Conversations with Sarrut Ouk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarrut Ouk

Hi Sarrut, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My family came to the US as refugees escaping the Khmer Rouge Regime. I was lucky to not have experienced that, as I was born in Chicago four years after they fled. I was told many stories and was raised to remember what my parents and older siblings had to experience before getting here. The drive to succeed was embedded. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had careers in banking and marketing, serving over 8 years in each but neither fit my true calling. I was always intrigued with the human body and how to help it with any issues. I was also a group ex. fitness instructor. But I wasn’t feeling fulfilled with my main 9-5 along with my side gigs. The light bulb finally hit me one day when my sister told me about how her shoulder wasn’t feeling great and the massage she had received didn’t help. I grabbed her and messed with her shoulder for 5 minutes and she felt better. She said to me “why do I pay for massage when I can just pay you” – the brainstorm started brewing.

With support and encouragement from my wife, I enrolled into massage therapy school and completed 800 hrs in 10 months, while working full time. I ate up all the content I was being served. The school had covered all the modalities from East to West and I was ready to treat the world. After I graduated, I opened my own practice part-time and reduced my hours and role at my marketing position. In February 2020, I quit my marketing job and went full-time into my practice just to shut it down the following month due to covid.

My new business was shut down before I could get it to lift off. But, as was for many others, different talents came to light and my free-lance design work became a demand. I was helping small businesses with their logos, websites and social media accounts until I was able to open my business back up. Months after, I reopened and ran my practice for 4 years before moving to Colorado to escape another cold winter in Wisconsin. My practice was different, I was helping people take care of their bodies and treating them with bodywork that helped with issues they had been told nothing but surgery could fix. I was sad to leave it.

I had a hard time finding a massage/bodywork facility that carried my same values and techniques. I worked for a chain to settle in from the move and was feeling I may have to open and run a business again. Luckily, I found Denver Sports Massage that is run by a small business owner, still in practice, who has the same values as me. The space I work at is a healing space where I can provide very effective bodywork to help people get their bodies back. I specialize in Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue, Energy Work and Cupping along with being a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. Since my move to Colorado and new trainings, I am a force in helping people with their healing journey.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not a smooth road, mainly being first generation, there’s lots of financial hurdles. I began working at 14 years old and my paycheck replaced our family’s food stamp assistance. Having a savings felt it was always out of reach. I left home at 17 during my junior/senior year in high school. I lost my younger sister when I was 19 returning back to school starting my freshman year in college, she was only 17 years old. The road has felt lonely, rugged and at times impossible to keep forward.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a massage therapist and fitness trainer. I work at Denver Sports Massage and specialize in pain management, increase range of motion and getting the body back in balance using different modalities and tools. What sets me apart is my passion to figure out what is going on with the body and treating it holistically. With my extensive trainings, I take both Eastern and Western bodywork approaches to aid the body back to health. I educate people about their bodies and provide them tips and tricks so they can feel empowered to continue maintenance on themselves. I’m proud of my work and effectiveness as many clients have told me their lives changed as a result of seeing me.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My childhood was tough. I grew up in low-income neighborhoods, got into many fights and felt left behind growing up Cambodian in a Midwestern American town. But the best memories were ones I had with my siblings, riding bikes and playing games and sports in the neighborhood.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://denversportsmassage.com
• Instagram: short.thick.and.fit