Drawing from their own journeys, these local providers turn personal experience into compassionate care – from fitness and physical therapy to migraine relief
Photography by John Michael Simpson
LIFE IN MOTION
For Stephanie Nielson, movement is medicine. Each stretch and deep breath helps her navigate the daily challenges of living with constrictive scars from severe burns on 83% of her body.
“I remember being so sick in the hospital, thinking that I’ll never have a happy life again,” she says, recalling how her body pulsed with pain after waking from a monthslong medical coma. “I didn’t want my kids to come see me because I had changed so much, and I felt like I didn’t need to be on this Earth anymore. I was done.”
That was 17 years ago.
Today, Stephanie stands inside Barre3, a new exercise studio she opened in June at Chatham Park. Her husband, Christian Nielson, and their second-oldest daughter, Jane Nielson, quietly chat behind her. Stephanie’s hand rests on her stomach. She is expecting her sixth child in February 2026. Her vivid green eyes survey the light-filled space as she reflects on the long path of healing and recovery since surviving a fiery plane crash in August 2008.
“I can still see it like it was yesterday,” Stephanie says. The Cessna 177 sped down the runway and into the sky. But something was wrong. The aircraft suddenly lost altitude. “I remember putting my head down and seeing my children and asking myself, ‘Is this how it ends for me?’” she says. The plane slammed into the ground. Christian crawled from the wreckage, despite a broken back; he suffered burns on about 40% of his body. A friend who was also on board did not survive his injuries.
Stephanie says her loving family and deep faith continue to sustain her, but it is the community she is creating through fitness and mindfulness that renews her energy.
“One of the pluses of Barre3 is that moving and stretching,” Stephanie says. “Sometimes I don’t want to do it, because it hurts.” But, she adds, when you do the hard thing, you leave feeling proud. “That’s what this is for me,” she says. “To function – and [to] be a good mom, a wife, a friend, I have to feel good. So I have to put myself first and take care of what my body needs, and then I’m a better person.”
The Nielsons moved to Silk Hope, North Carolina – the ecological opposite of their former home in Bluewater, New Mexico, where their family still has a cattle ranch – in 2018. Christian was testing a business concept for a mobile software app before launching it nationwide. While he attended to the new business, Stephanie focused on helping the family settle into a new routine.
One day, while shopping at Whole Foods in Chapel Hill, Stephanie and her daughters noticed a Barre3 studio. Their curiosity turned into a family membership – and, eventually, a new dream for Stephanie, who began to consider setting up her own studio in Chatham.
Fast forward to June 2025, when Stephanie opened a franchise of her own – where she can focus on healing from the inside out, and help others do the same – in Mosaic at Chatham Park. Amenities include child care, shower facilities and a storefront for workout and leisure clothing – all details designed to help ensure even the busiest clients can take some time for themselves.
“I want people to feel the way I feel when I come to Barre3,” Stephanie says. “Nobody looks at me like, ‘Oh, what happened to you?’ Or, ‘You’re not going to be able to do this, because look at your injuries.’ It’s way more empowering.
“This is a second home for me. We see people for who they are, not whether they have disabilities. What matters is we’re moving together, and that feels good.”
Jane looks at her mother. They lock eyes. “I don’t even notice,” Jane says of the scars on Stephanie’s face, arms and legs. Both parents have endured dozens of surgeries, including numerous skin grafts. Their family knows that true strength and real beauty lie within us.
Stephanie lights up when she talks about her studio family – the instructors, clients and her own children who often join her at the barre. For her, it’s a daily reminder of resilience and connection. That’s what Barre3 is all about, she says – showing yourself you can do this. – by Anna-Rhesa Versola
CARE THAT GOES THE EXTRA MILE
Lifelong athlete Dr. Lindsey Kenny discovered her passion for sports medicine the hard way – through her own injuries. She developed compartment syndrome in both legs from competitive running in high school, and needed to take time off from her classwork to recover. As a result, she spent her senior year spring break making up health care course hours by shadowing a physical therapist.
“What drew me to physical therapy was getting to see the same people week after week,” Lindsey says. “To be able to develop a relationship with [patients], to get to know them and really have a ton of one-on-one time with another person when they’re going through something difficult.”
Lindsey ran cross-country and studied exercise science at Milligan University in her hometown in Tennessee. She graduated early in 2007 and began working as a rehabilitation technician at a skilled nursing facility, gaining valuable hands-on experience and observation hours. Her next stop was Chapel Hill, where she earned her doctorate in physical therapy and an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Aging from UNC in 2011.
Soon after, Lindsey joined Reynolds & Associates Physical Therapy in Chatham County – a private practice owned by Dr. Nancy Reynolds. Lindsey stepped into a new role as owner of Kenny, Reynolds & Associates Physical Therapy when Nancy retired in 2024.
“This [office] had become such an important part of the community that I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else,” Lindsey says. “I also couldn’t imagine it not being available to people in Chatham. After lots of discussion and prayer with my husband, we decided to move forward and for me to take over [the practice].”
