Anietie Ukpe-Wallace
Physical Therapy
My journey into this work of studying and treating the human body began when I was first introduced to yoga while in college. After many years of craving movement and not being encouraged and guided, I was on a full journey to discovering movement and how it could help define who I was as a person. After moving to California, my path to health and wellness continued even further as I made changes to my diet but yet struggled with years of chronic yeast and bacterial infections that also led to pelvic pain. Despite the many trajectories that life had thrown my way in my 2s and 3s, with the biggest and the main catalyst being my miscarriage at 2 weeks in 2012, I started my path to become a physical therapist. While in school, I discovered pelvic floor PT as a career option as I was fascinated with that part of the body yet felt a lot of shame, embarrassment and even confusion. During grad school, I continued to endure pelvic pain but not have the resources to find care for myself. I also battled with anxiety and struggled to find ways to understand it and where it came from. It was then that self-care became a new mainstay in my life, a practice that was both attainable and intuitive for me in overcoming my anxiety and instilling loving and caring for myself even when it was really hard. As a healthcare provider and having undergone 3 miscarriages, I hope to bring the work that I know around self-care, pelvic pain and infertility and bring hope, empowerment and health.