Spa Massage Therapist Expert Witness

I have worked in several positions within the hospitality industry, beginning as a massage therapist in 1987 and moving through many roles, including supervisor, trainer, manager, director, consultant, writer, expert witness and spokesperson. I have published 4 books and hundreds of articles on luxury wellness topics, and I have led numerous workshops and seminars across the U.S. and Canada. This experience has given me insight into the mindset of guest- services staffs, allowing me to lead personnel effectively and to communicate their needs, concerns and motivations to ownership and upper management. At each of my varied positions, I have specialized in integrating the experience of staff, management and clients. I believe that an optimal client experience requires a happy, dynamic staff, who have a clear picture of how their contribution is benefiting the larger operation, and in order to achieve that, management must take their needs into account from the development phase forward through design, building, hiring, training and ongoing operation.

I have been chosen by some of the world’s foremost corporations such as S.C. Johnson, Unilever, and Lands’ End to communicate their wellness-related messages to consumers. As a media-trained spokesperson with nationwide exposure, I have learned firsthand about consumers’ needs and desires when it comes to wellness and luxury.

I have been responsible for building numerous programs from the ground up including financials, P&L statements, revenue monitoring, retail development, staffing, hiring, training and retention. In other cases, working as a consultant, I have taken part in targeted areas of resort development focused on team building and training.

A published writer comfortable working on deadline in a high-tech global environment, I can produce everything from training manuals to operations guidelines to market studies to full- fledged textbooks with speed and precision.

Summary of Qualifications

experienced developer of world-class resort wellness programs
media-trained author and spokesperson
recognized trainer at top resorts
expert witness for the legal profession
professional writer, proven collateral development skills, author of 4 books & many articles

Languages

I am well traveled and conversant in several languages. It is a pleasure to communicate with people from diverse countries and backgrounds.
Spanish
French & Portuguese (conversational – studied and spent months in France & Brazil)
Italian (minor in Italian language at FSU, spent months living in Italy)
Thai (basic conversational)

Goals

Capitalize on my luxury background to provide world class customer service and management skills in upscale communities and resorts
Design & develop sustainable, health-oriented environments & programs for guests/residents
Dedicate time & resources to worthy causes related to health & wellness worldwide
Leverage experience, connections and skills to continue building leading brands

Experience

2003 – present Principal, Miami, FL
Hospitality Professional / Trainer / Manager/ Consultant
on a contractual basis, design & develop hospitality programs for clients
conceive & produce comprehensive training materials & SOPs for resort operations
conceive & lead comprehensive on-site trainings for new & existing resort staffs
align companies & entrepreneurs with contacts in the resort industry to promote brands
(as author/expert) make local & national media appearances & conduct print interviews to enhance the image of spa resorts
act as an expert witness to provide testimony at deposition and in court to uphold best practices in the spa resort industry
conceive, write & produce newsletters, brochures, treatment menus, employee handbooks, magazine articles, DVDs, etc.
conceive & produce workshops, seminars and trainings for spa resort owners/operators

2009 – 2011 Pelican Hill Resort Newport Beach, CA
Wellness Treatment Developer
design & develop program featuring signature treatments for new high-end resort
develop treatment protocols, operational manuals & SOPs for staff
interface with product manufacturers to create successful treatment-based retail program
on-site hands-on training of staff

2005 – 2008 Biotone, inc. San Diego, CA
Training Program Developer
design treatment & retail program for top-selling U.S. massage & spa product company
develop treatment protocols, training materials, educational system, sales standards
establish educational standards for teachers and trainers
train national team of educators
lead workshops hands-on for thousands of spa resort employees nationwide

2001 – 2003 Pritikin Longevity Center Miami, FL
Program Designer / Director
design & implement all aspects of new spa for well known residential health/diet center
hire, train, and coordinate all staff
develop budget, P & L, break even analysis
build brand awareness and increase sales
co-design & produce (with medical staff) collateral, brochures, web site
design & produce employee manual, training materials, SOPs
integrate spa and fitness departments with all aspects of established medical facility

1996 – 2000 LPG USA, Inc. Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, FL
Director of Development & Training
design training program for new massage technology in U.S. day spa & medical spa market
design & develop medical spa programs based on “Endermologie” cellulite reduction
train nurses, massage therapists, PAs, PTs and physicians on use of new technology
1994 – 1996 Doral Resort & Spa Miami, FL
Director of Spa Treatments
direct program at top spa with 32 treatment rooms and over 50 staff
1984 – 1994 Topnotch at Stowe, Ciboney Ocho Rios, Doral Spa, Safety Harbor, others
Working Therapist and Trainer
rated among the best in the U.S. during years of hands-on experience working as a massage therapist and educating the staffs at top properties in the U.S. and internationally

Spokesperson

1998-2005 Unilever, S.C. Johnson, Lands’ End, California Avocado Commission
Media Spokesperson

Extensively trained for media appearances to promote a wide variety of products related to the spa resort & wellness industries. In this capacity, hosted press events, media trips, appeared frequently on local and nationwide television, including satellite TV tours to multiple markets and hundreds of print interviews for major publications.

Education

1997 University of Miami Miami, FL
Master of Fine Arts Program
James Michener Fellowship for Writers

1987-88 Suncoast School Tampa, FL
Massage Therapy Business Program
Fully licensed education in massage + business practices

1983 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
B.A., major in English Lit, minor in Italian, with honors

Articles

Travel + Leisure, Miami Herald, Massage Therapy Journal, Bodywork Magazine, PULSE- Magazine of International Spa Association, Spa Management Journal, Massage Today, & others

Licensing

Florida State licensed community association manager
Florida State licensed massage therapist

Personal

Married, with two sons, to a restaurateur from Thailand, I live the hospitality lifestyle at home as well as at work. I created an outdoor spa-resort training environment at my Miami home with complete wet facilities which was featured in Massage & Spa Essentials summer 2011 catalogue. I have a passion for customer service and am extremely attentive to the needs of employers and clients alike. I practice Muay Thai kickboxing and mixed martial arts regularly. A US citizen, I have traveled extensively and assimilate well with many cultures.