Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Wood
Hi Tiana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I went through the experience of pelvic pain myself several years ago and was worried about what was going on and and if I was going to have to endure it for the rest of my life. I eventually received a recommendation to attend pelvic floor therapy and quickly became fascinated by the specialty: the treatment techniques and seemingly more obscure knowledge related to these taboo areas of our health (peeing, pooping, and sex) and how “normal” it was to talk about it, not to mention how much it helped! I have had other pelvic/abdominal health issues in my life and have been largely taken aback by our healthcare system’s approach to women: how we aren’t listened to, how we are given medical options as bandages for issues instead of searching for the deeper root causes and treating those, how we aren’t told the consequences of medical decisions, how those decisions are sometimes made for us, and how we are often touched roughly and in a rushed manner. I want to listen and hear my clients’ stories, to help them dissect the contributing factors to their symptoms in order to help them solve the mystery and figure out their pelvic health puzzle. It is also vitally important to me that my clients are aware of all of their options and that I provide therapeutic touch that is careful, gentle, and respectful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I was younger and a new therapist, I thought that I would never, ever want to run my own practice. It seemed like a lot of uncomfortable and intense work requiring a skill set that I didn’t have. When I decided to focus on pelvic health as an occupational therapist, there weren’t a lot of local opportunities for me to work in that specialty. But I was determined to work within this fascinating niche that I had developed a passion for, whatever I had to do. When I decided to start my own business, I had my massage work to get me started with finding clients. As I have gone along, I have gotten busier with pelvic health. I took a course that was specific to private-pay occupational therapists opening businesses when I was first getting started. I have had a couple of coaches and mentors over the last couple of years and I am currently working with another business coach/mentor specific to private-pay pelvic health therapists as I continue to build my pelvic health practice and taper away from massage. There are a lot of moving parts and large tasks with small steps to keep track of and complete as a business owner. But, so far, every struggle, big or small, has been 100% worth owning my own business, to me. I now cannot imagine happily going back to work for anyone else during the rest of my working career! All of the challenges revolving around networking, marketing, budgeting, etc., I take on as an opportunity to learn new skills and grow myself personally and professionally.
We’ve been impressed with Empowered Foundations Pelvic Floor Therapy & Bodywork, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I specialize in pelvic floor therapy with a whole person approach that stems from my background as an occupational therapist. My approach is also very hands-on due to my years of experience as a massage therapist and the fact that I find that hands-on manual work can make such a significant difference within the journey of healing pelvic health issues. We take a look at what is going on with your body, mind, and in your life to get perspective of the whole picture of what you are experiencing and what could be contributing to your pelvic floor symptoms. I focus on providing you with information on what is going on with your body and what we can both do, together in the clinic and you at home, to help your body heal and to manage your symptoms. In addition, I offer education on movement/exercise that will benefit your body, sometimes very pelvic floor specific and other times targeting other areas that are affecting the function of the pelvic floor. And of course, there is the hands-on aspect that I already mentioned. My sessions will always include some blend of those things. I will never just give you exercises to do at home and have you do exercise in front of me as our entire process. I will never limit us to one type of hands-on therapy when your body is asking for different techniques or more areas are crying out for help. I integrate my bodywork skills into my pelvic health sessions and, if you need work on your neck in order to release tension that is affecting your pelvic floor or to stimulate the vagus nerve to help relax your nervous system, that is something we will do. I have many sessions each week where we may do 45 minutes of pelvic health education, movement, and pelvic floor focused, hands-on work, and then another 45 minutes of bodywork focusing on other parts of your body. I also have relationships with other fantastic professionals in the Savannah area that I am happy to refer you to, if we come across an issue that is not within my wheelhouse. Sometimes you need a blend of different disciplines to get you where you want to go. I have lots of knowledge to share, but I don’t know everything!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
To work with me, you can reach out to me via telephone, email, or the contact form on my website to request an appointment for pelvic health. We always start with an evaluation and then move forward with treatment sessions. I offer different lengths of time for evaluation and treatment, depending on the complexity of your situation and how far you have to travel to me.
I love getting to know other local professionals in disciplines that support whole person healthcare. I am so happy collaborating with a workshop, a guest blog, a referral partnership, or whatever creative means of collaborating that you are excited about. I am open to developing relationships with talented heart-driven care providers. I am always building my tribe!
If you would like to support me, come be a client! You can also refer clients, friends, or family members that you know are experiencing pelvic health issues by pointing them in the direction of my website. You are welcome to join me at my workshops, check out my social media, or read my blogs on my website. You can also reach out to me directly with any questions. I am passionate about educating our community on pelvic health, how you are not alone, and how there is help out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empoweredfoundations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredfoundationsPHOT
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savannahpelvicfloorot
