Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Fort Collins. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Nick George helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Fort Collins, Colorado.
Is your business serving the residents of Fort Collins? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpFortCollins.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
E17: Massage Isn't a Luxury—It's Healthcare
Ever wondered if massage therapy could be more than just an occasional treat? Jessica Blinkinsop, founder of Blink and Breathe Bodywork in Fort Collins, is on a mission to transform how we think about bodywork—from luxury to necessity.
Jessica takes us through her fascinating journey from corporate burnout to finding her true calling as a massage therapist. After graduating from Bear Heart School of Massage in 2022, she established her practice just a block north of Foothills Mall, where she now specializes in medical massage and personalized bodywork approaches. What makes her story particularly compelling is how her own experiences as an athlete and corporate professional informed her understanding of chronic pain and tension.
"Once you experience massage, you can actually see that your body will release and your muscles will relax and your nervous system won't be holding on to all the extra things you've been thinking about that week," Jessica explains, challenging the misconception that massage is merely an indulgence. She welcomes clients who want to advocate for themselves in their healing journey, particularly those who can articulate their limitations and goals. Her approach emphasizes education and personalization, ensuring each client receives treatment tailored to their specific needs.
Beyond her professional insights, Jessica shares glimpses of her adventurous spirit—from planning backpacking trips to Yellowstone to her general love of travel and continuous learning. She also opens up about the challenges of leaving a conventional career path to start her own business, revealing how this journey taught her the value of perseverance and trusting her intuition. Ready to experience the difference a truly personalized bodywork session can make? Search for Blink and Breathe Bodywork online and take the first step toward making massage therapy part of your healthcare routine.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a reputable bodywork company? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, jessica Blinkensop, with Blink and Breathe Bodywork. Jessica, how's it going?
Speaker 3:It's going great. Thank you for having me, Nick. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2:We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your practice.
Speaker 3:So Blink and Breathe Bodywork is centrally located here in Fort Collins, about one block north of Foothills Mall. I've been in practice doing massage since about 2022. I graduated from Bearheart School of Massage and been practicing ever since, full-time, really focusing on the medical setting of massage and trying to integrate as much body work as I can to people that are struggling with their different pain experiences, want to have better performance as athletes you name it. I'm here to help and provide a you know, personalized bodywork treatment plan for you.
Speaker 2:How did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:Well, it was a little bit of a winding path for me. I actually graduated with my bachelor's degree in business and international relations 2014 and went into the corporate of the body that I've got from being an athlete in college and all through my youth and seeing what chronic stress and tension can do to the body emotionally and physically, and seeing how much I'm able to affect that. And after I was doing that for my teammates and myself and seeing the relief that it provided, I decided I wanted to do that as a career.
Speaker 2:What are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:There are a lot of different myths that come up with massage. That's a definite thing. So one of the first and foremost is that massage is a luxury. I think that needs to be thrown out the window. I think it is a luxury. However, it needs to be a necessity for everyone. Once you experience massage, you can actually see that your body will release and your muscles will relax and your nervous system won't be holding on to all the extra things you've been thinking about that week, and that is my goal. But another conception is that it's too expensive or it's not worth the money, and that's part of that luxury aspect as well. But again, it is part of healthcare in my mind and can really bring a lot of relief to people.
Speaker 2:Who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:I am open to anyone that has a pain experience and wants to talk about it and wants to learn how to advocate for themselves, you know, in in their healing process. So that's pretty much everyone. But I do, you know I really like to focus on people that you are body aware. Someone that you know comes into me and says this is what I can't do, this is what I want to be able to do, and then I'm here to say, okay, I can actually help you do that. Or I say, you know, I think maybe I'll refer you to somebody else, another professional in the area, but I'm open to anyone that that wants to come and and heal their body and feel better.
Speaker 2:Outside of work. What do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, I just got done scheduling my backpacking trip for Yellowstone this summer, so that's going to be a fun, a fun trip planned. I. I love to travel all over, really, whether it's backpacking or I'm going to stay at some high dollar resort somewhere, if I'm lucky enough, I like to do that as well spend time with my family, play with my pets and just entertain myself, whether that's through education, with body work, traveling, reading, watching TV, hanging out, relaxing, you name it.
Speaker 2:So let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship in your life or a life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger? What comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'd say first and foremost would be kind of starting this business on my own, taking on the challenge of going from a conventional corporate career path and deciding to totally end that and start something on my own. And so that's been the biggest challenge of my life and just seeing, you know, overcoming all those initial doubts and practical challenges of starting a business has really taught me the importance of perseverance and trusting my intuition.
Speaker 2:Jessica, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Blink and Breathe bodywork.
Speaker 3:I want you to remember that, when you come in to see me, that this is going to be a truly personalized experience built on a foundation of education, diverse skills and a willingness to help. And whatever it is, you can give me a call. We can chat first. That's the most helpful thing sometimes for people. I want you to know that you're going to get the best treatment possible when you come to me, so please do.
Speaker 2:And how can our listeners learn more about Blink and Breathe Bodywork?
Speaker 3:The most simple thing would be to go onto Google and simply search me no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Well, Jessica, I really appreciate you being on our show.
Speaker 3:We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you very much, Nick. I appreciate your time.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfortcollinscom. That's gnpfortcollinscom, or call 970-438-0825.