So, I'm starting a blog!

Hello, My name is Cortney McLellan. I read somewhere that it is good for business to have a blog. So, I'm starting a blog. Welcome!! A little about me, I am 32 years old, and a mother of 1 daughter who is 13, Hope. I am engaged to Belarmino Alvarez and am planning my wedding June 8th, 2013. I am a certified massage therapist at Kneaded Thoughts in Freeland, MI. I also own Kneaded Thoughts. I attend graduate school at Walden University, and I am working on my Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling.

Yes, I am a busy person! Today, I am not feeling so well.... I have a bit of a cold, that apparently popped up after a long weekend of craziness!!  Friday night I had my daughter and her 13 cheerleader friends at Kneaded Thoughts for a "lock-in". Apparently, I should have hid the coffee!!  :) Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night. Then on Saturday, to no one's fault other than my own, I went over to my maid of honor's house to discuss wedding plans, and stayed up a little too late!! Spent the night at her house, and went home early Sunday. Took a little nap halfway through watching the Daytona 500, but that apparently wasn't enough to recharge my body, and this morning I have a bit of a cold. Hot Tea, and Thieves oil, are my best friends today!! I will knock this cold out quickly!!

In case your wondering "Thieves" oil is an essential oil blend made by Young Living. It contains Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Rosemary, Lemon, and Eucalyptus. This oil kills bacteria, and boosts the immune system. I swear by it, hot tea, and Halls anytime I have a cold, I use that, and I get better usually in a couple of days.

I would like to start this blog with a little honesty. I love what I do for a living, but getting it all going was (and is still) challenging. From finding people with my same vision in mind, to affording to pay the bills, it has been a rough start! When I came up with the idea for Kneaded Thoughts, I didn't have much...  I had just left a job I didn't care for which wasn't very prosperous either, and before that I had a great job, but couldn't take my clientele with me when I left. So I had mere pennies to my name, but was able to get a small loan from the bank to get started. I did a HUGE remodel on my office space, that took me, and a friend of mine, and half my family, about two months to finish. By the time I was done, I was thankful that I had very supportive parents to help me pick up the slack financially. Even though every month is still a struggle, we are getting there, building clientele, and seeing smiling faces walk out the door. That is what makes all the stress worthwhile.

I also had a vision for a different sort of work environment. My employees can wear what they want (within reason of course), they can stay as long as they want, or just come in for appointments. I provide what they need, and they get to come to work, and do their jobs. They don't have to be pressured by an overbearing boss, they get honesty, and caring, as everyone should. This may not be the best business model, but I can guarantee that if you asked my employees, they would say they love their jobs! The only issue we have is building up a bigger clientele, and that will come with a bit more effort and time. (I am really not the best marketer, but I am learning.) We finally have all of our staff in place, and my vision is starting to come to fruition.

I love the idea of holistic healthcare, of seeing not one, but many different professionals all at the same time. I have found that through this idea, many people are starting to understand the benefits of holistic wellness. Many people don't even know what holistic really means. Holistic means "whole", in our case body mind and soul. It means (to us) that you can't treat one without treating the other. For instance, you can't treat depression without also treating the physical pain and imbalance that goes with it. You can't treat a car accident victim's pain without treating the mental trauma that goes along with it. There are many scenarios in which this is the case. Hopefully, some of which I will be able to discuss further in a later blog. :)

For now, I believe that is enough ranting for today. Be well everyone, and don't forget to smile!!