Hi, I’m Victor Cooke.

I’m a licensed massage therapist in Alpena, Michigan, and the person behind Endless Path and Wellness.

I’ve spent years doing physically demanding work. I’ve also dealt with pain and injuries myself, so I know what it’s like when getting up, going for a walk, or doing your job becomes uncomfortable. Those experiences are a big part of why I became interested in massage.

From physical work to hands-on work

On August 16, 2026, I graduated from the Alpena Institute of Massage. Getting there meant fitting school, studying, and practice around a full-time job. It was a lot to take on, but I was working toward something I wanted to make a bigger part of my life.

After years of dealing with my own aches and injuries, I wanted to understand more about how the body works and learn skills I could use to help other people. Massage school gave me a place to start putting that interest into practice.

Near the end of school, I tore a tendon in my shoulder. I finished the program, passed my licensing exam, and became a licensed massage therapist, but I had to wait to start working. That has been frustrating. I’m ready to use what I’ve learned, and right now I have to give my own recovery the time it needs.

Graduation was a big step toward changing the kind of work I do. I’m continuing to learn while I heal and working toward the practice I want to build.

What I’m working toward

My focus is sports and orthopedic massage—working with muscles and other soft tissues to help people manage discomfort, move more comfortably, and recover from activity.

You don’t have to compete in anything to benefit from that approach. You might be training for a race, riding on the weekends, starting an exercise routine, or just wanting to feel better after work. What matters to me is understanding what you want to do and how massage might help.

I’m continuing my education in sports massage and working toward my personal training certification. As I build my skills, I want to give people useful information they can take home along with the work we do during a session.

I’m figuring some of this out firsthand, too.

Cycling was a big part of my life for a while, and I’m making room for it again. I’ve also started running and learning to swim. I have some long-distance goals in all three, and I’m working toward them one step at a time.

I’m starting where I am and learning as I go. That includes figuring out how to train consistently, recover, and adjust when things don’t go as planned. Some days that means making progress. Other days it means backing off and being patient, which doesn’t always come easily to me.

I’ll be sharing those experiences here, along with what I’m learning through my professional training. My own training gives me another reason to ask questions about how the body responds to activity and what helps us keep going.

Where things stand right now

Once I’m medically cleared to return to massage, I plan to practice part-time at a local business while continuing to work full-time. I’ll share where I’ll be and how to schedule when those details are settled.

For now, Endless Path and Wellness is where I’m sharing what I’m learning and building toward that next step. I hope you’ll find something here that helps you with your own.