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Ep 139: When The Body Speaks: Mental Health, Boundaries & The Massage Room
04/26/2026
Ep 139: When The Body Speaks: Mental Health, Boundaries & The Massage Room
What happens when your client’s pain goes beyond the physical? In this episode, we sit down with Matt Runnalls, a mental health advocate whose story is as powerful as it is important for every massage therapist to hear. This conversation goes beyond techniques and into what’s really happening beneath the surface. The nervous system. The patterns. The “knots” in someone’s timeline that continue to show up in the body. Matt shares how many of the challenges we face are not random. They are moments in our life that we have attached meaning to. And unless we change that meaning, we keep tripping over them again and again. As therapists, we often become the place where people finally feel safe enough to open up. But where is the line? How do you support without stepping outside your scope? And how do you protect yourself while still holding space? Inside this episode, we explore: • Why presence is one of the most powerful tools you have • How emotional experiences show up as physical tension • The concept of “knots” in your timeline and how to reframe them • Why changing meaning can change everything • How to hold strong, healthy boundaries in your clinic • What to say when a client shares something deeper • How to refer with confidence and integrity This is a conversation that will shift how you see your clients, your role, and even your own experiences. Because when we stop trying to remove the pain and instead learn from it, that’s where real change happens. Meet Matt Over many years, Matt Runnalls has worked tirelessly as a mental health advocate to create awareness, acceptance, and education. Having lived with a mental illness, surviving suicide attempts, and losing several friends to suicide, Matt utilizes his knowledge of lived experience to encourage others to feel comfortable to speak up and manage their well-being just as he continues to do. Since devoting himself to advocacy full-time, Matt has delivered over 600 presentations, workshops, and events across Australia, Canada, and America. His story and journey have been featured in books, documentaries, songs, podcasts, films and throughout most big Australian media outlets. Matt’s dedication and tireless efforts have been recognised as he was awarded an Australia Day Medallion in January 2018 and as a 2021 Australian of the Year nominee. Matt is committed to using his voice and experiences as a platform to instill acceptance, purpose, and hope.
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