Blog

The Art of Conferencing

The Art of Conferencing

The Rub: a podcast about massage therapy | Mar 12, 2024

Embarking on a journey to expand the boundaries of massage therapy through interdisciplinary collaboration, our latest podcast episode with Corey Rivera offers an insightful look at the potential that lies in conference participation.

Hypomania, Earworms, and Episode Delays

Hypomania, Earworms, and Episode Delays

Corey Rivera | Feb 27, 2024

I'm a big fan of learning in public and talking about struggles, so this short note is to tell you that this week's episode will be a bit delayed.

Navigating the Depth of Touch

Navigating the Depth of Touch

The Rub: a podcast about massage therapy | Feb 14, 2024

Professional massage therapy stands apart from a simple shoulder rub; it's an intricate dance between therapist and client that fosters trust, understanding, and ultimately, healing.

We Made Our Table, Now We Have to Lie On It

We Made Our Table, Now We Have to Lie On It

The Rub: a podcast about massage therapy | Jan 31, 2024

In a recent episode of The Rub, Cal Cates and Corey Rivera explore the implications for massage therapists' earnings and the need for educational reform in a field that has, for too long, operated without a standardized training program.

Healwell is seeding change!

Healwell is seeding change!

Cal Cates | Jan 25, 2024

Be sure to hold on to your soon-to-be- vintage merch! We've got a new logo.

Massage Education and the Gainful Employment Rule

Massage Education and the Gainful Employment Rule

The Rub: a podcast about massage therapy | Jan 17, 2024

A new federal gainful employment rule, set to take effect in July 2024, could usher in stringent debt-to-earnings ratios and income benchmarks that pose a threat to a significant number of massage programs nationwide.

The Top Five Things You Should Know About Hospital-Based Massage Therapy

The Top Five Things You Should Know About Hospital-Based Massage Therapy

Cal Cates | Sep 8, 2023

Massage therapists are more than “nice to have.” Integrating massage therapy is inherent in our ethical imperative to ease suffering.

Disparity is Death

Disparity is Death

Cal Cates | Aug 3, 2023

None of us know the names of the Black women with breast cancer who make up the “40% more” deaths than their white counterparts every year. This is partly by design.

Connection

Connection

Laura Bryant-Earner | Jul 24, 2023

It's no surprise to you that humans are social creatures. We crave connection and the feeling of belonging. Social identity and intergroup relations give us context as we live each day...

Healwell Dosing Study Infographic

Healwell Dosing Study Infographic

Corey Rivera | Jul 1, 2023

Corey Rivera created this excellent infographic to help you understand Healwell's latest dosing study.

Three Reasons You Should Read Research

Three Reasons You Should Read Research

Corey Rivera | Jun 27, 2023

Corey Rivera shares three reasons you should read research... and three reasons why you might not.

Cal Cates featured on Kinkly

Cal Cates featured on Kinkly

Jun 22, 2023

It's clear to me that we will not be silenced. We are strong. We are gorgeous, and we are coming into our power.

Healwell featured in KFF Health News

Healwell featured in KFF Health News

Jun 8, 2023

Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients — But Aren’t Easy to Find

Massage therapists ease the pain of hospice patients — but aren't easy to find

Massage therapists ease the pain of hospice patients — but aren't easy to find

Jun 6, 2023

CBS News - Massage therapists ease the pain of hospice patients — but aren't easy to find

Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life for Seriously Ill Patients

Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life for Seriously Ill Patients

May 23, 2023

New research demonstrates that patients in the palliative care setting benefit most from short, repeated doses of massage therapy in the hospital.

Podcast: The Gift of Massage for Seriously Ill Patients

Podcast: The Gift of Massage for Seriously Ill Patients

May 18, 2023

Cal Cates is a guest on The Integrative Palliative Podcast with Delia Chiaramonte, MD.

