How one man switched his suits for serenity with a new career as a Bowen Therapist
We’re excited to interview Diploma graduate, Jon Watson, who successfully made the transition from a long corporate career to a full-time Bowen Therapist in just a few years.
This is Jon’s story.
“As a Corporate Executive at some of Australia’s largest retailers for 30 odd years, I often get asked, “What got you into Bowen Therapy?”
The answer goes back some 18 years to when my daughter was very young.
We were told that she would need major facial and sinus surgery so she could breathe properly as she would stop breathing when she slept.
The surgery result was not guaranteed.
Coupling this with a severe hormone imbalance, our little angel’s life was pretty miserable.
This was a lot to digest for first-time parents and was emotionally draining on both me and my wife.
So, how did I get into Bowen Therapy?
My wife saw an advertisement in a local school newsletter for Bowen Therapy.
It claimed it could “help” with adolescent issues and, along with other symptoms, sinus problems.
We both thought, “What the heck, it can’t be any worse than what the surgeons want to do to her.”
So off we toddled with our daughter for our first-ever Bowen Therapy session!
Our Bowen Therapist, Rick, was absolutely amazing with her; she warmed to him straight away. She saw Rick 4 weeks in a row and started sleeping on her own. We wanted to cry with relief.
We persisted for the next few months and further scans in the hospital showed improvement in the structure of her airways.
Further treatments continued with Rick for other issues for around 12 months with such fantastic success.
To this day, our daughter has not needed to have any of the prescribed surgeries.
After a couple of months into her treatments, I started receiving treatments as well, realising that it wasn’t the ‘voodoo magic’ that I had perceived it to be.
That was the start of my love of Bowen Therapy.
I sat with Rick and asked him the same question: ‘How did you get into Bowen Therapy?’
He was a bricklayer. His back, neck and hands were giving out. He needed something less strenuous on his body.
He had Bowen treatments and had thought, ‘I can do this.’
We talked about the process of certification, and I knew I had to learn it too.
Life, distractions, and a corporate career got in the way and that was that.
Fast forward 15 years to my 50th birthday in 2020.
I was burnt out and unfulfilled in my corporate career, and I felt a total drain on my family.
I needed to change.
I was asked, ‘What’s your passion?’ – and I couldn’t answer. (I wasn’t allowed to say family, I was told that was a cop-out.)
So I was asked, ‘What do YOU want to do?’. I don’t know what happened, but my discussion with Rick so many years ago popped into my head and I said, ‘Bowen Therapy.’
I went onto the BTA website that night and registered my interest in a Certificate IV course.
Undertaking my Certificate IV was just so refreshing. I finally felt, personally, ‘valuable.’ I had a ‘passion.’
I took out some advertising in the local ‘rag,’ (I live in a very small, rural Victorian community), looking for 6 volunteers to help me through this journey.
I saw my first 6 (albeit non-paying) clients within the week.
General feedback was, ‘About time something like this came to the country.’
By the end of my Cert IV, I was seeing about a dozen wonderful clients – great for the hours, and for the practice, I feel that my ‘touch‘ developed so well in the course of these few months.
I was hooked.
Next up, Diploma, and wow – what an experience.
By the time I started my Diploma, I was still working my full-time corporate career, but also seeing around 20 clients per week, and studying.
Client feedback was amazing, and word of mouth saw me increase to around 25 clients within a few months. I even started treating in a local medical practice due to client demand.
Clients would say to me, ‘I can feel that you like doing this – it’s just so natural….warm….relieving,’ the words are endless.
I needed to know more – cue SP2 Master Class and other continuing education workshops.
I am now in a position where I no longer need my corporate job and I can do my Bowen treatments, every day, for as long as I hold my passion for it.
I have so many stories from clients, so many tears of joy, so many cups of coffee.
I wish I could share the pride I feel when I look at the results that Bowen Therapy has for so many people.
My youngest client is 6 weeks old, and my eldest, 98. There seems to be no limit to the type of people I see.
I’m now known colloquially in town (about 3,000 people) as ‘The Bowen Man,’ and my wife is regularly introduced as ‘Tracey, the Bowen Man’s wife’ (she loves that by the way).
I run my clinic from home.
I have a separate entrance and parking, I have a disability ramp and comfortable surrounds.
I now see between 25 and 35 clients per week, every week, with an ever-increasing base of around 300.
My corporate job is no more and I feel like a person, probably, sadly for the first time in my life, not just a ‘resource’ or an impact on a profit and loss statement.
I see some of my clients in their homes because it’s better for them and we regularly share a ‘G’day’ on the street.
I feel that because I am surrounded by passionate people through the Bowen community I have a purpose, and this is translating to success in my business.
I struggle to call it a ‘business’ at times because the word feels so transactional, but I need to remind myself that I can do good and make a living; they are not mutually exclusive.
My advice to would-be practitioners?
Be passionate.
Treat your clients like people, not profit.
Be true to the modality. Trust the modality
Importantly, trust yourself.
This has already been a truly life-changing experience, not just for me, but for everyone I encounter.
I’m just a few years into my new way of life and already I feel like there are no barriers.
A big thank you to my trainer, Christos Miliankos, for so many reasons.
Your passion and enthusiasm are just so infectious.
I feel our paths were destined to cross.”
Jon Watson is a Diploma-qualified Bowen Therapist located near Rochester in rural Victoria.
You can contact him at:
Website: https://www.rochesterbowen.com.au
Email: jon.watson@rochesterbowen.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089976372106
Phone: +61 481 718 824
The effectiveness of Bowen Therapy can vary from person to person. Some individuals may experience immediate relief from their symptoms, while others may require multiple sessions to achieve their desired results, if any. Bowen Therapy is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure specific medical conditions. It is complementary to conventional medical treatments and should be viewed as a supplementary therapy, not a replacement for essential medical care. Bowen Therapists cannot guarantee specific outcomes or results. The therapy’s effectiveness depends on various factors, including your body’s response and the nature of your condition. Bowen Therapy practitioners are not medical doctors, and Bowen Therapy should not replace professional medical advice or treatment. Always consult with your primary healthcare provider before starting Bowen Therapy or any new health regimen, especially if you have underlying medical conditions or are taking medications.
Good luck 🙂
Good luck 🙂