Meet Carrie Kopp Adams: USMC spouse, licensed massage therapist, yoga instructor, and wellness coach. She owns Massage By Carrie, a mobile wellness practice, and works with Wounded Warriors, DOD staff, military service members, and their families at Fort Meade, MD. She recently won an award through ABMP (American Bodywork & Massage Professionals) to support her mission to rehabilitate clients recovering from illness, injury, or surgery.
Question: How did you begin your entrepreneurial journey? Did you start your business before military spouse life or during the ever-changing army experience?
My entrepreneurial journey began in NYC, where I first had a photography business. When I married my husband and relocated to Camp Pendleton, I had to pivot. The market was heavily saturated with military spouse photographers, and there was little to no available work for fashion/editorial photography near Oceanside, CA. I fell back on a massage therapy diploma and began working with clients at their residences. Then, I got a permanent location through MCCS Semper Fit next to the Wounded Warriors Battalion. During Covid, I had to pivot again by adding a YouTube channel and becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor. When we PCS’D to Fort Meade in 2020, I could stay in touch with clients in California and offer them additional complementary services online.
Question: How has the military impacted you as a business owner? How did you overcome some of the many obstacles that come about during deployments, PCS season, and settling into new duty stations?
The military offers a niche market of loyal clientele. Many of my clients have extensive physical injuries and taught me that integrating different healing modalities achieves sustainable results. As a business owner, it feels so valuable to help clients manage their pain and improve their quality of life. They have solidified the importance of self-care in overcoming the challenges of military life. Through PCS season & deployments, my work has become a great stabilizer. Having a business where I can generate income from anywhere in the world helps create a seamless transition from one duty station to the next. In my home organizing sessions, I show clients how to do this as resourcefully as possible. I’ve learned in my business that everything can be a form of wellness. So I try to employ the principles I teach (good nutrition, yoga practice, meditation, etc.) in managing the stress and anxiety that comes with this often unpredictable way of life.
Question: How has mobilizing your wellness practice changed the way you conduct business? Did it significantly impact business development, and how would you provide your services? What steps did you have to take to make this come to fruition?
Mobilizing my business opened me up to a world of possibilities. Not having the overhead of a physical location allowed me to give back more to my clients. I saw my most isolated clientele throughout the pandemic. Their sessions in their own space made my clients feel more comfortable discussing health-related issues.
Since I’ve been willing to travel, I created an opportunity to work with folks all over Maryland. If you’re not a person who’ll go to a location to make time for self-care, you may never begin to solve your problem. But, if you are willing to have self-care come to you, a door to wellness could be opened that you could continue walking through for life.
Question: How has AMSE influenced you as a military spouse entrepreneur? What are some of your favorite resources they provide?
The masterclasses are a great resource. It’s a beautiful way to support all the entrepreneurial military spouses and encourage others thinking of starting a business to succeed in finding their passion and financial freedom.
AMSE has a great network of military spouse entrepreneurs. How do you use this fantastic community to build your business and professional network?
I have personally connected to a few spouses via the online guide and hope to share more of my story via podcast one day. I also created a FREE guided meditation with military spouses in mind, which received much good feedback from the community. It can be accessed here:
Relieve STRESS and ANXIETY Guided meditation 😌 🙏☁️ #wellnessjourney
Question: There are so many types of businesses represented at AMSE - ranging from those that provide different products to various services. What is one piece of advice someone gave you, as a military spouse entrepreneur, that you find relevant to the members of the AMSE community?
During my time in California, I learned the value of trading services. This is a great way to save time and money and give back to yourself for everything you do. It’s also an excellent way to network, make fast friends, and provide referrals.
Carrie, a dedicated USMC spouse, has established herself as a successful entrepreneur in the realm of holistic healthcare, skillfully operating a mobile wellness practice at Fort Meade, Maryland.