“What did you do this weekend Cass?”
Incoming un-edited sneak peek of what weekends look like these days 👀
1. Volleyball with my girls @jr.dinosvolleyball (and Doug + Kris) 🏐
2. Sneaky laps with gear @wheelhousecycleclub loves to chirp 🚴♀️
3. Admin, admin, and more admin: this week was file transfers to our new IT group (@alwaysbeyondcorp ), new hire contracts, performance rehab manuals, and programming (it never sleeps, it never leaves) 📋
4. Editing incoming social content: because @foundry.physiotherapy page has been on a silent retreat since September, she deserves better📱
5. 90 min massage + premium-grade yapping: I drive 45 min each way for @lmfuleki magic hands. That’s 90 min in the car for a 90 min massage, the math is mathing I promise 💆🏼♀️
A lot of people see this and say “that’s too much” or “you’re working too hard” … and I get it. I don’t condone the grind culture that’s often portrayed on socials. But it’s possible to seek a version of a reset that isn’t a couch and a countdown clock until I’m allowed to feel human again. Balance doesn’t look the same for everyone. For me, it looks like this … doing things that fill me up, building something I’m proud of, and showing up for people who trust me to deliver. That’s not burnout… that’s purpose ✌🏻
One year, one space, one team... built from the ground up.
Taken 365 days apart… this past year has been shaped by hard work, late nights, the right people, and an unwavering belief that hard work and pressure produces something stronger. That’s not just our brand… that’s how we lived these past few months and the mentality we carry into our patient care.
To our incredible team who have joined us over the last 8 months - you are the force that turns this pressure into purpose. Your expertise, passion and hard work is the foundation Foundry is built upon, and we’re only getting started 💪🏻
To our patients, vendors, mentors and more… thank you for an incredible year. The future is forged here ⚒️🔥
Don’t get me wrong, I love working with professional athletes who are constantly pushing the limits. But I’ve got a real soft spot for my seniors. With the right mindset, they’re capable of pushing limits too.
Carol just rehabbed her second total knee (fully bionic 💪)… and before her last session, she asked:
“Can you help me jump again?”
It had been years. No one had ever taken her there in previous rehab bouts… Jumping isn’t off-limits with age. That capacity just needs to be built. Just look to @curatedmobility and some of his session snippets for more proof.
With seniors, I’m not just jumping right in (LOL bad pun). Before we introduce plyometrics, here’s what I’m looking for:
•Single-leg squat (assess negative displacement symmetry and ability to load the knee into flexion)
•15 single-leg squats to a bench (assess functional capacity of the quadriceps and gluteals, as well as balance)
•Standardized number of calf raises, which is age-dependent (assess calf muscular endurance)
•20 double-leg hip thrusts (assess adequacy of hip extension)
Note: The above are performed to a metronome at 50–60 bpm
•30-second single-leg balance with dual task or head turns (assess balance and proprioception)
•Double-leg assisted pogos (assess reactive strength)
•Explosive sit-to-stand (assess entry-level concentric power)
Same continuum as any athlete. Just a longer runway, and arguably the same satisfaction (if not more) after being slightly airborne 🤩⚒️
This morning, I watched a dear friend and athlete, Shannon, place last in his event at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Within hours, his DMs and comments were flooded with callous messages… mocking his effort, his result, and his right to be on the world stage because one race didn’t go his way.
I’ve witnessed this man’s last 365 days up close. The setbacks, the constant stream of sacrifices, and the quiet battles no one saw. And still, he found a way to show up and earn his spot at the OLYMPIC GAMES…. The highest level of sport on the planet, performed by people under extraordinary pressure.
Last at the Olympics is still first in the world to everyone who never had the courage to try.
To those tuning in from the sidelines: remember these are human beings. With families. Feelings. With scars you’ll never see. They step into the spotlight knowing the sport owes them nothing… and risk everything anyway. That kind of courage can’t be measured by a finish line.
I couldn’t be more proud of this man. Proud of his resilience. Proud of his effort. Proud of the sacrifices that made a third Olympic cycle possible. I’ll hang his photo on my wall alongside every Olympian, Paralympian, and professional athlete I’ve ever worked with. Because here’s the truth:
I don’t remember their scores. I don’t remember their placements. I remember their journey, and that eventually, they made it. Those who work with athletes know, THAT is always worth celebrating.
And to any keyboard warrior sliding into athletes’ DMs with anything less than genuine support… maybe log off and go touch some grass. The outdoors might offer a perspective the comment section clearly hasn’t.
@shannonabeda shannonabeda - chin up. Your circle of humans is smiling big for you right now 🫶🏻
#olympics #milanocortina2026
• gonna blame my long femurs for this one.
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Friendly PSA that acute radicular pain is horrendous. Movement usually wins, but when it doesn’t drugs are excellent. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.
• lucky to have spent another week with my boys 🫰🏻
Beyond proud of this group and our push at World Cup, placing 6th and earning the highest ranking in program history at a WPV event 🇨🇦🦾. My heart is finally done racing… but man is it full.
Next up, World Championships in China 👀
• Day 3 week 1 ➡️ Day 10 week 2
How did we get here? Quad lag, minimal activation, double gait aids to full SLR and smooth unassisted gait?
Nail. The. Basics. ⚒️
Swipe to see the exact drills we started @lyndonbunio with. Early stage isn’t fancy. It’s boring. It’s repetitive. It’s about keeping the knee calm. Fire the quads. Restore extension. Repeat.
Add some proximal/distal prep at the foot and ankle, pelvis and trunk. No reinventing the wheel here just consistent, clear targets and simple drills to reinforce.
(I personally don’t recommend you send them on a plane two weeks post op but sometimes in pro sports that’s how she goes).
See you in London soon friend 💪🏻
• Last week in clinic before heading to World Cup with my boys 🇨🇦🦾
I’ll be out of clinic from Oct 8-22 with @sittingcanucks , I have limited appointment spots available next week so hurry to grab what’s left before they’re gone!
Good news is I have a team of phenomenal humans to take care of you while I’m away. Jonathan, Tisha (@leti__anne ) and Jordan (@the.ontrackphysio ) will hold down the fort @foundry.physiotherapy while we are off chasing medals.
Beyond stoked for this one. See you soon fellas 🫰🏻 #chessnotcheckers
Foundry is beyond excited to provide @luminsports to our clients for all exercise prescription and monitoring needs.
With cutting edge technology, integrations and time saving features using AI and Bulk Programming updates, it’s a dream for small businesses and practitioners to implement into their clinics. Not to mention, it’s beyond aesthetically pleasing 😉.
Stoked to be a part of the Lumin family 💪🏻⚒️.
With years of experience in both clinical and high-performance environments, Cassandra Downe (Physiotherapist & IST Lead with Volleyball Canada) knows the unique demands placed on shoulders — especially in adaptive sport.
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💬 “The Athletic Shoulder framework gave me a much deeper understanding of the shoulder and the stressors it faces in elite sport. Before this course, I struggled to find an applicable framework for adaptive athletes — the demands on their upper limbs are so different, and the lack of data made planning difficult.
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This course filled that gap. It’s essential for anyone working in high shoulder-demand sports. The support from the ASH team has been incredible, and I use the tools daily — both in clinic and on the road with Team Canada.”
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👉 Learn more about the Athletic Shoulder Certification and our Courses via the link in Bio
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#AthleticShoulder #ShoulderPerformance #AdaptiveSport #ReturnToPlay #SportsPhysio #VolleyballCanada #EvidenceBasedPractice #InjuryRehab #EliteSportCare
