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Spandex & Wine
Spandex & Wine is a podcast for finding balance between being healthy & living a happy life. Hosted by Robin Hackney, a 23-year veteran in the fitness industry & wine consultant, this is a place to be our authentic selves as we have real conversations exploring wellness and all things wine! Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode.
Spandex & Wine
The Angel with Healing Hands: Meeting Amanda Honsinger
Click here to book your massage with Amanda!!
Robin Hackney welcomes massage therapist Amanda Honsinger to a conversation that might forever change how you think about bodywork and healing. What begins as a simple introduction to a local practitioner quickly transforms into a profound exploration of how our bodies hold onto pain—and how the right approach can release it.
Amanda brings 25 years of experience and a uniquely comprehensive approach to massage therapy. She specializes in fascia work, addressing the connective tissue network that, when congested or stuck, creates cascading pain throughout the body. "It's like a netting over your whole system," Amanda explains. "If it gets stuck up here in the shoulder, it's going to pull on all of the fascia system," causing seemingly unrelated pain elsewhere.
The conversation takes a powerful turn when Amanda reveals that approximately 90% of her clients have experienced trauma that manifests physically. This revelation led her to expand her practice beyond physical techniques into craniosacral therapy and trauma-informed care, addressing both body and nervous system simultaneously.
Robin's personal testimonial provides compelling evidence of Amanda's exceptional abilities. After just one session, movements that had caused Robin consistent pain suddenly became pain-free, bringing her to tears. "She took pain away that I've had for so long," Robin shares, underscoring the transformative potential of skilled bodywork.
What truly sets Amanda apart is her commitment to customization—she listens deeply and adapts her approach to each client's specific needs rather than providing generic treatments. "Deep tissue doesn't mean deep pressure," she notes, explaining how technique matters more than force in creating lasting change.
Ready to experience relief from chronic pain or discover what your body has been trying to tell you? Amanda is offering podcast listeners a bonus 10 minutes on their first session when mentioning Spandex and Wine. Because as Robin so powerfully states, "Body work is not a treat. It is a tool to help keep you healthy and happy."
Thanks so much for listening!
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Hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney, and I'm so happy that you're here. This podcast is a place for conversations about balancing a healthy lifestyle and being happy more specifically, happy hour. Together we'll explore all things wellness and wine. I hope you learn a little, laugh a lot and, along the way, know you're not alone on this balanced wellness journey. Ready to jump in, pour something in your glass that makes you happy, because it's time for spandex and wine. Hey guys, it's Robin. Thanks for coming back to the podcast.
Speaker 1:I am looking out the window watching my chickens, but that's not why I'm looking out the window. It is a gorgeous day out. I can't wait till I'm done editing this episode so I can go take a walk, and I hope that you are able to get out, get some sunshine, take a few deep breaths. If nothing else, if you can't take a walk or if it's not beautiful where you are, I hope it is Okay, that's not where I was going. I tend to do that. It's been really bad this week, right, but at least I've had better sleep. Tuesday's episode oh my gosh, you guys. I went to bed at eight o'clock that night and that was a struggle to stay awake that long, but anyway.
Speaker 1:So I've said before, there are angels that live among us, and I met one recently. A daughter of one of my clients connected me with Amanda Hansinger. Amanda is a massage therapist and I have to admit that when the daughter connected us I was kind of like, eh, I have a massage therapist that I use occasionally, but I'll at least have her on the podcast. So we scheduled a time for a Zoom call, like I do for all of my interviews, and you'll hear that conversation here in just a little bit. But I wanted to tell you my experience. I thought I would save it for the outro, but I think it needs to be done here before you hear the conversation. Amanda is amazing, spectacular even. I am not even sure what the best adjective would be to describe her. She has a gift that I didn't know existed. So five days after our Zoom call for the interview, I went for a massage and again I was like well, I'd like to support her, so I'll go once. I mean seriously, you guys on the drive over, I had it in my head Okay, this is too far to drive, I'm going to go for this one and then I'll be done. It was an experience like no other.
Speaker 1:Number one she is not just a massage therapist. She did quite a bit of fascia work with her fascia blaster and it hurt like a son of a biscuit, let me just tell you. But that's okay, I'm okay. I like the deep tissue and I like the deep pressure. She also did a few stretches, which I didn't think is typical in most massage therapy sessions. But then she also had me do some exercises, not like squats or anything weird like that, but isometric holds and movements while she was applying pressure. I'm not doing the experience justice. Words are not enough because, number two, I cried After the session.
