Today we’d like to introduce you to Persephone Godwin.
Persephone, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up with food sensitivities, inflammation, and a major horse accident at 13, I’ve always had to seek out holistic medicine and healing modalities. Massage was always a part of that. Living on Maui, I had friends who were massage therapists but I couldn’t afford to pay them, so I would massage them back. They always encouraged me to become a licensed massage therapist. At the time I was so focused on my music I couldn’t invest the time and money for school. Fast forward to years later, I came to a dead end with music and was unhappy living in Nashville, and suddenly massage school was the next step forward. Ironically, taking that step brought music back in a way that made me happier than ever. 😁
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Going to school for massage and training for my Pilates certification were both challenging. If you want to help others with their body and their relationship to pain, strength, and healing, you have to confront all of those things within yourself. Massage had the advantage of being able to trade with other students so, in addition to giving bodywork, I got a lot of wonderful healing and nurturing along the way.
The Pilates came a bit harder! I want the maximum results with the minimum effort, and I use pain as an excuse not to push harder. My first Pilates instructor (my boyfriend) pushed me, with love of course, but he also didn’t let me off the hook! Lol. After 3 years of training, I have a different spine than I used to have, and I’m fixing the imbalance in my hips. I’m also hopeful that I can finally heal arthritis in my neck from my horse falling on me when I was young. That’s my ultimate goal!
Persephone Godwin Massage and Pilates – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I hear people saying all the time why they don’t go to an exercise class or work with a trainer. I tell people all the time if you never work out again, five minutes now will still help you. When they aren’t looking at years of hard work, they can handle five minutes. And of course, after five minutes, you feel better! So you’re going to try again.
When it comes to massage, I’ve been doing it long enough that it has become second nature. I understand muscles. I just know their language. People talk to me about what is going on, but the second they’re on the table, their body tells me it’s own story, and I follow that.
Ultimately, my goals with my clients are to give you the tools to have a better relationship with your body, so that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you know how to make yourself feel better through movement or self-care.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m finishing my training on the last two pieces of Pilates equipment-the Cadillac and the Reformer, with Ivon Dahl’s International Pilates certification program. I’m looking forward to training more clients, and sharing what has helped me so much! I recently shot a music video and had to “pretend float” in space.
It was funny because I had no idea all the training I had been doing (and yes, resisting) all these years would come into play. All those exercises I didn’t want to do but finally mastered were put to good use – for a very good cause! It was exhausting, but fun and rewarding to see how far I’ve come through years of massage and Pilates!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 310-463-4009
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/qTKq/bDZVdd7gSO
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/persephonegodwin/
Image Credit:
Nicky Corbett, Matt Richardson
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
