What led you to build Restore?

Private practice was not on my mind for most of my 25 years as a physical therapist and Pilates instructor. I was more interested in exploring different treatment methods and even spent six years architecting clinical programs with emerging technologies in Singapore. Somewhere along the way I noticed two things. First, recovery was fragmented. Rehabilitation lived in one place. Strength and performance lived in another. There was no continuity.

Second, when it came to the female body, we’re rehabilitating and training them as if they’re smaller versions of men. We’re not. Hormonal transitions, pelvic structure, functional physiology, pregnancy, postpartum, midlife, these directly affect physical stability, recovery, and load tolerance. Yet it’s rarely considered in the recovery to performance equation.

I guess Restore has been slowly cooking in me for 25 years!

How do you define your approach?

It’s safe to say I belong to the “old guard” when care wasn’t compressed by healthcare constraints. Taking time to see a person beyond a diagnosis is so important. A woman’s body carries her history, physiological, emotional, and often the stress she is currently navigating. That context matters.

Today, my approach is shaped more by my clinical experience than academic knowledge. I look for repeated patterns and how bodies adapt over time under different conditions. Most of all, I understand a body must feel safe to progress.

How do you define success in rehabilitation?

Let’s start by establishing symptom resolution is the beginning, not the end!

To me, success is when a woman trusts her body again. When she moves fluidly without bracing or hesitating. When strength feels steady instead of forced. It’s about feeling capable in sports and in daily life.

Who is your ideal client?

A woman with clear goals and challenges the status quo! She knows the difference between common and normal.

I light up when a woman tells me she is used to being active and wants to stay that way. She wants someone to teach her about her own body, how to care for it, and build it intentionally, not just make pain go away.

What might surprise clients about you?

Clients are often surprised by how laughter can be so integral to this work.

It’s important to take the work seriously. I just don’t believe it has to feel intimidating. Healing is demanding. A little levity keeps it human.

What do you wish more women understood about their bodies?

Two things.

First, a woman’s body is not fragile, it is complex. A body capable of creating and birthing life is anything but fragile right? It’s actually breathtakingly powerful.

Second, complexity requires attention. I see women override their bodies’ signals every day while caring for everyone else. When we listen and respond instead of override, we build resilience instead of reacting to breakdown.

What do you hope women gain from Restore?

Real ownership and pride in their body.

I want women to understand their bodies well enough that they’re no longer avoiding it! Also to move through life without shame, fear, or confusion about their bodies. When a woman trusts her body, she shows up differently in the world. That’s the real goal.

Photos by Praise Santos McKenna of ComePlum, www.comeplum.com