ABMP Blog Highlights Healwell's Within Reach Symposium

ABMP Blog Highlights Healwell's Within Reach Symposium

May 15, 2023

Cal Cates and Corey Rivera were invited to write this piece about our Within Reach symposium for the ABMP blog.

Latest Study Highlighted by Physicians Weekly

Latest Study Highlighted by Physicians Weekly

May 13, 2023

The latest study Healwell published “Massage Therapy for Hospitalized Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was highlighted in Physicians Weekly in their article "Massage Therapy for Palliative Care Patients in Hospital".

Podcast: Bringing Therapeutic Massage to Hospitals

Podcast: Bringing Therapeutic Massage to Hospitals

May 10, 2023

Cal Cates on the first episode of S4OM's Collaborative Connections Podcast

Ways to Give

Ways to Give

Kerry Jordan | May 8, 2023

You already know that Healwell does important work... What you might not know is that all that work is made possible by generous people like you.

Have you ever gone to a funeral...

Have you ever gone to a funeral...

Rebecca Sturgeon | Apr 14, 2023

Have you ever gone to a funeral, and the deceased wasn't there?

Latest Study Highlighted by Clinical Pain Advisor

Latest Study Highlighted by Clinical Pain Advisor

Feb 24, 2023

The latest study Healwell published, “Massage Therapy for Hospitalized Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was highlighted by Clinical Pain Advisor in their article "Frequent Short Massage Therapy Sessions Beneficial for Hospitalized Patients."

Thank you for Listening

Thank you for Listening

Ephi Gravette | Feb 15, 2023

Every word and action make an impact.

Podcast: The Importance of Harm Reduction with Cal Cates

Podcast: The Importance of Harm Reduction with Cal Cates

Feb 7, 2023

Cal Cates speaks about the lack of self-regulation training, examples of judgment with a client, and how offering opinions can have a “silencing effect” on clients.

Cal Cates on The Thinking Practitioner

Cal Cates on The Thinking Practitioner

Aug 24, 2022

Til Luchau talks with Cal Cates about "massage therapy's sex problem:" how the profession's "touchiness" about the intimacy-sensuality-sexuality continuum, however well-founded, might not be serving either our clients, nor ourselves.

Podcast: Let’s Talk. About Sex. Yes, Sex. (with Cal Cates)

Podcast: Let’s Talk. About Sex. Yes, Sex. (with Cal Cates)

Aug 23, 2022

Cal Cates joins the MBB podcast to talk about why we all need to get cozier talking about sex in our massage practices.

Your 3-Step Guide to Start Reading Research Papers

Your 3-Step Guide to Start Reading Research Papers

Aug 12, 2022

Corey Rivera authored this article about reading research for Massage Magazine.

Living with Juvenile Arthritis

Living with Juvenile Arthritis

Kelly Mack | Jul 4, 2022

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month for recognizing the 300,000 or so children in the U.S. with the disease. When I was diagnosed at age two, it was not a well-known condition and it took my family many doctors’ visits and over a year to identify the disease I was fighting.

Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows

Cal Cates | Jun 20, 2022

Massage therapy has a sex problem. We don’t like to talk about it. We don’t like it when it gets into our workspaces, and we really can’t square the idea that people who pay for sex or who want sex and massage in the same transaction can still be decent humans.

Rebecca Sturgeon on The Thinking Practitioner

Rebecca Sturgeon on The Thinking Practitioner

Jun 1, 2022

Healwell's Education Director, Rebecca Sturgeon goes "Beyond It Depends" on the Thinking Practitioner podcast.

Trusting (and Supporting) Nurses

Trusting (and Supporting) Nurses

Caroline Hamric | May 18, 2022

I trust nurses. Doctors? Sure, they’re fine, they diagnose and treat. But nurses do the hardest work – the care work – without the accolades or the pay that doctors receive.

Conscious Discomfort

Conscious Discomfort

Rebecca Sturgeon | Apr 27, 2022

I have two experiences that are coming together in my life in a very interesting way... Reflecting on these experiences, I see what can happen when we haven't learned to be comfortable in our discomfort.

