By Pete and Lee Whitridge
We’d like to share a little FSM history and highlight one of the school’s most celebrated former owners and graduates. We both had the pleasure of watching Benny Vaughn on Live with Gil Hedley recently. Benny is one of the most prominent massage therapists in the US and, originally licensed in the fall of1975, is celebrating 50 years in the profession. Part of our FSM lineage, he was one of the original owners of the Florida School of Massage. Benny became interested in the benefit of massage therapy as a record-breaking collegiate athlete and attended Bruce Simer’s first massage class in Gainesville at the American Institute of Massage (forerunner of FSM). Benny’s mentor and teacher, Bruce Simer, owner of the school, was instrumental in his success. Bruce sold his school to Benny (and partners) and it was renamed Florida School of Massage. FSM was later sold to Lee Joseph and, as many of you know, Paul (RIP) and Josie Davenport purchased the school from Lee approximately forty years ago.
During the interview with Gil, Benny shared his life’s journey, growing up as a Black child in the segregated south (Columbus, GA during the Jim Crow era) and his eye-opening experience of moving as a boy with his military family to a fully integrated environment in Germany. He became one of the first five Black athletes to desegregate University of Florida’s athletics program in 1969 as a member of the track and field team. In the words of a UF Advancement article from February 2023, “That began a half century’s journey that would see him break collegiate running records, pioneer the use of therapeutic massage in sports medicine and participate in five Olympic Games as medical sta] for Team USA.” (Now six Olympiads.) That same UF article was appropriately titled “The Unstoppable Benny Vaughn.”
We enjoyed the benefit of having Benny reside in Gainesville for many years. He created an Athletics Department Massage Therapy program at UF, allowing FSM students to observe and graduates to practice massage with their elite college athletes during his time in the area. In his current Fort Worth, Texas location, he has built a custom designed massage therapy center where he’s still practicing Massage Therapy and Life Mastery Coaching with elite athletes, business leaders, and the general public.
Benny’s talk was very inspiring for both of us. It was a distillation of wisdom from his five decades in the field. It confirmed many of the things we treasure from the awareness based massage therapy training we received at FSM, that are still shared here at the school today. One of the main ideas Benny reiterated is the importance of positive mindset and the value of touching your clients with respect and love. Regardless of technique (which should be whatever modalities with which you resonate) he emphasized the need for presence. “Go into the session with the idea that‘I am helping this person’ and suspend having to know how you’re going to help them. Because you will help in ways that will be unseen by you…such as listening to them and believing them. That’s therapeutic right there…Listen to their story and believe them, and make no judgment, and then integrate what your therapeutic intuition invites you to do for them.” We’ve included additional quotes from the interview at the end of this article.
This is a must watch video for all FSM grads and future students. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to view this 90-minute gem for some inspiration for your practice. Because Benny’s interview was so powerful, Gil has made it available free on his YouTube channel.
Benny’s Life Coaching website: https://bennyvaughnlifecoach.com
Gil Hedley is a master anatomist who teaches through dissection and who has a unique vision of the human body which has been informed by his experience as bodyworker. You can learn so much from his website, https://www.gilhedley.com In addition to many free videos, he also has subscription options. Pete’s Explorer Membership ($15/month) gives unlimited access to hours of lab time with Gil and his team, monthly Live with Gil Zoom interviews with amazing presenters in our field, and continuing education credits toward licensure and NCBTMB Board Certification renewal. You can learn from Carla Stecco, Robert Schliep, and James Oschman, as well as other eminent teachers and educators from the world of movement and wellness.
On a personal note, I’m looking forward to time at FSM in April and October this year. We are celebrating 40 years of marriage in October, and just celebrated living in Fort Pierce for 25 years. These milestones are a dramatic reminder of how quickly time is flying! In that spirit, we encourage you to consider taking your required CE hours early. You’ll experience more a intimate class size and enjoy the peace of mind from completing your licensure requirements well ahead of the August 31, 2027 deadline.
Registration link for my April workshop: Head, Neck, and Shoulder Pain
Registration link for the October workshop: Joint Replacement Rehabilitation
Additional quotes from Benny Vaughn:
“I operate from a perspective that we are all luminous light beings having a human experience.”
“I always say to every client, ‘I know I will help you’…I don’t need to know how because, if my mindset is in the place of harmony with my skills and my knowledge, then I am doing something that will make a di]erence for them…You are not required to create a miracle cure.”
“The most powerful vehicle for connection is human touch. 50 years of touching have taught me a lot about human connection. The role of a massage therapist is supporting people in their human experience and keeping them connected to their humanness.”
“You must understand: you are already more powerful than you know; what you believe is what you see. It is gratitude that keeps us closest to the Source of all abundance in the universe.”
“The privilege of a longer human experience has allowed me to be committed to, and it is my duty to share, wisdom. Knowledge plus experience equals WISDOM.”
“Massage is more than a technique, it is how you speak with a client, the words you choose, your mindset. Communication is paramount to your success.”
“What are my thoughts during a massage? I have a strong belief that I am helping this client; we help people beyond technique; many times, people just require love. I say I’m just loving them…I o]er love, respect, courtesy and a place to be heard AND believed. That’s all they are asking for…”
