Episode 136: Nicola Hogan - The Art of Client Care: Listening Without Words

What do clients learn about us before they even get on the table?

In this episode, we speak with remedial massage therapist Nicola Hogan about the communication that sits beneath the hands-on work.

Nicola shares how her early years in hospitality shaped the way she thinks about client care, rapport, timing, attention to detail, and professionalism. We discuss the expectations clients form before they arrive, from websites and booking systems through to emails, policies, and the feel of the treatment space.

On the table, we explore how therapists listen beyond words: breath, guarding, toe curling, goosebumps, tummy gurgles, silence, conversation, and the small cues that help us respond with more care and less assumption.

We also unpack scope, boundaries, over giving, mentoring, burnout, sustainable practice, and why being present with clients does not mean becoming their counsellor.

Visit Nicola’s website at https://nicolahoganmassage.com/ and read her Substack, Beneath the Touch, at https://beneaththetouch.substack.com/.

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Theme Music: Simon Pettersson "All Alone" (2020), Licensed use through Audio Hero Inc