My Background
I started college as a Wildlife Biology major, and that lasted 3 weeks before I dropped out! A quick transition to community college and a certificate as a EMT, and that is what ignited my passion into the human body. I finished my associates degree and was preparing to move to Kansas City to attend Cleveland Chiropractic College.
Not wanting to leave Colorado, and instead of spending all that time in school, I found the Healing Arts Institute and found massage. Within a year, I had opened my own practice at the ripe old age of 21... That was November1997! In January of 1998, in addition to my own practice, I was hired at a busy physical therapy clinic where I saw over 1500 patients in 12 months. In 1999 I returned fulltime into my own practice and to this day, never looked back!
In 2001, I was a teaching assistant for the Upledger Institute out of Palm Beach FL, and worked directly with John Upledger, DO studying Craniosacral Therapy, and Bruno Chikly MD studying Lymph Drainage Therapy. From 2004-2006, I taught Manual Therapy, Neuromuscular Re-education, and Therapeutic Exercise nationwide for the Medical Massage Office & Associates out of Wilmington NC.
In 2014 I opened a CrossFit Affiliate that Jacki and I ran until 2020. During the last 25+ years as a coach and therapist, I have amassed dozens of certifications and have taken thousands of hours of continuing education, all while treating over 70,000 sessions to date.
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I live and practice in beautiful Loveland, Colorado with my wife Jacki and our 4 kids. Our oldest is serving in the USAF, our second is working on a large dam project in Northern Colorado, and the other 2 are leading the way through their respective schools. Jacki is a registered nurse with a background in Labor & Delivery, Critical Care, and currently works in Interventional Radiology. As a family, we play hard and enjoy life to the fullest!
Why the Phoenix?
First, I was born in the valley of the sun, Phoenix Arizona.
Second, when you are in pain you can get pretty low. The outlook is poor, and hope can be lost.
Strength As Medicine burns that notion to the ground and gives you the tools to allow a new pain-free life to begin.
The symbolic Phoenix is our opportunity to overcome ANY obstacle.
My Approach
My approach to bodywork is a fine mix of working with some of the most talented mentors in the industry. I credit the likes of Dr. John Upledger, Dr. Bruno Chikly, Ida Rolf, Erik Dalton, Tom Myers, & Vladimir Janda, for making me the therapist that I am today. I am a firm believer in strength. Not in the brute sense of the word, but in functional strength. To me, functional strength is how quickly a brain communicates with a piece of tissue, and is that communication solid? My whole philosophy revolves around the concept of tonic and inhibited muscles, and the balance that needs to occur so that the nervous system communicates well with the corresponding tissues. While some may consider my approach archaic, I see it work every single day, and my 90%+ success rate speaks for itself.
