Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tara Kukla of Mesa

Tara Kukla shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Tara, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
I am very high maintenence in terms of self-care and health.

Every morning, I wake up early to make sure I have time to do one of my favorite things which is scroll Facebook haha. Returning messages, reading articles, and seeing what the world has been up to.

After I’ve finished drinking my coffee and positive online scrolling, I will circulate between doing some cardio at the nice and open park, weight lifting, and/or flexibility training at home. Body health is very important to me. It’s all about balance, right?

Then I make my way into the shower and then on my way to the office!

I won’t see more than 3 clients per day. This allows me to give every client my upmost attention without rushing. I spend my day with these 3 clients puzzle-solving their back and/or hip pain, getting feedback, giving my suggestions on how to stay out of pain, and being intentional.

After my wonderful day in the office, I clean up, shut down, and then Mom duties come in!

This includes picking up the kiddo, grocery shopping, making dinner (or picking up – because we all get a little tired), and helping with homework if needed.

End the day with some nice relaxing TV before bed. Maybe return some emails.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Tara!

I’m a licensed massage therapist and owner of East Valley Therapeutic Massage in Mesa, AZ where I specialize in the relief of back and hip pain.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I had a very “normal” childhood, I would say. A loving mother, a strict step-father, and 5 siblings.

I was the youngest out of 6 children, and I grew up with many friends, plus sisters and brothers who would chase me with a vacuum or “pee-your-pants” laugh with.

Besides having a normal childhood, I also thought I would have a moderate life as an adult, which turned out to be very not true.

I thought I would have a normal 9-5 job, married by 25, and a house with children after marriage.

Turns out I like to think outside the box, do things most people don’t do, and expand myself to reach higher than your normal, average American female.

Instead of getting married, I quit my job and started my own business from scratch during the 2020 covid pandemic at age 27.

Instead of getting a house, I traveled to different countries as a solo-female, learned about different cultures, and enjoyed my own company in these new landscapes.

Instead of being stuck at a desk, I expanded outwards by learning how to pole dance (for my own health), took classes on advanced therapies in different states, reached for out-of-the-box mental stimulus like bookkeeping classes, mechanic classes, and so on. I LOVE to learn and expand my mind.

As a child, I never knew how capable I was, how mentally strong I would be, or how hungry for adventure and knowledge I currently am.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Everything happens for a reason. The path you are led and the hardships you will have to face will set you up for beauty.

The crying, depression, wondering on whether you made the right choice(s), the evil people in your life, etc will be the setting stones of then meeting beautiful people later on who nourish your soul, taking initiatives you didn’t think you would take, and creating a life that you never thought you could have.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say I try to be myself as much as possible.

No one likes a “fake person”, or a robot.

I try to be genuine and show the type of person I am that they are dealing with. There’s no point in trying to be someone else, that would only manifest people who are meant to nourish your soul.

I want people to choose me because of my nature, not who I pretend to be.

So I would hope the public views me as who I truly am, as I don’t try to be someone else.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Oof, don’t worry, I don’t plan on retiring yet (I know a few who have mentioned to me they would be very upset haha), but if I DID,

it would be the conversations.

Most of my clients are regulars, some of which I’ve seen for almost 10 years.

I don’t believe in “hanging out” with clients outside of work as I keep a strict client-therapist relationship, but we can truly become friends in a sense.

You get to know your clients so deeply. Laugh, talk about ex-boyfriends, what their next move in life is, etc

Most of your clients choose you because of your personality, sometimes it has nothing to do with your skills.

They just enjoy having conversations with you, talking about life, and getting the “deets” on how that date went they went on since they last came in for a massage.

Contact Info:

• Website: Https://eastvalleytherapeuticmassage.com
• Instagram: @eastvalleymassage
• Facebook: East Valley Therapeutic Massage

Image Credits
Donna Thompson