Speaker 1:She left me in the room alone to get dressed as they should and I lifted my legs, one at a time, of course, into my leggings and I had no pain. That has been a movement that has been painful for me. So when I lift one leg at a time, my tailbone just shoots pain in my butt and my hips and my back, and it wasn't there. I opened the door and she asked how I felt and I started crying while I was telling her how wonderful I felt. I wasn't expecting that she took pain away that I've had for so long, and I've even gone to a couple chiropractors which I still love chiropractors, by the way. But in a nutshell, if you live in the Kansas City area, please schedule at least one appointment with her to try her out. I'm guessing you'll book another. I have and I will go monthly from now on. It'll be in my normal routine.
Speaker 1:Okay, here's our conversation, with a few internet glitches, unfortunately, which is probably why I felt the need to share my thoughts ahead of time. I wanted you to hear this first, so reach out to me if you want her contact info, but it's also in this week's newsletter and I'll make sure that I share it in the show notes. Here is Amanda. Amanda, welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. How are you today? I'm well. How are you Robin? I am great. I am loving the sunshine. It has made a world of difference. I'm hoping that the winter is behind us and we just get sunshine from here on out.
Speaker 2:Yes, agreed yeah.
Speaker 1:So we have a mutual friend in Shannon Actually, I know her mom better than I know her, but I'm so glad that she introduced us. So, yeah, so tell me more about what you do, amanda.
Speaker 2:So I am a massage therapist and I've been a therapist for 25 years. I do deep tissue, I do craniosacral, I do just relaxation, but I've been a therapist for 25 years. So there's so many modalities out there and we just take whatever continuing education classes that we choose and I just happen to really focus in on fascia work.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so explain to everyone what that means.
Speaker 2:So fascia is connective tissue and it is what connects our skin to the muscle, the muscle to the bone, and it lives under the skin with the lymphatic system. So it's living and it's fluid-like, and if it gets congested, or I see what's another good word.
Speaker 2:Like sticky or tacky or just stuck, sticky, tacky, stuck, then I'm able to get in there and just kind of and it'll cause pain, you know. So, when it so, if it's all, it's like a netting over your whole system. So let's say, up here in the shoulder it gets stuck and it kind of pulls like a imagine like your shirt when it gets squished up like this, it's going to pull on all of the fascia system. So now you're hurting down here and you're hurting down here, but the issues up here, yeah, to just stretch all that out and do some fascia blasting and some myofascial release and kind of get that unstuck so that it can all just smooth out and have less pain and more range of motion.
Speaker 1:Well, let me ask you this so can that be resolved in just one session, or is it something where you feel like you need to see someone multiple times?
Speaker 2:It's definitely depends a person on person, in person, like what do you do for a living, what do you do in the gym? It depends on how stuck you've been and how long you've been that stuck. So I tell my clients, four weeks is maintenance. So what we do today in four weeks we will maintain what we did today. If you have a lot going on and you need more than one session to progress, I suggest doing it before the four weeks.
Speaker 2:So I tell my client, let's do it, let's start next week, let's let's do a second one next week, see how you feel, journal, how you feel, um, and when you come back you let me know. And if your body feels great, let's go out two weeks. We want to find that sweet spot. So, um, let's say you come back in two weeks. You're like, oh, I'm still. You know, I felt really great the first four or five days, but now it's been two weeks and I'm sore again.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, let's go back to a week and see what happens. Or a week and a half and see what happens. And then eventually it'll progress and progress and get better and get better. And then we try to stretch it out to that four week maintenance and. But there are some people who just have really hard manual labor jobs or they work out a lot in the gym and they just need to have their sweet spot might be two weeks, you know. So they need to. They may need to come in every two weeks. So it's different for everybody and I like to try to teach my clients how to listen to their body so that they can tell me what their body needs.
Speaker 1:So sure, and that I mean that in itself is a little bit of education, because people, you know, sometimes aren't so in out of touch with their bodies, they have no idea what's going on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, and you mentioned people with, you know, hard physical labor jobs, and maybe the session has to be a little more intense. But I also feel like people that haven't dealt with some issues or trauma, a lot of it gets trapped in the body as well. So I'm sure you see that and people probably get emotional.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. I actually I have like this second little thing happening on the side. I have started taking classes for story work. It's called story work. I want to be a story work coach, so that's dealing with childhood trauma and meeting people who had childhood trauma with compassion and care and love in their story and helping them to go back and kind of reparent that childhood trauma, that child, that in that childhood trauma. You know the trauma, you know. So I feel like it goes hand in hand with massage.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to do massage therapy for my whole life. Yeah, that's got to be hard. Yeah, 25 years in, and in school they said plan on this being just a five to seven year career, plan on this being just a five to seven year career. So I beat the system. Yeah, so eventually I will probably, you know, go, I will probably do more trauma care, and saying that I've also started what's called craniosacral.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've heard of that, but it actually. It actually deals with the nervous system, and so I've been practicing craniosacral within my practice now for about six months. I'm getting ready to take off in May to do craniosacral two and then I will do SCR one, which is somatics, and SCR two, so we'll also be dealing. So, as we work the body, we're also going to be able to regulate the nervous system and just have an overall calm and then actually kind of deal with some of that trauma that we've been holding in our body For sure. So you know, I started noticing that a lot like a lot of my clients that come in and they have fibromyalgia and they have just a lot of pain in their low back or a lot of pain in their neck.
