Dec 8

Dec 8 Miranda Cunningham - Licensed Massage Therapist + Yoga Instructor

Miranda is a thoughtful, passionate and intentional licensed massage therapist and certified yoga instructor. With a heart for all-things alternative medicine, anatomy and biology, Miranda’s infatuation with the world of holistic bodywork is the driving force behind her day-to-day—both in her career and lifestyle. Armed with an incredible origin story paired with years of study, learning and commitment to self transformation, Miranda’s practice is an ever-growing and expanding journey to honoring personal wellness, and helping others do the same.

The Basics:

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Current city: Jacksonville, FL
Alma mater: Chatham University; Florida School of Advanced Bodywork
Degree: Integrative Health and Wellness (License: Massage Therapy; Certification: Yoga Instructor)
Very first job: Farm Hand, Simmons Farm
Hustle: Licensed Massage Therapist; Certified Yoga Instructor; Assistant Teacher, Florida School of Advanced Bodywork

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
Keagan Anfuso and Shannon Greene. They’re both so determined, talented and inspiring—absolutely nothing can knock them down. Despite anything life throws at them, they’re able to laugh, figure it out, and care for their friends and family. I’m so grateful to call them close friends.

Go-to coffee order and/or adult beverage?
The oat milk latte from Bold Bean just hits differently.

Dream concert to attend?
Queen at Live Aid. Holy cow.

What’s one essential item in your workday?
My hands! I don’t always use tools or fancy creams and oils. Absolutely nothing can replace hands.

What’s your favorite self-care ritual?
I’m a huge fan of dry brushing. I recommend it to nearly all of my clients. It’s a great way to stimulate the lymphatic system, boost circulation, and exfoliate the skin. It was one of the first things I learned in my own personal wellness journey. Truly everyone should know about it and/or practice it.

What’s something you want to learn or master?
Gosh, so many things. The depths of bodywork, energy work, and yoga are endless. I would never truly want to master something though. That means that you’re done learning—and I never want to be done! Lately, however, I would specifically love to learn more about shiatsu massage, which deals specifically with working the energy and musculature along the meridian points. The meridian system is a traditional Chinese medicine concept where life-force or “qi” exists in measurable points and lines around and within the body. I believe the more holistic bodywork can be, the more the client benefits.

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle.
My schedule varies day-to-day. I’m not a fan of a “daily routine”, so this works perfectly for me. Depending on the day and time, I’ll have massage clients, yoga classes, or assist with the teaching of future massage therapists at the Florida School of Advanced Bodywork. In my massage career, I like to be very intentional with my words and explaining what I do. No, I am not a masseuse. I’ve gone through extensive training and passed a licensing exam. When I’m working on my clients, I’m not just lathering them up with oil and digging into “knots” in their back. Instead, I’m listening to their current complaints, evaluating their medical, surgical, and injury history, and objectively determining which muscles need to be released. I do this through a process called structural integration. For example, when I’m looking at a client’s body, I’ll annotate which shoulder is held higher, if the pelvis is rotated, how the spine may be twisted, etc. Then, I work the muscles that will bring the body back into a better or proper alignment. That’s also why I like to call what I do “bodywork”. I think it gives a fuller explanation to what I do, rather than simply “massage.” I perform bodywork for the majority of my week, assist at the Florida School of Advanced Bodywork one to two days a week, and I’ve also started filming virtual yoga classes for The Edge Rock Gym. Every Monday and Friday, we premier a new class on The Edge’s Facebook page. Monday’s class is a power flow, and Friday is more restorative and, what I like to call it, a “deep stretch.” Everyone who looks at my Google Calendar immediately panics, but I love it.

Which came first: your interest for massage therapy or yoga?
I found yoga first at the bottom of a McDonald’s bag. No joke. I was 12 years-old when my pediatrician told me I needed to lose weight. With that, I lost a lot of self esteem. I would say terrible things to myself and grew even more disordered with my eating. It seemed like every adult would tell me that it was baby weight, or I was large framed, or (one of my favorites) I was solid. My mom, being as supportive as she could, took me to McDonald's one day and recommended that I try their then new salads. With the salad came a workout DVD. Mine, of course, happened to be yoga. The first posture that was taught in the DVD was mountain pose. I was hooked. I started to learn that it wasn't about how my body LOOKED, but instead what it could do and how it FELT. That new idea took me off of the scale and onto my mat and, I’m happy to say, I’ve never looked back. Ten years after I started practicing, my local yoga studio began to offer teaching certifications. I was in my junior year of college with a slammed schedule, but took every weekend for a few months to work towards my certification. I’ve been teaching for five years now and absolutely nothing else lights me up in quite the same way as teaching does.

