Board of Directors
Glory Blue Earth – AMTA Montana President
I am Glory Blue Earth and have been a licensed Massage Therapist since June of 2015. I graduated from HealthWorks Institute in Bozeman, MT. I was born and raised in Great Falls, MT and had always been interested in the healing arts. I would try traditional college, but never got past a few years. I became a mother and my priorities changed. I worked and volunteered. My family and I were historic interpreters for 8 years in a Lifeways Living History program. To say I am a nerd is an understatement. I have always been interested in how our ancestors help the body heal. I read so many books and went through ancestry information and utilized the Native American Resource Library. I then started with energy work before I ever enrolled in Massage School. My calling is to help facilitate holistic healing.
I have been working in the Spa and private practice industry since passing my exam in June of 2015. Both industries can be so rewarding on so many different levels. Private practice allows for deep professional client/therapist relationship rooted in trust and understanding. Spa work allows for branching out with more creativity and opportunity to work with others in the same job field. You can still “do your thing” but get out of the head just little bit. Spa work also allows to save money and not have so much overhead costs. You just show up and do your thang, laugh and smile and keep moving forward.
I have been residing in Deer Lodge, MT since 2016 with my girls. I have happily made this community my home. My family and I often do live theater with Cutler Brothers Productions as a hobby. I still maintain a small private practice and I am Spa Manager at Spa 1919. This Spa is located at Rock Creek Cattle Company (open Mid May-Mid October). In the off season I work also at Whispering Willows Spa at Fairmont Hot Springs under the team leader of Chrissy Hadley. She has been great to work with and Fairmont offers a great location to stay busy with work all year long.
I have a heart for volunteer work. I sit on Humanities Montana board, Friends of LEO, and prior to being president I was Government Relations chair with AMTA. I love our industry and what our profession has to offer. I hope to mentor in the future and stay in this industry as long as I can.
Eric Hart – Financial Administrator, House of Delegates
I came to massage after burning out in the business field and when I started massage school still was not sure if it was a steppingstone or the end game for me. Then came the first day of student clinic and I am sure like everyone else I was nervous. I finished with my first client, and they said you are a Zen massage master. I did not at all feel the same however I did know that I had in fact found my calling.
Fast forward several years, finding my space and learning my strengths and weakness’ and knowing a few people that were or had been on the state board I made the decision to run for a board position to help and give back to the local and state massage community.
I know that there is a stereotype about massage therapists, but I also know that it really is not true, and all walks of life can be massage therapists. A few years ago, I bought a little Mazda and joked it was the most massage therapist car I owned. Well, I sold it and went back to driving a pickup. It’s who I am, and we do not have to be put in a box. You can drive a ¾ ton diesel 4×4 and still be a Zen massage therapist. It has just been within the last few months that I have become an empty nester. Although sad I am excited to have time to grow into this chapter of life and learn new things, I may enjoy that I did not have time for until now.
I hope to see all of you at state meetings and hearing all the things the great massage therapist in Montana are doing.
Chapter Financial Administrator
Barbara Calahan – Secretary
My name is Barbara Calahan. I became a massage therapist to be able to offer a holistic alternative for pain management and rehabilitation. I graduated from the 1000-hour massage therapy program at the Health Works Institute in Bozeman, Montana. I chose the Health Works Institute because they covered many modalities that other programs often do not teach. My mission is to help people deal with the stress of life, heal from debilitating injuries, and help with chronic pain management.
My focus is mainly clinical massage, but every session is customized to meet your goals, whether that’s relaxation, pain management, trauma recovery/healing or rehabilitation after an injury or surgery. My objective is to work with every client’s body, soul, and spirit to make a difference in every aspect. Living with chronic pain or unresolved trauma can be very debilitating and my intention is to help improve quality of life with each opportunity.
I opened Mariposa Massage & Healing Center, LLC in Helena on October 2016. I am so grateful for everyone who trusts me to be a part of their healthcare journey. I am passionate about my work as a massage therapist, business owner, employer and absolutely love the privilege of serving in our community. I believe that massage therapy is an alternative option that affects every aspect of a person and healing touch is very much needed in our world today.
I realized several years ago there are many areas in our industry that need attention and I live to make a difference with every opportunity I am given. When the opportunity to volunteer as the AMTA Montana Chapter Board Secretary became available, I didn’t hesitate. I hope to be able to help move our industry forward here in Montana and beyond as part of a great team that currently makes up the AMTA Board – Montana Chapter.
Jennifer Roth – Board Member, Public Relations
Kathryn Mills – Board Member, Education Chair
I am Kathryn Mills and I have been a licensed massage therapist and AMTA member for 26 years. In that time, I have continuing studying massage training in various modalities. I was initially Certified at The Utah College of Massage Therapy in 1996 and previously had obtained a B.S. degree in Cognitive Psychology from George Mason University in Virginia, then later an M.S. degree in Health Promotion from The University of Montana. This has been a part of my extended effort to get an in-depth understanding of the ‘whole’ human being. I have spent my career educating people about natural health, aiding clients on their individual healing paths, mentoring other massage therapists, and for the past few years serving in the volunteer role of our current AMTA MT chapter board. I work in private practice and live with my husband and three stepchildren in Missoula Montana.
Chrissy Hadley – Event Chair
“Make a decision and the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
After having been married for 13 years and having 3 kids, it hadn’t occurred to me until I was getting a massage while on vacation that I could probably do it. It was definitely an “aha” moment for me. Immediately after getting home, I did the research and found the Healthworks Institute in Bozeman would be the best fit. Everything sort of aligned from there, and within 2 months I was sitting in orientation. I graduated in spring of 2015 and have never looked back. I started in both private practice in Butte and working at Whispering Willows Day Spa a couple days a week as soon as I passed the MBLEX. I loved the opportunity of meeting such a diverse client base at Whispering Willows Day Spa. It didn’t seem like the typical spa clients I originally thought, and I realized fairly quickly that I wouldn’t have access to those clients had I not work there. In 2019, I dissolved my private practice and bought the business at Whispering Willows Day Spa and took over the contract to lease the space from Fairmont Hot Springs. It has been a challenge trying to continue to run the business as clients have known it to be for 20+ years, while implementing my own vision for the space. Then Covid hit and I was able to close and restructure. I was presented with the opportunity to join the Montana Chapter of AMTA and felt it was the right time to get involved. I firmly believe that education = elevation and that our roles of massage therapists is more than just push tissue around. Our clients are smarter and are getting more in tune with their bodies and health. My vision as the Event Chair is to help bring quality education to Montana, as well as bringing some vendors who may have some newer products/equipment to share with our therapists. If you ever have any ideas, feel free to contact me. I am always open to suggestions and feedback. Hope to see you in April at our spring conference.