Twenty years ago, a coworker handed me a flyer for massage school. I glanced at it, set it aside, and told myself I'd think about it later. Later never came — and honestly, I've been thinking about that flyer ever since.

Life took me down the IT road instead. I built a career in tech, and I don't regret it. But the idea of working with my hands, of actually helping people feel better in a real, tangible way — that never really left me.

About 15 years ago, I finally did something about it. A girlfriend's offhand comment ("but you're not certified!") lit a fire under me, and I enrolled in the Swedish massage program at the Healing Arts Institute. I loved it. I was good at it. And then, halfway through the program, California raised its certification requirements from 150 hours to 500 hours. Life got complicated, and I never finished the process.

I've carried that unfinished chapter with me ever since.

Now, after some reflection on where I am and where I want to go, I'm ready to close it — the right way. I've researched programs, visited campuses, and I'm committed to enrolling at the National Holistic Institute to earn my full 500-hour certification.

Why now?

A few reasons, honestly. I've always wanted to do work that helps people — truly helps them — and I could never quite figure out what that looked like for me. Massage therapy answers that question. There's also the reality that the tech world is changing fast. AI is reshaping IT careers in ways nobody predicted, and I want to build something that no algorithm can replace: a skilled, healing human touch.

My goal is to build my own massage therapy practice — a real business that's mine, that serves my community, and that I can grow over time. This isn't a whim. It's something I've been circling for two decades, and I'm finally ready to commit fully.

The program tuition is $18,000, and right now there's simply no room in my budget to save for it. So I'm asking for help.

If you've ever received a massage that made you feel human again after a brutal week, you know what this work means to someone on the receiving end. I want to be that person for others.

Any contribution — $10, $50, $100 or more — gets me closer to making this real. And if you can't give, sharing this page costs nothing and means everything.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me.

— Jonathan