The force of this revelation rocked
her world. From that moment forward,
Massari transformed her life and livelihood and began her new career as a
private coach and professional speaker.
With characteristic vigor, Massari hit
the ground running.
Within months, she was coaching CEOs on how to create success
in their businesses, and she was preparing to appear in an international
documentary focused on overcoming
challenges. Within a year and a half,
she had been invited to give a TEDx
talk in Spain. And within two years,
she was voted the “Rising Star” in
the National Speakers Association’s
“So You Think You Can Speak” competition at the 2011 NSA Annual
Convention, and was traveling internationally, speaking and coaching
full time.
Massari has an uncanny ability
to make things happen. She radiates
warmth and ease, but the bedrock of
her success is in her never-say-die spirit,
rock-solid work ethic, entrepreneurial expertise and her extraordinary life
experiences.
Massari asks, “What is it we all
want? We want to live with excellence,
clarity, passion and focus. We want
success, genuine well-being and inner
peace. We want to be powerful in our
lives, armed with the capacity to handle
the unexpected, the tools to deal with
difficult people and challenging circum-
stances. But it’s more than that; we
want to feel like we’ve come alive …
that we’re living our mission, walking
in the world—and vital.”
Her work requires wisdom, compas-
sion, precision and strength. But these
were not easily won. Massari’s spirit
was challenged—violently.
TRIAL BY FIRE
In 1998, Massari’s growing interna-
tional fine arts business and her life
were put to the ultimate test. She was
in a near-fatal car accident, hit head-on
at 60 miles per hour, trapped inside
her car as it burst into flames. She
nearly burned to death. Fifty percent
of her body had second- and third-
degree burns. Her fever was so high
that doctors worried about seizures,
brain damage and kidney failure. There
were more than 300 staples in her back
alone. Her sister says, “Allison was so
bloody and swollen, we didn’t recog-
nize her.”
Massari recalls, “The agony was
inescapable. I remember thinking, ‘I
just want a two-minute break. Just two
minutes.’” But for months, there was
no relief from the pain.
Two-and-a-half years later, after a
long and grueling recovery, she was in
yet another serious car accident, this
time suffering a severe closed-head
brain injury. Top experts told her that
she would never recover. They said,
“Go home and mourn. The Allison
you knew is gone.” When she insisted
that she would prove them wrong,
her primary doctor very lovingly said,
“Allison, if I amputated your foot,
would you tell me you were going to
grow it back?”
Massari refused to give up. She
sought further advice, pursuing every
expert until she found the solutions that
worked. “I refused to be assigned to a
diminished life. I decided that some-
body on this planet was going to know
how to help me.”
She has always believed in mira-
cles. Her fiery determination and her
love of family and friends helped bring
her to a full recovery years later. “But
in honor of a hero
Massari founded and developed the
“Roger Pepper Adventure Camps”
for teenagers with severe burn injuries, named after the man who pulled
her from her burning car. It is based
at Adaptive Sports Center in Crested
Butte, Colorado. The mission is to break
perceived boundaries and transform
young people’s lives through outdoor
sports, like ice-climbing, snowboard-ing and skiing.
“Even a severely burned child with
no fingers can go ice-climbing. We
have adaptive equipment and a staff
that is extraordinary.”
For over 10 years, these revolution-
ary programs have been changing
lives. Participants do not pay anything
to attend. To learn more, visit www.
adaptivesports.org.
I didn’t want to just heal. I wanted to
feel peaceful. I became relentless in my
pursuit to find the answers to life and to
master it in totality.”
The triumph of her physical and
emotional recovery inspired Massari to
propel her business to pinnacle achieve-
ments. She revived her art business
with a 100 percent increase in sales and
was awarded placement in the perma-
nent collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Navigating extreme challenges,
building two successful businesses,
and consistently maintaining joy for
life makes Massari an anomaly. It
also makes her a tremendous asset
to her clients because she can deftly
impart her clarity, understanding and
determination.
