My Journey to Optimal Wellness
As a physical therapist, wellness advocate, mom of two and a volunteer in my community, I have spent most of my life caring for others, which has brought me great joy.
The past 30 years, I have had the privilege of providing physical therapy services in a variety of rehabilitation settings including outpatient clinics, hospitals, rehab centers and home health care. Caring for my patients as they navigate their way back to function again, whether it be learning to walk, returning to their favorite hobby or sport, or simply being able to sit up again, has been both rewarding and enlightening. Rewarding, as there is no greater joy than to help someone achieve their goals. Enlightening, as with every patient, I am reminded of how very precious our health is. Over the past several years, I have been seeing more and more patients with significant chronic diseases; and as a result of these issues, there is little hope for a return to restored health and function.
This trend of “sicker” patients, along with losing both of my parents in their early 70’s inspired me to start asking questions about how I, along with the health care profession as a whole, are approaching “health” care with patients. Are we proactively doing enough to address our patient’s current health status? Are we educating and supporting them on how to live a healthy life? Seeing an increase in chronic illness has given me pause to ask myself: "What am I doing to be the healthiest version of myself, and how can I prepare for a more graceful and healthy future as I age, while helping my patients do the same?"
This “aha moment” began my own personal journey of transformative self-care, along with the birth of Optimal Wellness. This is a lifestyle medicine approach to physical therapy that focuses on the wellness side of the healthcare continuum. My passion is to shine a bright light and bring a voice to the power of nutrition, exercise and self-care, while transforming lives and creating a movement of health and wellness for all ages. My work is dedicated to educating and inspiring others to be their best selves, and to understand that the power to make change starts with one simple goal at a time.