Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2025

Summer 2025 • 83

I’m excited for people to attend my keynote, where I’ll be sharing so many supportive tools to build a healthy resilience mindset, including a transformational approach that calls upon 5 Kinds of Courage. To give you an example … Let’s start with the Courage of Curiosity. Think about actively engaging your curiosity. It’s helpful to see life as a school, and see ourselves as open, learning something new, and always ready to find solutions to any problem or challenge. While rigid thinking keeps us contained and limits possibilities, getting curious and having expansive thinking changes the game. Curiosity is the root of innovation and growth—getting you to a place that is better than before. Q Your reimagining of the word “defiance” invites people to really lean into making choices in their life that showcase the “fighting on behalf of the light.” Can you share with readers a specific example of how you continue to do that even during those moments when things feel heavy? A On days where I feel challenged or emotionally activated by something specific, I keep it very simple. I remind myself that I can still choose to be the light in the room. I can still choose to bring goodness into the world, even if I feel hurt or betrayed by a situation. This is my form of defiance. I choose to not let the challenges of life define how I walk in the world and how I feel. It is an act of defiance to choose your peace, instead of bitterness. It is an act of defiance to not let our anger take over. It is an act of defiance to keep our hearts open in the world we live in. And, defiance—in extreme situations— means choosing to resist hopelessness. We can each make the decision for the light to win—and be defiant!

Q You talk about choices and people choosing the light. Imagine you’re speaking to a massage therapist who is feeling challenged by their work and isolated in their practice. What do you tell them? A Being human is not easy. There is always a challenge. It’s completely normal to have times where you don’t feel optimistic or positive. So, we have to give ourselves permission to be human, and to be a work in progress as we try to figure things out. I learned that when it feels impossible to have a positive attitude, I can still have compassion for myself. I can honor myself, and acknowledge what I’m going through, and then go to radical self-care: getting enough sleep, drinking more water, stretching, slowing down and really taking the time to care for my body. In addition, and specifically for massage therapists and other health care professionals, it can be so soothing and supportive to actively remind yourself that you are choosing to be a healer in this world. There is nothing more noble and important than helping others. You are choosing to bring goodness into the world. When you regularly identify and attune to your power and purpose as a healer, your daily experiences transform. As the healer, your heart naturally comes forward and is activated. You can always make the decision to be the light in the room. And as a healer, you’re not just a healer with your clients. You are a healer with everyone you encounter in your life. You’re a healer at the grocery store, at the post office, with the people you smile at on the street. It is your very nature. You are making a difference in the world. You are that unforgettable person.

Being human is not easy. There is always a challenge. It’s completely normal to have times where you don’t feel optimistic or give ourselves permission to be human, and to be a work in progress as we try to figure things out. positive. So, we have to

REGISTRATION FOR AMTA’S 2025 NATIONAL CONVENTION IS NOW OPEN! Reconnect with your massage therapy community, hear from inspiring speakers and get hands-on training in new techniques.

Get more information and register today at amtamassage.org/ convention .

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