Advertise on podcast: The Student to Therapist Massage Therapy Podcast

Our Season 1 Finale! In this special episode of the Student to Therapist Massage Therapy Podcast, David and Timur step out of the classroom and treatment space and into The Gallery of Scent, a free, immersive fragrance pop‑up in the Financial District and Seaport area created by Element Brooklyn. Together with Director of Production and Technical Innovation Adam Contes, they explore a 30‑note “scent gallery” arranged from bright, fresh top notes through woods, earth, and deep “dark arts” resins, all designed to help visitors quietly map their own preferences and create a personalized “scent profile.” Adam shares how his team balances fragrance “architecture” with safety, sustainability, and refill‑forward design in hand soaps, candles, and body care, then connects scent to nervous system regulation, breathwork, massage, yoga, and meditation. Listeners will hear David and Timur’s real‑time reactions as they wander the space, clear their olfactory “palate,” and discover surprising favorite notes like cacao, cedarwood, and bergamot—along with practical ideas for using subtle, non‑overwhelming fragrance to shift the emotional tone of a treatment room or home practice. Visit Element Brooklyn's Gallery of Scent at 192 Front Street, New York, between now and September 6 before the pop-up closes. To learn more, visit: https://gallery.elementbrooklyn.com/

What does it really take to build a sustainable, patient-centered career in integrative healthcare? In this episode, David Sol and Timur Lokshin sit down with Dr. Matthew Zimmerman, Clinic Director of the Integrative Health Clinic at Pacific College of Health and Science, to talk about interdisciplinary care, ethical rebooking, student readiness, and the habits that shape long-term clinical success. Dr. Zimmerman shares how an intense early-career experience forced him to learn patient care, clinic operations, billing, scheduling, documentation, and marketing all at once. He explains why healthcare professionals must stop thinking in silos, embrace collaboration, and remember that every practitioner is ultimately on “team patient.” The conversation also explores how students and new practitioners can develop stronger documentation habits, clearer communication, better professional boundaries, and a more sustainable approach to practice. This episode is especially valuable for massage therapy, acupuncture, nursing, and integrative health students who want to combine excellent care with real-world professionalism.

Massage therapist and Pacific College faculty member Karin Elías joins David and Timur to explore how hands‑on work becomes a somatic, energetic, and emotional support for women in midlife. She traces her path from shiatsu and essential oils to sound healing and holistic practice, reflecting on how decades of experience, motherhood, and teaching have transformed the way she touches and listens to the body. Karin dives into perimenopause and menopause as a soul journey, shares why many women still feel unseen by conventional care, and describes how thoughtful, scope‑honoring bodywork can help them navigate physical change, relationship shifts, and the search for meaning in the “years of change.”

Pacific College of Health and Science massage therapy students and faculty share their experiences completing externship hours at OnPoint NYC, a harm‑reduction center in Harlem. Through their stories, we explore trauma‑informed care, the Holistic Center’s unique healing environment, and what it means to bring free, dignified massage to people navigating addiction, houselessness, and everyday survival—released in celebration of ABMP’s Massage Is For EveryBody Week.

Holistic nurse, educator, and researcher Dr. Caroline Ortiz joins David Sol and Timur Lokshin to explore curanderismo, the Mesoamerican healing traditions she inherited in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, and bridges with her holistic nursing practice in New York City. She shares stories and lessons to show how ritual, community, and the language of “imbalance” rather than “disease” can reshape our understanding of health and wellness care. Designed for massage therapists, nurses, and bodyworkers, this conversation explores traditional medicine from central Mexico, the idea of touch as a gift, and the role of practitioners as facilitators rather than “healers.” Caroline also speaks candidly about burnout and loneliness, and why caregivers must become their own first patient to stay balanced and be “good medicine” for others.

In this episode, David Sol sits down with Somaliah “Soma” Sadiq-Williams—doula, massage therapist, educator, and land steward—to explore how reproductive justice, community care, and elemental bodywork reshape what healing looks like in and beyond the massage classroom. Soma shares her path from home birth to full-spectrum doula work, her sliding-scale accessibility model, and her social justice advocacy with harm reduction centers and incarcerated parents, all while inviting students and therapists to ground their practice in ethics, land, and the simple act of truly seeing and hearing every person on the table.

In this episode of the Student to Therapist Massage Therapy Podcast, David Sol and Timur Lokshin talk with massage student and community leader Sharon Feliciano about turning passion into service. Sharon shares how she left a 20-year career in real estate to pursue massage therapy, as well as her work in homelessness prevention, seasonal donation drives, and her vision for an affordable community wellness center. She opens up about time management, setting boundaries as a mom and student, and the support she’s found in school. Sharon also reflects on earning a scholarship for her service work and the guiding intention behind her journey: “Do the thing that sets your soul on fire.”

In this episode of the Student to Therapist Massage Therapy podcast, David Sol and Timur Lokshin sit down with longtime educator and perinatal massage specialist Kiera Nagle, LMT, founder of MaMassage Brooklyn, to explore what it really takes to safely and confidently support pregnant and postpartum clients through massage therapy. Kiera shares her journey from a public school teacher and patient to a hospital-based practitioner and clinic owner, and breaks down common myths about first-trimester massage, appropriate perinatal care, and working within medical and interdisciplinary teams. Listeners will learn how trauma‑informed intake, clear communication, and skillful side‑lying and abdominal work can reduce musculoskeletal strain, support lactation, and help clients navigate birth, postpartum recovery, and even obstetric trauma with more agency and ease. Kiera also offers practical advice for massage students and new therapists on building perinatal skills, entering hospital and clinical settings, and creating sustainable, community‑centered practices that prioritize access, equity, and therapist well‑being. To learn more about Kiera’s work, training, and resources, visit www.mamassage.org (MaMassage Brooklyn). You can also connect with her practice directly through the contact information on the MaMassage website for questions about appointments, continuing education, and trauma‑informed perinatal care.

