Even Experts Need A Second Set Of Eyes.

As a physical therapist, I have spent years studying the human body.... how muscle breaks down, how movement heals, how to build bodies back stronger than before. The human body is my whole world. It's what I think about 95% of the time.

One thing that I have learned when it comes to the human body, and just my life in general, is that my support system keeps me alive and healthy.

Why even the expert needs a second set of eyes

Here's the thing nobody tells you about expertise: the more you know, the more you know you don't know. The more compensation I can see in other people's bodies, the less objective I became about my own.

I can watch an athlete walk into my office and clock a compensation pattern in about four seconds. Hip drop, decreased thoracic rotation, lack of knee extension, that slight hitch before a jump. It's automatic at this point.

But when it's my own body? I'm too close to it. I'm inside the pattern, not outside watching it. And I become so engrossed in the compensation patterns and ways that I may be cheating that I stop focusing on the workout all together.

That's what a coach is for.

I don't have to worry about all of the things ON TOP of trying to get a good workout. I can just do what I am told and trust that they are double checking me.

"shouldn't you have this figured out by now?"

I get some version of this question a lot:

"Shouldn't I know my body well enough to fix this myself?"

"I've been dancing 15 years, I should know how to warm up right."

"I'm embarrassed I still need help with something this basic."

If that's a thought you've had, consider this:

I have a doctorate in physical therapy,

I specialize in dancers and active adults specifically

and I still have someone watching my form!

Because knowing what it should look like and actually being able to self-correct it in real time are two completely different skills that tbh are so above my pay grade (when I workout).

The standard you're holding yourself to figure it out alone and push through is not a flex. It is a standard even the people who've built careers around this don't hold themselves to. We just don't advertise that part.

Getting help isn't the last resort. it's the first move.

I'm not sure where this came from but athletes started thinking the idea that asking for help means you are not an expert in that sport. that you go to a PT after the injury, after the burnout, after you've tried everything else.

But honestly, every athlete I respect most (the ones who've had the longest, healthiest careers) got there by building support into their process from the start, not scrambling for it after something broke.

Your choreographer doesn't wait until the dance falls apart to give notes. your teacher doesn't wait until you've failed a class to correct your mistakes. so why would your body be any different?

Having someone in your corner who understands the demands of your specific training isn't an admission that you can't handle your own body. It's what handling your own body actually looks like at an expert level.

What this looks like in practice

This is a big part of why I built my practice the way I did. One-on-one sessions to actually watch how you move, with no insurance company deciding how many visits you get. Just me, watching for the things you can't see in yourself, the same way my coach watches for the things I can't see in me.

Are you looking to start building your support system?

Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more.