National Experience from Lance Johnson

Aloha Hawaii AMTA Members! I wanted to share with you my experience at the AMTA National Convention at Indianapolis, Indiana.

My first Convention in my 25 years (I have had a couple of breaks in continuous membership unfortunately) with the AMTA was last year in 2018, I have always wanted to go to one of the Conventions but time and money got in the way. It was a very enriching experience and if you need a little boost in your massage career and some fellowship I really recommend it. This year I had the unique opportunity to join CVOP early (Monday-Tuesday) before the Convention commenced. CVOP stands for Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program, it is a great team building experience, lots of interactions and collaborations with AMTA volunteers all over the United States.

There were break-out sessions that focus on what type of volunteer personality you have, insights into perceptions of volunteering and so much more. Much was packed into two days, it was a whirlwind that gave me a bigger picture on volunteering, working with others and what the AMTA is all about. If you ever consider a Board position this is a really valuable asset. I especially was impressed with Kathy Paholsky who was the leader of the 2019 NewVOP (CVOP 2.0) I had not been to prior CVOPs but they were stressing this was a different layout and I really liked it. I learned so much from listening to other Massage Therapists journeys in this career, I hope you get the chance as potential volunteers with AMTA to experience this.

The Convention opening session had an inspirational speaker Robyn Binencasa Adventurer Racer and CNN Hero, who has two bionic hips! It made my lack of cartilage in the knee look like a scratch. Melissa Stockwell spoke at the General Session, a war veteran who lost her left leg above the knee and became a world champion triathlete. The Closing Session had Daniel Pink, who discussed chronic pain and sleep disorders, his nappuchino regime WORK! Look it up! 

It seemed the focus was on pain and relaxation management care for vets, unfortunately this group is under-served with massage therapy and hopefully we can make new headway in working with this population for care.

Speaking of care, there are several CE (continuing education) opportunities during the conventions. I focused on self-care and learned and re-learned much on not just relaxing but stretching. Remember there are several FREE courses on the AMTA web for self-care if you were not able to attend the convention!

See you at our State Convention on Oahu in 2020!