Vancouver Massage Instructors – Our Dream Team
It’s rare to find a group of people who are so in alignment with your vision and mission. Yet, when it happens and you are able to hire the dream team it’s amazing. I was able to hire the BEST team of instructors for our Vancouver massage school recently and I’m so excited to share.
Bodymechanics School has always been known for our advanced model of education. With a strong focus on injury treatment based on science, our curriculum matches our goals of graduating massage therapists who hold a strong foundation in science-based modalities and are critical thinkers (AKA – no cookie cutter massages here!) Our graduates are prepared to work in a variety of settings: from private practice, to chiropractor offices to clinics and spas.
To reach our goals, our staff are chosen based on their ability to inspire our students, to teach them our advanced curriculum and to create exceptional massage therapists.
I recently hired our dream team of instructors – those who are excelling in their practice and who exhibit the traits necessary to help our students reach their goals. They were also chosen because of their passion and support of the schools vision and mission.
As Bodymechanics School moves closer to our goal of a therapeutic and rehab based program between massage therapy and personal training, our instructors are ready to facilitate this growth.
Bodymechanics School in Vancouver is now approved to offer our Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist program. We are currently working on designing the dream space to hold the massage and personal training programs. At almost 4 years in Vancouver, we are growing and it feels good. And for good measure, Bodymechanics School of Myotherapy & Massage (Tumwater) has been an approved school with the Department of Health for 20 years in 2019!
All of our instructors are trained as Massage Therapy Instructors and understand the role of the classroom instructor. This training is important to the overall progress of our students. We gear the training towards massage therapy specifically and teach our instructors to teach to the students needs. Our program is centered on 4 core areas:
- Understanding school vision, policies, and your role as an instructor for a massage school.
- The role of the instructor – teaching methodologies, classroom management, learning styles.
- Curriculum, lesson plans, assessments and using activities to enhance learning.
- The ethics of teaching – boundaries, relationships, professionalism, and following the outline and approved school curriculum.
Now, lets meet the Vancouver Massage Instructors – Our Dream Team!
Chad Knowlden, LMT
Campus Manager and School Instructor
Chad Knowlden, LMT serves as the Vancouver massage school campus manager and we couldn’t be more excited for his leadership and vision for helping build our school. He was initially hired as an instructor and has quickly been promoted to Campus Manager due to his experience, leadership and dedication to help Bodymechanics School grow.
Chad has been a massage therapist for over thirteen years. He was hired by Ashmead College one week prior to graduating their massage program as lead tutor and study lab instructor.
Chad helped start a massage externship with the Portland Timber soccer team and the Portland Lumberjack Lacrosse team. He started teaching six months after graduation and has taught in massage schools ever since.
He created and taught the only successful sports program in Everest College history and trained Vancouver massage therapists that went on to work with the American Olympic team as well as other professional athletes. He has a passion for massage and the students he works with, and always strives to inspire his students to be better than they thought they could be.
“The best mistake I ever made was walking into Ashmead college looking for photography classes and signed up for massage school instead. Massage has changed my life and now it’s my turn to pay it forward “. Chad Knowlden, LMT
As we move towards a rehab based massage school, Chad’s experience with athletics will serve the school very well.
D’Ghon Culpepper, LMT
Kinesiology Instructor
D’Ghon is a native of the south side of Chicago who relocated to the PNW in 1998. His love for exercise and weight training led him into the fitness industry in the year of 2004.
After holding several positions in sales and management he decided to take his love for helping people to the workout floor by becoming a personal trainer. As a certified personal trainer D’Ghon developed a love for corrective exercise and strength enhancement. He decided to find the missing element for his clients and discovered that the missing piece was Massage.
D’Ghon began his Massage career in 2011 and by combining his knowledge of strength and movement with his understanding of massage techniques and application he has developed a unique style geared towards helping people fully correct movement and muscular imbalances in their body.
D’Ghon currently practices his unique style of massage in a private studio in the Ft. Vancouver area of Vancouver Washington.
Nathan Daggett, LMT
Massage Theory & Practice Instructor
Nathan began his massage career in 2010 after leaving the Army as a Forward Observer. He is an OIF veteran who learned first hand the benefits of therapeutic massage during his time in the military, and knew that he had to learn to bring that healing to others after being medically discharged.
He was mentored under our very own Chad Knowlden and has found a passion for healing. In 2012 he was invited to work with the Track and Field Olympic Trials, and in 2013 he was able to work with US Soccer for Gold Cup. He still maintains an active and thriving practice in the Portland area.
He has taken his passion for healing and mentoring and is excited to focus it on teaching the next generation of massage therapists, knowing that this is the best way to impact more lives for generations to come.
He also works with a Mens Grooming company, where they specialize in beard care, and helping men achieve personal growth. He lives by the philosophy “Do Better” which is a constant reminder to always be in competition with himself, a daily commitment to be a better version of himself than he was the day before.
Alycia Reeves, LMT
Anatomy, Physiology & Pathology Instructor
Alycia Reeves is a graduate of Eastwest College of Healing Arts. In addition to owning Balanced Care Massage she also works with Returning Veterans Project to assist veterans in the Portland area.
She is compassionate and uses her unique insight and training to assist people with chronic pain and trauma. When she is not helping others she has a passion for traveling and hiking.
Regina Swartz (Odoms) LMT
Clinical Business Practice Instructor
Regina Swartz (Odoms) is the Clinical Business Practices Instructor at the Bodymechanics Vancouver Campus.
Regina is a graduate of Bodymechanics School – in fact, she was a member of our inaugural class!
Regina owns the Elements Massage Salmon Creek location where she practices as an LMT and owner.
Regina opened Elements in 2012 and currently leads a staff of 20 Licensed Massage Therapists. She is passionate about her craft and cares deeply about her staff and clientele. She wakes up every day looking forward to changing lives thru the benefits of massage.
Regina is married and has 11 kids (okay…5 of them are dogs) and, when given the opportunity, loves to vacation in Hawaii….but then….who doesn’t?
If you want to go into massage as a treatment-based massage therapist, our dream-team of instructors are passionate about the work that they do and the subjects that they teach. They will definitely prepare you for success.
We are enrolling for morning and weekend classes.
Weekend – April 27, 2019 (2-3 weekends a month from 9 am – 6 pm)
Morning – May 14, 2019 (Tuesday – Friday from 9 am – 1 pm)
If this sounds like you, give us a call at 360-350-0015 and let’s talk!
Let our Dream Team inspire you to success as a Vancouver Licensed Massage Therapist.
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