The Gender Reveal Party Podcast: The Real Reveal with Cal Cates

The Gender Reveal Party Podcast: The Real Reveal with Cal Cates

Apr 18, 2022

Cal Cates interviewed by Jay Pryor for The Gender Reveal Party Podcast

Out of the Community and Into the Fire

Out of the Community and Into the Fire

Corey Rivera | Mar 31, 2022

Can social media be useful in the fight for social justice, or are you just screaming into the void? Is it possible to change people’s minds? Are there different tactics for speaking with family vs strangers? What makes a successful protest?

Flawed Research

Flawed Research

Cal Cates | Mar 14, 2022

Cal's most recent column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine explores four reasons why it's difficult to conduct a proper study.

Apology and Forgiveness

Apology and Forgiveness

Kerry Jordan | Mar 4, 2022

Apology and forgiveness. So simple, right? Then why do we all find it so difficult?

Social Justice Adventuring Party

Social Justice Adventuring Party

Corey Rivera | Feb 24, 2022

The term Social Justice Warrior is often used to refer to people who lean left, liberal or progressive, believe in fairness and generally live in a way that makes it clear that they’re not down with the status quo. However, we’re not all warriors.

More Than One Way

More Than One Way

Corey Rivera | Feb 9, 2022

There is more than one way to fight. More than one way to change the future. There has to be. We all live different lives, with different resources, challenges, abilities and beliefs.

Let's Walk the Walk Before We Talk the Talk

Let's Walk the Walk Before We Talk the Talk

Kerry Jordan | Feb 1, 2022

Healthcare professionals (and everyone) need to have more and better conversations about end of life choices and advanced care plans.

When Massage Quits You: The Tangible

When Massage Quits You: The Tangible

Corey Rivera | Jan 22, 2022

Being a massage therapist is a rough gig... Among the things that could be under our control, there is a quietly looming monster that patiently waits: disability.

When Massage Quits You: The Intangible

When Massage Quits You: The Intangible

Corey Rivera | Jan 15, 2022

What happens when you can’t massage anymore? This is the first of a two-part description on the decline of my ability to perform massage.

Telling the Truth

Telling the Truth

Cal Cates | Jan 7, 2022

Cal's column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine explores ways that massage therapists can stop being purveyors of misinformation.

Real Self-Care

Real Self-Care

Corey Rivera | Jan 3, 2022

“I do not make resolutions. Winter is not the time to suddenly stop eating.” ~Me on facebook, every year since 2017

Independence

Independence

Rebecca Sturgeon | Dec 15, 2021

There are so many moments when, if I am listening, I have my every assumption challenged.

Searching for Joy

Searching for Joy

Corey Rivera | Dec 1, 2021

Luckily, rebellions aren’t about what they want us to be, they’re about what we want to create. Sometimes the most defiant acts are those of joy, happiness, and community.

How to Be Wrong

How to Be Wrong

Corey Rivera | Nov 16, 2021

Massage uses ostriching as a default response to being wrong. A profession that wants to be taken seriously as healthcare should not act this way. So why do we? Healwell's Education Coordinator, Corey Rivera, has some ideas.

Don’t Let Your COVID Guard Down

Don’t Let Your COVID Guard Down

Cal Cates | Nov 8, 2021

In this edition of their column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Cal warns, "If you’re feeling bored or finding yourself rolling your eyes at “yet another COVID story,” snap out of it. COVID is very much alive, and it is still very much our responsibility as people who care for people to... care for people."

Podcast: Cultivating Unconditional Positive Regard for Clients (with Cal Cates)

Podcast: Cultivating Unconditional Positive Regard for Clients (with Cal Cates)

Oct 5, 2021

Allissa Haines and Cal Cates dig deep into the work that needs to be done to cultivate an unconditional positive regard for clients.