Ashley Reece-Podgorski holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy, both from Duke University. She also is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Performance Enhancement Specialist. Prior to college, Ashley spent seven years of her life as a highly competitive figure skater, training 6 to 8 hours a day on the ice along with off ice performance training, dance and Sports Psychology sessions.
It was her performance training sessions with renowned Kinesiotherapist, Bob Gadja that inspired her to pursue Physical Therapy. After completing her Physical Therapy Masters’ Degree at Duke University in North Carolina, Ashley returned home to work alongside Bob Gajda to train Chicago’s elite athletes.
She was the Team Physical Therapist and Performance Trainer for the Chicago Power (Professional Indoor Soccer Team), worked with many Chicago Bears players, and traveled with the NFL Scout Camps to screen potential NFL athletes as an “insurance policy” for the NFL teams.
In 1989, Ashley opened the first of three Chicago based Physical Therapy clinics, called Ultimate Performance Therapy. In addition to rehabilitating and training high level athletes, she expanded her influence into the world of professional music and became the “go to” therapist for musicians from Chicago’s Lyric Opera Orchestra and Philharmonic.
Ashley decided to put her systematic approach to therapy and training in a concise format by authoring two books in the mid 1990’s.
'Ultimate Performance System I' was written to teach the average population how to analyze their own body and develop an exercise program to correct imbalances and improve performance.
'Ultimate Performance System II' was written for fellow therapists, athletic trainers and other medical professionals as a manual for program design and corrective exercises.
Following the publication of her books, Ashley joined an Artificial Intelligence expert to design a computer program to analyze athletes and prescribe an Ultimate Performance Systems program to first correct imbalances and then improve performance. It was during the six years of development that Ashley fine-tuned her successful methods of improving performance and injury prevention.
Due to her unique approach to fitness and performance, Ashley could also be found lecturing at various fitness symposiums in the Midwest. Her lectures ranged from Active Warm Up Techniques for Performance to full Peripheral Heart Action Circuit Design for Teams.
In 2016, Ashley decided to bring her expertise to the LA area. She offers Concierge Physical Therapy to patients wanting individualized physical therapy services in home, on set, or in her Burbank location. She has developed Performance Programs for local soccer teams as well as the Classical Guitarists at the number one program in the country, Pepperdine University. She has teamed up with her sister and renowned Sports Psychologist, Dr. Shannon Reece, PhD. to offer the best in physical and mental performance.
Sports Psychologist and founder of Training for Optimal Performance, Dr. Shannon Reece teaches athletes, performers, business owners and everyday people how to play, work and live great using her proven mental formula.
Her tactics have helped thousands of clients, of all levels, experience dramatic improvement by eliminating interference and leveraging their assets into championship form.