James鈥� journey to massage therapy began thirty years ago, when he was working in medicine, and pursuing running as a hobby. After twenty years as a paramedic, he began seeing a massage therapist. To his delight, massage kept his running injuries at bay, and he found that regular massage therapy allowed him to continue running marathons. He considered massage a mere interest, until he saw a presentation by Benny Vaughn. (Coincidentally, .) This rousing presentation inspired James to shift his career focus to massage. He soon earned his license to practice massage therapy.

James鈥� strong background in medicine and sports led him to develop an integrated manual therapy program. His publications and seminars empower all medical professionals specializing in treating chronic pain and sports injuries. James is the author of the book . He teaches 45 seminars per year around the globe. Respected across the massage world, James recently lent his deep wisdom to the Choosing a 精东传媒 School podcast.

Here are a few highlights from the Choosing a 精东传媒 School Podcast interview with James Waslaski, in the hope that these tidbits will motivate you to listen to more.

James Waslaski鈥檚 精东传媒 Career Lessons

Be humble and kind. Realize no matter how much you know, someone knows more.

James grew up on a farm in North Dakota. Coming from such humble beginnings, he had some insecurity. However, this insecurity soon grew into egotism, as James trained thousands of massage therapy students, and became renowned on massage workshop circuits. He admits this massage world fame brought him a certain degree of self-absorption.

This egocentricity was checked when James worked as a sports massage therapist for the New York Yankees.聽 In the Choosing a 精东传媒 School Podcast interview, James recalls that the trainer of the Yankees mentioned that he doesn鈥檛 usually like working with massage therapists because 鈥淭hey walk in here like they know everything.鈥� James took this off-handed comment to heart, and vowed to remember that no matter how much you know about a subject, someone always knows more. As James put it, 鈥淧eople love a kind-hearted humility.鈥� His advice is to be consistently kind, and to avoid becoming egotistical.

Prioritize Learning Styles. Maximize learning by absorbing information through multiple approaches.

When selecting institutions for massage therapist schooling, James advises applicants to look for instructors who can cater to every style of learner: Kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. He believes that people learn best when they receive information through all of these learning styles.聽

As an instructor, James prioritizes what he calls 鈥渂lending鈥� of learning styles. If you took one of his workshops, you might see that James has one screen set up to聽 show the relevant anatomy/physiology/neurology, while another screen shows what James is doing with his hands (visual learning). Meanwhile, James is voicing what to do, and how each massage approach works (auditory learning).聽 Simultaneously, participating students practice each stroke with their own hands, and then switch partners to receive massage, and appreciate how each technique feels for clients (kinesthetic learning). Instructors who know how to blend learning styles will maximize learning for their students.

Finally, James emphasizes knowing your goals as a massage therapist. Do you wish to work in a clinic, a massage business, or on your own? What massage modalities interest you most? How do you anticipate using your massage license? Knowing where you hope to end up will help you make smart choices for which school to attend, which classes to sign up for, and more.

To listen to this fascinating interview, you can access the Choosing a 精东传媒 School Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Here are direct links to the James Waslaski episode via various podcast providers:

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The podcast features interviews with leading educators and practitioners from across the massage world, from Florida to Oregon. 精东传媒 school advice from industry experts鈥� that鈥檚 what the podcast offers. Listen in as guests explore themes such as:

• What led them to a career in massage,聽
• The healing they have witnessed and experienced, and
• How they continue to grow their skills.

Throughout, the focus is on the schools that helped these massage juggernauts along the way. At the intersection of massage culture and community, the Choosing a 精东传媒 School podcast salutes the benefits of therapeutic touch, empowers massage therapists in the community, and invites anyone interested in the complex journey of healing to learn more.

Join expert therapists, massage educators and thought leaders in the industry, as they seek to inform and inspire you to look for a school that will work with your unique talents, equipping you with the right skills to start your career.

