Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Collett. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Catherine Collett and Levi Cory worked in private practice, pain clinics, and spas before founding Myo in 2006. At that time, there were only 3 options for massage in Austin: high-end spas offering pampering style services, low-end chains or clinics with correspondingly low quality, or solo practitioners. As practicing therapists ourselves, our vision was to bring together the best massage therapists in Austin, combining the quality and experience level of a private practice with the accessibility and community of a larger group practice. We grew quickly and expanded 3 times, most recently in 2018 when we added classroom space for therapeutic movement classes. These classes work together with massage to promote recovery and pain free movement for our clients. At the same time we founded the Myo Institute for professional continuing education, Teaching and mentorship have always been a part of our model and we are excited to bring them more to the forefront in future.
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?
There is no way around it, starting a business is hard! We’ve had incredible luck to be able to weather the economic downturn in 2008 and this past year of covid, but it took countless 100 hour weeks to pull it off. In the beginning, each phase of growth presented a struggle to fund and find time for the expansion, training, and staffing we really needed to take the next step. During covid, the uncertainty, lack of data, and ethical quandaries of trying to contribute to health in a way that requires close contact were incredibly stressful. But we’ve grown so much at every phase. Out of covid, we completely restructured our employment model to offer more security and benefits to our staff. Big lessons from previous challenges include being authentic, clear and consistent about our strengths and values, not trying to be everything to everyone, and giving true agency to our team.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Myo Massage, Movement and Acupuncture?
Myo is Austin’s premier quality-driven massage and movement studio specializing in pain management, deep tissue massage, and therapeutic movement. We hire only the most skilled and knowledgeable therapists and instructors, and our average team member has over 13 years of experience. This matters because even with natural talent it takes time to develop the touch skills, precision, and depth of knowledge necessary to get lasting results. We can give a great massage, but we can also help with complex cases like injuries or chronic pain, or help establish new movement habits in daily life.
We have made it our life’s work to raise the bar for massage and movement therapies in Austin. That means identifying, cultivating, and teaching the things that make a massage not just good, but great: listening, intentional touch, knowledge, skill, intuition, precision, and a passion for growth and learning.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Most summers as a child I would spend a week or two at a small farm, tending chickens, churning butter, and exploring the pastures. One morning I was so eager to help milk the goats that I got up at the very first rooster crow I heard, dressed and went out to the barn to be the first in line. It turns out roosters don’t wait for dawn: it must have been 3 or 4am. I fell asleep in the barn and missed the milking entirely! My experiences at the farm were always magical, and instilled in me a fascination with the whole process behind the scenes.
Pricing:
- Therapeutic Massage (eg Deep Tissue, Sports, Swedish): $100/hr
- Specialty Massage (eg Pain Management, Thai Massage, Lymphatic Drainage): $110/hr
- Single Class: $25
- 10-class pack: $160
- Packages and Memberships Available!
Contact Info:
- Email: myo@myoaustin.com
- Website: https://myoaustin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myoaustin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyoMassage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/myoaustin
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/myo-massage-austin-4
