Meet Our Instructors
Joy is the owner of JOY Explorations, an adventure and wellness company, empowering adults with neurologic conditions and 55+. She also works as an Outpatient Physical Therapist at Aurora Healthcare in Menomonee Falls. Joy graduated with her doctor of physical therapy from Northern Illinois University in 2016. She is a Certified Exercise Expert for the Aging Adult (CEEAA) through the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a Master Trainer for Urban Poling, and also holds certifications specific to treating Parkinson’s Disease – LSVT BIG and Parkinson Wellness Recovery (PWR!) Moves. In her free time, Joy enjoys running, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and spending time with friends, family, and her two dogs, Mia and Otto.
Ellen teaches “Yoga and More” and Movement and Music classes for people with Parkinson’s in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. She has been a physical therapist for 30 years, a yoga teacher(E-RYT 200) for 14. She is certified in LSVT BIG, BIG for Life and PWR!. She also teaches classes for bone health. She enjoys spending time with family and friends hiking, biking, paddling, and dancing.
KATE MANN
Kate Mann BFA, MA, is a Dance Educator who enjoys a rewarding career contributing her energy and expertise to enrich people’s lives through the joyful, creative and therapeutic arts of dance. She created OPEN DOOR DANCE, an annual dance gathering with her senior students from diverse neighborhoods of Milwaukee, to experience how dancing together fosters community connections. Kate’s work for WPA includes writing curriculum for PD Dance teachers, leading movement sessions at WPA symposiums, and was teaching M&M classes in Fond du lac. She is among the founders of The Parkinson’s Dance Class in Milwaukee who trained at workshops with the preeminent Dance for PD professionals at the Mark Morris Dance Company, Brooklyn, NY.
Jen is an outpatient physical therapist in Burlington, WI. She graduated from Carroll University in 2022, where she spent her student years caregiving for adults with neurological conditions. Jen loves group exercise and believes in healing through movement. She has 3 years of experience volunteering for Rock Steady Boxing classes in various locations, and she is a PWR!Moves™ Trained Therapist. Her other hobbies include playing French horn, reading, and going to the gym.
Joe leads exercise classes in Cudahy for people with PD. He comes from a military background, serving 17 years in the United States Army Reserves where he is a Master Fitness Trainer. He is also studying Kinesiology with the goal of becoming a Clinical Exercise Physiologist focusing on exercise programs for special populations. In his free time, Joe is an avid runner with a current goal of completing his first 50K ultra-marathon. His other hobbies are centered around being active and outdoors with his wife and two dogs.
As a physical therapist for over 36 years, the opportunity to bring this class to her area was a natural fit. Lucy has a certification in PWR!Moves (Parkinson Wellness Recovery). She feels that combining these evidence – based, exercises-for-brain-change with music is fun and helps people with Parkinson’s and their care partners to live well with Parkinson’s.
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE WITH PARKINSONS