The Movement Therapy Podcast

Ethan Miles

Welcome to the Movement Therapy Podcast, where our mission is to guide communities toward health optimisation. Each episode delivers practical insights and expert advice to help you combat chronic health issues and empower you to perform at your best. Whether you're aiming to regain lost abilities, push for peak performance, or ensure long-term health, this podcast offers the tools and motivation you need. Join us for engaging, down-to-earth conversations designed to help you move well, move more, and move for life.

  1. 12/21/2025

    Penny and Ally Part 2: Beyond the Gym - Building a Healthy Gymnastics Lifestyle and Culture

    Part 2 shifts focus to Ally and a chapter of life that reshaped everything. After multiple cancer diagnoses, Ally was forced into a period where treatment, recovery and uncertainty replaced movement, training and the active lifestyle she’d always known. For someone whose identity was deeply tied to being physically capable, this pause came with its own challenges—both physically and emotionally. Ally shares what it was like to move through treatment while navigating the loss of routine, strength and independence, and how her relationship with movement had to change during that time. We talk about rebuilding health when activity isn’t an option, learning patience in a body that no longer feels familiar, and redefining what “strength” looks like outside of performance. Alongside her own recovery, Ally opens up about motherhood—supporting her daughter through adolescence and gymnastics while holding a deep awareness of the pressures young athletes face. She reflects on how her health journey shaped the way she now views training, balance and wellbeing. This episode ties Ally’s story back into the shared vision behind Gravity Gymnastics: creating an environment where gymnastics supports life, rather than competes with it. A conversation about resilience, perspective and building a lifestyle around movement that adapts to the seasons of life—rather than demanding everything from it. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things Movement Therapy Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.movementtherapy.net.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/movementtherapyaus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://au.linkedin.com/company/movement-therapyaus

    55 min
  2. 12/18/2025

    Penny and Ally Part 1: Beyond the Gym - Building a Healthy Gymnastics Lifestyle and Culture

    Over the next 2 episodes, Ethan and Sam join Penny and Ally from Gravity Gymnastics talking all things gym, strength, health issues, managing young athletes and struggles of elite sport. Part 1 of this 2-part conversation centres on Penny’s journey through the world of elite gymnastics—both as an athlete and as a coach. From a young age, gymnastics shaped her identity, routine and sense of purpose. But like many high-level athletes, that relationship was tested through injury, time away from the sport, and the challenge of figuring out who she was once competition was no longer the focus. Penny shares what it was like stepping away from gymnastics, the physical and emotional toll of injuries, and the uncertainty that comes with trying to return to a sport that once defined you. We talk about what drew her back and how that shift changed the way she views performance, success and long-term athlete health. As the conversation unfolds, we explore the realities of coaching young gymnasts today. Penny breaks down the stereotypes that still exist within the sport and the work required to move beyond them—especially when it comes to body image, expectations, and training through growth and hormonal changes. She shares how understanding hormones, recovery and individual capacity has become central to getting the best out of her athletes, not just in performance, but in confidence and longevity. This episode sets the foundation for Part 2, where the story expands into Penny and Ally’s shared vision for Gravity Gymnastics and we get deeper into Ally's health struggles through multiple cancer diagnoses that tore her away from a healthy, active lifestyle. This is an inspiring conversation into what it means to build a gym that prioritises strong, capable, confident humans - not just medals. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things Movement Therapy Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.movementtherapy.net.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/movementtherapyaus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://au.linkedin.com/company/movement-therapyaus

