Seonaid has been a Senior Educator of Massage at Demi International for approximately 3 years and has recently added the role of Admin and Compliance Manager to her responsibilities. She is also a loving mum to two beautiful daughters…sounds like she’s got a bit on! Previous roles include being a full time Massage Therapist, business owner and workshop facilitator.
Seonaid kicked off her journey with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts – majoring in Theatre and Creative Writing…maybe she should be doing my job (Ann, that was a joke). As a self-confessed student of life, she has studied two years of a psychology degree, then took a less traditional yet more proactive approach to inner and outer contentment by studying Ka Huna massage, Heartlight Healing, some forms of Thai Massage, Chinese Cupping, Hot Stone Therapy, Ho’o’pono pono – an ancient Hawaiian form of problem solving – (ancient but effective psychology), Training and Assessment and a Certificate IV in Small Business Management.
The best thing about her role is the opportunity to form fabulous working relationships with her students, and using her knowledge to enhance their skills in the area they choose to specialise. Seonaid gets to see students grow in confidence, become inspired and then provide amazing treatments that are really unique to their strengths and interests, then take that next step to making their dream a reality. Sometimes the results of training can be truly life changing – and those are the greatest moments of her role.
In contrast the admin and compliance part of her job stimulates the other parts of her brain, something a little different to learn new skills. She is an eternal student! She also gets a great deal of satisfaction from being in a support role to a great team.
When asked what is the worst thing about her role her response is immediate ‘I am not a fan of marking student’s bookwork. Although I understand the importance of this, and take it very seriously, it can be very time consuming and at times worse than watching concrete dry. I ask my students to add something unique and funny into their answers – just so I get a giggle.’
Sounds like Seonaid’s been keeping herself busy over the year however somehow she managed to fit in one of her greatest achievements ‘I’ve had a few different careers over my life. I held a 2 year residency at Jupiters and the Treasury Casino as the female vocalist of a jazz trio. Consistent work like that in the music/entertainment industry is something to be proud of, and a dream partially achieved.’
She quickly follows this up with ‘Every time a student graduates I feel it’s a wonderful joint achievement. I know how much work goes into finishing a qualification, so I am always very proud, and often a little emotional.’
And always a mum ‘Being the best mum I can be will always be my biggest achievement.’
If she wasn’t doing her thing at Demi she’d love to be singing in jazz clubs/events around the world, on stage performing in musical theatre or stage play. She is quite often caught out by her students singing in class! And if she had some spare time she would write something captivating and inspiring, maybe a commentary on her experiences on the journey of life.
Finally, her words or wisdom for those considering a career in the industry:
‘The complementary health industry is changing, and growing all the time. Keep learning, expanding your horizons and remember that the journey of life is an adventure, change is the only constant, be adaptable, seize opportunities you never know where they will take you next and never overfill your cup, there is always something to learn and often it comes from the most unexpected sources!’
