Our mission at Divine Therapy is too empower wellness for all and to help our clients to regain balance in their lives. Our values are to restore hope, improve wellness, regain balance and empower change in the lives we touch every day
Nicola Smith – Founder,
Divine Therapy
Dip. RM., BA (Hons)
I believe in empowering wellness for all and enabling people to regain balance in their lives.
To help someone feel better, whether it be from sore muscles or the stress of every day life, is a great feeling!
Introduction
Nicola is an experienced Remedial Massage Therapist with almost 15 years of practice experience.
After completing her Diploma of Remedial Massage, Nicola furthered her studies to include Kahuna Hot Stone massage, Pregnancy Massage, Oncology massage (Level 1), Modern Cupping and Manual Lymphatic Drainage.
Nicola loves to tailor her massage to her clients’ specific needs using a variety of Remedial techniques and pressures to relax the mind as well as the body.
Read more about Nicola’s journey below.
Qualifications
Nicola’s Story
I’ve been massaging now for almost 15 years, and I’m passionate about all things ‘massage’!
I am originally from the UK, where I graduated with a Degree in Business Studies at 21, and then worked as a retail manager for several years before progressing up the ranks to head office into Merchandise Planning Management, where I stayed for the next few years.
I was successful on paper but not happy in life. What was I doing wrong, what was missing? I took a year off to find out and travelled to Australia for a fun filled 12 months of adventure!
I finally settled in Melbourne, then was head hunted up to a Brisbane retail head office, and fell back into Planning, which I loved. In the middle of a highly profitable, busy career, I decided that climbing the corporate ladder just didn’t ‘do it’ for me, I started questioning what I really wanted in life. Massage really interested me and it was something I thought I’d be good at, so I decided to bite the bullet and started a course in Massage Therapy!
Rewind a few months… I had suffered years of tension headaches and migraines, and at times, periods of dizziness and light headiness, (as well as experiencing the stress of a highly pressurised work environment), I was sick of taking painkillers everyday and I wanted something that would help fix the cause of my ongoing symptoms, not just mask the pain.
After many visits to my doctor and many tests, scans etc, tight muscles seemed the most obvious cause of my symptoms, my doctor suggested trying Remedial Massage! Why not, I thought!
So after a short period of time receiving Remedial Massage my headaches were greatly reduced and eventually disappeared! Could something as simple as massage really help so significantly?
Curious and delighted with my results, I went onto to study Remedial Massage at the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences where I attained my Certificate IV then continued further study to attain my Diploma. I loved learning about the body and the many different techniques used in massage. I quickly realised it wasn’t just the physical side of massage I, and clients enjoyed, but the fact that it gave them the opportunity to take TIME OUT and relax while having a treatment. Some techniques are not so relaxing in Remedial Massage but even so, the act of lying on a table and having some ME time was invaluable, and my client resonated with that.
I had never worked for myself before, let alone run my own business, so I was a little apprehensive in the beginning, but the gamble was more than worth it. The field of massage interested me, I wanted to do something connected with people… I wanted to help people in a meaningful way, do something to improve their lives. While I enjoyed the excitement and challenge of the retail industry, there was always something missing, something essential to me as a person.
I started working from home, and quickly realised that the path I had chosen was right for me. Though sometimes challenging, physically, emotionally and financially, I found that being able to enrich the wellbeing of others, ease their pains or just give them a little space in their busy lives, gave me a very deep and lasting sense of fulfilment. In 2012 I took another huge step, and moved from home business to dedicated premises. I gathered a small team of like-minded therapists and began to offer a wider variety of treatments, including beauty along with massage. I was blessed to experience year on year growth at the premises and had an amazing loyal client base.
After becoming a mum I decided to simplify, take a step away from management and get back to my roots as a Massage Therapist and brought my business back home to my studio here at Mount Cotton. I could then focus on developing my own skills and expanding my knowledge to include new services such as Modern Cupping, which has been an amazing addition to my skill set.
I love the fact I have so much variety in my work and no day is the same! My clients range from office workers, tradies, pregnant ladies, clients seeking relaxation and de-stressing, as well as clients with challenging health concerns or conditions. One thing my clients do have in common is that they love the intimate, relaxing and welcoming environment, and the personalised treatment offered at Divine Therapy.
I see Divine Therapy as a sanctuary, a haven of peace and relaxation in our busy lives. One day I hope to bring the Divine Therapy experience to more people, maybe through opening premises in other areas, through workshops, or maybe even (dare I dream?!) with a residential retreat surrounded by nature.