    1h 5m
  3. 12/01/2025

    Laura McMahon: Breaking the Cycle and Rewriting the Pattern - Part 2

    Part 2 picks up at a turning point in Laura’s journey—an unexpected episode that led to hospital admission and opened the door to a whole new set of challenges. What first appeared to be a physical injury revealed deeper issues tied to women’s health, leaving Laura facing questions she never imagined she’d have to ask. We explore how the changes in her menstrual cycle, the uncertainty around her symptoms, and the fear of the unknown began to chip away at her confidence and identity as a woman. It’s a side of injury and health that rarely gets spoken about openly, and Laura shares it with honesty, clarity and surprising strength. Together, we unpack what was really going on, how her body arrived at this point, and the steps she took—medically, emotionally and physically—to find answers instead of assumptions. This episode follows her through the slow process of understanding her symptoms, building the right team around her, and regaining a sense of ownership over her health. Ultimately, Laura’s story becomes one of rebuilding from the inside out. From fear to understanding, from uncertainty to clarity, she learns not just how to overcome these challenges, but how to redefine what it means to feel healthy, capable and connected to her body again. A powerful continuation of a journey that shows how women’s health, identity and movement are deeply intertwined—and how healing is rarely a straight line, but always worth the work. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things Movement Therapy Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.movementtherapy.net.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/movementtherapyaus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://au.linkedin.com/company/movement-therapyaus

    32 min
  4. 12/01/2025

    Laura McMahon: Breaking the Cycle and Rewriting the Pattern - Part 1

    In this two-part conversation, we follow Laura’s story—one that begins long before her injury ever showed up. Part 1 takes us back to her early years in the dance world, where competitiveness, body pressure and bullying shaped much of her childhood and teenage experience. By the time Laura came in as a patient, she was carrying more than just an injury. What started as pain became a pattern—short-term fixes, temporary relief, and uncertainty about what was actually going on. Together, we worked to dig beneath the surface and understand the real driver of her symptoms, shifting from quick solutions to a long-term plan that finally made sense for her body. As the story unfolds, Laura shares how leaving the dance world led her toward AFL, then running, and eventually into the kind of movement that made her feel strong, capable and pain-free again. It’s a journey about learning to trust her body, rebuilding confidence after years of pressure, and finding the freedom to pursue a career in outdoor education—a path she once worried pain might limit. This episode sets the scene for Part 2, where Laura’s story continues into identity, resilience, self-belief and what life looks like when you’re finally moving without fear. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things Movement Therapy Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.movementtherapy.net.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/movementtherapyaus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://au.linkedin.com/company/movement-therapyaus

    37 min
  5. 11/16/2025

    Madeleine McAlister: A Story of Pain, Perseverance and Success

    This episode follows the story of Maddy—someone who walked into physio as a 19-year-old with debilitating back pain. What began as a pop in the spine when reaching for her handbag, became a long, winding battle marked by frustration, fear, and fighting thoughts that she may have to live with pain forever. We trace her journey from being a CrossFit kid who could throw herself into anything, to suddenly struggling with everyday tasks, work and uni. The strength, confidence and identity she built through sport seemed to vanish overnight—and with it, the trust she once had in her own body. But this isn’t a story about pain. It’s a story about what happens after. You’ll hear how Maddy navigated the mental toll of chronic pain, the challenges of finding the right health professionals, and what it means to keep showing up even when nothing changes for months at a time. We explore the turning points—the small wins, the breakthroughs, the conversations that mattered—and how rebuilding trust in her body required first rebuilding trust in people. We talk about goal-setting when goals feel impossible, lifestyle shifts that actually stick, and the surprising role that patience and perseverance play in recovery. Most of all, this is a story of a young woman learning that healing isn’t linear—and it isn’t passive. It’s something you build. If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure whether change is even possible, Maddy’s story is a reminder that progress rarely arrives all at once. It grows slowly—through small choices, steady effort, and learning to move well, move often, and move for life. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things Movement Therapy Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.movementtherapy.net.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/movementtherapyaus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://au.linkedin.com/company/movement-therapyaus

    50 min

About

Welcome to the Movement Therapy Podcast, where our mission is to guide communities toward health optimisation. Each episode delivers practical insights and expert advice to help you combat chronic health issues and empower you to perform at your best. Whether you're aiming to regain lost abilities, push for peak performance, or ensure long-term health, this podcast offers the tools and motivation you need. Join us for engaging, down-to-earth conversations designed to help you move well, move more, and move for life.