Bodyworks DW has always been an inclusive company. Our mission statement embraces equality as a core tenant with the creation of our studio spaces as highly supportive environments for therapists, staff, and clients alike. It’s readily apparent in our intentional hiring practices, with broad diversity throughout our current and past therapists and support staff.
We also serve a diverse clientele. In short, if you are human and have issues with pain and/or stress, we are here for you and welcome you all.
That being said, as I continue learning and take this moment to examine my feelings and actions, I can see places for expansion and growth for our company in our actions towards social issues.
As a business owner, I have mostly kept the public expression of Bodyworks DW limited to our field of expertise, which is massage therapy and wellness. If you were to happen upon my personal social media channels, it’s very easy to figure out where I stand on many social issues including the black lives matter movement. I’m a humanist. And a pacifist. I couldn’t excel at the work I do without being those things. And I support any initiative that truly works to promote equality. And on my own personal media channels, I’m not at all shy about it.
However, Bodyworks DW itself has been shy about it, at least on our public face. Privately, with clients who know me, I’m not shy with my views. But our website rarely strays beyond our “lane” of massage therapy, nor do our social media profiles. Initially, this was out of an older way that I was taught to do business. Which is that you don’t mix business and the third rail of social issues. Not in any way that could impede our ability to practice our main mission of providing massage therapy.
I’ll admit it. I’ve been afraid of our getting attacked by a social media mob online. Of seeing all the hard work of building our reputation in the field get smothered in a sea of negative reviews. Of becoming a target. It would be so easy for bad actors to hit us hard where it would hurt us most…which would affect the income of not just me, but also of my staff.
Especially in the last several years. While the need for taking action has increased and my desire to do something has increased with it….so too have I seen swastikas popping up all over the place. As a Jewish man I have wrestled with fears of our business being targeted due to my name.
We’ve had many discussions among management and then brought in the team at large for a discussion and brainstorm. We will continue to have these discussions on a regular basis going forward. And while we haven’t determined exactly what this means for us yet, and exactly what we plan to do, we do know a few things with absolute certainty.
Going forward, Bodyworks DW will not be quite so shy with our views on social issues that are in alignment with our core values.
Of course, we will still be mainly focused on our main mission of providing the highest quality massage therapy available. And promoting massage therapy to gain it’s rightful place as a form of valuable healthcare. But in addition to that, we will be showing our support for other causes and other missions that we believe in that are advancing equality and peace for all humans.
Not just implicitly in our hiring and our inclusiveness, but explicitly as well on our website, blog, and social channels.
Our next actions will be to create a page on our website that shares our “Actions for Progressive Social Change.” Where we’ll list any causes we donate either time or money to as well as sharing resources and profiles of organizations and people that we support. And you’ll start seeing posts about social change on our social channels with more frequency as well.
We won’t be stopping there.
If you have thoughts or ideas about how our company can contribute to progressive change and the black lives matter movement we are 1000% open to hearing them!
And lastly, lest you worry that I’m going to start forgetting myself as a healthcare professional…..wear a mask!
