About
Lady Bird Physical Therapy specializes in supporting folks throughout the reproductive lifespan.
Lady Bird PT was founded in 2019 after clinic owner Dr. Rebecca witnessed a lack of support and options for folks navigating their reproductive journeys. Her patients were being told that their leakage, pain, fears and symptoms were just "part of parenthood" and the answer to their discomfort was time and acceptance. She was seeing patients fearful of movement because of guidance from medical providers encouraging them to avoid doing the "wrong" thing without ever being told what the "right" one was.
She knew that people deserved better. They deserved better than black and white answers through rushed appointments. She wanted to create a clinic that allowed her more time to connect with her patients and give them real answers rather than ill-informed rules.
Lady Bird PT’s mission is to help you manage your pelvic health with information, exercise and hands on manual therapy while helping reduce your risk of injury from the very beginning. We’re here to provide you with real answers, actionable solutions and the kind of support you deserve.
Our team is passionate about providing inclusive, evidence-based care in a way that allows our patients to make informed decisions about their own health while managing infertility, pain and their reproductive journeys. We are so grateful to be here supporting our patients and collaborating with our community. We look forward to working with you.
Meet The Team
Dr. Rebecca Maidansky, PT, DPT
Founder & Physical Therapist
Rebecca (she/her) founded Lady Bird PT after working as a pelvic floor physical therapist and realizing there was a better way to treat pregnant and postpartum folks. She wanted to spend more time with her patients, provide more personalized care, and make sure they knew they could set their goals higher and reach them faster.
While Rebecca started as a sports-focused physical therapist, she transitioned to work in the pelvic floor world in order to marry her passion for working with athletes as well as pregnant and postpartum folks. She felt that too many people were coming in to see her while pregnant or following birth saying "I wish someone told me..." and knew that this was not the fault of the patient, but rather the fault of a system that has not prioritized care for perinatal people.
As a vocal advocate for the importance of perinatal health and better, more accessible care, she is excited to have the opportunity to work with pregnant and postpartum people in Austin, TX and worldwide to help guide them through the wild ride that is pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. She feels strongly that many aches and pains, both emotional and physical, that arise during and following pregnancy can be eased or even prevented by basic education and guidance.
With nearly 10,000 hours working in pelvic floor physical therapy, with countless hours of continuing education, writing and speaking engagements, Rebecca has the experience to safely guide you through your varying needs. You can find her pelvic-related articles on sites such as Women's Running Magazine, Austin Fit and Health.com.
When not ranting about pelvic health and necessary improvements to perinatal care in the United States, Rebecca enjoys running, hiking, backpacking, climbing and camping but mostly spending time with her favorite people and favorite cats.
Dr. Jessica Chastka, PT, DPT, WCS
Clinic Director, Physical Therapist
Jessica (she/her) earned her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, while playing softball. She received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in August 2015. In 2019 she became Board Certified in Women’s Health, through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists.She has taught continuing education courses to other therapists who want to treat pelvic health conditions.
Jessica became interested in pelvic floor physical therapy during PT school. She was working at a free clinic that her school hosted, being supervised by a pelvic floor physical therapist who had her screen patients with back, hip and knee issues for bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction. This opened her eyes to see that many people did not know they had pelvic floor dysfunction or if they did know, they didn’t know that there was anything that could be done about it.
For six years Jessica has worked as a pelvic floor PT, seeing a wide variety of pelvic health conditions, including leakage, urgency and frequency of the bladder and bowels, pelvic pain, constipation, and pain with intercourse. She is passionate about creating an inclusive and safe environment and truly believes that pelvic floor PT is for anyone that has a pelvis.
Jessica loves working with pregnant and postpartum people because there is so much that can be done to ease the transition from pregnancy to postpartum. She believes prevention is key and does not want any person to wish that someone would’ve told them to try physical therapy earlier. She wants people to understand that postpartum care does not stop 6 weeks after delivery and that it is never too late to reach your goals.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys being outdoors, reading, traveling and trying new foods and craft beer with her partner.
Dr. Shannon Russell, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Shannon (she/her) earned her Bachelor’s in Kinesiology from the University of Virginia, while playing volleyball. She received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Texas State University in 2013 and spent the first 8 years of her career in an outpatient sports orthopedic clinic. After having her first child left her body feeling rocked, she sought help from a pelvic floor physical therapist. Her own experience recovering from childbirth opened her eyes to the dramatically underutilized discipline of pelvic floor physical therapy and it was during that time she decided she was ready to make a career change.
Shannon knows that so many people feel lost after giving birth - that they become last on their own list and can lose their identity. Lady Bird Physical Therapy combines her two physical therapy passions- returning people to exercise and helping pregnant and postpartum patients feel like themselves again.
Shannon feels strongly that everyone deserves to have support and guidance during the transition into parenthood. Whether its reducing symptoms for window shopping or preparing someone to run a marathon, Shannon is passionate about helping you feel like you again.
When not on her pedestal ranting about how everyone needs pelvic floor therapy, Shannon enjoys watching sports, trying new restaurants and craft cocktails. She is a native Austinite and lives here with her husband, 2 kids, and pup.
