Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2025

Summer 2025 • 81

I f anyone has a survival guide to being human, it would be keynote speaker, visual artist and entrepreneur, Allison Massari. Allison teaches the intricacies of what it takes to overcome adversity and lean into challenges and vulnerability with strength, resilience and

the courage of an open heart. When Allison was hit head-on by a car traveling 60 miles per hour, she didn’t think she was going to survive. Trapped inside her car that exploded into flames, Allison was conscious the entire time she was being burned alive. Amazingly, the heroic actions of a brave witness saved her life—but this was only the beginning of Allison’s journey. She learned not only to survive, but to take risks, never give up and commit to living her life boldly—with appreciation, hope and fierce determination. Through captivating stories packed with personal development takeaways, Allison’s life-changing keynote demonstrates the tremendous power we each have when we bring our compassion and care to each other. “My work is a celebration of the power of the human spirit. We each make an impact. We each are so important to each other,” she says. “ Every single thing you do to help another human being is important. It counts. It matters. It is never a small act. The little moments are very often the big moments.” A unique distinction of Allison’s presentation is her colorful and dynamic artwork—which is in the permanent collection of museums and serves as an immersive, visual backdrop for each of her keynotes. Allison will be the Keynote Speaker at this year’s AMTA National Convention, happening August 21–23 in Dallas, Texas. Massage Therapy Journal had the opportunity to talk with Allison about her approach to living, the importance of self-care and how to develop your resilience.

Q

The Fire Within includes such a moving story around two people who didn’t know one another but who were forever changed by a horrific event. You say, “Sometimes all it takes is one person to change a life.” How does that thinking inform how you live and how you talk to other people about living? A Every day, we each have the ability to bring goodness into the world—and it doesn’t have to be big, heroic gestures. It can be in the simple, everyday moments. Compassion heals. Kindness heals. Love heals. We each have the power to transform lives. Even 26 years after my accident, I still vividly remember so many seemingly little moments that were profound for me—the sweet look in a nurse’s eyes, the touch of a hand at my bedside when I was in despair, the look of compassion from a stranger when I was walking into my physical therapist’s office ... These people probably have no idea that their presence—in a fleeting moment—was so healing for me. And yet it was. I will always remember these acts of kindness. Our love extends solidly and in totality through time and space. Our intentions of kindness are alive and do not dissipate. Whatever you have given in love in your life has laid bricks of goodness that extend through time. It is not forgotten. It is alive.

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