Meet the BODY WORX Team
Meet the Team
Dr. Jodi Hierholzer, PT, DPT, CSCS, CFL2, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Owner/Founder of BWPT
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Dr. Jodi Hierholzer, PT is a Physical Therapist, Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Level 2 CrossFit Coach, and entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Karnes City, TX, and has been a resident of good ‘ole Abilene for the last 14 years. Jodi is a two time Hardin-Simmons University alum, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science in 2011 & her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2013. She played collegiate softball for HSU & Concordia University-Austin. Her post professional certifications include: Dry Needling, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Blood Flow Restriction, CrossFit L2 Coach, Graston Technique, SFMA, FMS, TRX, and LSVT Big.
Her mission is to change the way people view and receive physical therapy, with an emphasis on restoring and maintaining an active lifestyle through functional medicine and performance training. She takes pride in keeping her patients and athletes healthy and active so they can continue to do the things they love for the rest of their lives (YOLO).
Jodi considers herself a life-long, all around athlete. In high school she played basketball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cheered, and was in the marching/symphonic band. She is a long time CrossFitter (10 years) and thoroughly enjoys coaching CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting. She has ran multiple 5K/10Ks, a half marathon, obstacle course races, and enjoys hunting, skeet shooting, skiing, wakeboarding, hiking, and kayaking. When she is not working on the business or working out, you can find her hanging with her dog Ace, traveling, or out exploring Abilene and supporting other local small businesses!
Dr. Chase Riley, PT, DPT, OCS, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
Clinical Director of BWPT
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Dr. Chase Riley, PT was born & raised in the Big Country and is a graduate from Hardin-Simmons University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 2008 and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2011. His entire 11-year career has been in outpatient orthopedic PT. He and his family have lived in Abilene for the past 7 years. Chase is a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopedics, is a certified clinical instructor from Texas Consortium for Physical Therapy Clinical Education, a holds certifications in Dry Needling, Graston, Kinesiostape, and TRX. He is a gifted manual therapist, and has also received extensive training through the Institute of Physical Art.
Interests outside of the clinic include spending time with his wife, Jenni, his two sons, Jack and Rett, nutrition and cross training, all things sports and outdoors, and home remodeling.
“I absolutely love my community and my profession. My goal is to humbly serve this community and make a lasting impact in the health and wellbeing of people through my services. As a physical therapist, I have a unique role in healthcare that affords me the opportunity to develop authentic relationships with my patients and truly demonstrate what it means to care for them.”
“The best thing you can do for any of your patients is to show them that you genuinely love them and care about them by actively listening to them, empathizing with them, removing doubt and fear through education, instilling confidence through treatment results, and unlocking their potential through functional restoration.” - Chase Riley PT, DPT, OCS
Dr. Amber Lewis, PT, DPT, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Pelvic Health Specialist
Certified Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach
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Dr. Amber Lewis, PT is our resident orthopedic and pelvic health specialist! Amber received her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from McMurry University in 2014, and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Hardin-Simmons University in 2016. She is a Certified Postpartum & Pregnancy Athleticism Coach, and has a passion for helping active mothers, athletes, and weekend warriors! Amber is also certified in dry needling and has training in the Institute of Physical Art, Graston, TRX, and Kinesiotaping.
Amber enjoys being active and loves doing anything outdoors, including skiing, hiking, swimming and taking walks with her family. She has participated in obstacle course races, 5Ks and half marathons. She is also very active in her church community where she serves in leadership roles & mission outreach. When Amber is not at work providing excellent care to her patients she is most likely spending time with her husband Paul and 3 beautiful kiddos.
Dr. Sarah Latham, PT, DPT, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Concussion Specialist, PRI Practicioner
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Sarah is Texas born and raised, and hails from Gatesville, TX. She completed her undergraduate work at Texas A&M (c/o 2018), and it’s no secret that she is a proud fighting Aggie 👍 WHOOP! She attended PT school at Hardin-Simmons University and graduated with her Doctorate’s degree in 2020.
Sarah has spent the last 3 years working as a full-time PT at Dyess Air Force Base, where she had the opportunity to treat a wide variety of outpatient orthopedic and neurological diagnoses in the military population. She holds certifications in dry needling, and enjoys treating any and all ortho/neuro conditions in the active population (a woman of many talents!). Outside of PT life, Sarah has a passion for being outdoors and considers herself a multi-sport athlete...aka "The Intramural Champ." In high school she competed in basketball, track, pole vault, golf, & volleyball. In her post-graduate era, she has dabbled in triathlons, cycling, CrossFit, OCR, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.When she is not helping her patients get back to living their best life, she is probably fly fishing, spending time with friends, traveling, riding her bike, or hanging with her doggo Mae.
Maci Salaz, CFL1, CPT
Director of BODY WORX Performance Personal Trainer, Coach
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Maci is our head trainer, the Director of BODY WORX Performance services, and an administrative ninja. Prior to stepping into her current role as head trainer and Director of BWP, Maci served as our office manager for 2 years. She’s one of Dr. Jodi’s original patients at BODY WORX , and has been a part of our fam since day 1.
Maci is the primary coach for our small group training classes and 1:1 personal training. She is also our programmer and offers remote programming for clients upon request. Maci is Certified Personal Trainer through NSCA, a part time CrossFit coach at Elevate Crew CrossFit and holds certifications as a CrossFit Level 1 Coach, CrossFit Aerobic Capacity, CrossFit Kids, and CrossFit Gymnastics.Maci graduated from Wylie High School in 2014, and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Human Sciences from Texas Tech University in 2019 (wreck 'em). She is married to Stephen Salaz, PA-C who works as an orthopedic surgeon Physician's Assistant. She recently became a new momma to Stephen Lennox Salaz III in June 2022, and has loved being a mom! She also has two beautiful golden retrievers, Millie & Simba.