Speaker 1:Coming soon. The happiness blueprint Ladies, what a feeling. Happier and healthier. Wasn't about drastic changes, but simple, powerful shifts. In an upcoming special event, I'm breaking down the happiness blueprint the small but mighty habits that boost your energy, mood and overall well-being.
Speaker 2:Want a sneak peek Tune into the podcast for a little taste of what's coming and get ready to create a life that feels as good as it looks you know, sexual abuse or physical abuse, some sort of trauma, and I'm going to guess between I'm going to guess about 90% of my clients have had some sort of have said yes when I've asked them yes, I've had some physical abuse or sexual abuse or that sort of thing. So, as the years have gone on, I'm like you know, I want to figure this out, like I want to help these ladies and gentlemen. I want to help them release that trauma out of their body because they've been living their whole lives with this pain. And so now I'm on this, 25 years into my career, I'm on this whole new journey to help them, my body, mind and spirit really you know, right.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and when you get someone that comes in, can you kind of just sense from their energy someone that comes in, can you kind of just sense from their energy what they're needing that day, or can you tell more about them that probably they don't even know?
Speaker 2:Yeah, hang one second, sally. Come, this little lady right here Come on, oh, this little lady right here is really good at sensing.
Speaker 2:No, she's not little, but she good at sensing. No, she's not little, but she, she is a she's a therapy dog and so she is also helps me in my office and she very much could tell when my clients, when they walk in, she knows and she especially if, if they're dealing with a lot of stuff, she will just come right in and and love on them and they love it. So and then sometimes, if they don't just go right in and and love on them and they love it. So, and then sometimes if they don't just go over in the corner and lay down if you don't need me, I'll go lay down. That is awesome at me. She says I know, look at her, she's adorable. So this is Dolly. Hey, dolly, yes, yes, um, I, yeah, I usually can tell it pretty quickly and I'll ask a few questions. But I can also tell when people don't really want to open up and that that's huge and and it might take a few sessions before um, I ask the right question and they feel safe enough to open up and talk about it.
Speaker 2:So I did do a cranial sacral session today. She was a new walk-in client yesterday and I was able to happen to have a cancellation today, so I was able to get her in and we had a beautiful session and she, you know, wrapped up telling me all the things that were going on. I was like, oh my goodness, you have so much trauma stored in your body and we just did a 10-step protocol and she's been having ocular migraines. And she came off my table saying, I don't know, I feel amazing. Thank you so much. And she's already rescheduled her next appointment.
Speaker 2:So we did talk about, so we did do a little bit of talking and coaching, but not a whole lot, because I try to keep that a little bit more separate. But I was able to guide her to some podcasts that would be really helpful for her and and some supplements that would help her sleep a little bit. And you know not that, not that I'm a doctor or a nutritionist or anything like that, but and you know not that, not that I'm a doctor or a nutritionist or anything like that, but I have, you know, some tools in my toolbox to share.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, oh gosh. You know, I feel the same about my job too. I mean, I feel like a lot of it is, you know, therapy for people too. Like I hear so much in my sessions with my clients. So, yeah, I understand what you're saying and I would think even more so with you because they're they don't have their clothes on it's a little more vulnerable. It is very vulnerable.
Speaker 2:So I try not to hone in too much on the on their inner stuff. At first, you know I let my. I tell my clients, you know, just undress to your comfort level. You know, if you don't feel comfortable, you know leave. You know leave whatever you feel like you need to leave on on and when you get comfortable you'll you'll know when it's time.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah. Well, and I think that Shannon said that you recently had a move, so are you new to the?
Speaker 2:area that you're in now I am. So my mom my mom has kidney disease and I felt like I needed to be closer to home and my kids live this down this direction. So where I was before, I was three hours away from my mom.
