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.