Meet Our Team
Brenda Shawley, PTA
Physical Therapy Assistant
Brenda earned her Bachelor degrees in biology from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1993. She studied and practiced bodywork for five years before earning her physical therapist assistant degree from Sacramento City College in 2020. She is a certified yoga and APPI Pilates matwork instructor as well as a certified personal trainer. She has completed over 150 hours of advanced training in orthopedics, manual therapy, and Mulligan’s mobilization with movement. She completed a clinical internship at UC Davis Medical Center neuro rehab unit as part of her PTA training and has been working as a PTA in an outpatient setting since she graduated. She loves the problem-solving part of her job, and finds it very rewarding to work with people of all ages toward decreasing their pain and achieving their physical therapy goals. She spends a lot of her free time studying for the benefit of her patients.
Lin Coleman, PTA
Physical Therapy Assistant
Certified Lymphedema Specialist
With over 40 years of experience as a nationally certified lymphedema therapist, Lin dedicated her career to helping individuals navigate the challenges of living with lymphedema after breast cancer. She received her certification from two leading lymphedema clinics in Europe and had the honor of developing four hospital lymphedema programs, including Stanford Research Hospital in Northern California. Lin provides a range of lymphedema care services, from manual lymphatic drainage to kinesiotaping, garments fitting, and more. Her deepest desire is to share a simple program with her patients that can make life more manageable and functional, She believes that we are more than our pathologies, problems, or challenges, and her goal is to empower her patients to feel better and more whole, for themselves, within their family, and in life.
Andrew Boyd, SPT
Student Physical Therapist
Andrew is in his final year at Sacramento State’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and will be graduating in the summer of 2024. He graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2018 with a bachelors degree in Applied Exercise Science before moving to North Carolina to teach middle school science. While in PT school, he continued to work as a fitness instructor and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, having worked with high school, college, and professional athletes. During his leisure time, Andrew enjoys trying to make his wife and 2 kids laugh.
Paige Simpson
Front Office Lead
Paige was born and raised in Placer County but is no stranger to Nevada County. In her free time she enjoys exploring local rivers with her dog, 4x4ing with her friends, and photographing all of nature's beauty. When she's not out exploring, her love of the outdoors keeps her digging in the garden all spring and summer. Cooking, reading, and crocheting are a few hobbies that keep her busy when the outdoors aren’t calling. She has explored a few different career paths but has found her true calling with medical administration. Always having a passion for helping others but not interested in a full medical professional position she has found a happy medium helping others from behind the desk.
Lauren Piner
Office Assistant, PT Aide
Lauren is a native to Grass Valley and is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology. Starting at Fit for Life as a floor aide, she enjoyed getting to know patients and helping them with their treatments. She now works primarily as an office assistant but still loves the moments she gets to spend with patients. In her free time Lauren likes to be outside hiking, horseback riding or camping.
Sarah Edwards
Office Assistant, PT Aide
Sarah was born and raised in Iowa. She moved to Nevada County in 2015. She loves to bake and photograph the wilderness. In her spare time Sarah enjoys spending time with her two boys playing and watching their sports.
Corey Vanderwouw, MPT
Physical Therapist
Corey has been a practicing physical therapist since 1998. She earned her Master of Physical Therapy degree from Chapman University in Orange, CA. She has advanced training in orthopedic manual therapy, myofascial release, neuromuscular retraining, worksite ergonomics, and osteoporosis care. She has spent much of her career treating patients with chronic pain. Her passion as a therapist is to help people to improve the quality of their lives by caringly working through their physical therapy program. She loves to work with a spectrum of people from those who have a single injury to those who have multiple injuries or painful areas, as well as people who have multiple comorbidities.
Ingo Zirpins, MSPT
Physical Therapist
Ingo studied and practiced therapeutic bodywork for a decade, before earning a Master’s of Science Degree in Physical Therapy at University of California, San Francisco in 2003. Through his career, Ingo has continued post graduate studies towards his specialization in orthopedic manual therapy and sports medicine. He has also been the director of rehabilitation for two local skilled nursing homes serving the needs and improvement of quality of life of our elders. Ingo has a lifelong passion and fascination of the human body and believes that healing comes from within each individual. His therapeutic approach emphasizes the integration of body, mind and soul, to reclaim optimum health.
Katie Garcia, MPT
Physical Therapist
Katie specializes in neurological rehabilitation. She received her Master of Physical Therapy degree in 1995 from The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, Ca. Since beginning her career as a physical therapist, Katie has been passionate about serving individuals with neurological conditions through improving their overall function and independence in the home and community. Her post-graduate training emphasis has been on treating neurological conditions, with emphasis on CVA (stroke) management, and Parkinson’s Disease. In 2010, she became certified in LSVT Big, a program used with Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s-like syndromes, and since that time has continued advanced training in that area. Katie enjoys the interpersonal aspect of physical therapy and meeting people from all walks of life.
Allison Maffei, DPT
Physical Therapist
Allison specializes in neurological physical therapy. She graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania in 2016. She went on to complete a neurological residency with Bellarmine University in Kentucky and in 2018 was board certified as a Neurological Clinical Specialist. Allison has extensive experience with a wide variety of neuro diagnoses including, but not limited to, spinal cord injury, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis , Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders. Allison believes that physical therapy isn’t something that happens in 6 weeks, but a life-long relationship focused on helping each patient meet long term goals to maximize independence and live their best lives.
Gretchen Hoyle, DPT
Physical Therapist
Gretchen achieved her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Missouri State University in 2020, She is a dedicated professional in the realm of women's health and orthopedics. Gretchen's fascination with the human body blossomed during her collegiate swimming days. After graduation, she played a pivotal role in establishing the women's health department in Monroe, WA.
Thrilled to continue her journey, Gretchen is furthering her education with Herman & Wallace, reflecting her passion for staying at the forefront of her field.
Gretchen firmly believes that physical therapy is a collaborative partnership, emphasizing the importance of attentive listening and empowering her patients to instigate change in their lives.
Outside the clinic, Gretchen finds joy in climbing, hiking, white water rafting, yoga, and swimming. Most recently, she is seeking to learn the art of pottery.
Jennifer Kanyuch, PTA
Physical Therapy Assistant
Jen earned her Bachelors degree in Biology Pre-Physical Therapy from Ohio University in 1998 and her Physical Therapist Assistant degree from Ohio State University in 2000. She has advanced training in manual therapy, orthopedic and sports injuries, post-surgical rehab, balance training, as well as lymphedema and oncology rehabilitation. She enjoys working with patients in all stages of life, from adolescent to geriatric, to help them achieve their rehabilitation goals in a fun and supportive environment. In her free time, Jen loves to hike with her husband and their chocolate lab, as well as ski, rock and ice climb, and travel internationally to explore other cultures.