Speaker 2:My daughter had had a head-on collision and it took me three hours to get to her and to the hospital and I was just like, okay, no, this is enough, I've got to be closer to my family. So I moved to Belton, missouri, which is, I think, about 20 minutes from you. 20, 25 minutes from you. Yeah, probably about 25,. Yeah, yeah, something about 25. Yeah, yeah, something like that. So, um, I moved here last May and, um, it's, it's, it's been a good move. I'm going, I see my mom now every two weeks, I go down and clean her house and get my eyes on her and we chat and, um, dolly's having time.
Speaker 1:Come on, Dolly, you can get on the show too.
Speaker 2:But so yeah. So now I'm closer to my mom and I'm closer to the kids, and I never thought that at the age of 53 that I would start over my business, but here. I am, and that's okay, because it's okay, cause it's a good move and yeah.
Speaker 1:So, it's.
Speaker 2:It's funny. People ask me one question. People ask me did you always know you were going to be a massage therapist? I'm like, oh, no, no. When I was a little girl, my mom used to make me rubber feet Eight minutes, okay, she did not want to rub her feet. And so it's funny how I started. I literally fell into massage.
Speaker 2:Okay, I had two babies three and a half and one three and a half years old, and one and I was working in a resort as a bartender and I was serving the golf players, and so in the mornings they would come in and do breakfast and coffee and then they'd go play golf and come back and drink beer and eat lunch, and so every morning this lady would come in and get a donut and coffee, and she was the owner of the beauty shop there in the resort. And so one day, you know, we kind of got to talking every morning, you know we kind of got to know each other, and she's like have you ever thought about being a massage therapist? And I was like, no, don't you have to go to school for that. She goes, oh no, not in Oklahoma, you don't have to go to school, but my husband is the owner at the spa. You should go talk to him.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, okay, well, it won't hurt, you know. So when I talked to him and he's like, yeah, and he tells me what he starts out pay and stuff I was like, oh my gosh, that's weight plus tips. I was like, oh, that's way more than what I'm making now. And so I, in Oklahoma, back then, 25 years ago, you could just work under a master therapist and they could train you and you could work. So my training, my training, consisted of getting lots of massages, giving lots of massages, watching some massages and getting a bunch of more massages. And it was glorious, sounds good to me. I've never had a professional massage in my whole life professional massage in my whole life.
Speaker 2:So, um, so he hired me and I passed the test. The test was giving his wife a massage and if I passed her her expectations then I I could go on the floor. And so I did, and and from there I fell in love with it. And, uh, then I moved to Kansas. Kansas, I didn't have to have a license. I did take a lot of continuing education classes during that. It was 17 years that I was not licensed, but I took a lot of continuing education classes just so I could become a better therapist. And then I moved to Missouri and found out I can't work unless I go to school. I was like, well, can I just test out, can I just go take the test? And they're like oh, no, no, no, you have to go through the school. You have to pay the $17,000 to go to school.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:So, 17 years into my career, I went to school, got a 4.0 GPA and scored off the charts on the MBLEX test, which is the state test that you have to take to become a therapist. So, 17 years into my career, I went to school and became a bona fide licensed massage therapist.
Speaker 1:Awesome, awesome, and I know it's so hard to start over. I can't believe that you're having to start over. That's, that's tough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah it is. I just joined the Chamber of Commerce in Belton, and so a shout out to them and just trying to do some things to help get my name out there and bring people in yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm excited that I'm going to be able to share this podcast and hopefully get some customers for you out your way. Yeah, that would be great, yes, yeah. So, amanda, what would you say is a little bit different about your services, that maybe might be different from another massage therapist?
Speaker 2:You know, I'm glad you asked that, because I asked some of my clients, because someone else asked me that and I didn't know how to answer it. Yeah, and so, according to my clients, they say that I focus on the things that hurt them instead of like just coming in and doing it all over.
Speaker 2:Okay, makes sense A lot of times you go in and they ask you what's the issue, but they don't actually focus on the issue. They just still do a full body relaxation. They might do a little more pressure if you ask for deep tissue, but deep tissue doesn't mean deep pressure. Deep tissue is actually a technique and you can do deep tissue with light, medium or deep pressure, okay, so deep tissue doesn't have to hurt.
