Meet Dawn Krachey | Massage Therapist & Singer/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Krachey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Several factors contributed to starting my own business. I think first and foremost was my desire to be in complete control of my own schedule. At the time that I graduated from massage school I had recently become a single parent and still had kiddos at home. For the majority of years before that I had been a stay-at-home mom and I still felt it important to be available for my kids as much as possible. It was, and still is, important for me to be there for them as much as possible. In addition to being a massage therapist I am also a performing singer/songwriter and needed to be able to balance my schedules to still allow myself an outlet that truly brings me joy. Further down the list was the consideration of having control over my costs and wages. Really asking myself how much am I worth monetarily, that was probably the most difficult piece of the puzzle for me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My music and my bodywork are very personal endeavors to me. When I’m working with a massage client I strive to connect with what it is that I can facilitate in our session to have them leave feeling like it was worth their time. My sessions aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Everyone that walks through the door is unique and deserves a session tailored for them. A fair amount of my continuing education has been driven by my desire to have a deeper toolbox for my clients needs. It has led me to take a more concentrated look at pediatric massage, sports massage, and oncology massage all to further diversify my knowledge base and be able to more fully and dynamically support my clients needs. I recently passed the NCBTMB exam to show myself along with current and potential clients my dedication to providing a higher quality of care. NCBTMB is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. The goal is to provide my clients a safe and positive experience on the table that facilitates healing through a well educated approach of therapeutic massage and bodywork.

My musical endeavors are similar in that I’m always learning and honing my craft. Each performance that I bring to an audience is one that has been thought through and prepared to accommodate the event. I mostly perform songs that I have written blended with a balance of old and newer country music. My writing expresses my experiences and observations of the world around me and the cover songs I choose are generally ones that I know will connect me to my audience that day. I’m currently involved in a 6 week long course to further develop my lyric and melody writing with 2 pro writers from Nashville and about 25 fellow student writers. I think challenging myself to further my knowledge in both of my respective business pursuits sets me apart from others who may choose to play it safe and not reach out beyond their comfort zone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I only recently moved back to Tucson, so I’m still catching up on all the must see things to do here. Some of my most enjoyable days have been spent outdoors. One of my favorite hiking spots is at Catalina State Park, the hike to Romero Pools being my favorite. Tohono Chul Gardens is another lovely way to spend the day and they have an amazing Bistro on site. For nightlife and seeing great local music I would take anyone visiting to Monterey Court. They’re located off of Miracle Mile in Tucson and have live music all week long on their patio stage and also have a great restaurant and bar.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and wisdom of so many people. Several people have been critical in my development as a massage therapist and I’d like to give a Shoutout specifically to Aileen Judson for continuing to mentor me well after school. I was blessed to have some of the finest instructors in massage school. Among those were, Rose Adams, Alisha Witcom, Don Berlyn and Jon Whitehorn. I would also like to give a Shoutout to colleagues Ellen Drucker and LaTosha Tervo for working along side me in our shared efforts of learning and expanding on our crafts. I would like to posthumously recognize my dear friend and mentor Katie Norton-Martin. Without her guidance and knowledge I wouldn’t have grown to know myself so well nor would I have grown to respect and understand this craft as deeply as I do. We lost her last April, but she is still in my hands and my heart every day that I work.

Website: www.anewpathmassage.com

Instagram: bouttimeband

Facebook: dawnkracheymusic

Other: dawnkrachey.com