At the heart of my practice is the belief that every person has the capacity to adapt, heal, and grow when given the right support. My role is not to “fix” you, but to walk alongside you offering guidance, evidence-based strategies, and compassionate curiosity as you recover and rediscover confidence in your body.

I bring together three core pillars:

• Pain science, to help make sense of what you’re experiencing and reduce fear.

• Movement training, to build strength, adaptability, and skill through progressive, whole-body practice.

• Parts-aware principles (IFS), to recognise the emotional and protective patterns that can shape recovery.

This ethos means I see you not just as an injury, but as a whole person with goals, stories, and inner resources that matter. Every session is a collaboration, aiming to support both body and mind so you can move forward with clarity, resilience, and connection.

In ancient Greek mythology, the Aegis was the shield carried by Pallas Athene goddess of wisdom, strategy, and skill. More than just armour, it symbolised protection, guidance, and clarity in the midst of challenge. Wherever the Aegis appeared, it offered not only defence, but also the courage to act with intelligence and adaptability.

At Pallas Physiotherapy, this symbol resonates deeply. Recovery is rarely a straight line, it requires protection, support, and wisdom to face the uncertainties of pain and change. The Aegis of Pallas represents the framework I use to guide clients:

Pain Science — grounded in research at NeuRA, helping people understand why pain behaves the way it does.

Movement Training — blending physiotherapy with whole-body practices (Ido Portal, graded exposure, IKN nervous system loading, Gary Ward’s AIM foot biomechanics) to build strength, adaptability, and resilience.

Parts-Aware Principles — drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS) to honour the emotional and protective patterns that influence how we move and heal.

Together, these three elements form a kind of shield, not to hide behind, but to give you confidence to step forward. The Aegis of Pallas is both a philosophy and a practice: protecting your progress, guiding your growth, and helping you discover new possibilities in movement and life.

Traditional strength and conditioning often focuses on sets, reps, and isolated outcomes like muscle size, force, or speed. While valuable, this can sometimes overlook how the whole body (and even the nervous system) adapts to movement. My approach draws inspiration from movement practitioners such as Ido Portal, while integrating clinical principles like graded exposure, neuromechanical loading (IKN), and Gary Ward’s Anatomy in Motion (AIM) foot biomechanics.

This means we don’t just strengthen muscles, we progressively retrain the whole system to move with confidence. For example, graded exposure helps you return to challenging movements step by step, reducing fear and rebuilding trust in your body. IKN principles highlight how the nervous system needs to be loaded in varied, dynamic ways so it learns to adapt and coordinate effectively. And through Gary Ward’s AIM framework, we explore how the feet act as the body’s foundation, influencing everything from balance to hip and spinal function.

In practice, sessions may include strength training, bodyweight control, locomotion patterns, balance drills, and mobility work, all tailored to your needs. The aim is not only to restore function, but also to develop a body that is strong, adaptable, and capable of responding to life’s demands whether that’s sport, work, or play.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic model developed by Dr Richard Schwartz. It’s based on the idea that our inner world is made up of different “parts” (like distinct voices, roles, or subpersonalities) that each carry their own feelings, beliefs, and ways of protecting us. Alongside these parts, every person also has access to a core essence, called the Self, which is naturally curious, compassionate, and calm.

In daily life, parts often step in to protect us from pain, stress, or perceived danger. For example:

• A protective part might keep you from doing movements it associates with past injury.

• A critical part might push you to perform perfectly to avoid failure.

• A burdened part might carry old experiences of fear or shame that affect confidence.

In IFS, the goal isn’t to get rid of parts, it’s to get to know them and help them find new, healthier roles. This leads to greater integration, resilience, and choice in how we respond.

Why it matters for physiotherapy and movement coaching

Pain and injury don’t just affect the body — they can stir up fear, frustration, or self-criticism. IFS gives us a compassionate framework to notice these inner responses without judgement. For example:

• A client recovering from an ankle injury might have a “fearful part” that tenses up with every step.

• By recognising this part, rather than fighting it, we can build trust step by step, using graded exposure, pain science, and supportive coaching.

I use IFS-informed principles (NOT formal therapy) to create a space where these emotional layers can be acknowledged. This means clients feel seen as a whole person, not just as a body with an injury.