National Convention Report

After eleven years of being an AMTA member, I finally decided it was time to check out the national conference. While the idea of going has always intrigued me, there has always been some reason I haven’t gone, money, timing, pregnancy, you know… life.

The idea of going resurfaced when, this past year, a couple of changes occurred in my massage career.

The first change happened when I began teaching massage at a local community college. Having never taught before, I thought going to the conference would keep me up to date on big and small changes in the industry. Thus, helping me be the most informed teacher possible.

On the Friday of the conference, I had the opportunity to spend the entire day with seasoned educators. Collaborating with these like-minded instructors helped me to see that I do deserve a seat at their table!

The second change was I started a business/blog geared towards helping massage therapists achieve their career goals. The conference seemed like an excellent opportunity to get in greater touch with those I serve.

Being the “new kid” was a little intimidating. But, Tami Schumacher, our Colorado chapter president, was more than welcoming. Before I even arrived in Indianapolis, I was receiving text invitations to meet the other Colorado members. Plus, there was a new attendee luncheon. Here I met therapists from all over the country! Instead of having too few people to hang out with, I had too many.

The conference was a mixture of things. There were moments when I felt like my brain was stuck in a complex tongue twister (Whitney Lowe’s “Essentials of Orthopedic Massage”). Moments where I laughed and cried (Melissa Stockwell’s amazing story of becoming a Paralympian). Moments where I was inspired and moments where I was exhausted. Overall, I walked away feeling a more heightened sense of belonging — a connection to the vast AMTA community.

And what a community it is! Having served massage therapists since 1943, this is an organization that cares. An organization that wants to help its members grow and improve. I’m proud to call myself an AMTA member, and I’m sure there will be more conferences in my future.

Ali Boehm lives in Steamboat Springs, where she operates her massage practice, Kneading Hands (www.kneadinghandstherapy.com). Her latest passion, The Massage Business Mama (www.themassagebusinessmama.com), is a blog where she shares advice for massage therapists in all stages of their careers on how to grow their practices while maintaining happy, healthy homes.