Nicola Hogan Massage & Mentor

22/05/2026

It’s been a cracker of a week.
Golden Autumn sunrises and sunsets, a full massage schedule, meaningful conversations, and the kind of work that reminds me why I love what I do.

This week I wore my favourite magpie earrings and:

🍃Started my work week by getting a massage! Big thanks to Steve at Total Massage Care for keeping this therapist body in working order.

🍃Treated my lovely 96-year-old home care client.

🍃Supported a 24-week pregnant client with hip pain relief and helped her figure out the best pillow combination for better sleep.

🍃Performed lymphatic drainage massage for four clients.

🍃Helped ease headaches and neck tension, relieved lower back soreness in FIFO workers, supported a swimmer with shoulder stiffness, and performed targeted sinus and chest massage work.

🍃Had my writing published on the AMT blog.

🍃Worked with two massage mentees — helping one identify their ideal client and better communicate their value, and supporting the other with their social media presence.

🥳And today, my youngest turns 12, with a whole weekend of celebrations ahead.

Feeling very grateful for this work, this season of life, and the life I’ve created around both.

19/05/2026

✍🏻 Getting my writings out there….this is one of many more to come.

I’ve had a blog published for the Association of Massage Therapists about EDS, Connective Tissue Disorders and Massage Therapy.

It’s Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Awareness Month. To mark the occasion, Nicola Hogan explores the interconnected patterns that emerge in her massage therapy clinic: connective tissue disorde…

18/05/2026

Massage therapy. Soft Tissue therapy. Bodywork. What ever you want to call it, hands-on therapy is a lot more than pressure, technique, or whatever method happens to be trending on Tik Tok.

It starts with the skin and the layers of tissue beneath, always remembering that we are working with the whole person, not just their parts.

Different approaches can all lead to good outcomes, but that doesn’t make any one style the answer…we are all unique beings with equally unique responses to therapeutic touch.

What actually matters most in treatments?

Clear communication. Building trust. A solid grounding in health science. And choosing what’s most helpful for the person in front of you.

For my clients, that means care that’s thoughtful and tailored—not one-size-fits-all.

For my mentees, it’s a reminder to stay curious, question big claims, and keep your practice grounded in what you can genuinely stand behind.

Let’s keep raising the standard, with honest conversations, better care, and evidence-informed practice. 📚🤝

13/05/2026

The cows across from the farmhouse are providing a lovely sound track at the moment.

My new massage location and office has all the sounds and visuals to make you feel like you’re on a country retreat miles from nowhere, not 8 minutes south of Margs.

You’ll hear and see cows, birds, ducks, geese and those notorious bunnies that dig holes and munch my veggie patch.

I’m looking forward to welcoming you here, from mid July 😁

13/05/2026

How stunning was this morning’s sunrise? 🌅

I never used to be a morning person, but I’ve come to really value the stillness… the quiet moments before the day begins, when there’s space to actually hear yourself think.

This morning with coffee in hand, I was reading a post from a fellow massage therapist who is clearly on that slippery slope toward burnout — something I know all too well.

Because I’ve been there.

Showing up to the table exhausted… physically, emotionally… feeling like you have to be everything for everyone. Saying yes when your body is screaming no. Overbooking. People-pleasing. Telling yourself you’ll slow down “next week.”
Burnout in this industry is very real.

What I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) is that boundaries are not optional — they are essential. And it can be really hard to give yourself the head space to find the clarity needed to create boundaries and a practiced that aligns with your life.

Setting boundaries can look like:
• Closing your books, even when it feels uncomfortable
• Not filling every cancellation
• Referring clients on instead of carrying the load alone
• Asking for help (yes, even outsourcing the “small” things)
• Taking an actual break — not just talking about one

For me, it meant stepping away for 18 months. I worked in a different role, I kept a small handful of clients (saw 2 a week max) and gave myself the space to reset. It changed everything.

What I really learned, is that you don’t have to figure it out on your own. When I moved back to Perth after closing down StressLess Bodyworks, I realised how much I was tightly holding onto and how there was a better way of running a business.

Your health matters more than your booking calendar. If you‘re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, reach out…I support and mentor therapists who are in this exact place… the ones who love what they do but are drowning under the weight of it.

