Today’s graduate spotlight is on Derick Moody, PTA LMP.  Derick has an interesting story on how he came to massage and how he came to Bodymechanics School.  He has fought tough and nail to get to where he is today and he is proof that determination pays off.

Derick can remember wanting to become a massage therapist for a long time.  He chose to join the military and was deployed, thus putting his dream on hold for a long time.   He decided to become a Physical Therapy Assistant while in the military and enjoyed the schooling and the knowledge.  Yet, massage therapy was always in the back of his mind.

Flash forward a few years and we see that Derick is working and has kids to support and it seems that his dream is getting pushed aside, rather than being realized.

He describes a conversation with a friend, who told him words that changed his career path.  His friend said, “Stop talking about it, just go.”  Within a week, Derick was enrolled in Massage Connection in Tacoma and you would think he is finally going for his dream career.  Yet, another stumbling block got in the way when the school closed mid-way through his program.

The owner of Massage Connection had called Bodymechanics School owner, Shari and let her know what was happening.  Several students from Massage Connection joined Bodymechanics and finished their schooling, thankful that they were able to join in existing classes, not start at the beginning and not have to start over paying full tuition.

Two of Derick’s former classmates let him know about Bodymechanics School and he came down and met with Shari, and was excited to know that our school was primarily injury treatment focused as it blended well with his PTA background.

Derick excelled at Bodymechanics School with his classmates enjoying his sense of humor, his treatment and the quality of his work.  He graduated in 2012 and is working hard to build a clientele in Olympia’s Integrative Health Clinic, choosing to focus on massage therapy and live his dream.

He describes his ideal client as someone who has suffered from chronic pain.  He enjoys working with clients who’ve had a stroke, suffered from whiplash, has fibromyalgia and even sciatica.  Derick is a muscular man, yet offers a gentle, peaceful release of tension to his clients.

Derick describes the best compliment he has received to date with enthusiasm:
“I tell him generally where it hurts, and he finds the reason.”

Derick is a well-rounded therapist with a strong background in injury treatment.  He is proof that determination pays off.