Robert Gardner Wellness

09/25/2025

09/25/2025

Most of us were trained on a massage table. It’s the professional standard, the thing every school and every instructor passed down.

But here’s the question that nags me: if tables are the foundation, why do so many therapists still end up with hand pain, burnout, and frustration about their practice? Why do clients so often come back saying the relief doesn’t last?

What if the very platform we inherited is part of the problem?
Not because anyone meant harm—but because we stopped questioning it.

When I moved my work onto a mat, everything shifted. My hands relaxed, my body mechanics got easier, and my clients started telling me things felt different—more grounded, more whole.

I’m not saying you should throw away everything you know.
I am saying: be curious. Try the thing that feels a little uncomfortable, a little outside the box. Ask yourself, “what if the foundation itself could be better?”

Sometimes the smallest change—like where we work—completely transforms what’s possible.

09/24/2025

I didn't start out where I'm at. I also don't intend to stop getting where I'm going.

Too many business owners are concerned about some long off dream instead of remembering you're on that journey but you must enjoy each day. Each small task. Each friendly smile from staff or a customer. It's the small daily stuff that adds up to the big win at the end. If you don't enjoy getting there? What's the point?

09/23/2025

Massage therapists are usually concerned about setting up an llc or how to deal with taxes and in a business class the first thing I'll ask is, "how are you going to get clients?"

You don't need an llc. You don't need bookkeepers or accountants. You need a business. The first step is getting customers.

After you make some $ you can go find an accountant, social media manager and beyond to solve problems in your business that you need to delegate.

Small steps make all the difference. Don't let big ideas slow down small progress.

09/18/2025

Breaking free from the norm isn't for everyone. There's a deep seated sense of calm that goes along with not bucking the system and just simply doing as you're told. It's easier. You'll be more socially accepted and fade into the background.

Cut your hair weird? Dress different? Express yourself and someone somewhere will have a disapproving look, glance or instagram comment.

My fundamental rub, my sincere act of heresy, was walking into the massage industry and tossing down a mat and behaving as if this were honestly the solution the industry needed. I still feel that way and it's been 23 years.

The future is mat based. It just seems weird now because few are doing it.

09/16/2025

Sometimes when I work with a student, even as an apprentice, they'll say, "you keep changing the work."

If I were to take yoga students and teach them a pose, let's say downward facing dog pose. I noticed that it was too much pressure on their wrists. Their low back was rounded and they couldn't get any length on their legs because their hips were tight.

My first thought was to have them to 1/2 downward dog. I'd have them work on their upper body, strength and mobilitly while their hands are on a wall. They can mobilize their shoulder blades, there's less stress on their hands and wrists so they can start to feel muscles engaging and relaxing. Then we slowly add the legs hips and the rest of the body over time.

Breaking one pose into 10 steps made a huge difference. They felt accomplished and yoga became fun instead of just too hard or I'm not flexible.

I do the same with the bodywork. I, in session, just give You what I think is going to help You the most at that moment. As a teacher it's mostly the same. I'm not holding out you're just grossly underestimating how long my attention span is and that I'll keep growing teaching and sharing freely until I'm dead.

I try to start where you are but if you train with me the long term battle is you have to transform into something new.

09/11/2025

I'm editing video for our new membership vault. It'll be reorganized, indexed, easier to search and find things and as I'm downloading old footage I get a chance to sort of review where I came from.

As I'm doing this I get a phone call from a regular apprentice and they're asking, "when do I leave the place I work?"

In short they're doing a mat based practice. They don't have suspension set up and the facility isn't allowing them to really expand. After all, the facility needs easily replaceable therapists doing a service known as "massage."

My quick answer to this is you need enough money as cushion to be comfortable in leaving. A facility will likely never allow you to practice the full extent of what I teach. I know you think I'm a massage therapist but I only play one on tv.

I am relatively successful. Business is growing and covid was of course challenging. Business evolves and as I watch a clip from 2019 I'm just floored that I'm still having the same conversations with people who are confused. Nothing about what I teach or how it is delivered will likely Ever be mainstream until the larger community wakes up and essentially comes my direction, not because they've seen the light but because the public is asking for more help and they're asking for the mat.

is the future. The best time to get started training is today.

09/09/2025

09/07/2025

Jasmine set up suspension today and I'm proud to work with colleagues who are seeing the value of of what we've been sharing with the public for pain management ❤️