In the first half of this episode, David and Timur walk you through how to actually use your ABMP and AMTA student memberships right now—from liability insurance and exam prep tools to discounts, mentoring, and career support after graduation. In the second half, they shift into burnout prevention, explaining why massage students are at unique risk and offering the SUSTAIN self‑care framework so you can protect your body, mind, and heart while you move from student clinic to confident professional therapist.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I too old to go back to school and become a massage therapist?”, this episode is for you. David and Timur talk candidly about career changers in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 70s who find new purpose in massage therapy, and how life experience, a clear “why,” and practical planning turn fear into a sustainable second (or third) career.

Massage student and wellness creator Rayn shares her journey from retail burnout to soul-aligned healing work, weaving together massage, somatic practices, and her Afro‑Guyanese holistic roots. She breaks down her Language of the Body workshops, nature and art retreats, and a new safe-space club that helps overwhelmed students and seekers use journaling, movement, and community to turn a “hot mess” world into embodied healing and connection.

Are you following protocols—or truly transforming lives? In this essential conversation, hosts David Sol and Timur Lokshin explore what separates exceptional massage therapists from those who simply go through the motions. Discover why knowing your anatomy, pathology, and assessment skills isn't just academic—it's the difference between becoming a facilitator of real positive change and someone who applies the same techniques to every client, hoping for results. David and Timur break down the critical distinction between diagnosis (outside our scope) and assessment (our superpower), showing you how to identify specific structures, understand tissue-level changes, and create individualized treatment plans that work. What You'll Learn: The intake interview secrets that reveal what's really causing your client's pain—even when “Dr. Google” has already convinced them they have sciaticaHow to navigate talkative clients while gathering essential information using tools like LOPQRST without losing half your treatment timeWhy the words your clients choose, “sharp” vs. “sore,” “pinpoint” vs. “diffuse”—reveal which structures are involved and what techniques will helpThe humility paradox: Why saying “I don't know” builds trust and makes you a better practitionerReal-world examples from hospice care that prove sometimes presence matters more than pressureWhether you're a student overwhelmed by anatomy class or an experienced practitioner ready to elevate your work, this episode will shift how you think about every client arriving at your table. Learn to meet people where they are, communicate with medical professionals using proper terminology, and embrace the reality that you're not a healer, you're a facilitator helping the body's own intelligence do what it does best. Perfect for: Massage therapy students, new graduates, and seasoned practitioners seeking to deepen their therapeutic approach and clinical reasoning skills.

Stepping into a rigorous, hands-on healthcare program can feel overwhelming, especially when you are juggling work, family, and your own healing journey. In this episode, David Sol and Timur Lokshin sit down with Dr. Ashley Kowal, Vice President of Student Services at Pacific College of Health Science, to reveal how student services, tutoring, and WellConnect can transform that stress into sustainable success. Dr. Kowal shares what the student service department is all about, how accommodations work under the Americans with Disabilities Act (including for neurodivergent students, chronic illness, pregnancy, and temporary injuries), and why there is no shame in asking for support. You will hear concrete examples of exam and classroom accommodations, how confidentiality is protected, and when faculty can (and cannot) challenge an accommodation request. We also dive into the real-life challenges non-traditional students face—time management, burnout, and returning to school after years away—and walk through practical strategies for studying smarter, not harder. You will learn how to build a realistic weekly schedule, use tutoring for both content and study skills, and turn everyday life into a classroom using posture analysis, SOAP notes, and client communication practice. Whether you are just starting at Pacific College of Health and Science or are halfway through your program, this episode will help you reconnect with your “why,” communicate earlier when life gets messy, and use every tool available—student advisors, WellConnect, tutors, and simple planning systems—to stay on track without sacrificing your health. Listen in if you are ready to stop white-knuckling your way through school and start treating it like the professional training and personal transformation it truly is.

Starting massage school can feel exciting, overwhelming, and a little terrifying—so in this episode, David Sol and Timur Lokshin share what they wish they had known in their first term. They talk about the shock of the science load, why “more pressure” isn’t better, the power of slowing down and building rapport, and how struggling students can still become thriving, successful therapists if they remember their why and lean on their community.

In this inaugural episode of The Student to Therapist Massage Therapy Podcast, hosts David Sol and Timur Lokshin introduce themselves, share their paths into massage therapy and bodywork, and talk openly about how they found their way into this profession as students and lifelong learners. They reflect on early doubts, influential mentors, and the pivotal experiences that shaped their careers in massage, acupuncture, and education. You’ll also hear why they care so deeply about supporting massage therapy students, what they wish they had known when they were starting out, and how this podcast will serve as a companion for you on your journey to becoming a licensed massage therapist. This episode is perfect for prospective, new, and returning students who want to get to know their educators, feel more connected to the program, and gain early insight into what a real career in massage therapy can look like.