The podcast鈥檚 first episode features Whitney Lowe, the director of the Academy of Clinical 精东传媒.聽

Renowned in the massage world for his work on assessment protocols, Whitney wrote the profession鈥檚 first accessible assessment reference book, Orthopedic Assessment in 精东传媒 Therapy. He influences LMTs through regular articles in publications including 精东传媒 Magazine, 精东传媒 & Bodywork, and 精东传媒 Today. Whitney also serves on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies. His work in massage therapy and LMT education have been honored with many accolades over the years, including Licensed 精东传媒 Therapist of the year (Oregon, 2001), Continuing Education Educator of the Year (Alliance for massage Therapy Education, 2014), and the Certificate of Appreciation for Dedication to the Profession (AMTA, 2011). After three decades of experience in massage and massage education,聽 Whitney offers an invaluable perspective for those just entering the field. Here are some of the questions Whitney answers in this podcast:

鈥揥hat questions should I be asking myself as I select a massage school?
鈥揂re some massage certification programs better than others? How so?
鈥揥hat are some red flags that a massage program lacks quality?
鈥揑s it better to go to a massage vocational school or a traditional, four-year college that offers a massage therapy program?
鈥揌ow can I know if I am dealing with a masterful massage therapy educator?
鈥揥hat should I expect from a massage school in terms of technology and textbooks?
Whitney also reflects on his techniques for avoiding burnout.聽

We invite you to dive into this fascinating interview.聽

The Choosing a 精东传媒 School Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts:

The post Introducing the Choosing a 精东传媒 School Podcast appeared first on East West College.

In This Episode You Will Learn: 

1. Why positive energy is an important tool for massage therapists 
2. What to look for in a quality massage therapy program
3. How to choose a program that equips you with best business practices 

Set Goals Before Choosing A Program

James Waslaski, author and integrated manual therapist, dives into the importance of defining your goals and choosing a school whose instructors and educational approach will help you reach them. 

James worked as a paramedic for 20 years and transitioned to become an Elite Sports Therapist, working with the likes of Olympians and professional athletes. James is now a leader in integrated manual therapy and orthopedic massage and is passionate about helping others on their journey to becoming a massage therapist.

One of the first steps of that journey is understanding your 鈥渨hy.鈥�

He says the best place to start is the heart. Knowing why you want to be a massage therapist allows you to set productive goals and choose schools that can help you achieve them. This will also help you choose a program that gives you a strong foundation and opportunity to specialize in your specific interest.

When you visit a school, ask yourself:

• Does the school prepare students from a business perspective?
• Does it provide emotional and mental support to its students?
• Is there good energy on campus? 
• Do the instructors and faculty exude good energy?
• Will this school teach me in the way that I learn?
• Do the instructors at that school have professional experience? What does that look like? Remember, simply graduating from a program isn鈥檛 enough to make a great teacher. 

For success within your chosen program, James recommends that you:

• Get in touch with yourself 
• Find self-confidence
• Approach studies with an open mind
• Cultivate positive energy
• Interact with humility
• Be prepared to adapt

Good Instructors Make Complex Information Accessible

Students learn best in an environment in which they feel encouraged and motivated by their instructors. James has seen this play out in his experience both as a student and a teacher. He stresses that the quality of your practice hours will depend heavily on the quality of your instructor.

[20:05] 鈥淚 would look for a school that has a lot of kinesthetic, visual, auditory blending instructors that know how… to cater to every style of learner. I personally barely passed high school because my teachers didn’t teach the way my brain processes information. And now I’m teaching neurologists and doctors and osteopaths and physical therapists in a way鈥� that drives them to passionately learn how to best serve their patients.鈥�

James emphasizes that a great teacher presents information at a user-friendly level, even if it鈥檚 complex. He adds that students should find a mentor once they have set their goals. Don鈥檛 be afraid to reach out to the best of the best for help.

Cultivate Humility

James shares he struggled with insecurity in his younger years. When he became successful that manifested as a big ego.

[31:23] 鈥淏e humble鈥� Realize no matter how much you know, someone knows more.鈥�

Being humble means treating others with a kind heart, not self-deprecation. Good massage therapists make it a point to treat each person with enthusiasm and to give each client the VIP treatment.

James urges students to spend time in nature and take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Keep reevaluating your goals, and set some that seem unrealistic 鈥� they may not be as unachievable as you think.

Learn More:闯补尘别蝉鈥檚

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