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Maggy Troup

Maggy is a bodyworker, educator and a multi-passionate entrepreneur. With a degree in Kinesiology and over two decades of hands-on-massage experience, Maggy specializes in helping her clients reconnect with their bodies and re-engage in their lives. She is a perpetual learner, and flourishes by staying on top of emerging trends and has developed and taught curriculum on sports massage, advanced anatomy and therapeutic practices to students and professionals alike

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John James

John James is an extensively educated and highly skilled Massage Therapist, Bodyworker and healer with over 32 years in his practice. Initially honing his craft in sports rehabilitation, he discovered his gift for helping those in chronic pain and transitioned into trauma therapy. To bolster the breadth of his work, John has intensely studied various topics and modalities including Craniosacral Therapy, Reiki, Reflexology, Visceral Manipulation, Myofascial Release, the healing approaches of South America and Lymphatic Drainage Technique. His dedication to his craft has deepened his reverence for the work; such understanding allows him to effectively and skillfully move energy to facilitate healing.  

Over the course of his career, John has established multiple successful businesses; founding Massage Source in the early 90’s, New Health Integration, co-founding The C-section Recovery Center and finally, owning Ke Kino Institute of Healing. The ultimate goal of his work is to utilize touch to help people in the ways they need, whether that be in aid of acute and chronic ailments or for the completion of biological processes through rebirthing. Aside from his dedication to his personal practice, John is involved in several mentorship programs with developing talents to nurture and cultivate the legacy of conscious touch.  

John balances his dedication to his practice and vision with a grounded sense of self, family and community. Outside of work, John enjoys time at his homestead in Melissa with his wife and three kids. He is also a proud father of a son that lives outside of the area.

John’s passion for touch and his understanding of its profound effects are truly evident in his work. With vast depths of knowledge complemented by a diverse skill set and an unyielding commitment to the well-being of others, John embodies the passion of the Touch Revolution.

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Alyssa Flores

I began my exploration into the world of massage at the age of nine, inspired by my mother’s enrollment in San Antonio’s Neuromuscular Concepts School of Massage in 1998. In 2007, I graduated from the same school, paving the way for an 18-year career.

My transformative experience with Ashiatsu DeepFeet Bar Therapy® in 2009 reshaped my practice, allowing me to effortlessly deliver the pressure levels clients craved without compromising my body. Over the years, I pursued a deeper understanding of barefoot massage traditions, traveling to destination retreats worldwide. Today, I’m proud to offer the broadest selection of barefoot massage and bodywork nationwide and to support others on their journey through teaching and mentorship, both statewide and internationally, as Texas’ designated Ashiatsu instructor.

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Michelle Amaya

Michelle Amaya graduated from Cortiva Institute in Arlington, TX, in 2020. After taking time to build confidence and experience, she joined Spa Face and Body in Waxahachie in 2022. Now, Michelle is eager to fully immerse herself in the field, to grow within the community, and to continue her learning journey.

Renee Houston

Hi there! I’m Renée! I am so honored to be a part of the Dallas region of AMTA. 

I graduated from the Institute of Bodywork Studies (now the Massage Institute of North Texas) in 2008, obtaining my massage therapist license in 2009. In 2020 I became a Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist, and the North Texas area’s first Trauma Touch Therapist in 2022. 

I’ve been a business owner (twice), a franchise employee (also twice), both an employee and a contractor at chiropractic offices (more than twice), and worked with special populations in a variety of settings. I have had the honor of sitting at the feet of not one but two of the pioneers of oncology massage, as well as training under the inimitable Jen Hartley of Handle With Care to learn massage for burn survivors.

My niche is serving trauma survivors. Whether an elderly great-grandparent with fragile skin and several health conditions, a cancer patient undergoing chemo or radiation, or an abuse survivor struggling with PTSD and feeling so disconnected from their body, there are not many people I cannot touch safely in some capacity. My experience with Trauma Touch Therapy™ has been life-changing for me, and its principles inform everything else I do in my practice. 

Concurrent with my passion to ensure that my beloved massage community is as trauma-informed as possible, I also have a heart to connect the massage community and the mental health community, for the benefit of all of our collective clients.

Because touch is a basic human need, and safe touch is a basic human right.”

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Stephanie Castillo

Stephanie founded Belax & Co. in 2021, inspired by her daughter’s sweet attempt to say “relax” as “belax.” This heartfelt moment became the foundation of her business, emphasizing wellness and self-care. Since 2007, Stephanie has specialized in therapeutic and relaxation massage, with skills in deep tissue, prenatal, sports, and hot stone massage. Belax & Co., a proud woman and Latin-owned business, serves as a holistic sanctuary for clients to prioritize their well-being.

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Julie Alexander

Julie Alexander is the owner of Handcrafted Therapy. Handcrafted Therapy is a massage supply and training center in Plano, Texas. She teaches meditation, aromatherapy, and massage therapy continuing education classes. Julie also teaches business marketing at Ke Kino Massage Academy.

Ms. Alexander has been a massage therapist since 2009. She has extensive experience in results-driven therapeutic massage solutions and is committed to helping clients maintain a pain-free life.

After attending high school at the Indiana Academy and graduating from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing, Julie served in several marketing roles supporting small businesses

Julie’s tenure at several high-end spas in the Dallas area gave her a crash course on how to run a successful spa. In 2015, she opened her first massage business in a wellness center.

Her business, Handcrafted Therapy, grew rapidly and expanded to a new location in 2017. She is not only fully booked out for weeks but also provides a professional day spa rental space for other therapists.

During the 2020 pandemic shutdown, Julie refocused her drive and passion to serve by providing virtual sessions for her clients on self-care.

She enjoys traveling with her husband, game nights with friends.

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