What makes your practice different from others in your industry?
I feel like I’ve been working towards this goal my entire life, even when I didn’t know it. I’ve spent so much time obsessing about wellness, alternative medicine, yoga, anatomy, biology, and the mind-body connection for as long as I can remember. No one in my family could really understand where my interests came from, but I was in love with deeper connection and healing. I thought I wanted to be a nurse and I even committed to the idea as early as 7th grade. I knew I needed to help people. I began nursing school and was even an aid at Mayo Clinic, but it was still too separate of a connection for me. I wanted to do something beyond conventional medicine. So I use all of that—all of my years of study and experience from both the convention and alternative sides of medicine. My bodywork differs because of the education and technique of massage I learned from Florida School of Advanced Bodywork. Utilizing structural integration but also using energy work techniques I’ve learned from practicing Reiki. I love the “crunchy” side of alternative medicine, of course, but I love even more when non-conventional therapies are able to be tested, peer-reviewed, and implemented in an integrative way to a person’s health care plan.

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
Being a nurse's aid taught me how to care for very sick people at a basic level. I learned how to bathe them, feed them, dress them, and even catheterize them with sensitivity and empathy. Absolutely nothing phases me about the human body. It’s the most natural and organic thing there is. We all have one and, unfortunately at some point in our life, we will all need another person to help us take care of it. With that being said, you can only study so much about the body or about wellness, but if you haven’t practiced talking or actually working on a person, then your book knowledge can only go so far.

How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Being a woman in an industry that’s notorious for sex trafficking and prostitution definitely comes with its challenges. Massage is an intimate thing, but I make sure that intimacy does not cross over to a sexual place. Doing energy work is great for that. When I’m in my treatment room, I command the room. I control the energy. My first session typically involves a lot of conversation. I ask about their workout habits, sleeping habits, diet, workplace set-up, etc. I explain what muscles I’m working and why. I educate on better body positioning and posture. I like to explain my work as if I’m a chiropractor of soft tissue. When I put myself at that level of authority (of course, not actually being a doctor so not diagnosing or prescribing), people respond with respect and don’t have any misunderstanding as to what the treatment is about. Boundaries are amazing. I grew to love saying “no” or “I don’t do that” or “let me refer you to someone else.” I learned I do not need to please everyone. And, wow, what a gift that is. To support other women in my industry, step one: do not call us “masseuses.” Step two: trust that someone else may have a better understanding about your body than you do. For many of us, this is not a side gig. This is our career and passion. Step three: educate yourself about human trafficking. Notice the signs and report to the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888

What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
Maybe it’s silly to say the whole thing, but, the whole thing. I felt very lost in my early 20s. So many people told me I made a mistake in leaving nursing school. But I knew. I knew I’d find a way to be successful doing what I wanted to do and in the way I wanted to do it. I’m proud to say that I’m completely self-sustaining. And honestly growing up as a poor, overweight, coal miner’s daughter in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, that has been my dream all along. Nothing extravagant, but just enough. It’s wonderful.

What’s something you wish your younger self had known when you were just starting out?
You cannot please everyone, and thank goodness. You will draw the right people into your life, and the wrong people will fade away.

Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Dr. Julee Miller. She’s an acupuncturist and previous massage therapist. I wouldn’t be where I am without her. I had a hard time finding mentors before I met her. She believed in me and my goals and saw the same drive and determination I believe she had in her early career. She’s so smart and gorgeous and is still striving to make her practice the best it can be.

Career and/or life advice for other babes (both inside and outside of your industry?)
Set boundaries. Say no. Make love to yourself. Put on your oxygen mask before assisting others.

Connect with Miranda:

Instagram / Website / Email

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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