Sustainable Bodyworker

About Sustainable Bodyworker

Sustainable Bodyworker is the go-to podcast for massage therapists ready to break free from burnout and build thriving, purpose-driven practices. Hosted by Gretchen Popp—massage therapist, mentor, educator, and recovering overachiever—this show dives deep into nervous system aligned business strategies, sensible pricing, and practices for client work that sustains rather than drains you. Whether you’re just starting out or seeking ways to make your career truly support your life, tune in each week for grounded advice, actionable tips, and honest discussions on how to create a sustainable and fulfilling bodywork business.

Publisher

Sustainable Bodyworker

Category

business · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 May 2025

Latest episode

11 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

49 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Oct 2026

   When the Practice You Built No Longer Fits: Identity, Purpose, and Starting Again

   After a few months away from the podcast, Gretchen is back with a personal conversation about what’s been happening behind the scenes. Over the past three years, she’s sold her clinic, moved across the country, shifted deeper into online education and coaching, returned to hands-on work, and slowly realized that even though she had physically left her old practice behind, she was still carrying its identity with her. In this episode, Gretchen shares how Boulder Cupping Therapy was shaped not only by passion and opportunity, but by anxiety, financial survival, a need to prove herself, and a desire to be taken seriously without a traditional college degree. She explores the strange realization that after selling the clinic and moving to Virginia, she recreated almost the exact same treatment room inside her new home, while simultaneously teaching other bodyworkers how to question the identities and expectations shaping their own businesses. Now, as a completely different practice begins to take shape, she’s experimenting with what happens when cupping, herbalism, hot stones, pain relief work, coaching, nutrition, and nearly twenty years of experience are allowed to exist together instead of being forced into one specialized identity.This episode is ultimately an invitation to look at your own practice and ask: How much of what I’ve built is genuinely mine, and how much of it belongs to somebody else’s expectations? Gretchen also walks you through a simple reflection exercise to help you identify one part of your practice that may no longer fit, imagine what happens if you carry it for another twenty years, and explore what could become possible if you gave yourself permission to make one small change. ----more---- ✨ VISION MAPPING FOR A FULFILLING PRACTICE ✨ Join Gretchen live on Saturday, October 24 at 11 AM Eastern for this 2 CE Sustainable Bodyworker webinar. We’ll begin with a guided grounding and visualization practice to help you step outside your current business problems and connect with what you actually want your future practice and working life to feel like. From there, we’ll map your vision across client work, visibility, systems and support, and personal sustainability, then turn that bigger vision into clear 90-day priorities and practical next steps. You do not need to be a Sustainable Bodyworker member to attend. Live attendees will receive 2 continuing education hours and a CE certificate after class. ✨ Register here now for only $30 and 2 NCBTMB CE Credits! ----more---- CLICK HERE FOR A FREE BREAKTHROUGH EXPERIENCE WITH GRETCHEN ----more---- If you’re a massage therapist who wants your practice to feel sustainable again, the Sustainable Bodyworker Membership is where we go deeper. Inside you’ll find practical tools, honest conversations, purpose-driven continuing education, and support for building a practice that actually works for your body and your life. Whether you want to grow your private practice more sustainably, develop higher-level client programs, create online education to supplement your hands-on income, or build a massage team around a shared mission, this community is designed to help you grow without simply adding more work to your plate. Click here to learn more and join us for $27 for your first month. ----more---- Affiliate Links: We’re careful about what we share here. Everything in this section is something we personally use and come back to again and again, tools that support our own bodies, nervous systems, and day-to-day work. Bon Charge: Use code SUSTAINABLE for 15% off! Swanwick Glasses: Use code GRETCHENPOPP for 10% off! InHarmony Meditation Mats: Use code NEURO5 for 5% off! Global Cupping: Use code NEURO for 20% off your first order! ///////// We are so grateful for your support of the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast and would love to hear how we can better support you! Click here to give us your feedback on the show.///////// The ideas and techniques shared by our guests

2. 