Speaker 1:Okay, I didn't realize that, all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, deep tissue doesn't have to hurt. Okay, I didn't realize that. All right, deep tissue doesn't have to hurt. You can come and do deep tissue and do light, and then the next time you might come in and do medium and then your next appointment you might want to start doing some deeper, just to get in, you know, to the deeper layers. Yeah, but, um, it takes it's a little bit slower, uh progression to do the light and medium. But also I think that some massage therapists go so deep that the body just tenses up and your body just fights it instead of receiving it. You know, yeah, so, um, so my clients say that that was one of the things that they said. Like you listen to me and you know, you know your anatomy, you know your physiology and you know how the muscles work. So when I say I hurt here but you work back here and here, but not all therapists know to do that.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So um. So there's that I would say. What else did they say? I can't remember. I should have took notes on what they told me. That's okay.
Speaker 2:That's okay, and I think that's the biggest thing is like you listen to what I want and you provide me what my body needs and not just an overall. And it's not the same massage every time you come in and not just an overall, and it's not the same massage every time you come in. So a lot of times it's like a cookie cutter. You kind of get in this flow. In fact, when you're in school they say find your flow and you get this like you do this safe. But the time you're done with school, you're doing the same thing to every client because you just that's good to help you figure out your timing and stuff.
Speaker 2:But once you're out of school, you need to ditch that right and find you know, focus on your climate and and do you know so every, every time, every time you come in, it's not going to be the same thing. It's not. I'm not going to go at it like I'm still hurting right here, okay, well, let's try something else. You have seven muscles in that rotator cuff. Let's, you know, let's work at all. Let's work the pecs. Let's work your teres, major and minor. Let's work the supraspinatus and infraspinatus.
Speaker 1:Let's just loosen up that whole, all the muscles that make up that rotator cuff, and see if, what we can, you know, see if we can't get some more range of motion, and so I think, just finding what the issue is and getting to the, getting to the core of it to fix it, instead of just make it feel good for a couple of days Sure, yeah, no, that makes sense. And going back to Dolly, since Dolly's there in the office with you, I'm curious do you do any pet massage therapy?
Speaker 2:I haven't. Dolly gets massages. Okay, you know, if someone had an issue with their dog and they wanted a massage, I would do it. But no, I don't, I haven't. But Dolly does get massages, don't you, dolly?
Speaker 1:Well, she should Look at her. That's awesome. So, amanda, how can the listeners find you?
Speaker 2:that's awesome. So, amanda, how can the listeners find you? So, um, so my website is being built at the moment. I did just hire a virtual assistant, so, um, I was hoping it would be done by today so that it would be up and running and I could share that, but it's not ready yet.
Speaker 1:So, um, right now maybe by the time this goes out. When it goes out, you have it done and I'll put it in the show notes yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, That'd be great. And then so you can go on Facebook under Southern Comfort Therapeutic Massage, and at the top there's a link that says SoCo Jane app.
Speaker 1:That is a link that you can press to book online Perfect yeah, perfect yeah, yeah, well, I'll make sure I put that link in the show notes too.
Speaker 2:I will. Yeah, I'll send that link to you as well and you can hook that in there. And then, as soon as I get that my website built, I will. Once I get that, I'll send that to you as well. Yeah, please do.
Speaker 1:Is there anything else you'd want to share? I think so, okay. Well, I appreciate you hopping on, that's so kind of you and I apologize for the internet issues.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's okay, it's not your fault.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, thank you, and I hope to get in soon with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I was going to say I'm looking forward to. I want to touch base and find out what your class schedule is. I'd love to come in and take one of your classes as well.
Speaker 1:Nice, that would be fun. We would love to have you. Yeah, I'd love it. Okay, great, that'd be fun. Yes, well, again, amanda, thank you so much. Thank you, you have a fantastic week, you too.
Speaker 1:Amanda is now in my favorite person circle. She is offering all of you a bonus 10 minutes on your first session at no additional charge. When you mention Spandex and Wine podcast, she will fill up and be harder and harder to get into, so go do it now. As I'm recording this, I have four clients today alone that have appointments with her. The link is in the show notes, it is in this week's newsletter, but I am also happy to send it to you. You can email me at info at spandexandwinecom. You can text me 913-392-2877.
Speaker 1:You deserve to feel relief and not live in pain. Body work is not a treat. In my opinion, it is a tool to help keep you healthy and happy. Thank you, amanda, for taking time to be on the show, and thank you so much for helping me and many others feel better. Thank you for listening. If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to follow Spandex Wine so you don't miss an episode. To do this, just go to the podcast and click subscribe or follow. Wherever you're listening, look for the plus sign or follow button. This is one of the best things that you can do for the podcast. If you'd also be willing to give a five-star review, that would be amazing and much appreciated. Lastly, please share an episode with a friend or five to keep the love going, and join the Spandex and Wine community in our private Facebook group by searching Spandex and Wine. Feel free tocom or text me at 913-392-2877. I appreciate you. Thank you.
