My Story
Why I built The Strong Shift
My shoulder dislocated three times. I have had two rotator cuff tears.
Not from anything dramatic. Brushing my teeth. Reaching for a mug on a high shelf. Pulling a jacket on. There was a stretch where the ordinary parts of a day were the parts I had to think about, and I started quietly rearranging my life around a joint I couldn't trust.
I'd been a competitive tennis player, so I expected my body to be reliable. What I remember most from those years isn't the pain. It's the hesitation. That half-second pause before you reach for something, where you run the odds.
What changed it for me was strength training. Not rest, not avoiding things, not being careful. Learning how to load the joint on purpose, in the right order, starting smaller than I wanted to. That's my experience, not a promise of what anyone else will get. But it's the reason I teach what I teach.
Today I have zero shoulder pain. Full overhead range, and I hang from a bar for fun. Three dislocations and two tears, and the joint I spent years negotiating with is the one I think about least.
I am not telling you that to promise you the same outcome. Bodies are different and I cannot predict yours. I am telling you because nobody told me it was possible, and I spent a long time assuming it wasn't.
I'm a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist, a distinction held by fewer than 10% of PTs nationwide. I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy at Midwestern University after studying Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder. I also coach a weekly women's strength class, where most of the women never pictured themselves doing a deadlift.
And I think about my aunt. She worked hard for years in the restaurant business and never really got started with exercise. Not because she couldn't, but because nothing ever looked like it was meant for her.
That's why I named it The Strong Shift. The moment that drives me is watching someone stop wondering whether they're allowed to lift something and start knowing how. You don't have to become a gym person. You need a starting point that fits and instructions that make sense.
