Rising Stars: Meet Kandice Watson of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kandice Watson.

Hi Kandice, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It was during one of the hardest times of my life! I was looking for a way to pay my bills, and feed my children, other than serving at El Torito. I was in school for Physical Therapy, and thought maybe Massage Therapy would be a good addition, plus a better paycheck. It was the first time the program was offered in trade schools in CA. To be honest, I didn’t take it seriously at first. I didn’t know enough about the body to think I could make so much of a difference in people’s lives. My teachers and mentors, from the very first day, had faith in me. They took special care to educate me, and give me a good real world idea of the business. I had no plan or expectation that I would fall in love with it, over the last 25 years.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
A little bumpy! One of my motivations for getting into bodywork, was to help myself, and those I loved, with our daily pain. Pain from chronic illness, autoimmune issues, structural imbalances, and…life. What I never considered was that my battle with those very human things, would make me a distracted practitioner. I self-medicated to keep up with the demand. I became a bad example of my work. At that point, I decided that wasn’t sustainable for me. I started working to help myself, to figure out the things in the body that people struggle with most. Then I began applying what worked on me, to my clients. It worked! That years long struggle to feel well has given me the wisdom to help others, and allowed me to stay healthy and present for whatever anyone brings me.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been a practicing Medical Massage Therapist for over 25 years, and added Birth Doula to my my services in 2021. My approach is not modality based, but rather manually putting the body back in the best position possible. My touch is constantly variable, depending on what I am working on. My hands tend to adjust, meeting between your comfort level, and my ability to get things done. This can include neuromuscular work, nervous system reset, Lymphatic Drainage, releasing impingements, and significant circulation improvements. When your body is more opened up, and many of the persistent symptoms are gone, you have a better idea of how you actually feel. Then we can look at what’s left; address bad habits and chronic overuse, and assess where changes need to be made. This includes the body adapting for stress, surgery, illness, grief, abuse, etc., and then getting stuck in that routine. I try to help you break those routines, and replace it with something more sustainable for your body. I tend to specialize in a few areas I considered underrepresented in other MTs. I focus heavily on the neck, all breast/chest surgeries and scarring, performers, autoimmune issues, and all ages, including newborn.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The ability to explain the body in a way that makes sense. My intention is to focus less on helping someone temporarily feel better, and more to help them understand enough about their bodies that they may live the life they want to. Free of pain, undo stress over discomfort, and injury. My process is progressive and collaborative. We move at the speed of your comfort and understanding, for long term success. In this case that is you understanding the things that are good and bad for your body, and having consistent confident control over feeling the best you can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carebykandice.com
• Other: krwatson777@gmail.com