Michelle McMahon

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT MICHELLE MCMAHON

My earliest heroes were the rock artists who were seeking to change the world through music. They inspired me to join Hard Rock for the first part of my career because its guiding mottoes of \"Love All, Serve All,\"\"All Is One,\"\"Take Time to Be Kind,\"\"Humanity is Instrumental,\" and \"Save the Planet\" aligned deeply with my values. The MA in Communications I began during these years heartbrokenly informed me of the role radio broadcasters played in propagating the Rwandan genocide, and my focus on what kind of work I was being called to began to shift. That shift solidified when I became mom to my foster adoptive son. When his speech instructor asked me to teach her and his other elementary school teachers how to help him learn, I pursued an MS in Instructional Design & Technology. My research focused on the effects of childhood trauma and the brain\'s ability to heal with appropriate interventions. The program\'s ethos that every student can learn, we just need to reach them where they\'re at, and my ongoing trauma recovery research continue to inform all areas of my work while being mom to my now adult son remains my all-time favorite and greatest role. I also returned to Massage Therapy (which I had first practiced while an undergrad) because of my interest in health and healing. Always having had a special place in my heart and reverence for elders, I chose to specialize in geriatric massage therapy. Through that work, I became acquainted with and intrigued by the local retired Franciscan Sisters of Allegany (FSAs). After joining BayCare, I learned the FSAs had helped found this health system and also of their courageous nearly 160-year history of witnessing and responding to the needs of their communities. Their statement, “Guided by respect for every individual’s dignity and worth, our Franciscan values call us to have reverence for human life, compassion for those who suffer, acceptance of each person and hospitality to those who come to us,” inspired me to pursue a fellowship and MA in Health Care Mission Leadership. My research focused on what it looks like to offer mercy, grace, and forgiveness alongside accountability to every individual and each person, including our religious and other leaders. My studies and imperfect practice are ongoing. Today, I am using all that I have learned from my secular and religious teachers and formal and informal studies in my vocation of BayCare support staffer, accompanier, and contemplative to walk alongside others and help them with whatever their needs look like in this part of their life\'s journey.