Irene Smith, certified in massage since 1974, was a member of NAMT, CAMTC, and the Hospice Volunteer Association. She was an NCBTMB provider, a member of the advisory council for the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation, and an internationally respected author and educator. For her work introducing massage into hospice care on the West Coast in 1982, Smith received the World Massage Festival Lifetime Achievement award. She founded Everflowing, an educational outreach project dedicated to teaching touch awareness and massage as invaluable skills in caring for those in later life stages. Irene passed away April 4, 2021.

Arizona Righetti enjoys the freedom and flexibility of her mobile massage practice. Some of her other pursuits are history, writing, and camping in the mountains, deserts, and beaches of California. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs.

Niki Munk, PhD, LMT, is an associate professor of health sciences at Indiana University, a Kentucky-licensed massage therapist, a visiting fellow with the Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, and a mother of two young daughter-scientists. Munk’s research explores real-world massage therapy for chronic pain, trigger point self-care, massage for amputation-related sequelae, and the reporting and impact of massage-related case reports.

Yoni Whitten, DC, is a native of San Diego, California. He has been studying wellness and human performance for over two decades. He holds a bachelor of science in kinesiology with a specialization in nutrition and health, and a doctorate of chiropractic.

Susan Coffey has a private practice in Watertown, Massachusetts, and also works for Care Dimensions (formerly Hospice North Shore). Visit www.susancoffeylmt.com to learn more about her work.