Local massage therapist Terry Pollard understands what it means to rise above. After a tough childhood and many obstacles in his early adulthood, Pollard feels blessed to have established his own business and get to work in a career he enjoys.
“When people ask me how I got into massage therapy, I tell them where I really started,” Pollard said. “From the age of 10 until I aged out of the (foster care) system, I was in several group homes. At 18, I was kicked out on the streets, had to pack up my stuff and get out.”
The next years proved tough for Pollard, who lost one of his closest friends in an accident, found out that his grandmother had passed away, and still had no place to call home.
“I can remember staying in a shack in someone’s backyard,” Pollard said. “It was the house of a kid who used to bully me. My story is a little rough.”
When looking for a fresh start a few years later, Pollard landed in Owensboro. He knew he wanted to go to college and find a way to help others. A visit to Daymar College helped him find that path.
“I was talking to an advisor and told her my goal was to have a degree by the time I was 30 years old,” he said. “She showed me the programs that they offered and when she stopped on massage therapy, I knew it would be a way to help people.”
Though he says it wasn’t an easy road, Pollard’s dream came to fruition the year he turned 30 when he graduated from the program with a degree.
When deciding what to name his business, Pollard said he wanted something different. He eventually came across a word that stood out to him, and he knew it would help represent what he offered professionally and what he had been through personally.
“I saw ‘serenity’ and the perfect picture that illustrated the scene — the calmness, the stillness in the chaos — it illustrated what I had been through,” he said. “Then the motion, the working, the stretching. Many clients say there is a moment of stillness in them. That’s where I got the name.”
Before Serene Relief Wellness officially opened, Pollard knew he needed someone who believed in his dream and there are several long-term clients who do and have been with him since the beginning. But to get to his bigger dream he needed someone willing to give a hand up to get him there
“The person that showed me absolute hope to reach my long-term goal of building a spa was Jack Wells. I walked into his office, sat down with him, and asked him about investing in my business,” Pollard said. “I told him about my history and he never hesitated to say ‘let’s do it’ — looking at me for what I was capable of and not a dollar sign.”
Unfortunately, Wells died before making this happen with Pollard.
Since opening Serene Relief Therapy eight years ago, Pollard has built his client base, including several who have been with him since the beginning.
“Even during COVID, many people continued to show their support,” he said. “They bought packages or gift certificates or referred clients to me because they knew COVID took a toll. This past year was rough.”
Pollard hopes to continue to grow his business in Owensboro, and maybe open multiple locations in other cities one day. For now, his focus is to continue to invest in his business.
“I don’t want to pretend like I’ve got it all together,” he said. “I spent the first 21 years of my life just trying to get somewhere. I spent the next 10 years of my life trying to find a home, somewhere to lay my head. There are people who reached down and pulled me up. When I get where I need to go, I want to do the same thing for others one day.”
