Amber’s Journey

From Cafe Owner to Energy Healer: My Journey to a More Meaningful Career

Before becoming a massage therapist, I spent over 20 years in the restaurant industry. I did it all—front of house, back of house, even research and development. In high school, working in restaurants felt like a natural path. I was efficient and good at what I did, so I followed that instinct and turned it into a career.

But over the years, a recurring frustration surfaced: I was always paid by the hour, regardless of how well I performed. Finishing a task quickly only meant I’d be handed another. There was little reward in doing things efficiently or creatively. Eventually, I opened my own café, thinking that would give me the freedom to do things my way. And it did, to an extent—but I still found myself limited by circumstances beyond my control. After five years, the passion had fizzled. I was burned out and ready for change.

That change came in the form of massage therapy. I enrolled in school and started training, not fully knowing where it would take me—but something about it felt right. During that time, I worked closely with a good friend who was growing her muscle testing business. Observing her work, I saw how muscle testing and energy release could seamlessly integrate into massage therapy. I didn’t yet have the confidence to replicate what she did, but I found my own method as we continued collaborating.

I learned to listen to the body—to feel the energy and recognize where it was stuck. I began to develop a unique approach to helping release the tension, chaos, and pain stored in the body. It wasn’t textbook massage therapy but something deeper, more intuitive.

While continuing massage school, I also took advantage of a special program at my community college that offered six free credits per semester. I figured, why not finish my associate’s degree? But the more I studied, the more I realized that degree alone wouldn’t get me where I wanted to go. That’s when I started looking into the kinesiology program at Arizona State University.

It took me a year to say it out loud, but once I did—once I wrote “get a degree in kinesiology” on a scrap of paper—I knew I had made the right decision. I applied, got in, and committed to two full years of in-person study. Four days a week, I drove an hour each way and juggled 16-credit semesters with classes like chemistry, physics, microbiology, and advanced kinesiology.

At the same time, I coached a high school swim team and served as president of the youth organization at our church. It would’ve been easy to say no to everything outside of school, but I made a deal with God: if I put in the work, He would help me remember what I learned. I don’t believe I can control God with deals, but I do believe He listens—and that He meets us in the spaces where we’re willing to grow.

I graduated on time with a 3.92 GPA. Even though the material was challenging, it made sense to me. I wasn’t just memorizing facts—I was finally learning how and why the body moves.

In my upper-division courses, I came to appreciate all the foundational “annoying” classes I had taken. Chemistry, physics, biology—they were all building blocks. Everything connected: how food becomes energy, how cells function, how muscles fire. It was in those connections that I started to see my life more clearly. Every random or difficult experience had prepared me for something bigger. Just like in school, the “unrelated” moments of life were actually part of a larger, essential curriculum.

Now, my approach to healing combines both science and intuition. I work with energy in a tactile, grounded way. I can feel, through physical touch, where dysfunction lies in the body. With my understanding of anatomy and movement, I can visualize the muscles, connective tissues, and bones as I work. I use that knowledge to guide my hands and help facilitate healing.

I’ve always been someone who learns by doing, not just reading. My approach may be different from others in my field, but it’s mine. It’s a blend of energy work, anatomy, and lived experience, and it allows me to support others in their healing with skill and intention.

As I continue on this path, I’m excited to see what else unfolds. The journey hasn’t always been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. More than anything, I’m grateful that I get to do work that matters—work that helps people feel better in their bodies and reconnect with their own power to heal.