she’ll help you flip the script on pain and limitation
training
- Physiotherapist
- Masters of Science in Physiotherapy, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh 2025
- Bachelor of Kinesiology, University of Alberta 2020
- Former gymnast, cheerleader, and coach
- Rock climber, hiker, and professional language learner
personality
Kristina was born in Slovakia and grew up in Calgary, where she trained ballet as a kid. She never stopped trying to flip in her backyard, so eventually she switched to gymnastics which quickly became the love of her life. After moving to Edmonton for university, she started doing competitive cheer-leading to try her hand at a team sport. This new passion took her to competitions all over Canada and the US (including competing at the World Championships twice). As she transitioned to coaching university cheer-leading, she became the go-to person for sports taping and provided sport psychology education for her team based on her undergraduate training.
She was inspired by all the ways she could enhance her team’s success and well-being through skill development, sport-specific conditioning and advocating for mental health of her student athletes. This contributed to her decision to pursue physiotherapy where she could carry on and further develop those skills and work with a more broad variety of people. She loves helping everyone achieve their goals and build strength and resilience, however that looks for them!
- Favorite books – The Midnight Library, Educated, The Hunger Games
- Favorite Music – Alternative/Rock/Pop
- Movies she loves – All the Fast and Furious movies (the less realistic the better), animated Disney movies, extreme sports and travel documentaries, Marvel movies, and Harry Potter
- Favorite sports/activities – Rock climbing, flipping – that’s right … flipping, yoga, hiking, wild swimming, snowboarding
- Physio nickname – Kristini Martini
- What her physio assistants say about her – “big brain diva”
- Clinical Pet Peeve – Falling behind
- Something you may not know about her – She has lived in 4 cities
- Superhuman Talent– Overthinking (better than underthinking though, right?)
edge
Kristina started her journey studying Kinesiology at the University of Alberta during her undergrad. After graduating from the class of covid, she worked in numerous jobs before ending up at a physio clinic for 2 years where she decided she wanted to be a physio. Soon after, she boarded a plane to Scotland to follow her dreams. In between travelling all over Europe for 2.5 years, she completed her Masters of Science in Physiotherapy at Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. Once she mastered the art of understanding various Scottish accents, she returned to Canada to start her career. She loves learning and one of her favorite things about physiotherapy is that she will always have something new to learn – from both patients and colleagues!
