How NHI Emeryville’s Haighley Kissee Fell in Love with Bodywork
Haighley Kissee | Core Program Graduate from NHI Emeryville
Haighley Kissee is a Core Program Graduate from NHI’s Emeryville Campus who initially saw massage therapy as a supplemental skill but quickly discovered a profound and passionate calling in bodywork.
Content Summary
- A Shift in Focus: Haighley initially pursued the Core Program as a supplemental skill while planning to obtain her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. However, during the program, she “fell in love with bodywork,” deciding to commit fully to massage therapy as a career due to the deep connection and privilege she felt in working with people on a physical, mental, and spiritual level.
- Building a Specialty in Women’s Health: Haighley currently works for Mama Meg’s Massage in Oakland, CA (owned by an NHI Emeryville graduate). In this role, she has developed an exciting passion and specialty in Pre and Postnatal Massage Therapy, supporting numerous mothers throughout their pregnancies and postpartum transitions.
- Finding True Calling Over Expectation: Haighley chose NHI for its established reputation and cozy environment. The program showed her how to embrace a more compassionate and humane path in healthcare, allowing her to feel “comfortable with what I actually wanted to do versus what others and society expected me to do.”
Finding the Right Path at NHI
“My passion for caring for the human body and helping people become their best and healthier selves drew me to the path of bodywork,” Haighley shares.
She originally enrolled at NHI with a practical goal: Massage Therapy was just supposed to be a supplemental skill while she attended school for her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. However, everything changed while she was in the Core Program.
“I fell in love with bodywork,” she explains. “I decided to commit only to Massage Therapy as my career because of the way I connected with it. I feel it is a privilege to have the ability to work with people on such a comforting and spiritual level. That is a level that only a Massage Therapist can work on. Massage Therapists not only help the body but the mind and soul too.”
Haighley chose NHI after copious research, noting the school’s established reputation and success. After sitting in on a class, she was sold: “The people were great, the campus is small and cozy, and it just felt right being there.” She sends a special thank you to her supportive teachers and classmates, specifically, Akilah and Lisa.
Passionate about Pre and Postnatal Care
Today, Haighley loves her work at Mama Meg’s Massage in Oakland, CA, a local small business where she has worked for the past 1.5 years.
“I have learned so much about Pre and Postnatal Massage Therapy while working for Mama Meg’s Massage,” she says. “It has become such an exciting passion of mine to be able to work with so many moms in the community in supporting them through their pregnancies and the transitions after birth.”
A great testament to the NHI community, the owner of Mama Meg’s Massage, Meg Lamberton, is also a Core Program graduate from the Emeryville campus!
Embracing the Work She Loves
NHI helped Haighley achieve a profound personal breakthrough. “It showed me how to embrace my passion for helping people in a more humane and compassionate manner,” she notes.
Instead of feeling pressured to pursue what was expected, “NHI allowed me to be comfortable with what I actually wanted to do versus what others and society expected me to do.” She concludes, “I couldn’t be more grateful and happy to have work that I love every single day. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Advice for Aspiring Massage Therapists
“Never stop learning and growing,” Haighley advises. “You can always continue to grow your skills and knowledge.” She encourages aspiring therapists to “Be brave and learn about something that you may not be interested in or scared of trying. Who knows! You may end up loving it!”
Connect with Haighley and learn more about her work at mamamegsmassage.com or on Instagram @mamamegsmassage.
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