   25 May 2026

   Episode 47: Why the Way You Speak to Clients Matters More Than You Think - Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast

   Ever notice how quickly clients start identifying with the stories they’ve been told about their bodies? “My hips are a mess.” “This shoulder never lets go.” “My body is just broken.” In this episode, Gretchen explores something a lot of bodyworkers underestimate: your words are part of the treatment. The way you describe tension, pain, compensation patterns, or “problem areas” can either help a client feel safer and more hopeful in their body… or reinforce fear, fragility, and a fixed identity around their pain. Through stories from her own practice, her daughter’s healing journey, and years of working with chronic pain clients, Gretchen breaks down the placebo and nocebo effects in a way that feels grounded and practical, not fluffy. This conversation is really about becoming more intentional with the cues you’re giving the nervous system—because communication isn’t separate from outcomes. It shapes them. ----more---- CLICK HERE FOR A FREE BREAKTHROUGH EXPERIENCE WITH GRETCHEN ----more----If you’re a massage therapist who wants your practice to feel sustainable again, the Sustainable Bodyworker Membership is where we go deeper. Inside you’ll find practical tools, honest conversations, and support for building a practice that actually works for your body and your life. Click here to learn more and join us. ----more---- Affiliate Links: We’re careful about what we share here. Everything in this section is something we personally use and come back to again and again — tools that support our own bodies, nervous systems, and day-to-day work. Bon Charge: Use code SUSTAINABLE for 15% off! Swanwick Glasses: Use code GRETCHENPOPP for 10% off! InHarmony Meditation Mats: Use code NEURO5 for 5% off! Global Cupping: Use code NEURO for 20% off your first order! We are so grateful for your support of the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast and would love to hear how we can better support you! Click here to give us your feedback on the show. If you’ve got a story, skill, or insight you think would help other bodyworkers, we’d love to hear from you — click here to apply to be a guest on the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast. The ideas and techniques shared by our guests on the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast are their own unique perspectives and don’t necessarily reflect those of Gretchen Popp or the Sustainable Bodyworker team or community as a whole. Click HERE for your FREE Mindset Shift Hypnotherapy Session with Gretchen!

3. 

   18 May 2026

   Episode 46: Hiring Without the Headaches with Julie Campbell - Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast

   Hiring for your practice shouldn’t feel like wandering through a legal minefield, but let’s be honest—most of us end up there, stressing about getting it “right” and terrified of making a costly mistake. What’s refreshing about this conversation with Julie Campbell is the real talk on why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for hiring ICs vs. W2s. Instead of chasing the option that looks best on paper, Julie Campbell encourages you to really sit with the actual kind of business you want to run, how much control you need, and what makes sense for your nervous system and bottom line—plus how “mistakes” in hiring might be inevitable but don’t have to break you. If you’ve ever guilt-tripped yourself for not having it all perfectly figured out, you’ll appreciate how both Gretchen Popp and Julie Campbell own their imperfect, learning-on-the-fly business journeys. There’s so much relief in hearing that messing up is just part of the process, not proof you don’t belong here. Take the pressure off: asking better questions, getting clear about what actually works for you (and your future team), and letting go of the fantasy of a totally risk-free business plan might be the most sustainable way to keep growing—on your own terms. ----more---- CLICK HERE FOR A FREE BREAKTHROUGH EXPERIENCE WITH GRETCHEN ----more----If you’re a massage therapist who wants your practice to feel sustainable again, the Sustainable Bodyworker Membership is where we go deeper. Inside you’ll find practical tools, honest conversations, and support for building a practice that actually works for your body and your life. Click here to learn more and join us. ----more---- Affiliate Links: We’re careful about what we share here. Everything in this section is something we personally use and come back to again and again — tools that support our own bodies, nervous systems, and day-to-day work. Bon Charge: Use code SUSTAINABLE for 15% off! Swanwick Glasses: Use code GRETCHENPOPP for 10% off! InHarmony Meditation Mats: Use code NEURO5 for 5% off! Global Cupping: Use code NEURO for 20% off your first order! We are so grateful for your support of the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast and would love to hear how we can better support you! Click here to give us your feedback on the show. If you’ve got a story, skill, or insight you think would help other bodyworkers, we’d love to hear from you — click here to apply to be a guest on the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast. The ideas and techniques shared by our guests on the Sustainable Bodyworker Podcast are their own unique perspectives and don’t necessarily reflect those of Gretchen Popp or the Sustainable Bodyworker team or community as a whole. Click HERE for your FREE Mindset Shift Hypnotherapy Session with Gretchen!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

61

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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