Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Cook.
Hi Bethany, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
If you asked me in my twenties if I wanted to be a PT, I would have said no. No to working in football, no to owning a business, definitely no to opening a brick and mortar space. And yet, here I am doing it all and loving it more than I could have imagined!
After undergrad, I took an internship with a NASL soccer team in a heavy chapter of my life and it ended up being the light in the dark for me. Being in that environment inspired me to apply for PT school and chase down the University of Miami as my dream education. To this day, I still look back with gratitude for the role UM’s DPT program played in shifting my life forward into doing what I love.
Ten years later and I’ve worked with MLB, NHL, NFL and Miami City Ballet. Sidelines, strength and conditioning, concussion rehab, dry needling for athletic performance— I said yes to anything that presented a challenge, peaked my curiosity and gave me an opportunity to grow in excellence. Being constantly surrounded by elite performers, the best medical and coaching staff, as well as business owners showed me a lot of things that worked and also what didn’t.
Choosing my business partners, our values as a team— it’s changed a lot in the culture, atmosphere and community we’re creating. I can honestly say where I am today is the result of a thousand no’s and one aligned yes. It was allowing my faith to push me past years of fear, insecurity and imposter syndrome to show up as the most authentic version of myself in career and in life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur has been more of a rollercoaster ride than a smooth road. Three years ago my nervous system crashed and almost took me out of the game. Fighting to get my health back while keeping momentum in the business has been my biggest challenge to date. For a couple of years, it was all I could do just to survive and pay bills. Being forced to let go of hustle culture, to rebuild a new framework for living that prioritizes health while scaling a business, has been the biggest blessing to come from that struggle.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We’re a movement ecosystem! Lifestyle Movement is a female-founded, multi-disciplinary performance facility. We are made up of physical therapy, performance training and pilates — all of us come with over a decade of experience working with elite level athletes and have taken what we’ve learned along the way to create a lifestyle for all our clients that emphasizes longevity and healing through movement.
I am the medical side of the equation. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board-Certified Sports Specialist and NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I’ve combined my medical background with a love for sport performance to provide rehabilitation and recovery that addresses the entire chain of movement and reinstates confidence in the body and it’s ability to heal and perform at full capacity. I work in collaboration with athletes and coaches to create systems that empower our clients to heal and train through injury, as well as individualized programs to lower injury risk during their seasons.
What I’m the most proud of is the dedication, commitment and drive we’ve brought together to create a culture of excellence in our space.
In addition to being the only female-founded performance facility in Miami, what really sets us apart is how we collaborate across disciplines for specificity in programming that is tailored to what an individual’s body needs. A lot of training facilities have resident PT’s and pilates instructors, but there is no cohesiveness in the day-to-day training. At Lifestyle, all of us are working off of a head-to-toe evaluation of an client’s body. We’re adjusting our sessions in real time to compliment what was done in the weight room, what they need from a medical stand point, navigating current life stressors, etc. so that every part of movement is tailored to optimal performance and recovery.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’m currently reading Worthy by Jamie Kern Lima and it’s shifting the course of my life! Reach out if you want the 5 year book list 😉
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lifestyle.movement
