Hi, I’m Dr. Katie Petersen, PT, DPT — a physical therapist, yoga teacher, and chronic pain educator passionate about helping people live fuller, freer lives, even when pain stays.
After years of working in traditional physical therapy and rehabilitation settings, I began to notice that many people were left feeling defined by their diagnoses and disconnected from their bodies. My own experience with pain — and my discovery of yoga and mindfulness — transformed how I understood healing and inspired me to reimagine how I support others.
Today, my work bridges neuroscience, mindful movement, and compassionate connection to help people reclaim agency in their health and rediscover what it means to feel at home in their bodies. I believe healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken — it’s about understanding ourselves more deeply, cultivating self-trust, and creating space for change.
I created When Pain Stays, an integrative retreat style program, as a way to bring together evidence-based education and holistic self-care — blending pain neuroscience, somatic awareness, meditation, and gentle movement into a framework that’s both practical and deeply human.
My approach is grounded in my training as a Doctor of Physical Therapy and as a 200-hour Pranotthan Yoga School graduate, but it’s also shaped by years of listening to people’s stories — including my own. Through this work, I’ve seen that when we meet pain with understanding instead of fear, healing becomes possible in ways we might never have imagined.
I’d love to support you on your journey toward living well — even when pain stays.