ONE ON ONE | janet kolesar-popovec Busy businesswoman loves being a mom

Who has most influenced your life?
My mother, Mary Kolesar. She is the greatest lady. Her heart is the greatest. She loves and enjoys life. She is a hard worker, which is probably where I got my work ethic. My father, Stephen, is deceased.
What do you like best about the Youngstown area?
The people are family oriented, and it is diverse culturally.
What is your favorite kind of food?
Pastas.
What do you do in your spare time?
I'll be honest with you; I don't have spare time. I run two businesses, and I have a son, and every minute away from work I try to give him as much time as I can.
Do you like the arts?
I love to dance. Yoga is like dance. Years ago, I was a jazz and tap dancer in area plays.
When did you start your Family Massotherapy Clinic?
I've had the massotherapy business for eight years and opened the yoga studio two years ago. Before that I was a physical fitness instructor. In September, I needed more room for the yoga studio, so I moved from the Boardman Medical Building on Market Street to the Southwood Medical Building on DeBartolo Place off Market Street.
Who has been your biggest supporter in the business world?
Honestly, I did it on my own with a lot of prayers and lot of hard work. I just took the plunge. I'm paying the bills, and I'm taking care of my son.
Have you run into people who think you're running a massage parlor instead of a massotherapy business?
Years ago, that was really a big problem. As a matter of fact, there were times when, if I didn't feel comfortable, I didn't book them. But, I can honestly say I haven't had a call like that for years. I take my profession seriously.
What are your community activities?
I am a member of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce, the current Mahoning Valley Leadership Class, the Youngstown Symphony Guild and Junior League of Youngstown and several professional organizations. I'm also a room mother at St. Charles School and support my church, St. Charles Church in Boardman.
If you couldn't be a massotherapist, what work would you choose?
A stay-at-home mom. I would have had 10 kids if it was up to me. I love kids and I love being a mother.
What do people talk about when they are getting massages?
Actually, most are so relaxed, they don't talk.
What are the physical hazards of being a massotherapist?
Muscle strains can be a problem, but my physical fitness background helps me. Even so, at the end of the day, I'm fatigued.
What is your life philosophy? What rules do you live by?
I have faith in God. I love and enjoy life to the fullest. I believe how you treat people is how you'll be treated in return.
If money or time were no object, what is the one thing you would do?
First, I'd help people, especially families with children. Then, my son and I would pack up our tennis rackets and golf clubs and travel the United States playing every great golf course and tennis club we could find.
What would it take to make your life complete?
A sibling for my son.
What's your goal in life?
I really want to give my son good guidance. I want him to be successful, and I want to see it happen. He's everything to me.
If you could "do lunch" with anyone, alive or dead, who would that be?
My father. I would tell him how much I loved him. I would like to have the opportunity to say some things to him I perhaps didn't.
What is one thing that would help turn around the economy in the Mahoning Valley?
We have to stick together and figure out what to do to keep it alive. I don't have the answer, but we need to do something. We need more opportunity for employment.
What is your pet peeve?
Someone being dishonest.