01/28/2024
One of my former students? Kathryn Morgan (not on fb), has started a new website. I am humbles to be her first professional profileš¤āŗļø
https://www.tenthousandmassages.com/profile-cindy-farrar/
Excerpts in photos below
(Long read)
Profile: Cindy E. Farrar
By Kathryn Morgan https://www.tenthousandmassages.com/profile-cindy-farrar/
āā¦the relationship is very sensitive to our perception of it.ā
Cindy E. Farrarās remarkably steadfast commitment to community is evident in all aspects of her career: massaging, volunteering, coaching, and teaching. A 1997 graduate of Atlanta School of Massage, not only has she been massaging for more than 25 years, she has volunteered for our oldest professional organization, American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), for 22 consecutive years. Noting that massage therapy can be an isolating profession, Cindy stays engaged with AMTA for the support of the community as well as the opportunities it brings.
āIāve had the opportunity to learn a lot. Iāve met with several counties and cities on (the topic of) their massage business ordinances. I started that work for my own business originally, and then I got involved at the chapter level -- in 2012 I became an AMTA chapter president into 2014 -- and those two years were full of meetings with local legislators. Ultimately, the chapter hired a lobbyist to help at the (Georgia) state level. So thatās kind of in my blood, and Iāve been working with the City of Tucker on their ordinancesā¦ including adopted ordinances that werenāt favorable to massage therapy. Iāve gotten the relationship with them to the point where theyāre comfortable contacting me with questions,ā she shares.
The state of Georgia did not require licensure for massage therapists until 2006, whereas many states, such as Florida, for example, have had such requirements for decades. In addition, local municipalities in greater Atlanta require business licenses for independent massage therapists. Before your eyes glaze over, I want to point out that this bureaucratic navigating is not glamorous work ā itās largely a thankless pain in the arse. Cindy is a tenacious, one-of-a-kind dynamo.
āIāve also assisted massage therapists in getting their (city or county) business license, which is really an onerous process, and if youāre not aware of all the ins and outs, you can be denied a license to practice... The government-relations piece has been significant because it so directly impacts our ability to do what we love doing. Itās been the most necessary piece (of my volunteer work).ā
Cindy has also spoken on behalf of massage therapists before city councils, presenting factual information on our profession and refuting some ordinance recommendations. āI drive home the point that weāre talking about health care. Utilizing some of the research that is out there at large, and that AMTA has pulled together, I talk about massage therapy as being health care, and categorized as such on the federal level, noting that massage has been recommended by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) as a viable alternative to opioid prescriptions, for example.
āAnd sometimes I just show up to do a public service announcement -- if Iām starting to hear some of the denigrating references to massage therapy out in the community -- Iāll go and remind them (city councils) what massage really is,ā she says. Is this woman amazing, or what?!
But wait, thereās more!
Cindy states that her original business plan included counseling, and although it never quite manifested as she first envisioned, her current business location used to house the community counseling center. āI donāt believe in coincidences,ā she says with a smile. āIn 2017, I became a Certified Life Coach to fill that gap in my business planā¦ recognizing that what clients were coming in with (was not a need for) just massage, but navigating life, which oftentimes enters into the session in some way, but it was out of my scope to go there with clients. I always had (counseling) referrals and references for them, but since the relationship was already there, why not add that as an option for clients? So I dance between massage therapy and coaching.
āEvery client could utilize the awareness that what is manifesting in our bodies has very little origin in our bodiesā¦ and has more to do with life. I teach in all my continuing ed classes that as a culture weāre not taught to do self-exploration, the internal stuff, and to look there first for what could actually be going on. I do see that as a great need, and even if a client isnāt aware or sharing it, as a massage therapist Iām very much aware of that key component to the client,ā she says.
Relationship is key for Cindy Farrar, which she models in all her roles. As a former student, her consciousness around relationship was always striking to me, and her quiet passion inspired me.
Fortunately, in 2018 Cindy became a board-certified continuing education provider, and has created more than a dozen courses, almost all of which revolve around āthe humanity pieceā ā ethics, boundaries, and awareness of internal influences on our outer physicality.
āOne of my long-time missions is to be mindful of the verbiage we use when we talk about our clients. Itās very common to hear a massage therapist say, āWhen Iām working on my clientā¦ā and it always gets to me, because we are not working on our clients, we are working with our clients. Mechanics work on cars; but we are working with living, breathing, thinking, feeling human beings, and the relationship is very sensitive to our perception of it. āWorking onā is very different from āworking withā and will elicit very different responses. Itās important weāre being mindful not only that weāre working with a human being, but the totality of that human being,ā she asserts.
āSince the pandemic Iāve started seeing many new clients, but for many years prior I wasnāt accepting new clients, because my clients tend to stay. Yes, itās because theyāre seeing results, but I believe itās also because of the dynamic of the relationship, a relationship that Iām very mindful of maintaining, and conscious of how Iām personally impacting.
āThe pandemic is the thing thatās altered my massage business the most. ā¦(It) completely shifted everything, and for me personally itās been a big exercise in faith, trust, resilience, and purpose. Massage had always been my lifeās purpose, and the business itself was always very purposeful in the way it was put together. It became important to check in (with myself and greater being) and ask if the business was still aligned with and meeting the needs of the purpose, and if not, what do I need to adjust and what does that look like? The business is still here so, apparently, Iām still doing what Iām supposed to be doing,ā she reflects.
Cindy admits that āthoughts of retirement float in,ā though not for several years, and she envisions it as āa pared down version of what Iām doing now. I consider the business as part of my legacy so, ultimately, Iād love to see it continue, perhaps with me in more of a behind-the-scenes management or consulting position. I definitely anticipate getting more into coaching with a focus on workshops and motivational speaking. I have some massage clients whoāve told me Iām not allowed to die before they do, so Iām sure Iāll still be seeing clients in some way.
āā¦In terms of my volunteering, Iām sure Iāll continue to on some level because itās a vital part of who I am ā giving back and being able to utilize my experience and knowledge to benefit the profession,ā she concludes. In her current role as a national director, Cindy represented AMTA at the first annual Black Massage Therapist Conference, held last October in Charlotte, NC.
Cindy Farrar helped make me the massage therapist I am today, and I hope you, too, may be blessed by her grounding and open-hearted influence, whether as a therapist, colleague, or client. She will teach at the annual conference of AMTAās North Carolina chapter, held this year in Charlotte, April 5-7.
Cindy Farrarās website details her client-centered offerings.
