AMTA 2025 Convention Keynote Speaker Talks "The Fire Within"

 May 1, 2025

If anyone has a survival guide to being human, it would be keynote speaker, visual artist and entrepreneur, Allison Massari. Allison teaches the intricacies of what it takes to overcome adversity and lean into challenges and vulnerability with strength, resilience and the courage of an open heart.

When Allison was hit head-on by a car traveling 60 miles per hour, she didn’t think she was going to survive. Trapped inside her car that exploded into flames, Allison was conscious the entire time she was being burned alive.

Amazingly, the heroic actions of a brave witness saved her life—but this was only the beginning of Allison’s journey. She learned not only to survive, but to take risks, never give up and commit to living her life boldly—with appreciation, hope and fierce determination.

Through captivating stories packed with personal development takeaways, Allison’s life-changing keynote demonstrates the tremendous power we each have when we bring our compassion and care to each other.

“My work is a celebration of the power of the human spirit. We each make an impact. We each are so important to each other,” she says. “Every single thing you do to help another human being is important. It counts. It matters. It is never a small act. The little moments are very often the big moments.”

A unique distinction of Allison’s presentation is her colorful and dynamic artwork—which is in the permanent collection of museums and serves as an immersive, visual backdrop for each of her keynotes.

Allison will be the Keynote Speaker at this year’s AMTA National Convention, happening August 21–23 in Dallas, Texas. Massage Therapy Journal had the opportunity to talk with Allison about her approach to living, the importance of self-care and how to develop your resilience.

The Fire Within includes such a moving story around two people who didn’t know one another but who were forever changed by a horrific event. You say, “Sometimes all it takes is one person to change a life.” How does that thinking inform how you live and how you talk to other people about living?

Every day, we each have the ability to bring goodness into the world—and it doesn’t have to be big, heroic gestures. It can be in the simple, everyday moments.

Compassion heals. Kindness heals. Love heals.

We each have the power to transform lives.

Even 26 years after my accident, I still vividly remember so many seemingly little moments that were profound for me—the sweet look in a nurse’s eyes, the touch of a hand at my bedside when I was in despair, the look of compassion from a stranger when I was walking into my physical therapist’s office ... These people probably have no idea that their presence—in a fleeting moment—was so healing for me. And yet it was. I will always remember these acts of kindness.

Our love extends solidly and in totality through time and space. Our intentions of kindness are alive and do not dissipate. Whatever you have given in love in your life has laid bricks of goodness that extend through time. It is not forgotten. It is alive.

You say: “You can be both tender-hearted and fierce.” So many people are challenged by the idea that they can be two things at once, especially when those things seem opposed to one another. What would you tell someone who finds that duality challenging?

Navigating the dualities of life is so important, because it helps us find our center … our peace. Can we feel OK even when something painful happens? Can we feel hopeful when we are facing the impossible? Can we retain our gentleness when we have to fight so hard to overcome our challenges? The answer is, yes.

After my accident burning alive in a fire, I fought hard for my survival. I was determined to make it, to find a way. That took unwavering grit, strength and courage.

Ironically, later, I also had to fight for my innocence to come back— with the same vigor. I refused to become bitter and hardened. So I fought for my softness to return. I fought to see life as beautiful again, to TRUST life again. It took time … but I got it back.

It’s about never giving up. It’s about fiercely taking command. It’s about learning to embrace difficulties as opportunities to grow … knowing you can still maintain your softness and gentleness—your loving heart—alongside that incredible strength.

So many massage therapists come to the profession with empathy. They focus on the care of their clients, sometimes at the expense of their own self-care. Can you suggest some ways massage therapists might better balance this notion of tender-hearted and fierce within their own self-care practices? How can people who aren’t always used to being tender with themselves lean into that idea more firmly?

Radical self-care is non-negotiable.

Make a decision every day to embrace life, celebrate life—and be gentle with yourself. Be kind—to your body, to your mind and with whatever you are going through. You can be fiercely dedicated to this.

Talk sweetly inside your mind to yourself. Slow down just enough to bring attention to that.

Imagine how you would treat a beloved family member or friend who is visiting you. Think of the little things you do to show your care for this person. You may prepare their favorite tea, put extra fluffy pillows on the sofa … extra details that will make them feel nurtured and loved. Borrow from that and use those same ideas to care for yourself lovingly.

When you sit at your desk, be sure you are really, really comfortable. Put a cozy blanket over your lap. Check that your environment is truly supporting you. Open windows and doors to have fresh air and oxygen circulating in your home. Have a practice of squeezing fresh lemons or oranges into your water in mason jars to make sure you stay hydrated every day. Little things can feel so nourishing and healthy. It is all a form of self-love—of kindness.

This is the precise way in which you should treat yourself, talk to yourself, love yourself—with absolute tenderness, and with an absolute commitment to care for your well-being.

You describe resilience as a quality you need to practice and nurture. Can you speak to that in a little more depth?

I experienced first hand that resilience can absolutely be learned.

Resilience isn’t something we’re necessarily born with; it is a skill that we nurture and practice. As long as people have the tools and willingness to do the work, they can absolutely figure it out.

I’m excited for people to attend my keynote, where I’ll be sharing so many supportive tools to build a healthy resilience mindset, including a transformational approach that calls upon 5 Kinds of Courage.

To give you an example … Let’s start with the Courage of Curiosity. Think about actively engaging your curiosity. It’s helpful to see life as a school, and see ourselves as open, learning something new, and always ready to find solutions to any problem or challenge. While rigid thinking keeps us contained and limits possibilities, getting curious and having expansive thinking changes the game. Curiosity is the root of innovation and growth—getting you to a place that is better than before.

Your reimagining of the word “defiance” invites people to really lean into making choices in their life that showcase the “fighting on behalf of the light.” Can you share with readers a specific example of how you continue to do that even during those moments when things feel heavy?

On days where I feel challenged or emotionally activated by something specific, I keep it very simple. I remind myself that I can still choose to be the light in the room. I can still choose to bring goodness into the world, even if I feel hurt or betrayed by a situation.

This is my form of defiance. I choose to not let the challenges of life define how I walk in the world and how I feel.

It is an act of defiance to choose your peace, instead of bitterness.

It is an act of defiance to not let our anger take over.

It is an act of defiance to keep our hearts open in the world we live in.

And, defiance—in extreme situations—means choosing to resist hopelessness.

We can each make the decision for the light to win—and be defiant!

You talk about choices and people choosing the light. Imagine you’re speaking to a massage therapist who is feeling challenged by their work and isolated in their practice. What do you tell them?

Being human is not easy. There is always a challenge. It’s completely normal to have times where you don’t feel optimistic or positive. So, we have to give ourselves permission to be human, and to be a work in progress as we try to figure things out.

I learned that when it feels impossible to have a positive attitude, I can still have compassion for myself. I can honor myself, and acknowledge what I’m going through, and then go to radical self-care: getting enough sleep, drinking more water, stretching, slowing down and really taking the time to care for my body.

In addition, and specifically for massage therapists and other health care professionals, it can be so soothing and supportive to actively remind yourself that you are choosing to be a healer in this world.

There is nothing more noble and important than helping others. You are choosing to bring goodness into the world. When you regularly identify and attune to your power and purpose as a healer, your daily experiences transform. As the healer, your heart naturally comes forward and is activated.

You can always make the decision to be the light in the room.

And as a healer, you’re not just a healer with your clients. You are a healer with everyone you encounter in your life. You’re a healer at the grocery store, at the post office, with the people you smile at on the street. It is your very nature.

You are making a difference in the world. You are that unforgettable person.

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