“Charge what you’re worth.”
“Charge what the market can handle”
“Charge what you need.”
“DOn’t worry what others are charging.”
All of these things I hear and I cringe. There is so much… SO MUCH that goes into what you charge.
You need to consider a few things:
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Expenses -What does it cost to run your business?
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Gross/Net pay (how much do you want to bring home at the end of the year)
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What would you charge that will leave you feeling zero resentment?
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How can you include your bigger missions into your work?
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How does the power differencial affect your ability to provide a healing session?
There’s so much to consider with each of these and this is some of the work we do in practice growth coaching with me.
Students often want me to simply tell them what to charge. I can’t do that, but I can help you explore what feels best for you.
You can take gratuity or you can move away from tips, either is acceptable. What you need to understand is how to charge what you won’t feel resentment eventually. What would you charge for fun or emotional freedom? There is definitely a way to figure out that number but another important question to ask yourself is, “How do you know you’re feeling emotionally free?”
Many therapists come to massage therapy because of their heart and desire to help other humans live better. It’s such a noble cause and an important one. We need to keep you doing your work for a long time. Part of your longevity is your physical body and the other part is your energy and finances.
Few people find money easy to talk about. Money has shame and a lifetime of value and worth attached to it. If we know that, and create a safe container where judgement is removed, we can move through the difficult conversations together.
Energy exchange has to be considered when discussing worth and value. Sure, you can look at your “competition” and decide to price your services around what others are charging, or you can feel empowered in the choice you make for your business.
“Charging what you need”—simply means take your expenses, your salary, and figure out some basic equation. That’s possible, but there’s more to you than just numbers and money, right? Why wouldn’t we apply that same depth to your business practices?
What lights you up? What invigorates you to move forward and through the world? Why wouldn’t that be considered in your business practices?
Energy is Everything. Everything is Energy.
I have this tattooed on myself to remind me that everything is movable and exchangeable. 
We emphasize the experience of a baby coming into the world. It’s the energy the baby feels as he/she enters the world to set them up for a lifetime of good things. But we don’t place that same emphasis on a persons dying experience. This seems left field but stick with me here. I’ve often wondered what happens to that energy of the dying person if it isn’t fully experienced. Does it get stuck is some ether somewhere waiting for it’s time to be fully expressed?
In Elizabeth Gilberts, Big Magic, she talks about the creative spark of a story being a living, breathing tangible feeling. If the writer isn’t ready to accept the task of bringing the story to life, the story will move on to another writer. There’s an energy to the story that will move on if it’s not fully expressed.
I believe, the same could be said for our healing energy in sessions and through our processes. Whether you are conscious of it or not, there is energy bouncing around our interactions. (I’m not talking about energy work sessions here) If we are intelligible of our interactions and mindful of our processes, we will allow the bouncing energy to move through our session to its completion. And I believe that when the energy of our session is satisfied and moves through us in the easiest route, more of that same nourishing energy will go looking for us to feed us—because it feels good & safe where we are.
Ask yourself this, what else could you be contributing to their world, if you weren’t struggling?
It is my belief that people are not inherently lazy. Yes, we look for the easiest route but is that lazy or ingenuity? I believe that people inherently wish to feel they are contributing something to collective and want to be part of the group. If you weren’t struggling, what else would you be doing with your time?
To summarize, if it doesn’t feel good for you (even subconsciously) it’s not going to feel good for your clients or the energy of the session. It’s time to get clear about what feels good to you. Charge what’s going to serve the session so the energy of the exchange can move through and feel complete. But you have to get out of your own way and applying your own story to the story of your clients or their session.
What’s going to leave you feeling no resentment? That’s what you charge.
I believe you’re ready to figure this out. Let’s get to work, contact me for a creative flow session to figure out what you need.