I started this program because teaching found its way back to me.

After years of teaching continuing education, I didn’t expect to miss the classroom in the way I eventually did. But when I returned to teach a workshop for massage students, something clicked. I remembered how much I loved being part of the early learning process—shaping how students understand the body, witnessing those light-bulb moments when a concept lands so clearly it will never be forgotten, and helping new therapists discover what the body is capable of when we slow down, listen, and truly investigate what it’s asking for.

Around that same time, people had been reaching out, asking when I would teach massage school again. I kept saying no—until Ashley looked at me one day and said, “Tina, you and I need to start a massage school together.” That was it. The curriculum began pouring out of me. Ideas for how to share the gems and treasures I’ve gathered over more than 20 years of hands-on practice and countless continuing education hours, plus a decade and a half of teaching experience, came together quickly and organically. What emerged was a program designed to be thoughtful, innovative, and deeply respectful of both the body and the learning process.

I love helping students grow not only as practitioners, but as human beings—learning how to show up, do the work, think critically, and develop confidence in their own hands and perceptions. Watching that growth unfold is one of the greatest joys of my work.

Nicknamed “Giggles” as a child, I’ve never stopped loving laughter. I use humor to lighten the room when learning—or life—gets heavy, and I believe joy and curiosity belong in the classroom just as much as rigor and responsibility. Outside of bodywork and teaching, my life is filled with things I love deeply: my amazing son, my family, my faith, growing things (bees, flowers, plants), sailing, and staying curious about what new thing I might learn next.