Dr. Liz Cote, PT, DPT, OCS
Physical Therapist
Liz (she/her) earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Movement Science at the University of Vermont in 2014. She went on to earn her doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts in 2018.
Liz moved to Austin after graduating and never looked back. She earned a Manual Therapy Certification in 2019, and went on to become a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist shortly thereafter. With four years of experience in treating a variety of orthopedic and pelvic health patients, Liz is excited to use her knowledge, experience and clinical brain to support folks through their pregnancies and postpartum recoveries.
When not rocking it as a physical therapist in the clinic, Liz enjoys exploring Austin, paddleboarding, trashy reality TV, spending time with friends and family and watching her favorite sports teams- the New England Patriots and Boston Bruins!
Dr. Elizabeth Knoble, PT, DPT, OCS
Physical Therapist
Elizabeth was raised in Houston, Texas and moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas for her undergraduate degree. After completing her undergrad degree in Exercise Science with special focus in medical fitness and rehabilitation and a minor in biology, she moved to Dallas to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Texas Woman’s University. Following her DPT, she continued her education and completed an optional orthopedic residency at Memorial Hermann Rocket’s Sports Medicine Institute in Houston, Texas. Here, Elizabeth received continued education in orthopedics and sports, completed research, taught at the local PT and PTA programs, and was directly mentored by specialized clinicians in the field. Following her residency program, Elizabeth became an Orthopedic Certified Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
Elizabeth’s goal has always been to utilize her specialized knowledge to advocate for a more niche population that incorporates pelvic health. With the hopes to blend her passion and her current skills, Elizabeth has completed a pelvic floor certification and continuing education focusing on pelvic health. Elizabeth prides herself on treating the whole person and loves supplying her patients with all the knowledge, empowerment, and support they need to return to all of their most meaningful activities.
In her free time, you can find Elizabeth trying new workout classes around Austin, lifting weights, scoping out the live music scene, or in the kitchen attempting a new recipe from one of her favorite cook books.
Dr. Sima Schach, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Sima graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and French Studies from Rice University in 2015. She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Austin, TX in 2018.
She worked in pediatrics for one year before finding her true passion of pelvic health. She has worked as a pelvic health physical therapist since 2020.
Sima became interested in pelvic health in graduate school, and found she wanted to learn beyond what was taught. She was exposed to a pelvic health population on clinical rotation in San Diego. Even while working with babies and children, she found herself more and more aware of the challenges faced by pregnant and postpartum people, while so much focus is placed on the baby.
While Sima has worked with a wide variety of patients with pelvic floor concerns, she is passionate about pregnancy and postpartum. She believes there is so much education to be given to this population, and loves helping her patients advocate for better birth outcomes and postpartum recovery.
Since having her first child in August 2023, Sima has become even more aware of the importance of pelvic floor physical therapy to navigate pregnancy and postpartum, and the challenges that come with it.
In her free time, you can find Sima trying new restaurants or walking around Austin parks with her husband and baby boy, with a hot coffee in her hand.
Dr. Samantha Yorke, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Samantha received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. She went on to receive her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from West Coast University, where she graduated top of her class, earning awards for outstanding leadership and academic excellence.
She found her passion for pelvic floor physical therapy during her clinical rotations. Sam strives to educate and empower women to be their healthiest, most whole self. She applies manual therapy techniques in combination with exercise to treat individuals best.
Sam has completed pelvic floor physical therapy training through Herman and Wallace and plans to continue taking courses to expand her knowledge in pelvic floor dysfunction, prenatal, and postpartum care.
Allie Malinovich, LCCE
Office Manager
Allie (she/her) is a passionate advocate for better care for people before, during, and after childbirth. She is a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator and Spinning Babies® Provisional Parent Educator, as well as a happy former patient of Lady Bird PT. She is delighted to continue her work with the birthing population here in her roles as both office manager and childbirth educator.
Allie discovered her love of birth when she was pregnant with her first kid. She certified as a doula with DONA International and attended births for a few years until she pivoted to the more predictable hours of teaching childbirth education classes. She’s enjoying uninterrupted nights of sleep now, while still getting the chance to have a positive impact on birthing folks and to help them to have empowered, fulfilling birth experiences. Allie is dedicated to sharing evidence-based information while bringing joy and humor to birth. She has a warm, empathic nature and aims to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for all people when they come to her class and the office.
Outside of the birth and PT worlds, Allie loves to eat second breakfast, read, take walks in her neighborhood, and craft things, and can often be found with a chai latte in her hand while doing so. She lives in South Austin with her husband, two kiddos, and frequent Floofs of the Month: Audrey the dog and Merlin the cat.
Melek Öz
Office Administrator
Melek (she/her) is a two time UT alum recently retired from birth work and excited to transition to supporting people in their pelvic health journeys at Lady Bird PT. Melek believes in cultivating a safe environment for people who seek out care and strives to create a welcoming environment for folks.
Outside of work, Melek enjoys weight training, hiking, camping, and spending time with her three children.
