We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Toporcer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Tattoo Therapy™ helps individuals heal from trauma by empowering them to reclaim their bodies and share their stories, creating a sense of personal and communal resilience. It fosters community among those with shared experiences, reducing isolation and promoting empathy. Tattoos also serve as advocacy tools, raising awareness on issues like mental health and chronic illness, which helps break down stigmas. Additionally, Tattoo Therapy™ supports local artists and therapists, and encourages open mental health conversations, creating a more accepting and compassionate culture. Through ritualistic transformation, Tattoo Therapy™ enables people to mark personal growth, ultimately contributing to a more empathetic and resilient society.

What should our readers know about your business?
The most exciting aspect of my career has been taking the opportunity to start my own business and collaborate with my fiancé on Tattoo Therapy™. After gaining experience in the field, I wanted to do something different where I could share my passion about psychological trauma while helping others to heal. With the guidance and encouragement I had from Dennis, I was able to create a mental health practice focused on trauma informed care and recovery, Revibe and Rise Mental Health.

Revibe and Rise in the context of mental health means to encourage the process of revitalization and elevation in one’s mental and emotional state. Together, “Revibe and Rise” encapsulates a holistic approach to mental health, emphasizing both the restoration of one’s mental energy and the pursuit of higher levels of emotional and psychological well-being. This could involve various strategies such as therapy, self-care practices, social support, and personal development initiatives.

Through my endeavors and experiences as a mental health counselor and trauma specialist, I have been able to bring therapy into tattooing, where I offer mental health focused tattoos. Our goal with Tattoo Therapy™ is to offer an additional treatment method, especially for those who have experienced psychological trauma. Through our work and ongoing research, we anticipate working with insurance companies to get Tattoo Therapy™ recognized as a form of treatment that can be covered or reimbursed by health insurance.

This journey has been rewarding and doesn’t come without stressors. I believe that the lessons from owning a business are lifelong and there is something new to learn everyday. The biggest lessons I can share and encourage others to do is to keep pursuing your goals through your business, stay focused on your purpose, ask for help (especially when you don’t want to), you need a solid team, and use every opportunity to learn from failures as they are the best teachers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Growing up in the Mahoning Valley has given unexpected opportunities to experience some of the best hidden gems in Ohio. I would recommend friends first visit our tattoo shop, Nobility Tattoo, in Austintown, whether they are getting a tattoo or just stopping by to say hello. Most of my life was spent at the Canfield Fair and I would recommend visiting Ohio during fair season. Some of the best foods can be found during fair season, including Molnar’s cinnamon rolls, DiRusso’s sausage sandwiches, and Richardson’s french fries. Outside of fair season, the best food spot in the area hands down is Risi Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine in Canfield. Joe and Amy are wonderful people who put their love and passion into everything they do. I would spend an entire day here eating everything on the menu. One of the best hidden gems in the area is Mill Creek Park, especially their Rose Garden. This park is a beautiful and peaceful experience that continues to evolve every year. Another favorite gem of the area is Stambaugh Auditorium, which is full of rich history and has an incredibly beautiful structure. Stambaugh offers a variety of experiences throughout the year where we most enjoy their silent films, operas, and lecture series. To top off a visit to the area, I would treat my friends to Handel’s Ice Cream, who makes the best banana splits and has some of the most unique flavors in town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My successes are attributed to the two most important men in my life, my fiancé, Dennis Boseman, and my dad, Joe Toporcer Sr. Both have given me tremendous encouragement and support, bringing me to where I am today. Dennis has been a true gem and incredible support throughout our relationship together, including his encouragement to pursue my dreams while paving a future for our family. Together, we have grown his idea for Tattoo Therapy™, with more exciting ventures to come. His mentorship of tattooing has contributed to my career in mental health, enabling us to work together to provide more access to care for our community. Growing up on a small farm provided me with a solid foundation of which my dad encouraged me to grow into a career of helping serve others. Much of this growth was fostered through participating in local 4-H and Farm Bureau organizations. While my dad was helping me to build lasting knowledge working with my hands, he also encouraged me to grow with my mind, leading me to be the first in our family to hold a Master’s degree.

Website: Www.nobilitytattoo.com, www.revibeandrise.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christine_toporcer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.toporcer/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@tattootherapy101?si=vf2es59eSZk1DTUx

Other: TikTok @christine_toporcer

Image Credits
Dennis Boseman
Christine Toporcer

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.