We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Gillett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve decided to take a risk in my career by merging my past and current professions to provide a service to people that I’m truly passionate about, helping people move better to feel better. It meant challenging the way we currently look at and treat musculoskeletal health and fitness and not following the restrictions dictated by health insurance.
Through my schooling and careers I’ve noticed holes in the world of musculoskeletal health. Either people are being seen after they are already injured or jumping into a fitness routine without having an understanding of their current movements restrictions and risk factors for injury. I specialize in functional movement screening, assessment and exercise prescription and my goal is to bridge the gap between the physical therapy and fitness worlds. I focus on helping my patients move better, reduce pain and risk of injury while working with them to design a personalized exercise program to reach their fitness and lifestyle goals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Kim Gillett, I am obsessed with human movement and how we interact with our environment. I’m passionate about helping people move better and feel better so they can move freely doing what they love! I am a Physical Therapist Assistant, personal trainer and functional movement specialist with a B.S. in Sports and Exercise Science.

I love expressing myself through movement and testing my physical limits. Dance is my passion but I also enjoy running, rock climbing, surfing, river rafting, backpacking and canyoneering. I earned my B.S. in Sports and Exercises Science which led me to my fitness career as a personal trainer, running coach and group exercises instructor. During this time I became very interested in people’s movement limitations due to pain, past injuries or other circumstances. I found myself diving into books about movement evolution and how our current lifestyle is affecting our musculoskeletal health. When I moved out to Utah I decided to go back to school and became a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant. I find a lot of satisfaction in helping people come out of pain, overcome obstacles and return to their previous lifestyle. However, I still wanted to help people prevent pain and reduce their risk of injury, that’s where I truly found my passion.

During this journey I found the globally recognized world of Functional Movement Systems and dove right in. I became certified in the Functional Movement Screening 1 and 2, Selective Functional Movement Assessment 1 and 2, the Y Balance Test and Health and Wellness Screen. These tools on top of my exercise science and physical therapy education allow me to help my clients develop a functional movement and exercise plan. I enjoy working with people of all different lifestyle and fitness goals. Whether it is helping someone garden without pain, improving performance in a sport or wanting a personalized exercise routine for general health and fitness, I’m your girl!

What sets me apart from others in the rehab and fitness world is that I am merging the two worlds to provide personalized plans based on results from individuals’ functional movement and wellness screenings. These screenings reveal areas of movement dysfunctions that can cause pain and increased risk of injury but also show movement patterns that are safe to explore and push safely. I provide people with a custom map that’s unique to them that will begin them on a lifetime journey of musculoskeletal wellness. The plan is all based on individuals goals and the appointments are one-on-one for a full hour. I work with a PT in all my settings and will always refer to a specialist if necessary. I am committed to lifelong learning in order to bring the most current and evidence based interventions to my clients. I am transparent and I will always keep my patients well being front and center.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Hands down, word of mouth. This may be partly because I am not trained in the world of marketing but I also feel that when you help change someone’s life for the better they will share their experience with others. There’s nothing better than having a positive impact on someone and having that impact create a ripple effect.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Listening and empathy. Most people come to me with some sort of discomfort and desire to do something they love that they currently cannot. By taking the time to really listen and echo back their needs I build trust and then I follow through.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kimorella