Hands Of History Podcast: a production of the Society Of Massage Archives

Society Of Massage Archives
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  • Series

Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast where we'll delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice! Our mission is to preserve & integrate the historical knowledge of massage therapy’s professional advocacy & traditional techniques to guide and enrich our contemporary practices. Our vision is to build a stronger professional identity, fostering a sense of culture and community, and guide the sustainability & future growth of massage therapy. Visit us at: societyofmassagearchives.org

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  1. Episode 31: Kerry Jordan

    Episode 3

    Episode 31: Kerry Jordan

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore it's evolution, and share the stories that have helped shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Kerry Jordan. Kerry retired from a 20-year career in massage therapy in 2023. When she was practicing, she focused on oncology and palliative massage therapy. She has provided massage therapy and taught in hospitals and clinical settings throughout the Washington, DC metro area and around the world for adult and pediatric palliative care patients and other patients with complex needs and high symptom burden. Before training as a massage therapist, Kerry owned and operated a successful yoga studio in Boston for 15 years. Kerry effortlessly weaves the principles of yoga and meditation into her teaching and service work with yogis, massage therapists and health care providers. She has worked as Healwell’s Operations Director since 2014, a position in which she coordinates strategy, communications and logistics for Healwell’s education and service programs. She leads Healwell’s development and fundraising activities and interfaces with the finance teams at Healwell’s partner facilities. In addition to her duties as Operations Director, Kerry is a teacher for Healwell and is an essential part of the curriculum development team. She brings 20 years of experience as an instructor and has an extensive background in teaching pathology and physiology and adapting massage therapy for special populations.

    1h 40m
  2. Episode 26: Irene Diamond

    Episode 26

    Episode 26: Irene Diamond

    Greetings and welcome to the Hands Of History podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Irene Diamond! Irene Diamond is a trusted advisor to organizations and practice owners. She's the creator of Team-Care™, Precise Private Practice®, and The Diamond Method®. Therapists and clinic owners turn to her for business training to maximize revenue, delight clients, enjoy their life, and eliminate burnout. A best-selling author of Design Your Dream Practice for Health & Wellness Clinics and Therapists, Irene was inducted into the World Massage Hall of Fame in 2013 and is widely recognized as one of the most influential pioneers in the massage profession. She’s a frequent guest expert for podcasts, live events, and industry publications, known for her controversial but clear, practical, and leading-edge approach to elevating both client care and therapist success.

    1h 33m
  3. Episode 27: Dolly Wallace

    Episode 27

    Episode 27: Dolly Wallace

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Dolly Wallace. Dolly Wallace brings a wealth of experience to the massage therapy profession as a licensed massage therapist, Board President of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, advocate for more than 102,000 therapists of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), and a visionary leader in the field. She is a strong proponent of fair and effective regulation of the massage therapy profession. With more than 30 years of experience as a full-time practitioner, Dolly has held several senior-level positions on AMTA’s National Board of Directors, including serving as National President from 2017 to 2018. She also served as a Trustee on the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2019, and as a member of the Safety Advisory Council for Massage Envy. In 2019, Dolly joined the Board of Directors of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, where her work—and that of the organization—focuses on elevating the profession by encouraging excellence in education, continuing education, therapist competency, and high professional standards. A native of Michigan, Dolly was instrumental in establishing the state’s education and professional standards, as well as licensing requirements, for massage therapists. She remains a tireless advocate for massage therapy as an integral component of integrative care. Dolly has been published in The Pain Practitioner, the former quarterly publication of the American Academy of Pain Management. Her honors include AMTA’s National Distinguished Service Award, AMTA’s National Outstanding Volunteer Group Chair for Government Relations Award, the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Massage Therapist of the Year Award, and the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Humanitarian Award.

    1h 39m
  4. Episode 28: Grace Chan

    Episode 28

    Episode 28: Grace Chan

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Grace Chan. Grace Chan is a true builder of the modern massage profession. Grace is an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner and one of the co-founders of the Sutherland-Chan School of Massage, an institution that has shaped massage education in Canada for decades and influenced how thousands of practitioners were trained, taught, and licensed. Beyond the classroom and clinic, Grace has been a national and international leader in the field — helping establish professional organizations, supporting research and education through the American Massage Therapy Association Foundation, and advocating for massage therapy at a time when the profession was still fighting for recognition. Her career doesn’t just reflect the history of massage therapy — in many ways, it helped write it.

    1h 38m
  5. Episode 29: Troy Lavigne

    Episode 29

    Episode 29: Troy Lavigne

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host Kirby Clark Ellis for a conversation with Troy Lavigne. Troy Lavigne has spent two decades at the crossroads of touch, movement, and lived experience. He opened his massage clinic in Boulder, Colorado in 2005 and has since worked everywhere from professional cycling teams and elite soccer programs to pediatric settings and international care environments, including work with children with special needs in India. His career has been shaped less by protocols and more by paying attention—to bodies, nervous systems, and the stories they carry. A longtime leader in the profession, Troy served as Director of Education for the Colorado AMTA from 2016 to 2023 and is a published researcher and author. He also hosts The Sensory Approach to Manual Therapy podcast, where he explores how perception, context, and history influence the way we touch and heal. Troy brings a perspective rooted in curiosity and experience, reflecting on how manual therapy evolves when we listen closely to both the body and the moment it exists in.

