Addressing a Critical Gap: How Sanctuary Massage Therapy School is Expanding Access to Education in Rural Oklahoma

Written By Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Amy Erikson

For many professions, training opportunities are easy to find. That’s not the case for massage therapy in rural Oklahoma. Until recently, the nearest school offering certification was a three-hour drive from Alva, leaving a significant gap in education and workforce development.

Amy Erikson saw the need and built the solution.

AnOklahoma Army National Guard veteran, Erikson launched Sanctuary Massage Therapy School to make massage therapy education accessible in her region. She recognized not only the growing demand for licensed therapists—expected to rise by 34% in the next decade, according to the U.S. Department of Labor—but also the broader benefits: medical massage as a tool for pain management, the economic potential of a local massage workforce, and the role of self-care in improving overall well-being.

A Practical Investment in Business Growth

Erikson’s business was already filling a void, but like many small business owners, she faced the challenge of reaching more people. Marketing and self-promotion were not her focus; education was.

With a $2,500 Small Business Grant from the Rural Gone Urban Foundation, Sanctuary Massage Therapy School is now investing in targeted outreach efforts to increase visibility and attract students from within a 50-mile radius. The grant is being used to expand digital marketing through professional social media content and advertising and create promotional materials for radio and online campaigns.

“The grant has significantly enhanced my understanding of a previously overlooked aspect of my business,” Erikson explains. “Historically, I have struggled with self-promotion, which has impacted my school’s visibility. This grant served not only as financial support but also as a roadmap to success through a comprehensive brand fundamentals course and marketing strategies. It emphasized the importance of both digital media advertising and interpersonal networking, boosting my confidence to explore new initiatives.”

The Larger Impact

Beyond its immediate benefits to students, the success of Sanctuary Massage Therapy School contributes to the economic development of the region. More licensed massage therapists mean more locally owned businesses, a stronger healthcare-adjacent workforce, and a new avenue for self-employment in rural Oklahoma.

Through the Rural Gone Urban Foundation’s Small Business Grant Program, entrepreneurs like Erikson gain not just funding but the strategic tools needed to build long-term, sustainable growth. This investment ensures that a business offering real value doesn’t go unnoticed—and that more students have access to the education they need to pursue a career in massage therapy.

About Small Business Grants

The Rural Gone Urban Foundation's small business grants are designed to empower women entrepreneurs with ambitious dreams but slim margins. These grants provide essential funding for marketing assets that are crucial for standing out in a competitive market, including website development, social media strategy, and advertising plans. By supporting women-owned businesses with these vital resources, the foundation helps turn small dreams into thriving realities, ensuring that every woman with a vision has the opportunity to succeed and make her mark.

Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Brooke Clay Taylor is the founder of the Rural Gone Urban Foundation, a nonprofit born from her belief in supporting women who are tough as nails—women who don’t let the weight of the world break them.

A ranch girl at heart and a toddler mom, Brooke’s life has been anything but ordinary. Raised on a farm in Indiana, she learned early on that life isn’t fair, but it’s worth fighting for. At six, she lost her dad to colon cancer. By junior high, she traded her small-town roots for life on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and by high school, was already proving the world wrong when a guidance counselor deemed her “not college material.”

Brooke’s journey hasn’t been a straight line. After over a decade working in agriculture marketing with internationally recognized brands, she bet on herself and started her own business from the ground up, with just one client and a lot of faith. In 2019, when she gave birth to her daughter, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. After a season of intense treatment, she was declared cancer-free, but life threw her a curveball when cancer returned in 2022 for round two. And yet, through every challenge, she’s never had to face it alone.

Brooke believes that while you can do a lot on your own, it’s the people in your corner that make the difference. It was this belief that led her to launch the Rural Gone Urban Foundation in 2022, a place for women in need of support—whether they’re pursuing education, building businesses, or battling cancer.

As a self-proclaimed “B student” and a mom to a 5-year-old, Brooke wants women to know they’re worthy of support, regardless of their GPA or their business’s current state. Her foundation is here to help women write their own stories of strength, resilience, and success.

In Brooke’s world, there’s no such thing as too much support—whether you’re in the ring with cancer, starting a business, or just trying to make it through another day.

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