Focused on Fitness

Todd Wilkowski '92, a physical therapy major, is the CEO of Performance Optimal Health, which combines the services of many healthcare professionals under one roof. (Photo submitted)

What: Performance Optimal Health

Where: Seven locations total; five in Connecticut and two in Florida

A physical therapy major while at IC, Wilkowski was also the starting quarterback for the 1988 and 1991 national champion football teams. So it's no surprise that Performance Optimal, the multispecialty healthcare practice he founded in 2002, has a complete team of professionals covering nearly every aspect of modern health and fitness.

Whether it's physical therapy, athletic training, personal training, Pilates, massage, nutrition, or mental performance, Wilkowski's team has you covered.

"Traditionally, physical therapists are known for helping patients with rehabilitation and recovery," he explained. "But I realized that that's just one piece of the healthcare puzzle, and that if I wanted to take an integrated, full body and mind approach to patient care, I needed to get other professionals under one roof to think about care holistically.

"That mentality also helps us learn and grow as teachers and scholars," Wilkowski continued. "And that's how we get better."

Wilkowski believes that the more services Performance Optimal provided, the more people it could help, which is his ultimate goal.

"I think we all get a sense of personal satisfaction from helping people," he said.

Rachel Hogancamp '91 had a long history of working in health and wellness in Ithaca prior to opening Rasa Spa. (Photo submitted)

What: Rasa Spa

Where: Ithaca, New York

Hogancamp has had a non-traditional healthcare journey. A planned studies major at IC who was interested in arts administration, she later spent six months studying at the Finger Lakes School of Massage before opening Bodyworks, a massage therapy practice, in 1995 in downtown Ithaca.

When Cayuga Medical Center was planning Island Health and Fitness on the Cayuga Inlet, they wanted to include a spa and got in touch with Hogancamp, who in turn founded Rasa, which is still located today within the Island complex. Though its main service is massage, Rasa also offers facials, scrubs, and energy work.

For Hogancamp though, it's much more than a spa.

"Health and wellness have always been passions for me," she said. "We've become a community center, and most of our customers live in Ithaca. It's nice to know we've created a place where people can come and take care of themselves, to unplug from the rest of the world and plug into themselves."

Tessa VanDerVeeken '12, M.S. '14 has focused her work on the often-overlooked senior population. (Photo submitted)

What: Zeal Performance

Where: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A member of the women's crew team at Ithaca who earned her undergraduate degree in clinical exercise science and graduate degree in exercise and sport sciences, VanDerVeeken was training masters-age (ages 26 and above) Olympic-level athletes before realizing that the 50 years and older cohort was an underserved population.

Zeal Performance, which was founded in 2020, now has more than 200 clients, with an average age of 62. Focusing on strength training, VanDerVeeken goes by the ethos "we're all athletes in the sport of life" and writes individual programs for clients, while also offering small group training. That individualized approach means that while some of Zeal's clients include athletes training for competition, others have more unique goals.

"We have a lot of clients who are heading into retirement, and they want to travel, play golf, and play with their grandchildren," she said. "One of my clients had a goal to lift a 20-pound bag of birdseed over her head so she could fill a birdfeeder, so we worked towards that."

Katie Woodilla '19, ensures her clients - many of whom have disabilities - a safe space to reach their fitness goals without judgement. (Photo submitted)

What: Bomber Fitness

Where: Needham, Massachusetts

An exercise science major at IC, Woodilla was working for a medical fitness facility in Boston when she was furloughed during the COVID pandemic. While looking for work, she came across PEX Health and Fitness, which provides a collaborative workspace for fitness and healthcare professionals, providing them with a facility and machines while covering the overhead costs. That gave her the idea (and provided the support necessary) to start Bomber Fitness, operating out of a three-story facility that she shares with other wellness practitioners.

Woodilla, who describes herself as "a guide helping clients up the mountain," focuses her personal training on clients who have reached the end of their insurance-approved physical therapy. Many of these clients have a physical disability.

"Often, when someone recovering from an injury or dealing with a medical condition sees their results plateau in physical therapy, insurance will stop covering it," she said. "But those individuals may have a disability that requires constant work, and they need a safe space where they can meet their fitness and wellness goals."

Woodilla was inspired to work with that population after interning at Chapter 126 Sports & Fitness, an adaptive sports and fitness facility in Bristol, Connecticut, during her final semester at Ithaca.

"My time at Ithaca, both in the classroom and in my work in the Wellness Clinic, instilled a lot of great morals in me," she said. "I believe everyone deserves of a place where they can explore their limits safely."

No two health and wellness journeys are alike, so perhaps fittingly, no two journeys towards owning a gym or wellness center are the same either. But as these stories show, Ithaca alumni are making their mark in the fitness industry and ensuring their clients are living their best lives.

Those aren't the only alumni-owned fitness facilities. Here's a few more.

Who: Max Gordon '14

What: Big Work Training Studio

Where: Maynard, Massachusetts

Gordon offers in-person fitness training and nutrition counseling, as well as online coaching and a hybrid option.

Who: Morgan Meese '16, DPT '18

What: The Well Physio

Where: Henderson, Nevada

Meese focuses on physical therapy and coaching for runners and for female fitness athletes.

If you're interested in a career helping others achieve their health and wellness goals, Ithaca College has the right major for you. Check out degree options in:

• Exercise Science and Athletic Training
• Physical Therapy