (more than once), what finally shifted, and how understanding the nervous system helped her stop pushing and...

Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast – Episode 1: Moving Beyond Burnout: Sustainable Growth for Massage Therapists   Welcome to the very first episode of the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast, hosted by Gretchen Popp—a massage therapist, mentor, educator, and self-proclaimed “recovering overachiever.” This show is dedicated to massage therapists and bodyworkers who want to build thriving, purpose-led busin...

Welcome to the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast, the go-to podcast for massage therapists ready to break free from burnout and build thriving, purpose-driven practices! Hosted by Gretchen Popp—massage therapist, mentor, educator, and recovering overachiever—this show dives deep into nervous system aligned business strategies, sensible pricing, and practices for client work that sustains rather than...