Fun fact: Maci is also a flight attendant
Katy Gaona
Office Manager
Administrative Assistant
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Katy serves as our patient care coordinator and administrative assistant at BWPT. When you call our office, Katy will be the friendly voice on the other end of the line ready to answer your questions and make sure you’re well taken care of. She keeps things running smoothly and efficiently at BWPT, and helps keep our PTs in line (it’s a tough job). If you have a question about BWPT or would like to get scheduled for an appointment, she's your gal.
Katy grew up in Buffalo Gap, Texas, and is a graduate of Jim Ned High School (‘06). She has been married to her husband, Steven, for 15 years. They have two awesome kiddos, Ethan and Avery. They also have a sweet golden retriever “Max,” a goofy bulldog “Pickles,” and a moody cat “Turtle.” As a former client at BWPT, Katy knows the BWPT culture well! She embodies hard work, kindness, and is a team player. Katy goes the extra mile to make sure our clients are well taken care of any time you contact our office. Outside of BWPT, Katy enjoys spending time with her family and regularly attends CrossFit classes at Gritfit Abilene.
Dr. Brady Holcomb, PT, DPT, OCS, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
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Brady is our newest part time PT & resident “professor.” He serves as full-time faculty at Hardin-Simmons University PT school, and will be seeing patients at BODY WORX in the afternoon hours.
Brady is Big Country through and through as he was born in Abilene and raised in Sweetwater, TX. He received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences from Lubbock Christian University in 2014 and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2018 from Harding University in Searcy, AR. 🎓
He began his career in rural health working at Lynn County Physical Therapy Department in Tahoka, Texas just south of Lubbock. For the entirety of his career Brady has worked in outpatient orthopedics, where he finds his passion. In 2021 he studied for and received the designation of Board Certified Certified Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS). He also holds certifications in Dry Needling and LSVT BIG, which is a specific treatment paradigm for individuals who deal with movement deficits related to Parkinson’s Disease. 📚
Brady recently stepped into work as a full time academician as he accepted a position to be full time faculty with the HSU Physical Therapy program here in Abilene. He is passionate about the profession of physical therapy and what can be done through each individual patient encounter as well as how we can grow our profession. This created a natural step into academia which he describes as a completely humbling and enriching experience.
In high school Brady was very active in sports as he played football, basketball, threw the discus, and played golf. He now spends his time cycling outdoors with Steamboat Cycling Club, running, playing pickleball, and catching the occasional pick up basketball game with his physical therapy students. 🚴🏀🏃♂️🏈🏌️♂️
Outside of work & fitness, Brady loves spending time with his wife & son, & is active in his home church Highland Church of Christ. He & his wife enjoy doing different volunteer work around town & are invested in helping Abilene be a better place!
Dr. Alex Swize, PT, DPT, C-DN
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Vestibular Specialist
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Dr. Alex Swize, PT is our resident vestibular specialist. She currently works as a full time Physical Therapist at Dyess Air Force Base, and sees vestibular and orthopedic patients at BWPT in the afternoon/evenings. Get to know Dr. Alex, PT: Alex was raised in Wall, TX for most of her childhood, and moved down south to Goliad, TX during her high school years. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 👍, and graduated from Angelo State University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2018.
She began her career as a traveling PT and eventually landed in Abilene, where she has resided for the last 5 years. Alex has spent the majority of her career in the outpatient settings, primarily treating vestibular and orthopedic populations. She holds certifications in Dry Needling, Vestibular Therapy (vertigo) and Management of inner ear disorders, and Concussion Management. 🧠Fun fact: She owns her own sewing and quilting business, and will be BWPT’s resident seamstress. In high school she loved sports and was active in basketball, track, cross country, and golf. Now she spends a lot of her time cycling at Fire Cycle Abilene, working out, and traveling. She is the proud dog mom of Sammy, a gorgeous red coon hound.
Outside of work & fitness, Alex is very active in the community of Abilene! She serves on the Junior League of Abilene Board of Directors & Western Heritage Classic Board. She’s also an active member of the Houston and San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo, serving as a judge for variety of 4H and FFA contests. Alex enjoys volunteering with non-profit organizations in Abilene & values helping people succeed.
The BWPT Difference
At BWPT, we believe you can achieve anything through the right medical care, movement practice, and lifestyle changes. To accomplish this, we are pushing the traditional boundaries of healthcare to provide a performance-based, holistic approach to optimize client outcomes and keep people active and healthy for the long haul.
We are not your typical PT clinic…
We believe that traditional physical therapy does not meet the needs of active, healthy people.
Cookie cutter plans and high volume clinics can waste your time and money. At BWPT, you will see a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy one-on-one for a full 60 minutes working on a plan that is built just for you. No PTAs. No techs. No BS.
We believe in building a strong patient-provider relationship, where trust and transparency lay the foundation for every plan of care.
At the end of your first session, you will know what's causing your issue, how we can fix it, and exactly how much it will cost. (No hidden fees or bills coming in months down the road). Additionally, you will have access to your therapist to support you along the way, both in and out of the clinic. Seriously…we got your back!
The path back to our healthiest self is not through canned approaches and outdated methods, but through one-on-one intentional care that focuses on optimizing recovery, performance, and injury prevention so you can get back to doing the things you love, for life!