Surgery Recovery & Reset Program
For individuals recovering from orthopedic surgery who are ready to get back to the activities that fuel them.
The 8-week program that helps you stop crashing by lunch, overdoing it on good days, and wondering when you'll finally feel like yourself again, so you can sleep through the night, trust your body again, and get back to the trail, the bike, or the life you've been missing.
Physical therapy rebuilds your joint. I help you trust it again.
Recovery is about more than physical healing; it's taking the path to rebuild your confidence and reclaim your identity and focus. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed about what lies ahead, or want to feel strong and independent again, you'll have support that meets you where you are.
The stairs at home feel like a hill now. You grip the rail, lead with your good leg, and feel your knee go stiff like a rusty hinge. Halfway up, you think, I used to take these two at a time.
In a Monday meeting, a coworker asks how recovery is going. You say “slow but good” and feel your jaw tighten. Truth is, you’re not sure anymore.
At the grocery store, you park closer than you ever used to and sit in the car a minute. Your hip aches before you’ve even grabbed a cart. When did a quick errand start feeling so exhausting?
Saturday’s bike ride pops up in the group chat. Your thumb hovers over the screen while your chest goes tight. You type “have fun, wish I could” and set the phone face down.
After dinner, the resistance band stares at you from the coffee table. Your shoulder throbs just thinking about it. You do half the exercises, then feel guilty for the rest of the night.
And you wonder... is this just how it is now?
You’ve done everything they asked. Alarms remind you to do your exercises. At your desk, you ice your knee between calls. Late at night, you read one more recovery thread, hoping for an answer. On good days, you push a little harder to catch up.
That plan you were handed takes care of your joint. It says nothing about the rest of your life, like how to get through a workday when sitting hurts, or why one good day keeps turning into two bad ones. So you fill in the gaps alone, and every setback feels like your fault.
Nobody asked how you’re sleeping, or about the fear that one wrong move will undo everything. Those pieces shape your recovery as much as any exercise does. If you leave them out, every extra rep just makes you more tired and anxious.
The truth is, you’ve been doing your best with half a map.
You wake up and walk down the stairs without thinking about it. Coffee in hand, you notice your knee feels steady and your shoulders have dropped away from your ears. At work, someone asks how recovery is going, and you answer honestly, with a small smile.
Saturday’s bike ride pops up in the group text, and you type “count me in” before you can talk yourself out of it. After a full workday, you still have enough left to cook dinner and laugh at the table. That night, you fall asleep without replaying every twinge.
Somewhere along the way, you stopped bracing. Believing your body again feels like getting a piece of yourself back.
Days like that are possible again, and you don’t have to find your way there alone.
The garbage can was metal and dented, and I had flipped it upside down next to my desk. It was the only thing tall enough to prop my leg on. My crutches were on the floor just out of reach, and my ankle throbbed in my boot every time I moved.
Then an email from my boss popped up. An event was four days away, and my name was on the setup list.
My stomach dropped. After nine orthopedic surgeries, I'd gotten used to pushing through pain and doing what everyone needed me to do.
But sitting there, I realized I couldn't keep treating recovery like something I had to squeeze around everything else.
Something had to change.
Instead of asking what more I could do, I started asking what I could stop doing. I began looking at recovery differently, including the demands I placed on myself outside physical therapy.
I also realized how much happens between medical appointments. My surgeons and physical therapists helped me heal, but I still had to navigate work, exhaustion, worry, and the activities I desperately wanted to get back to.
That's why I created The Surgery Recovery & Reset Program. To give people the support I wish I'd had, so they can stop putting their lives on hold, feel confident in what their bodies can do, and get back to the things they love
The Surgery Recovery & Reset Program is 8-weeks of 1:1 support for active adults who are tired of restless nights, running out of energy halfway through the day, and feeling like their normal active life is still out of reach. You’ll get personalized support throughout your recovery so you can sleep better, rebuild your stamina, and start saying yes to plans again.
Even if you’ve done the PT, tried massages, acupuncture, dry needling and still feel frustrated with your recovery, it doesn’t mean you’re out of options.
A runner went from waking up at 3 am every night to sleeping until his alarm. An educator who couldn’t make it through a half day on her feet is back enjoying her weekend yoga class.
You don't need to push harder to get back to the things you love. Sometimes recovery needs more support and direction than you’ve been given.
You’ve followed the post-op instructions, done the exercises, gone to PT, and tried to be patient with the process. All that time and money, and you still brace yourself when you see a flight of stairs.
Most programs give you exercises to do and milestones to hit, but no one shows you what to do when a full day at work wipes you out, you sleep terribly, or doing a little more leaves you paying for it for the next two days.
This container is different. We look at the whole recovery picture and pay attention to what happens between appointments, what leaves you feeling better or worse, and what your body is telling you as you start doing more.
Because you didn’t have surgery just to recover. You had it to get back to the life you were missing.
The Recovery Reset Framework
The Recovery Reset framework moves through five steps, so you always have a clear direction. What happens inside each step is shaped around your surgery, your job, and your real week.
Here’s how we do it:
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Assess - To kick things off, we look honestly at where you are today: pain, sleep, stress, confidence. You identify what matters most and line up who’s in your corner.
