The Soma Institute

The National School of Clinical Massage Therapy
Career Stories
Penny Chelios, Graduate of The Soma Institute
Penny began working at one of the most prestigious athletic clubs in Chicago within a year of graduating
from The Soma Institute. When asked about her decision to train as a massage therapist she said,
“My education at Soma has changed my life. Aside from giving me the confidence, knowledge and
ability to interact with people of all ages and levels of discomfort, Soma’s intensive curriculum left me
with an expanded awareness of just how important it is to maintain balance in one’s muscular/structural
body and that it will result in a lifetime of minimal body aches and pains. No matter who the client is,
I find myself prepared to assist them and develop a plan to treat their specific needs. The training and
knowledge I received at Soma has also allowed me to overcome many personal physical obstacles
which used to restrict my range of motion while performing even the most routine daily activities.”
Penny had the following comments when asked what she liked best about her new career, “I love the
flexibility of my work schedule and being able to make a difference in the lives and physical well-being
of my clients. I also enjoy the fact that while I am working I get a total body workout of my own, as I
am not confined to a chair or standing at a counter at a job which requires me to be inactive all day. I
constantly receive positive feedback and praise from my clients which only confirms that I made the
correct career choice. I feel a sense of professionalism I was never able to feel before in my 25 years
of employment.”
Candace Marzec, Graduate of The Soma Institute
Candace graduated from The Soma Institute, and briefly worked in a medical office before returning
to Soma and enrolling in Soma’s Master Clinical Massage Therapy Program. Speaking upon how her
education at Soma helped her to be successful in her career, Candace said: “I have really found the interview
process has been so relaxing because the employers are aware of Soma’s reputation and that
has always given me a step up over the competition for positions. With the added benefit of the training
I received in the Master Program, both employers and clients see me as someone at the top of her
profession which has opened even more windows of opportunity for me.”
Candace also talked about the things she enjoys most about her career, “The most enjoyable part of
my career is the reward I get from assisting people with their pain and allowing them to see that there
is are solutions to help alleviate health issues that in some cases they have had to deal with over a
long period of time.”
When asked about solutions she had come up with to ward off any obstacles in her career, Ms.
Marzec said: “I have not really had any obstacles to overcome when looking for employment or solutions
to my client’s issues. I have always been able to refer back to my training at Soma or by networking
with other graduates to assist me with any pathology I had difficulty treating.”
Nina Franklin, Graduate of The Soma Institute
Immediately after graduating from The Soma Institute, Nina began a Master’s in Movement Sciences
program at U.I.C. majoring in applied exercise physiology. She also established a business, Complete
Health Solutions, L3C which is a health and wellness consulting firm specializing in exercise prescription
and programming, nutrition and weight management as well as clinical and therapeutic massage.
Nina also participates in many health and wellness seminars. In the Fall of 2010, she was awarded a
$30,000 research grant from the Massage Therapy Foundation. The topic she is studying is the “Efficacy
of Massage Therapy in Attenuating Vascular Dysfunction after Exertion-Induced Muscle Injury”.
Addressing how Soma has affected her career, Nina said the following, “When I visited Soma for the
first time I had never had a massage in my life. Soma gave me the desire to explore more physical aspects
of human movement. Massage provides me with the great joy of implementing manual manipulation
to address a client’s pathologies. This goes hand in hand with my career as a personal trainer
which to me is the next step in the healing process”.
Nina also spoke about her love of massage therapy as a career: “The combination of my training in kinesiology,
exercise physiology, and massage therapy is a unique training skill set because I am able to
integrate each of them into massage therapy treatments. It is a natural instinct for me to be able to interpret
a client’s dysfunction since I have had several cadaver anatomy courses and this along with the
massage therapy training allows me to see the whole picture when analyzing a client’s needs. This
makes for a very dynamic career as each client brings with them a unique challenge.”
5