Today we’d like to introduce you to Joleen Kolk.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
That’s a good question. Well sence the age of 12 I suffered with “lock Jaw”. Or as the medical field calls it, temporal mandibular joint disorder. I tried sooo many treatments over the years. I never had relief. It was when I turned 21 my father gave up the masonry business and decided to become a massage therapist. He was so tired of seeing family, and friends have needless surgeries that still provided no pain relief. He told me, If I’m going to do this, I will learn from the best. I will be a big fish, in a little pond. ” We had lived in more states than I can remember. But we found our home in a little town in East Texas called Gilmer.
I laughed a little. My dad (Don Wheeler), was cocky enough to know it could be done. Wise enough to search for the best . And Humble enough to know that would take a lot of education and travel to get the best education.
Paul st. John was the name we heard again and again. My father went wherever this man taught. Soooo basically all over the United States, And a couple of classes in international waters. After doing so my father asked Paul, ” How do I get you to East Texas to teach? ” Paul said, If you host it, I will come.” In the meantime I was my dads …. how do you say? Guinea pig. Haha.
And when he learned the T.M.J technique… I opened my mouth All the way for the first time in 10 years!
This wasn’t the most comfortable treatment. However… AFTER 10 YEARS OF TRYING EVERY KIND OF TREATMENT RECOMMEND BY DOCTORS, CHIROPRACTICERS, HOLISTIC, HERBALIST , I could open my mouth and have relief. Relief from something i had endured so long I thought i had to feel that way the rest of my life.
Why was my dad just able to fix my T.M.J disorder in 2 hours of internal and external treatment of my mouth and facial muscles ???? Frankly, I was angry! Because..it just wasn’t that complicated! Why doesn’t everyone know about this treatment? THAT was the day I knew i was going to be a licensed massage therapist that specialized in neuromuscular and neurosomatic therapy.
Our Family business is named Corrective Massage Therapy.
It started with our dad, then me, then my sister brandie Rivera ( now she is in Fredericksburg, Tx) and is a neurosomatic therapist. My sister Julia in my opinion is the reason why we are all organized, and know what we are doing every day. She is the first voice, and smile our clients see. She is more than an office administrator. To me she’s become the heart of the business. And I am sooooo incredibly happy to announce MY DAUGHTER is now specializing in neurosomatic therapy. With Elexia Kolk joining us that makes THREE GENERATIONS .. of Massage therapist. I couldn’t be more proud. In our business we look at our clients as a whole. We do a postural analysis on them. So, in essence we make a map of their body. The Painful area in your body is rarely where the problem is coming from. When your body is in proper alignment, your will function at your highest potential. What people forget is muscle and organs effect your posture. So we treat the Cause of your symptoms. Do you have a frozen shoulder? If its on the right side of your body… you probably need your liver treated. Does your low back hurt? And you have too much hip flexion.. you probably need your ovaries treated , or uterus, or small intestine. The list goes on and on. And its just.. not… that.. complicated! Everyone should be getting treatments like these.
We treat women trying to get pregnant, and have successfully helped their body to be in a better condition to get pregnant. We treat the pregnant woman.. after the first trimester to help her body adjust and prepare for delivery. I do labor support. We treat new born babies, weather that be from cranial distortions, to colic, ecs. We literally treat every age, and stage of life. Id say 70% of surgeries have been canceled with our treatments. We love learning! So we keep educating ourselves. We incorporate essential oils, and bachflowers for emotional balancing. After all have you ever seen a depressed person with great posture? No. You can identify that person from across the room. Emotion effects physical, physical effect emotions. Muscle store trauma, ecs… I could go on and on. Someone asked me the other day… , “would you consider yourself holistic, or medical???”
I thought for a minute and said… I consider my self…. both. After all this is natural healing, looking at the whole person. It’s also science. But, not brain science. Because this is easy stuff. Everyone should know this. That being said.. I put on rubber gloves when I need to do mouth, throat, or nose work.
I just consider myself eager to learn, grateful for the care entrusted in myself and my team. And thankful to have been able to ride the coat tails of my father to learn from the best!
Side note: my first day in massage school I opened up our book to learn..
And started to laugh. There in the pages of history of massage was a familiar face, Paul st.John. I immediately took a photo and texted my father and Paul… I sent the picture to them. I really have learned from the best. And I feel blessed.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no.
I am a daughter, wife, mother ,sister, and a J.W. Its not always easy to find balance between work life. Where people say they can only function if I am available to get them their treatments,
My dad said, “I’ve learned to run my business. Instead of my business running me. “
That being said, a day before he died of cancer… He did morning worship with his congregation, did a massage, played with his grand kids, did a bible study with his nurse. Helped me bring in groceries and read me a scripture. Galations 6:7- 10.
The biggest struggle by far… is trying to fill his big , beautiful, weathered shoes.
But….. Julia, Brandi, Elexia and myself are doing it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We want to know your WHY and How?
Why is your body feeling the way it does. Why is it functioning the way it does? How can we help it function at its highest?
We do not do guess work! That’s why we are different. We do not treat your symptoms. We treat the causes.
We do a postural analysis, Gait patterns, we take your medical history. And emotional history, if need be. We treat the ailing, and the athlete. The doctors, and their kids, and grand kids. The babies , the ballerinas, the boxers. The pregnant and those trying to get pregnant. Ecs…
70% of our clients cancel their surgeries. That’s not bragging, its facts. God made our bodies to heal. We just have to give it the opportunity.
We help people understand and correct the patterns of their body. We help with the pain, restrictions, trauma that the body holds. We will help you re-educate your body.
And teach you how to treat yourself.
We dont want life long clients.
We want you fixed and out the door and telling your friends to come to the little town of gilmer texas . ( if you’re a long time client, I want it to be because you know to take good care of yourself.) We do actually have people that come from all over the United States. And we do not take our clients for granted. Thank you so much for entrusting your care, and that of your loved ones to us. And though.. we don’t “walk on water, or have a magic wand.” We will do our absolute best to help your body functions at its highest.
By the way… with the whole Corrective Massage team, as a collective …we have about 48 years or more of experience. That’s “not too shabby” as my dad would have said.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Janet travell has the most amazing books. My two red books are my “bible” when it comes to my work. She was a head of her game.
And… Instagram you’ve blown me out of the water… it kind of cracks me up that people are showing the nose work and mouth work I’ve done for more than 24 years. I love it. I have next to no Instagram presence… But
Human Garage on Instagram you’ve motivated me to show and talk about my work.
The tapping solution.
Other books I just like are
#1 The New World Translation Bible. I know there is a free one on Jw.org in any language.
I also love psychology.. so books like..
Let Them,
The 5 love languages.
Art is amazingly grounding for me.
The Artist Way Work Book by julia cameron.
Our business Instagram is
correctivemassagetherapy
Correctivemassagetherapy.square.site
Pricing:
- 2 hour massage- $180
- 1.5 hour- $135
- 1 hour- $90
Contact Info:
- Website: https://correctivemassagetherapy.square.site/
- Instagram: correctivemassagetherapy
