Hidden Gems: Meet Melissa Woo of Empowered Mama Physical Therapy & Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Woo.

Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve known I wanted to be a physical therapist since I was 10 years old. My Girl Scout troop visited a physical therapy clinic while earning our Career Badge, and I was instantly fascinated. I had grown up active and playing sports, and the idea that you could help people heal using movement and exercise alone completely blew my 10-year-old mind. From that moment on, I was hooked.
Fast forward many years later, I began my Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Loma Linda University—eight months pregnant with my second baby. Between the rigor of the program and the sudden shift from being active all day to sitting through eight hours of lectures and labs, I quickly developed debilitating sciatic and SI joint pain, a common complaint with pregnancy. One day during class, the pain became unbearable. I walked out and broke down in tears. A professor noticed and came to check on me, and together with another professor, they made me a makeshift SI support belt, which helped somewhat. But when I asked what I could do to actually resolve the pain, I was told there was nothing I could do and that I would just have to wait until the baby was born.
That answer was incredibly discouraging. It was then that I realized that no one, not even my professors really knew how to help someone who was pregnant. I was staring down a competitive three-year doctorate program and wondering how I could possibly get through it if I couldn’t sit, focus, or function without pain. Fortunately, I was born stubborn. I refused to accept that pain in pregnancy was inevitable, so I started experimenting- on my own body. I adjusted my strength training and movement patterns using my background as a personal trainer, my clinical experience, what I was learning in PT school, and what I was feeling in real time during pregnancy and postpartum.
As predicted, my sciatic pain disappeared after I delivered the baby, but I didn’t stop there. I continued building strength and resilience, and when I became pregnant with my third baby during my last year of PT school, I saw it as the ultimate test. Throughout that pregnancy, I continued strength training, lifting weights, and refining my program as my body changed. By 40 weeks pregnant, I was still hitting PRs, running on my lunch breaks, and working 40 hours a week in a clinical rotation with little to no pain, if anything, mild discomfort, and only if I ran too fast. I even continued to run all the way up to the week of delivery.
That experience was a turning point. I knew I had uncovered something bigger—a way to truly support the pregnant body so women could stay strong, active, and confident instead of fearful and sidelined. What started as a personal experiment became the foundation for what is now The Empowered Mama Method, and ultimately my life’s work, professionally at least.
Less than a year later, in February 2020, just one month before COVID shut everything down, Empowered Mama Physical Therapy & Wellness was born. Like many small businesses, the pandemic forced me to pivot quickly. I moved to telehealth, then eventually began seeing clients 1 on 1 in my garage gym, which felt safer and more comfortable to many of my clients than a traditional clinic at the time. As restrictions lifted, Empowered Mama continued to grow, eventually outgrowing the garage and moving into our current space in Upland.
Today, I’ve built a growing practice with additional physical therapists and administrative support, all with the same mission: to make sure women don’t have to struggle to find answers or be told to “just wait it out.” My goal is to continue expanding Empowered Mama so we can support every Mama in our community through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond and with the care, education, and empowerment they deserve.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, haha! Not even a little bit. I don’t think I’ve met a single entrepreneur who would say otherwise. Building Empowered Mama has been incredibly rewarding, but it’s also been full of challenges.
One of the biggest struggles was learning how to actually run a business. I went to school to become a physical therapist, not an entrepreneur, so I had to learn everything from systems and hiring to finances and leadership on the fly. There was a steep learning curve, and plenty of moments where I felt like I was figuring things out in real time.
Another major challenge has been patience—especially resisting the urge to compare my journey to other business owners. It’s easy to look around and feel behind when someone else seems to be growing faster, without always seeing the full picture. I’ve had to remind myself that my path has included motherhood, four pregnancies, years as a single mom supporting my children on my own, navigating major personal transitions, and raising a blended family while building a business. That context matters. My life doesn’t look like everyone else’s, and my business was never meant to grow the same way or on the same timeline.
Learning to honor my own pace, trust the process, and stay focused on what truly matters has been just as important as any business strategy—and honestly, one of the most valuable lessons along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Empowered Mama Physical Therapy & Wellness was born out of a deep need for better answers and better care for women during pregnancy and postpartum. There is a significant gap in our healthcare system when it comes to supporting women through motherhood, and far too often they’re told to simply accept pain, limitations, or dysfunction as “normal.” I built Empowered Mama to challenge that narrative.
Women shouldn’t have to settle for outdated, fear-based advice like “don’t lift more than 10 pounds,” accept lifelong leaking because they had a baby, or give up the activities that make them feel strong and alive simply because they’re pregnant or postpartum. A broken system doesn’t need to mean women have broken bodies—and we refuse to treat them that way.
At Empowered Mama, we specialize in what we call the 4 P’s: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic, and Performance. We work with women who want more than just symptom management. They want to feel strong, confident, and capable in their bodies again. Our approach blends evidence based pelvic health physical therapy with strength training, performance focused rehab, and honest education so women can make empowered decisions about their bodies.
What truly sets us apart is our philosophy. We don’t rely on blanket restrictions or low effort advice. We meet women where they are, respect their goals, and hold a high standard of care and accountability. Whether that means helping a mom run around with her kids without leaking, supporting pain free intimacy, or guiding a woman back to lifting heavy and hitting PRs without fear of making things worse—we’re here for all of it.
What I’m most proud of brand-wise is the trust we’ve built. Empowered Mama is known for keeping it real, raising the bar for women’s healthcare, and helping women reclaim ownership over their bodies, their health, and their confidence. My goal is for every woman who walks through our doors to leave feeling informed, powerful, and supported so she can focus on being the woman, mother, and partner she wants to be, without fear or limitation.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’ve always been a lifelong learner. I love a good podcast binge, books that help me grow, whether that’s in business, leadership, or personal development, and even scrolling Instagram for education on health, parenting, or whatever new skill I’m undertaking (including sourdough, my newest full time job…I mean hobby). Learning energizes me and helps me stay sharp, inspired, and evolving.
That said, I’ve also learned the importance of balance when it comes to consuming information. There’s a real temptation to stay in research mode, always learning, always preparing, without actually implementing what you’ve learned. Over time, I’ve realized that growth doesn’t just come from gathering knowledge; it comes from knowing when to pause, reflect, and then take action, even if you don’t feel fully ready.
That mindset of curiosity paired with courage is what helps me do my best work, both in business and in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empoweredmamapt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredmamapt/?hl=en