Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2026

6 • Massage Therapy Journal

Letter from the

President

We Are All on the Same Team

As I began to try and put together this letter, I struggled with what I wanted to tell you all. But, never one to give up, I sat down at the computer and decided I’d just write some thoughts down and go from there. Writers call this practice “freewriting,” and oh did I have fun! Anyone who knows me can imagine how my notes looked. But for those that aren’t familiar, I’d like to share my process: First, I had a number of thoughts about a number of different topics that ranged from deep, existential questions like “How did I get here?” to my favorite snack I like to eat when trying to write these letters to what motivates me to volunteerism to what I imagined my two miniature to topic in no real sensical order (that’s actually the point of freewriting I learned!) But, nothing stood out as something I wanted to write about in my letter, and so I decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow. The next day—the first thing I did was throw my list from the day before out! Then, I realized that freewriting allowed me to find what I wanted to say by clearing my mind of everything I didn’t want to share with you (don’t tell my schnauzers!) The Meaning of TEAM OK, so what do I have to share? I want to share my thoughts on one simple word: TEAM I was very intentional about choosing the word team. schnauzers might tell you about me. (Probably that they appreciate the pets but could use more treats). My thoughts pinballed from topic

Here are some of my favorite quotes about what it means to be a team: • “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” — Phil Jackson • “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work.” — Vince Lombardi • “The strength of a team is determined by the strength of the connections on the team.” — Urban Meyer • “All of us alone are weaker, by far, than if all of us are together.” — Mike Krzyzewski • “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” — Henry Ford Together, We are a Strong TEAM What do I mean by TEAM? T — together . A team is a number of individuals working for a common goal. Each individual contributes their skills, talents and energy to achieve that common goal. E — everyone . The entire group benefits from the individual contributions. We all do better because everyone is working to achieve our common goal. A — accomplish . Each member of the group accomplishes more because of the contributions every individual makes to the group. M —that’s where the magic is. We all can accomplish more because of our shared goal and the work of each member . Everyone moves forward when each member brings their unique skillset and passion to achieve a common goal. We—all of us at AMTA—are a TEAM. A team of passionate massage therapists, each with our own unique and valuable abilities, who, together, work to advance the massage profession we love so much. I’m proud to be on the same team as you .

SEE YOU AT AMTA’S NATIONAL CONVENTION! Registration for the 2026 AMTA National Convention is now open! Come meet the TEAM, network with fellow massage therapists and take advantage of great continuing education opportunities, August 27–29 in Denver, Colorado! Register now!

Rick Greely AMTA President

amtamassage.org/mtj