ABOUT US
Dr. David A. Tucker, DACM, EAMP
I see myself as truly fortunate that what I'm most passionate about is also what I get to do for a living. This was not always the case. In the summer of 2001, I left the "dot-com" industry to go live at a Buddhist Zen Center. It was then and there that my life clicked into place. I discovered Zen meditation, martial arts, and Chinese Medicine - what would become the natural trifecta of my life to continually guide me.
I did my TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) training, receiving a Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr University and my massage training through the Brenneke School of Massage. My clinical residency in Chinese Medicine was finished in Shanghai, China, completing shifts in internal medicine, psychiatry and trauma. More recently, I received my Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
In pursuit of wanting to work with what felt like a deeper and more holistic system of Chinese Medicine, I sought out Classical Five Element Acupuncture, training in Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA for an additional three years of study. I continue to study Worsley Five Element Acupuncture (WFEA) through the Worsley Institute. It has been a true honor to learn from the inheritor of this lineage, Judy Worsley. For more information on this extraordinary system of medicine, click here.
With a desire to go deeper within myself and how I connect with people and the world around me, 10 years ago I started working with Thea Elijah, a long-time practitioner of Five Element Acupuncture and Sufism. Her "Whole Heart Connection" work has been an integral part of my professional and personal journey.
I have been a practicing Zen Buddhist since 2001, having lived at Buddhist Zen Centers on the east and west coast, practicing in both the Japanese and Korean traditions of Zen. I received my Buddhist name "Won Shim" meaning Original Mind, in 2007 under Zen Master Ji Bong. I have enjoyed teaching meditation and qigong classes at several venues around Seattle, including Starbucks Corporate Offices, Embrace the Moon School for Taijiquan and Qigong, Bastyr University, and Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM).
On a more personal note – I train in multiple martial arts, play various musical instruments, am learning to become fluent in Spanish, and striving each day to be a more present father/stepfather and husband.
Training and Education
• Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine - Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, 2021
• Master Apprentice Program (MAP) participant - Worsley Institute, 2020-2023
• Certificate in Basic/Advanced Acupuncture Point Injection Therapy, 2021
• WFEA Teacher Training Advanced - Worsley Institute, 2019
• Mentorship Program (2 year), Whole Heart Connection - Thea Elijah, 2019
• WFEA Teacher Training Basic - Worsley Institute, 2018
• Certificate (2 year) – Classical Five Element Acupuncture – Khosrow Khalighi, 2007
• MS in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine – Bastyr University, 2005
• Dipl. of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine – NCCAOM, 2005
• Certificate (1 year) – Five Element Acupuncture – David Ford, 2004
• Acutonics Sound Healing Level I/II – Kairos Inst. of Sound Healing
• Licensed Massage Practitioner – Brenneke School of Massage, 2003
• BS in Business Management – SUNY Buffalo, 1999
Katy Grace Ball, LMT
I believe that we have more power and control over our health and wellbeing then we remember or give ourselves permission to believe. I am a passionate and dedicated holistic health practitioner that believes that no one knows their body more than themselves. It is my greatest joy to help you unfold and follow that map and internal compass to keep you aligned and living your most healthy vibrant life.
Since 2000 I have had a passion and curiosity for holistic health. When I became a massage therapist in 2003 I continued my studies in health coaching, yoga, meditation and energy work, because over the years found myself working with smart and passionate people who were ready to make big breakthroughs with their health. I saw a huge need for expanding my scope of practice after helping clients find freedom from pain, create ease of movement, and better peace of mind with the follow up care after appointments. There were questions about how to sustain that feeling of balance in the body… like what stretches should I do? what food is good for decreasing inflammation, or helping me to sleep better? It was in helping my clients with these nuanced details of self care that catapulted my massage practice to take on a more holistic approach.
Then in 2015 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I took my 15 years of holistic health care knowledge and became my own science lab, one in which I would heal myself from this disease. I had a choice... I could let MS be my story, or let it be the platform to step into my strength. I became my own health coach and turned everything back on myself from diet and exercise to self care, and radically changed my life.
With my new found strength and profound insight of the first hand experience of the power of healing, I help inform and guide my clients to transform their lives, to see, feel, and live the reality of their health goals come to fruition from a place of deep listening and compassion, one that inspires and brings out the inner strength that fuels what is possible in health and wellness.
Being a health coach with 17 years of a therapeutic massage background I blend massage techniques within the context of your health goals and we work together to create a body free of pain, with ease of movement, and peace of mind. You will leave your sessions with care that holistically keeps your body in balance so you can move freely about your life!
Training and Education:
• Institute for Integrative Nutrition 2020
• Primal Health Coaching Institue, Primal Mastery Course 2019
• RYT in the style of Iyengar yoga since 2012
• Brenneke School of Massage EPLP 2003
• Training in Power 2002
• Star Flower Essence Academy 2001
• Usui Reiki Certification 2000