Denise grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where her army family settled in 1991. She rowed Crew for Auburn University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2010. She then attended the University of Virginia under an NIH Cancer Training Grant, where she earned her Masters in Biomedical Science in 2012. Despite her love for basic science, she felt a strong desire to help people realize their fitness and wellness potential, and reoriented her professional vision.
From 2012 - 2016 she worked in the running and fitness industry where she gained valuable insight into business ownership, management, marketing, and organized and led training programs including Couch-to-5K, half marathon, and beginners and intermediate triathlon. During this time, she trained as a semi-professional triathlete, winning the elite amateur division of the 2014 U.S. Triathlon Open. In 2015 she co-founded the NCAA Women’s Triathlon Team at Centenary College of Louisiana and served as an assistant coach until 2018.
Denise was ultimately able to blend her two passions when she obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from LSU-Health Sciences Center in Shreveport in 2019. She has practiced in inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient physical therapy settings. As a Certified Neurodevelopmental Therapist, Denise utilizes continuous evaluation of movement patterns to diagnose dysfunction and provide individualized handing and therapeutic intervention. Denise is also certified in Functional Dry Needling.
In her free time, Denise enjoys yoga, backpacking, gardening, charcuteries, movie nights with her partner and kiddos, giving belly scratches to her two cats, and getting in a good sweat from her favorite exercise classes.