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Reframe - Next, you learn that progress zigzags, just like a path up a steep hill. The “why is this taking so long” thought gets caught before it spirals. You’ll learn to catch the thoughts like “I’ll never play again” so one bad day doesn’t ruin an entire week.
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Rest - Together we build a simple nighttime plan and a strategy for the 3am pain wake-up so you won’t have to count the hours until your 9 am meeting and can find rest that keeps you moving forward.
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Pace - We find the push-crash pattern in your calendar, like the long dog walk followed by three sore days. Then you plan days that end with energy left over, so one good day leads to another.
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Thrive - We look back at how far you’ve come and plan for your next season. Together, we map the weeks after the program so you aren’t starting over alone.
Support Options
Here's what having someone in your corner looks like, week by week.
Six Private 1:1 Calls
These are where we look at what’s happening in your recovery, what’s improving, and what keeps setting you back. We adjust the plan around your pain, energy, sleep, work, and activity so you always know what to focus on next.
Weekly Email Check-Ins
You won’t have to wonder whether something is worth bringing up or wait until your next call. Each week, I check in with you so we can catch changes, celebrate progress, and adjust if something isn’t working.
3 Rough-Patch Check-Ins
For the weeks that knock you sideways: a pain flare, a string of sleepless nights, or worry that starts to spiral. Book a 15-minute call during business hours, or text or leave a voicemail at my Google Voice number. I'll reply within one business day. Each check-in covers one hard moment, whether you need someone to listen, or to help you figure out where to go next.
What's Included
The Surgery Recovery & Reset program is eight weeks of personalized 1:1 support to help you manage the physical and emotional challenges of life after surgery without constantly second-guessing yourself.
Here’s what’s included:
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The Recovery Reset framework so you have a clear, five-step approach to rebuilding your confidence and getting back to everyday life.
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Six, 45-minute private calls so you have dedicated time to talk through your concerns and get support that’s specific to your recovery.
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Weekly check-ins so you can celebrate your progress, recognize what’s working, and stay motivated through the harder weeks.
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Three 15-minute rescue calls so when you’re having a particularly difficult day, you don’t have to sit with all that worry and frustration alone.
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Progress tracking so you can see improvements in your sleep, stress, and confidence even when you feel like nothing is changing.
Why Wait?
How many more nights will you lie awake, wondering if you’ll ever get back to doing the things you love?
Recovery takes time, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend another month feeling frustrated, uncertain, and afraid of setbacks.
Eight weeks from now, you could have a better understanding of your limits, more confidence in your daily decisions, and a plan for handling the harder days.
This is your time.
FAQs
Is this program customized for me? Yes. Where you are in your recovery decides your path. You might have surgery coming up in a few weeks. Maybe you’re deep in PT and running out of steam. Or you got cleared months ago and still don’t feel like yourself. On our first call, we talk about what’s bothering you most. Then I shape the steps around you, spending more time where you need it.
What results can I expect? We'll work toward helping you feel more confident navigating your recovery, knowing when to rest and how to approach difficult days without second-guessing every decision. Your progress will depend on where you are in recovery and how you apply what we work on together. Everyone's experience is different, but you won't have to figure everything out alone.
Why do I need to invest in this program if I’m already going to PT? PT helps you rebuild strength and movement. But what about the worry that comes when you've had a setback? Or the frustration of feeling like your recovery isn't moving fast enough? That's where coaching comes in. We focus on the emotional and everyday challenges that can make recovery feel frustrating and overwhelming.
How much time will this take? Outside of the 6 private calls, I estimate that most people spend about 30 minutes each week on the exercises. That’s less time than you spend in PT, and probably less time than you spend doom-scrolling!
What if I’m away, busy, or feeling lousy and can’t make a call? Recovery doesn't always go according to plan, and I understand that. We'll schedule your six calls in advance, and you can reschedule online with at least 24 hours' notice. If something unexpected comes up, we'll talk through it. If you’re in pain or tired during recovery, it’s still a good time to talk! In fact, it may be the best time to talk, so we can figure out what’s going on together.
What if I’ve tried everything and I’m still struggling? When you've been doing everything you're supposed to and still don't feel like yourself, it's frustrating. You may even start wondering if this is just how things are going to be. My role isn't to promise a faster recovery, but to help you navigate the challenges, rebuild confidence, and find ways to move forward without feeling like you're figuring it all out alone.
Does insurance cover this program? Unfortunately, health insurance in the US doesn’t cover health and wellness coaching (yet!). However, check with your HSA (health savings account) or FSA (flexible spending account) to see if they reimburse health coaching costs. Many plans ask for a letter from your doctor saying coaching is part of your care.
Still wondering if this is right for you? Let’s talk about where you are in your recovery, what’s been most challenging, and whether this program is the right next step.
Imagine what's possible
Imagine standing at the trailhead again, excited about the hike ahead instead of worrying about whether your body can handle it.
You spend a sunny Saturday working in the garden. Sunday morning, you’re out for a walk instead of recovering on the couch. And when a rough day comes along, you know how to adjust without feeling like you’ve lost all your progress.
You’re making plans again, trusting yourself, and getting back to the life you’ve missed.
That life is waiting. And I’d love to help you get there.