The Story Behind Holistic Movement and Performance

Hi!  Thanks for finding your way to my page.  I wanted to take a moment to explain the purpose behind Holistic Movement and Performance (HMP).  You can get my quick background over on the About page, but I wanted to have somewhere to discuss the full story.

The beginnings of HMP started out when I was a young child.  Growing up, sports were my obsession.  It didn’t matter which sport it was, whenever I’d watch a game on tv, I could rarely get through its entirety.  After trying to sit still, I’d have to rush outside and pretend to play the game I was watching (or to my parents’ lovely enjoyment – try to play it inside the house).  

When I was young, I used to dream of playing professional sports.  As I got older, I wanted to turn this dream into a goal.  So I began educating myself on the work ethic and training needed to do so.  I knew it wasn’t all going to be sunshine and rainbows and I was prepared for the challenging times.  A few years in, I stumbled into my first set-back: I began having back pain after some of my games.  This was far from my first injury (looking at you broken arm trying to climb a fence), so I knew I just had to make it to the end of the season and a few weeks rest would get me back on track.  That’s how that works right?  Not the case.  

After taking a few weeks off and not seeing much improvement, my parents and I decided to go to the professionals.  Go see a doctor, get a treatment plan, and be good as new.  Simple enough, but yet again, not the case.  After seeing multiple doctors and multiple physical therapists, we finally stumbled onto a team that knew what they were doing.  (Thank you to Zach Moore, Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, and the rest of the IFAST team circa 2010).  Being the inquisitive kid I was, I used to pester my trainer about what I was doing and the why behind it.  As I began to finally make progress myself and learn why it was working, I began to realize the powerful impact that educated training can provide.  It was at this moment that I knew once I was done with my soccer career, I wanted to provide this impact to others.  

And thus began the infancy of Holistic Movement and Performance.  

I began reading every article I could find.  I started studying anatomy.  I sought out opportunities to observe and was even fortunate enough that a local trainer allowed a high school kid to come help out with his sessions (thank you to Ty Terrell).  After having discussions about the best possible path for education, I decided to go to college for Exercise Science so I could learn in a dedicated and professional environment.  

Having been a dedicated athlete myself, I was initially drawn to working in youth athletics.  I wanted to give back to the population that was in my shoes.  So in my final year of college, I found an internship with a local soccer academy.  After that internship was completed, I found another working with a local sports performance facility.  Upon finishing this internship, I was fortunate enough to receive a job offer to stay on (thank you to John Coleman).  

It was a great first step; however like many first steps, I needed to outsource my income to pay my bills.  So I found a position coaching morning exercise classes.  It was here that I first began working with adults looking to build fitness.  This was my first experience working with people taking the first steps of their fitness journey or starting back up after long periods of inactivity.  It was also some of my first experiences working with people returning from an injury or needing to train around long-term injuries. 

It was through these experiences that I began to notice there was a piece missing; a piece that could help take all of these wonderful people to their goals much quicker and safer.  If they could supplement their exercise classes with an individually-paced program that addressed the areas they needed most, they’d experience much better results.  If they could address range-of-motion limitations or had an opportunity to build up foundational conditioning and tissue health, they’d be setting themselves up better in the short-term and long-term

As I progressed through my career, I continued working at sports performance facilities, and I realized this applied across the board.  I worked with youth athletes who needed more individualization than than their high schools could provide.  I would have conversations with coworkers who needed a more holistic approach than their traditional approaches provided.   The need for addressing individually-paced training and personalized exercises continued to be persistent.  I knew I wanted to provide that space; I knew that space was needed. 

This is why I started Holistic Movement and Performance.  It’s to help the people that need it.  It’s to provide a space for people who need an individually-designed program or for those who don’t feel they fit in at typical gyms.  At Holistic Movement and Performance, you’re valued for who you are and you receive the personalized support you need to build yourself up.  From someone who’s been in your shoes, I’m here to help you achieve your goals.