Meet Hannah Ramirez | Massage Therapist

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

Hi Hannah, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in a small, rural town in central Louisiana. Although I grew up very loved and surrounded by family, my childhood was chaotic and unstable to say the least. As the oldest child to multiple divorces, wrought with drug use, alcoholism, and financial instability, I was often referred to as “the backbone of the family”. I was thrusted into a caregiver roll at a young age, as well as being born into a family of nurses. I watched my mother work three jobs, lose a home, vehicle, and marriages, while being her support during my most formidable years.

In my junior year of high school, I saw a commercial for the Army National Guard promoting their college tuition exemption program, and knew it was my only “way out”. I completed basic training that summer, returned to school to finish my senior year, then promptly completed Advanced Individual Training where I became a motor transport operator (a truck driver), all by the age of 18.

Once I returned home from training, I began a nursing program at my local community college, out of lack of employment options or knowledge that any other profession even existed! I graduated and was a licensed practical nurse by 20.

During this period of my life I was incredibly destructive and unhealthy, both mentally and physically. I smoked cigarettes, I drank to excess, and I was involved in the most unhealthy relationships imaginable. After juggling this insane lifestyle and working as an LPN for only 6 months, I was notified that I would be deploying to Afghanistan, to conduct convoy security, on a 12 month deployment. It saved my life.

My deployment opened my eyes to how vast the world is, outside of my rural hometown. I’m at other soldiers from all over the world, I saw mountains and snow for the first time, as well as the best and worst aspects of humanity.

I returned from war at the ripe age of 22, still destructive and chaotic, but with a bigger sense of adventure and appreciation for life. After a few more years of nursing and pursuing yet another unhealthy relationship, I hit my breaking point. I reached out to a fellow soldier that I had met in Afghanistan, who resided in California, for a recommendation of a safe or interesting place to move to. She graciously opened her door to me and I was there in three months. With my little black jeep packed with all of my belongings, I decided to start fresh.

I lived in a little beach town in Southern California for 2 1/2 years, still going through the motions as nurse. During my time there I discovered a love for hiking, running, and being outdoors in general, which had never appealed to me in the past. In 2018 on a whim, I moved to Portland Oregon, where my passion for hiking evolved into an obsession, and I decided to dedicate the year to financially and physically train to hike the Pacific crest Trail —a trail system that runs continuously from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada, a total of 2650 miles.

It was working that year im Portland, at one of the worst nursing facilities I had ever worked at in my career. I became completely burnt out on the occupation and the abuse associated with it. My anxiety and stress levels were at an all time high, but I had a bigger goal to focus on so, I powered through. I saved the money, quit that horrific job, sold all of my belongings and embarked on a 5 1/2 month trek, the length of America.

It was during this hike that I finally had time to reflect on my life, my career, my past, present, and future. I decided that I had to get out of nursing and I set my focus on massage therapy. Not knowing that one could earn a living doing massage, I convinced myself that I would work part time as a nurse (stressful but lucrative) and part-time as a massage therapist (less stressful, but surely not lucrative?) to balance out the high intensity and stress of healthcare.

After I completed the life changing trek, I moved to Santa Barbara, CA where I started massage therapy school immediately. After completion, my partner, and I moved to Aspen Colorado, where I quickly learned that I no longer financially needed to depend on nursing, and started massage therapy full-time.

Owning a business was never my plan, but as the universe had directed me in so many other directions in the past, I surrendered to it and it happened. Once I completely removed myself from the toxicity of the healthcare system, even the slightest amount of stress in my new career, seemed menial in comparison, but still unnecessary. So after working as an independent contractor for a few years, with the encouragement of friends and family I ripped the Band-Aid and started my own small business. The unknown was terrifying, but staying in an environment that was not fully respecting my worth, was worse.

I am now completely independent, and wear all of the hats, yet have less stress put upon me than at any other time in my life! I make my own schedule, I have a work/life balance that I never knew was possible, and most of all, I don’t dread going to work any day!

What should our readers know about your business?
With a 10 year background in healthcare, massage therapy feels so natural to me. I’m able to provide personalized one-on-one care, in a stress free environment. I specialize in my facial release, manual lymmphatic drainage, and medical massage. These modalities are greatly needed in the area where I now live, as I am surrounded by athletes and just a general population of highly active people who want to stay highly active.

The hardest part of starting my own business was overcoming the fear of starting a business. After an entire career life of being an employee, I didn’t know where to start, but I had a friend tell me “You may not know what you’re doing, but do it anyway and you’ll figure it out along the way” and that profoundly hit me. I took her advice and found that it was actually much easier than expected.

I know, make my own schedule, my own prices, I choose who I want to work with, and have a work life balance that I never imagined was possible!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Beyond my wildest dreams, I now live in the mountains of Colorado about 40 minutes from Aspen. I have numerous friends and family that visit each year, and they never go bored.
For my more adventurous friends and family, hiking is a must whether it be along the river or up a 14,000 ft mountain. In the winter, snowboarding/skiing is on the itinerary, followed by a soak at one of our local Hot Springs. And if they are lucky, I may be able to squeeze a massage in for them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shout out, Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute. They welcomed an angry, burnt out nurse; showed me compassion and taught me to slow down and that nothing is an emergency.

I also have to acknowledge my mother, husband, and fellow massage therapist friends, who instilled the work ethic in me that I have to reach my goals, and gave me the encouragement I needed to step away from toxic work places and have the confidence in myself to create the life I want.

Website: https://www.sageandsteelmassage.com

Instagram: @sage.and.steel.massage