Jason Atkins-Tufts
Editor’s Note: We recently sat down with Jason Atkins-Tuffs, a 2003 graduate of our massage program and a recent graduate of our teacher training program. Atkins-Tuffs recently started his own gym, Gainesville Wellness and Performance, and is also now a member of the FSM faculty. Here’s a little more about how FSM played a role in his ongoing journey.
What were you doing for work before your FSM training?
I was a chef/kitchen manager.
What do you do now?
I am a partner in Gainesville Wellness and Performance where I perform exercise physiology, nutrition and lifestyle design, and massage therapy.
What was it about the FSM experience that inspired you to do what you do now?
FSM was my first exposure to the field of human development. By learning how to create a healthy space for myself and my client, I was able to begin the process of making a passion of mine – helping other people – into a fulfilling career.
How did being a student at FSM affect your learning experience and the choices you made after graduation?
First it provided me with a way to pay for college. I was able to work at a large corporate day spa while going to school. It also gave me an essential foundation for health and wellness, from something as simple as understanding medical terminology to something as complex as better understanding my personal values and philosophies so that I could make stronger decisions around my developmental path.
Atkins-Tufts helps a client with her form.
What challenges, if any, did you have to overcome to make the choice to enroll at FSM?
I stepped away from a career that I had invested a lot of time and one that I was depending on for an income.
When you think of FSM, what is your favorite memory?
Connecting with each of the teachers in a unique way. Cate Miller taught me to listen, Michael Broas taught me to feel, Paul Davenport and Adam Silverberg taught me how to learn. Every instructor there has dedicated their life to massage therapy and how it relates to human health and development.
Any further thoughts on being in the teacher training program with the first Night Program (July 2015-2016)?
When I returned to FSM for the teacher training certification I was constantly reminded of how important the fundamentals are. When in college I spent so much time dedicated to advanced topics and ideas. However, it is the basic things – like nonviolent communication, active listening, and nonjudgmental observation of habitual patterns – that make me successful as a coach, a business owner, and a human being.
