Cattie: this is a guest post by Megan Ayrault, who is an animal bodywork practitioner and teacher. Megan has been practicing for over 15 years, and recently started a mentorship program for other practitioners. The program is only open for new members during certain times of the year, and right now, registration is open until August 19.
In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that the links in this post are affiliate links, but as you know, I never link to a product or service I don’t use or wholeheartedly recommend, and I really wish a program like this had been around when I was practicing, especially when I was starting out. You can’t beat learning from others who are doing exactly what you want to do, and Megan has created a fantastic resource for animal health practitioners here. But I’ll let her tell you about it:
Megan: I was going to write a whole article about the mentorship program… I started by writing the summary I thought I would end with. Now, I’m not sure I need the rest of the article! To sum it up:
Here’s why I started the Power of Touch T.E.A.M Mentorship program and how it can help your business:
What I see today in the animal wellness / bodywork / energywork world:
- Animal wellness professionals going through their training together with like-minded souls, and feeling excited to follow in the footsteps of others to start their own business helping animals… And then finding that the “footsteps” are not so easy to find, let alone follow.
- The camaraderie with fellow students and teachers from their training seems to be fading. They realize now they’re on their own to make a business work. Or not.
- Both new and experienced professionals wanting to reach out to colleagues, yet at the same time feeling some reluctance, even insecurities, because others are now the “competition” for seemingly limited clients. Or they may view you as competition, even if you don’t.
- Running into a wide variety of practitioners (different modalities, range of skill and experience levels, varied success in growing clientele…) and not feeling very connected with any of them.
- So many questions, and so many decisions to be made!
- Limited in potential colleague relationships to who’s in your geographic area, and maybe the few fellow students from your school you may have managed to keep in touch with.
- Wondering whether this choice of business even makes sense after all?
What I see for the future, with the T.E.A.M. mentorship program support:
- New and experienced professionals finding the same camaraderie and excitement they felt when they were in their training programs, and now in a more sustainable format for long-term support.
- A community where all levels of experience can find ideas, mentoring, motivation and inspiration – because we all need it. Always.
- A community where all levels of experience, and especially the more experienced, can find opportunities to “give back” by helping not only their clients, but also their Profession by supporting colleagues, and helping to grow public awareness.
- A system of support designed to keep the wheels turning for your progress. And a boost always available if you do lose momentum, and need a push (and some cheering) to get you going again.
- Resources that combine strategies and mindset (because they work together).
- Resources that support both personal and business education and growth (because they work together).
- A community where our differences in background, training, style and experience become an asset for all of us, and for the animals, rather than a basis for judging or being judged.
So how does this work?
Every month, T.E.A.M. Mentorship Program Members get:
- A new lesson to help you in both business and personal development (in the areas they intersect, which are many!)
- A suggested exercise to implement the focus of that month’s lesson.
- A Q&A coaching call led by experienced mentors and occasional featured guests.
- Access to archives of all past lessons and calls. Topics of lessons and calls have included (so far): Building referral relationships, creating a business plan, pricing strategies, communicating with clients, marketing, case studies, clarity, creating a Facebook page, Being Your Own Boss, Listening, Balancing Yin and Yang, Meeting Resistance, and more. And there is lots more to come!
- Community forums
- A private TEAM Facebook group, for questions, collaborations, sharing ideas, and general connecting and moral support
Does any of this sound interesting to you? Then I hope you’ll join the T.E.A.M.
Hope to see you in the program!
Join the T.E.A.M. now!
Megan Ayrault
LMP, L/SAMP, Founder of Power of Touch for Animals (formerly All About Animal Massage)
Megan is a Licensed Massage Practitioner for animals and people, and author of books on equine and canine bodywork. Her background and teaching both include techniques and insights for the physical/structural aspects of the body, and the energy aspects of the body-mind system.
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