We sat down with NeuroMoves St Peters Team Leader Felicity Whitting to chat about how she got into neuro, what shaped her passion for Exercise Physiology, and the moments that have defined her journey so far.
Seeking a career that blends science, movement, and meaningful human connection, Felicity’s journey is one of commitment to helping people achieve the small, powerful wins that make a real difference in their lives.
Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a nurse (or a professional dancer), but in my final year of school I started exploring what was out there. I knew I always wanted to work in an industry that cared for people and work directly with them, and all throughout school always loved science and anything about the body.
I started looking into careers in health and science and Exercise Physiology kept popping up. The more I looked into it, the more it felt like the perfect fit. It combines science, exercise, and working closely with people to improve their quality of life.
I also remember watching a segment on Sam Bloom’s rehabilitation journey and from that point onwards I knew I wanted to work in neuro specifically. The connection with clients, the creativity in exercise prescription, and the ability to make a real difference in someone’s life really stood out to me.
I went straight from school into studying a Bachelor’s of Exercise Physiology at UNSW in Sydney.
Practical placement is a huge part of allied health degrees, and Exercise Physiology is no different. You require lots of hours of supervised clinical experience before graduating. My experience in different settings exposed me to a lot of different neurological conditions which really developed my passion for working in this space. You learn the theory at university, but placement is where you learn how to actually be a clinician!
My placements provided me with the tools on what to prescribe, what approaches worked in practice, and the level of knowledge that is crucial to work in neuro rehabilitation.
I joined NeuroMoves after graduating in 2020, so coming up to 6 years now.
The thing I enjoy the most is the people, easily. I love being a part of people’s lives and seeing the change and being involved in their circle. It feels like such a privilege to be part of their journey.
I also love the challenge of figuring out how to make exercises work for each person and helping someone achieve something they didn’t think was possible.
The people you work with at NeuroMoves are all cut from the same cloth, and being able to work with like-minded people who care but also love a laugh, and creating the best work environment is great.
During my time here I’ve also had the opportunity to run our student placement program at St Peters, teach at various universities, and I was fortunate enough to be awarded the David Prast Achievement Award, which allowed me to travel to the USA to further my knowledge in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
I feel really lucky to have had the growth opportunities I’ve had here, and to work alongside such incredible clients and clinicians every day.
I’ve learnt that progress isn’t always the big dramatic moments people imagine. Most of the time it’s the small, consistent improvements that add up over time. An extra repetition, a bit more independence, someone feeling stronger or more confident…those are the wins that matter most.
I’ve also really learnt how much people truly appreciate what we do and how big a part NeuroMoves is in their lives. And that’s incredibly special!
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