    1h 46m
  6. Episode 30: Pamela Ferguson

    Episode 30

    Episode 30: Pamela Ferguson

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a Production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Pamela Ferguson. Pamela Ellen Ferguson Dipl.Asian Bodywork Therapy (NCBAHM), AOBTA (r) and GSD Certified Instructor, LMT (TX) has developed Zen Shiatsu and CEU training in the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, over the past four decades. Her first career was in journalism and she has published 11 books including three textbooks, The Self Shiatsu Handbook (1995), TAKE FIVE- The Five Elements Guide to Health and Harmony (2000) published in English and German. Together with Debra Persinger (Executive Director of the FSMTB), Pam co-edited the anthology SAND TO SKY - Conversations with Teachers of Asian Medicine (2008). Pam is also the Asian Bodywork Therapy columnist for the monthly Acupuncture Today. Pam is finalizing co-editing an anthology on PTSD/PTSI with Randall Sexton, a psychiatric nurse practitioner. In 2000 Pam formed a team with colleagues representing their national organizations, to successfully remove Shiatsu, Trager, Rolfing and Reflexology from Texas massage therapy laws. Pam is a former national board member of the AOBTA (r) - the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia, and currently serves as chair of peer review. Pam had a global upbringing, is dual national British and American, and currently lives in Austin Texas. She was dean of Asian Bodywork Therapy Dean at AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine from 1996-2004. Recently she donated her teaching archives to the H.J Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, at the University of Texas at Austin.

    1h 53m
  7. Episode 32: Nathan Nordstrom

    Episode 32

    Episode 32: Nathan Nordstrom

    Greetings and welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archies, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Nathan Nordstrom. Nathan Nordstrom is a nationally recognized massage therapy educator and training leader with over 20 years of experience advancing professional standards in education, compliance, and clinical practice. He has designed and led scalable training systems for higher education institutions, national associations, and multi-unit spa organizations, supporting thousands of therapists across the U.S. and Canada as founder of Educated Touch and former Director of Training & Industry Relations at Hand & Stone Franchise Company. Nathan specializes in curriculum design, train-the-trainer programs, and aligning education with real-world practice. He is a frequent national and international lecturer.

    2h 2m
  8. Episode 33: Trish Dryden

    Episode 33

    Episode 33: Trish Dryden

    Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Trish Dryden. Trish Dryden is a trail blazer and catalyst for positive change, with over 50 years experience in education, research, publication, clinical practice and community building. Trish is instrumental in the professionalization of massage therapy, and the development of integrative and interprofessional research and healthcare in Canada as well as internationally. Her work is an extension of her lifelong commitment to equity and social justice, and excellence in public policy and education. As a clinician, Trish specialized in working with individuals recovering from the experience of trauma and in women’s health. Trish is the recipient of many local, national, and international awards. She is a frequently requested speaker, and has published numerous textbooks, articles, and research in both popular and referred journals. Now as a retiree, living with her husband Lee in the lovely village of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, Trish is a delighted grandmother and dedicated caregiver for the elders and young children in her family. She is also giving new voice to her boundless creativity and imagination through civic engagement, and creative non-fiction writing, which includes invited public readings of her work. Often funny, sometimes lyrical, and always deeply analytic, Trish looks for wisdom and astonishment in the everyday of lives lived.

    2h 13m
  9. Bonus Episode - Follow Up Friday: Meg Donnelly & Casey White

    Bonus

    Bonus Episode - Follow Up Friday: Meg Donnelly & Casey White

    Greetings and welcome to the Hands Of History podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy’s past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice. Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for an extra special bonus episode to follow up on a story that developed during our last season with Meg Donnelly and Casey White. Meg Donnelly entered massage therapy after a career pivot shaped by personal injury and recovery, experiences that gave her a deep respect for therapeutic touch, movement, and the long arc of healing. Her work is informed by continued study, clinical curiosity, and a strong belief that massage therapists must remain engaged—not just with bodies, but with the systems that affect our work. Casey White’s path into massage therapy was similarly influenced by movement, injury, and rehabilitation, leading to a practice philosophy grounded in communication, collaboration, and individualized care. As a therapist and educator at heart, Casey brings a perspective shaped by both hands-on clinical work and advocacy for professional standards. Although they came to the profession through different routes, Meg and Casey found themselves united when a piece of unfair business regulation threatened massage therapists in their county. Their collaboration offers a rare, real-time look at how history is made at the local level: through old laws rediscovered, new rules proposed, informal collectives formed, and practitioners learning—often for the first time—how governance, language, and professional identity intersect. This conversation isn’t just about what happened in Fairfax County, Virginia. It’s about how massage therapists become part of the historical record simply by paying attention, organizing, and refusing to let outdated narratives define their work.

    1h 23m
See All Season 2,026 (9)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Greetings and Welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast where we'll delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice! Our mission is to preserve & integrate the historical knowledge of massage therapy’s professional advocacy & traditional techniques to guide and enrich our contemporary practices. Our vision is to build a stronger professional identity, fostering a sense of culture and community, and guide the sustainability & future growth of massage therapy. Visit us at: societyofmassagearchives.org

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