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ABMP Podcasts for Massage Therapists & Bodyworkers

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Exploring the issues and challenges unique to the massage and bodywork community.

Subscribe to The ABMP Podcast in the Apple Podcast Store, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you access your favorite podcasts, or click on an episode below to listen online.

Send questions, topic ideas, and guest recommendations to podcast@abmp.com, and we may answer your question on a future podcast.

 


A client complaining of seemingly uncomplicated shoulder pain has a very complicated issue indeed—the wrong choices here could have led to very serious repercussions. Pathology educator Ruth Werner shares one of her own “I Have a Client Who . . .” stories involving a neighbor, her garden, and her mysterious, stubborn shoulder pain—that turned out not to be shoulder pain.

The sacrum is held with a reverence because of its energetic, structural, and nervous system significance. Working to create positive change in this area can help balance your clients. Listen as Massage & Bodywork columnist Cindy Williams equips MTs with the information needed to foster a safe working environment for both MTs and clients, removing fears of working in this area.

A beloved long-time client is already affected by heart disease and diabetes. Now his hands have begun shaking too. In this episode, pathology educator Ruth Werner addresses the complex overlap of conditions that this client lives with, with special attention to his latest challenge: essential tremor, a common, sometimes debilitating problem that is poorly understood and difficult to treat.

How do emotions affect our biology? What determines how we interpret an experience? How do we navigate a heated exchange? How can understanding emotional intelligence help us? Listen as we wrap up our three-part mini-series on communication skills with Angie Parris-Raney, a 20-year MT who also has certification in Chopra Center meditation. Conscious communication means stopping during an altercation, taking deep breaths, observing from innocence, and proceeding with compassion.

A client recovering from a stroke seems to have given up on getting better. His massage therapist would like to help, but what can they do? Pathology educator Ruth Werner dives into an “I have a client who ...” story with a description of stroke, how it affects function, and the role of massage therapy in this context.

Organization, communication, and trust are the three pillars Nancy Saunders’s bodywork practice, and important skills she establishes when educating new professionals at the Boulder Massage Therapy Institute in Colorado. Nancy reminds us of the importance of setting and holding yourself to high standards and meeting clients where they are—after all, it’s their session.

What does successful client communication look like? It involves active listening, foregoing judgment and assumptions, and clear direction. University of Denver assistant teaching professor Dr. Kerry Mitchell guides listeners on being present for your clients during COVID-19, “selling the why” during difficult conversations, and being aware of verbal triggers.

Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau discuss “emergency remote learning” during the pandemic and how instructors have had to adjust quickly and get creative with their approaches to teaching. Lowe and Luchau talk about balancing hands-on components with computer learning, maintaining quality education online, keeping learners engaged, and what the future might hold. 

Preventing Disease Transmission in Massage Practice author Anne Williams talks about transitioning textbooks from print to digital, effective teaching methods, and supercharging MT practices with guidance on best practices for ensuring practitioner and client safety. Darren also checks in with pathology expert Ruth Werner on recent WHO statements regarding asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19.

Brené Brown Dare to Lead certified instructor Amy Andrews McMaster teaches us to “embrace the suck” during the pandemic. Join us in this latest episode of The ABMP Podcast’s Conversations in Quarantine as Amy walks us through a discussion on vulnerability, braving tough times, removing our armor, and finding our call to courage.

In Part 2 of our discussion with Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds of Massage Business Blueprint, we discuss short-term business triage ideas and long-term goals, planning for worst-case scenarios and unpredictability, accounting basics and financial literacy, impostor syndrome, developing your dream practice, diversification, and productivity in a downtime. 

Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds, the team behind Massage Business Blueprint and Massage & Bodywork magazine’s column Blueprint for Success, join us to discuss current life without massage and touch, client communication during a crisis, Allissa’s decision to close her practice, and what’s the secret sauce that makes up MBB's services and membership offerings.