Heather McCutcheon is the owner of Here’s the Rub, LLC, a licensed massage therapist, Reiki practitioner and teacher, and author. She is also the founder/executive director of the Reiki Brigade NFP, a group of more than 20 practitioners who conduct outreach events to introduce the benefits of Reiki via presentations and one-on-one demonstrations. Since 2011 they have offered more than 7,000, ten-minute Reiki sessions to Chicago police officers, homeless veterans, medical students and faculty, incarcerated individuals, survivors of domestic violence, and attendees of trade shows and corporate wellness events. Heather is approved to offer CEUs to massage therapists, LCPCs, and LCSWs for her classes and workshops. In addition to writing her book, she has had articles featured in numerous trade publications. The Illinois Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association has honored Heather with Distinguished Service and Humanitarian awards for her work with veterans and raising awareness of sex trafficking under the guise of massage therapy within the massage industry.

Hi.

I’m Heather, and I’ve been growing as a massage therapist and healing energy practitioner since 1998.

My path started out very differently. After earning a BA in English from the University of Iowa, I worked at a full-service ad agency for several years. Advertising is a competitive field in a big city like Chicago, and I did’t have the stomach for the cut-throat politics necessary to climb that particular ladder. Just as I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, I broke both my legs playing rugby, also a very competitive game.

The first time I hobbled on crutches from my job, which I’d grown to dread, to PT, I was in awe of the energy of the healing environment. The therapists were wearing T-shirts and khaki shorts and smiling. There were thank you notes all over the walls, and people were happy to hand over their money as they left because they felt better. I’d discovered a whole new world and wanted to be a part of it.

A week later I saw an ad for the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, and decided to leave my job at the agency to participate in their program. I knew almost nothing about massage (and had never had one!) but the more I found out, the happier I was with my decision. The 16-month program taught me everything I needed to get started, and instilled enough enthusiasm in me to want to learn more. Everything fell into place and my business has been thriving ever since.

Now I often wear T-shirts and khaki shorts to work. I frequently hear from my clients and students that coming to see me is the highlight of their day, that I’ve helped them achieve their goals, or made it easier for them to cope with stressful situations and feel happier and healthier in their lives. I love sharing what I've learned, so I recruit kind-hearted folks to help me introduce underserved communities and prestigious organizations to the benefits of Reiki, document these events, and share the results with the world. I can’t think of a more rewarding way to earn a living. 

If you want to find out more about my healing adventures, you can read my book, Connecting the Dots: from ad exec to energy practitioner. The memoir begins with a naive girl, and ends with the adventures of a woman challenging established social systems by combining ancient healing techniques and modern communications technologies.

These days I find the people I work with inspire me with their integrity, creativity and generosity of spirit. It’s quite a change from where I began this journey. My hope is for everyone else to experience as much satisfaction with their work as I do. If you have a similar story, I really look forward to hearing it, and encourage you to share it with as many other people as you can.