That sunrise this morning felt like a reminder… you’re allowed to start again, differently this time.

12/05/2026

For those who haven’t heard, I’m moving from AMR Physio at the end of June and relocating to my home based massage studio after the July school holidays.

I used AI to help me with the design and orientation of the space using Feng Shui principles and my existing furniture.

What do you think?

I’m excited about the windows with garden view and the extra space around the table.

And today we have a chorus of cows in the background.

10/05/2026

I came across this blog post I wrote after I did a training with Crisp Copy in 2018.

Rereading it this morning over my bowl of porridge has been reflective and a great reminder that…

1. Communication and building client relationships is my super power.

2. I am a good writer and it comes naturally to me.

3. I love helping health & wellness businesses discover how they can communicate with clarity for ideal client connection and create a sustainable practice.

2018 was an interesting time for me. Personally I was exhausted, burnt out from running a highly successful massage business (which I subsequently closed in 2017), and holding it all together for my family as we recovered from the house fire that changed everything in 2016.

My move back to Perth for 5 years cemented a few things for me, opening doorways and relationships I could never have created down south.

I did what any sensible 40 year old should.I signed up for the 2018 Crisp Copy Class and started a business by accident.

06/05/2026

🥣 How do you fuel your day? 🍝

There’s something really grounding about taking a moment in the autumn sun with a bowl of proper food.

This is my udon noodle chicken soup—simple, warm, and exactly the kind of sustenance that actually carries me through a working day.

Being a massage therapist isn’t just “turn up and give a few massages.” It’s physical work. Repetitive load. Focus. Presence. And you can’t really ask your body to do 4 or 5 treatments in a day and expect it to run on coffee and good intentions.

Eating for energy takes a bit of planning. Especially on the busy days when it would be easier to grab whatever’s quickest or just push through.

But self-care isn’t only what you do on the treatment table or in between clients—it’s also what you put into your body so you can actually do the work well, and still have something left at the end of the day.

For me, it’s things like this: real meals, proper breaks when I can take them, and choosing fuel that feels steady rather than spiky.

Simple, but it changes everything.

04/05/2026

✨May the 4th Be With You✨

Whether you’re battling tight traps, the dark side of DOMS, or just navigating your week like a soft tissue Jedi… today we celebrate the force that is manual therapy.

A gentle reminder from your local massage Jedi:

✨ stay grounded
✨ stay hydrated
✨ keep on moving

And don’t forget to self care with Semi Supine or Constructive Rest (iykyk😉)

Happy Star Wars Day

03/05/2026

Sundays I bake & meal prep, potter in the garden and write, all whilst procrastinating the large pile of massage linens in the laundry 😂.
Here’s my latest massage musing 👇👇
https://open.substack.com/pub/beneaththetouch/p/mistakes-massage-therapists-make?r=2ly740&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

01/05/2026

Yesteday I was having a cuppa & chatting with one of my mentoring clients who was feeling a bit flat.

Ever had one of those weeks where a couple of clients cancel and suddenly your schedule feels a bit… gappy?

It happens to all of us. Seasonal shifts (hello cold + flu season), tighter budgets, life just doing its thing… there are so many reasons people cancel.

And yet, it can still feel like a bit of a whack.

Especially when you’re in solo practice and that little voice pipes up… “don’t work, don’t get paid.”

It’s so important not to take it personally.

Instead, see if you can reframe it as unexpected space, a gifted pocket of time. This can be incredibly useful.

A few ways to use the time:
– Reach out to clients you haven’t seen in a while (a simple, thoughtful message goes a long way)
– Tidy up your bookkeeping and admin bits that get pushed aside
– Give your treatment room a proper reset or deep clean
– Revisit your marketing and your ideal client… are they still aligned with how you’re working now?

Sometimes these gaps are actually an invitation to step out of the treatment room and back into your business.

And if that side of things feels overwhelming or a bit unclear, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

This is exactly the kind of work I support therapists with in mentoring — getting you feeling clear, aligned and supported in the parts of your business that sit beyond the hands-on work.

You’re not alone in this. It’s part of the rhythm of practice 💚