Lindsey cares deeply about her patients and works to ensure the 20-year-old business remains welcoming and accessible to everyone. She emphasizes personalized care, setting meaningful goals and meeting people where they are in their recovery.
“Each patient is a person, not a protocol,” she says. While patient care comes naturally, Lindsey admits there was a learning curve when it came to operating the business.
“You get to see bits and pieces of it [when you work in private practice], but being responsible for all of it has been a big adjustment,” she says. “It’s something that I feel very passionate about; private practice health care and small businesses in health care helps to improve access for people.”
Until two years ago, Lindsey worked part-time at the clinic so she could spend more time with her three young children. Now, as owner, she balances taking care of Asa Kenny, 13, Lena Kenny, 11, and Josie Kenny, 7, with full-time hours and the logistics of running a small business. She says her husband, Rich Kenny, helps her behind-the-scenes with operations, finances and knowledge from his own health care background.
Last summer, Lindsey and her family pitched in to remodel the clinic, spending most weekends at the office to get the project done.
Her parents and son Asa assembled furniture while her younger daughters created cards and bracelets for patients. “It really cemented the idea that small businesses are also family-run businesses,” Lindsey says.
That family-first mindset also drives Lindsey’s dedication when treating older adults. Lindsey’s mom encouraged her from a young age to develop relationships with older community members – lessons that shaped her interest in geriatric care. She recalls getting off the school bus and going over to her neighbor, Carla’s, home to retrieve the house key her mom left there. Lindsey loved sharing stories with Carla and delivering Christmas cards to women in a nearby nursing home with her mom.
“I’ve just always had this passion to engage in a meaningful way with [older adults],” Lindsey says. She adds that she hopes to see Chatham grow as a community that’s active and full of life through all its stages.
Looking ahead, Lindsey and Rich envision an interdisciplinary clinic offering physical and occupational therapy, nurse practitioner care and mental health counseling – a space where patients can access a full spectrum of services under one roof as well as more activities, screenings and classes aimed at improving the community health. She also hopes to introduce Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery classes and strength-training programs in the future.
“I want to see multigenerational engagement, where we are still gaining wisdom from the people who have gone before us,” she says. “Keeping people healthy, active and engaged has benefits for all generations in the community.”– by Libby Wakefield
WHERE PAIN MEETS PURPOSE
Physician assistant Amy Gonzales is no stranger to the condition she treats. Migraine headaches have been a source of struggle for much of her own life, so when it came time to pick a specialty in school, she naturally gravitated toward neurology. “Many of my family members, including myself, suffer from tremors and migraines,” Amy says. “I really felt a connection to a lot of those patients because of the personal experience. It was easy for me to understand what they were going through. It was that immediate ‘aha’ moment – this is what I was meant to do.’”
The Buffalo, New York, native began her medical career in cardiac ultrasonography, but a trip to Africa with her sister, who was adopting twins, made her realize she wanted to do more. “So I went back to school to become a PA,” Amy says.
After completing her degree at D’Youville University in Buffalo, milder weather and the chance to be closer to family brought Amy to North Carolina in 2008. She worked in communities across the state – including Pinehurst and Raleigh – before joining FirstHealth Family Medicine in Pittsboro in December 2023. Amy collaborates closely with a physician, but sees patients independently as a PA, ordering tests and helping manage medications. She emphasizes creating a sense of ease to build trust, especially for patients who may be hesitant to talk about their pain. “I get anxious at the doctor, [too],” Amy says. “I try the approach that this is just a conversation we are having. I like to listen as well as educate.”
Migraines are manageable, Amy says, and there are ways to treat them both with and without medication. Over the past decade, new therapies have significantly improved migraine control, offering relief that once felt out of reach. Amy has seen remarkable transformations in her patients’ lives: People who once missed work, avoided family gatherings or spent days in bed are now able to make plans, go out and fully engage in life again. “It’s like night and day for patients,” Amy says. “Their quality of life just completely flips for the better.” She knows this firsthand, having used some of these medications herself. “It’s completely life-changing,” she says. Seeing that same transformation in others is what drives her. “That’s the cream of the crop right there – to know you’ve made such a big impact on somebody’s life.”
Even with modern treatment options, migraine headaches can still be challenging to manage. Amy says it often takes some trial and error to find the right medication for each person. Insurance approval can also add another hurdle. “That can be a little frustrating,” she says, “because you know you can help them, but the insurance gets in the way.” Still, she always finds a way to make it work.
Amy lives in Fuquay-Varina, where she is close to her mother, Pat Wingert, aunt, Diane Williams, daughter, Jenna Smith, and 4-month-old grandson, Braxton Smith. When she isn’t working to improve patients’ lives, she enjoys spending time with her family, cheering on the Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees, and exploring downtown Pittsboro and Chatham Park, where Jenna works in homeowners association management. “I love the people [in Chatham],” Amy says. “Everybody has been so welcoming and nice and lovely. I love how it’s growing, and there are all these new things coming. It’s such an exciting time.” – by Sharon Kinsella
