One of the best things about our profession is all of the different paths practitioners can take and the flexibility to create a career that suits your lifestyle and not the other way around. Joyce is sailing proof of that. Although she is not treating clients at this moment in her career (only because the logistics of having a practice on her boat are quite tricky), she has built an online community of Massage Therapists who offer help, support, and advice to one another. Now if that doesn’t make you all warm and fuzzy, Joyce is also the creator of the Respect Massage movement, which she founded with her husband and sailing partner, as a way for Massage Therapists to band together to stop solicitation in our profession. She feels there are too many therapists who deal with sexual advances and we need to have a zero tolerance policy across the board. We do not mix sex and massage. Join Joyce, and us, in the Respect Massage movement!

We are always grateful when we get positive listener feedback. A few months ago we received a very nice message about the podcast and it turned out to be from a Massage Therapy educator, author, and clinician with more than 30 years experience. We were thrilled to know that Whitney Lowe, Massage Therapist in Oregon who is the author of Orthopedic Massage textbooks and founder of the Academy of Clinical Massage was one of our listeners! He has decided to start his own podcast to bring more education to the masses and we couldn’t wait to have him on to pick his brain and get a sneak peek into his new podcast The Thinking Practitioner. Whitney challenges Massage Therapists to hone in on our critical thinking skills through his books, articles, and courses and now we can learn even more from Whitney through his podcast!

A question we ask many of our guests and many of our participants in our courses at ConEd Institute is “why did you want to get into Massage Therapy?” There’s a few typical answers but an overwhelming response is the flexibility and ability to be self employed. We meet a lot of therapists who say “I would like to own my own clinic one day”. But how many actually do? It’s a huge risk, it’s expensive, and it’s a LOT of work. Melissa never really wanted to own and operate her own business. She was starting to burn out as a therapist and needed a change when an opportunity to buy an established clinic was presented to her and her husband. It was risky as the clinic wasn’t doing so well but she decided to dive in, use her knowledge of what RMTs look for in a workplace, and learn on the job. In just over two years, she has revived the clinic and is really finding her stride as a business owner. Listen to her talk about this journey and get inspired! You want to run a practice? Maybe it’s not as out of reach as you may think...

Do you play music while you do treatments? There’s so much diversity in our profession but we know that many therapists still use the tried and true ambient relaxation music that we all became accustomed to during Massage School. It’s calming, sets the tone for the treatment, and allows a person to clear their mind with its soft, rhythmic sounds. But have you ever thought about who makes this music? Well we found him! Steve, aka Luiniss had an injury in marching band which inspired him to become a Massage Therapist. But after years of treating, he burnt out and returned to his original passion- music. He’s not what you would expect from a former massage therapist turned relaxation musician. Listen to Steve tell us all about creating music that fades into the background.

The Massage Therapists Association of Alberta contacted us to discuss what they described as "the frustrating landscape that makes up the Massage Therapy profession in Alberta". Alberta is one of the unregulated provinces in Canada and has 4 main Massage Therapy Associations. The MTAA has concerns about public safety, especially when it comes to sexual assault cases involving Massage Therapists and feels that there has to be a a complaints and disciplinary process which could only really be achieved with regulation. Another huge concern is the quality of education and variation in the standard of education that Massage Therapists are receiving. The MTAA is frustrated with the lack of effort toward regulation so we gave them a mic to discuss why regulation is so important.

What do you know about concussions? Do you feel confident when working with a client who has had confirmed concussions, multiple concussions, or possible concussions? Do you know signs, symptoms, and how to test for the various neurological effects of a concussion? Do you know if you have/ what your role is as a Massage Therapist in managing concussions? If you work with athletes (or any human for that matter) it may be worth your while to listen to Conor clear up some misconceptions about concussions, define concussion, talk about correct terminology, and give us some of the knowledge to be a part of the discussion when dealing with patients and the rest of the healthcare team.

Jason contacted us because he wanted to speak about a type of therapy he has been learning about, offering to his clients, and now teaching to other Massage Therapists. Does Lomi Lomi ring a bell? We had another Massage Therapist and educator from Arizona on the podcast teaching us about this sacred Hawaiian practice and Jason wanted to expand on what she had to say. As a white man practicing in Texas, Jason wanted to be sure he stayed true to the Hawaiian way of practicing this therapy and keeping the spiritual aspect as a major part of his practice. He also speaks about the psychosomatic role of bodywork, how he honours the Hawaiian culture, and how Lomi Lomi has impacted his life and his practice.

We love a good rant don’t we? Clarence is fed up with the double standard that exists when posting job ads that blatantly ignore the law when it comes to gender discrimination. How is it that in our beloved profession it is acceptable to post a job ad for a “female massage therapist” only when it would NEVER be tolerated in any other profession especially if it were the other way around and excluding women. Clarence has been in this field for over a decade and he is well aware of some client preferences for female therapists but is trying to get the message out (especially to clinic owners) that it is not legal to hire based on gender and we should not be so accepting of this practice that is happening right in front of our faces! We would never accept a job posting requesting applicants to be of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, so why are we ok with this? Listen as the 3 of us talk about why this happens, what has to be done about it, and maybe somethings that clinic owners really need to think about.

We love a good chat with an ambitious RMT! Sarah is the co-founder of a Mobile Massage Company that operates in the GTA and Ottawa called Mama Mobile Massage. Sarah contacted us because she hires many new grads and one of them told her about our podcast and she loved the idea! As a lover of continuing education, she has been referring people to us to listen in and we are always grateful for the support and couldn’t wait to return the favour and pick the brain of a business owner. She’s found an awesome niche, working with perinatal clients and bringing her services to their door. Listen to hear about her journey, the struggles and victories of owning a mobile business, and what her plans for the future of her company are.

Here we go again! We had a ConEd student hang out post course and talk to us about all the interesting things she deals with in this profession. From over involved mothers waiting to brawl in the clinic parking lot, to preachers trying to bless an atheist and save her “soul”, to looking unprofessional, to cult like Continuing Education courses, and even sexist clients! Mindy has met some interesting characters in her short RMT career and she held nothing back. Mindy is one of the most animated therapists we have ever had on the couch and we hope you enjoy listening to her hysterical laugh, strange sound effects, and unbelievable stories as much as we did! Purple Monkey Dishwasher! Don't judge us...just listen and enjoy!