Abby Stewart knows what it feels like when your own body betrays you—when something as automatic as breathing suddenly isn't. Four years ago, while working as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist treating knee pain and shoulder injuries, she developed a breathing pattern disorder post-COVID that left her with relentless air hunger. "It's like I'm sitting in a sauna and I've been in that sauna for half an hour and someone's talking to me and I just don't have the breath—and that's how I would feel when I'm just driving to work," she recalls. Doctors told her it was anxiety. She knew it wasn't.

That experience—debilitating, confusing, isolating—became the catalyst for everything that followed. After seeing a breathing physiotherapist herself and experiencing the transformation breathing retraining offered, Abby became certified in Bradcliff Breathing, opened The Breathing Physio clinic, and began advocating for the thousands of people whose breathing symptoms are dismissed as "just anxiety" when they're actually treatable breathing pattern disorders. Now, as a Senior Respiratory Physiotherapist pursuing her PhD in breathing pattern disorder management, she's helping people around the world through The Breath Class—breathing physio in your pocket, accessible anytime, anywhere.

Can you tell us about our business and who you help?

I'm Abby Stewart, a Senior Respiratory Physiotherapist, also known as The Breathing Physio. My mission is to help people around the world overcome breathing pattern disorders and breathe with ease—especially those struggling with air hunger, chest tightness, or unexplained breathing symptoms despite "normal" tests.

My work is deeply personal. After COVID, I experienced relentless air hunger myself—constantly chasing that "satisfying" breath, feeling tightness in my chest, and being told everything was normal. I know what it feels like to have doctors say "it's just anxiety" when you know something else is going on with your breathing. Retraining my own breathing pattern through breathing physiotherapy changed my life.

Now, I've had the privilege of helping hundreds of others do the same through evidence-based breathing physiotherapy. I get messages from people saying, "I thought I was going crazy and now I feel like there's hope that I can improve my breathing." It only takes a few of those messages to remind me why this work matters—it's about all those people who feel gaslit and stigmatized, told it's all in their head, when really it's something treatable.

Because there's only one of me and my clinic is only open 2 days a week (I'm also converting my research into a PhD), I wanted to create something scalable—a way for people to access expert breathing support anytime, anywhere. So The Breath Class was created—breathing physio support in your pocket.

"Because there's only one of me and my clinic is only open 2 days a week, I wanted to create something scalable—a way for people to access expert breathing support anytime, anywhere. So The Breath Class was created—breathing physio support in your pocket."

What problem were you facing before using Movement?

I knew exactly what I wanted my community and platform to look like. After doing so much one-on-one work, I could see the transformation journey someone's breathing needs to take—the phases, the obstacles, the steps. I just needed a hub to deliver it.

But when I researched hosting platforms, nothing aligned. The tech felt overwhelming and the tools were fragmented. And many options just weren't realistic for a small business owner like me.

The real deal-breaker? Everything was so fitness-centered—programs for different body groups, workout-focused platforms. That just didn't honor the clinician side of me. I wasn't looking for a generic fitness app; I needed a platform built for healthcare professionals delivering clinical support, not just workouts.

I needed something simple, aesthetic, professional, and affordable.

"After doing so much one-on-one work, I could see the transformation journey someone's breathing needs to take—the phases, the obstacles, the steps. I just needed a hub to deliver it. I needed something simple, aesthetic, professional, and affordable."

What made you choose Movement over other platforms? Did you try any others?

I was searching on Instagram for "pelvic health physio" because I knew they were innovating in online self-directed programs. I came across The Mama Physio—a pelvic health physio whose platform looked exactly like what I was envisioning as a fellow physio. Then I clicked on her website and saw the domain: movement.so.

I typed it in, stalked Movement on Instagram, and realized there were physios and healthcare professionals in this space. As soon as I saw that—boom, I was done. I booked the call.

Seeing that other physiotherapists were already using Movement was a huge eye-opener for me. As a healthcare professional, trust matters—and knowing other clinicians were building on the Movement platform gave me a lot of confidence from Day 1. In healthcare, we're very mindful about how we portray ourselves and what platforms we align with. Seeing other physios using Movement was almost like a permission slip: you can do this, and the physiotherapy board isn't going to bite your bum.

The minimalist aesthetic and ability to create your own app aligned perfectly with The Breath Class. The pricing was also accessible. And the team were SO supportive—answering questions and guiding me every step of the way.

I genuinely couldn't believe I could build my own app. Movement gave me the freedom and support to bring my exact vision to life.

"As a healthcare professional, trust matters - and knowing other clinicians were building on the Movement platform gave me a lot of trust and confidence in Movement from Day 1."

How has Movement helped you grow, simplify, or scale?

Movement literally brought my dream into fruition. I was able to launch The Breath Class app within two months!

To put that in perspective: I did a 26-day breathing challenge on YouTube in January, filmed around 100 videos for the app, built everything myself in February—logo in Canva, funnel, email marketing—set my deadlines, and launched. I built the entire app on Movement myself, and the platform made something that felt technically intimidating feel achievable.

The Breath Class app allows me to support people globally beyond 1:1 sessions, giving them access to expert breathing guidance at their own pace. Instead of being limited by clinic hours or my availability, I can now provide accessible, physiotherapist-led support for those struggling with dysfunctional breathing—anytime, anywhere.

"Movement literally brought my dream into fruition. I was able to launch The Breath Class App within two months!

Instead of being limited by clinic hours or my availability, I can now provide accessible, physiotherapist-led support—anytime, anywhere."

What did you particularly like about using Movement?

• The ability to create a fully branded app

• Simple content uploads and organization

• Clean, minimalist interface (which I value deeply for The Breath Class)

• Seamless member experience

• Ongoing support from the Movement team—they are AMAZING

Once I discovered the AI chatbot (Mai), I was away. I'd chat with it, and then the team would slide in when needed. That human element alongside the AI support is something special—not a lot of platforms do that.

The Movement platform is very efficient and minimalist, which aligned perfectly with my vision. And the more I explored, the more I realized: you can link landing pages, sync calendars, integrate with Flodesk and Stripe—you can make the app whatever you want. You just have to ask.

It made something that felt technically intimidating feel achievable.

"The Movement platform is very efficient and minimalist, which aligned perfectly with my vision. And the more I explored, the more I realized: you can link landing pages, sync calendars, integrate with Flodesk and Stripe—you can make the app whatever you want."

What would you tell another coach or creator considering Movement.so?

Just do it!

If you have a vision for your community but feel overwhelmed by tech—Movement makes it possible.

Here's my advice: Take a break. Go on holiday. Close your eyes and think: What does my community need? If you've been helping people one-on-one, you already know the transformation roadmap. You're just replicating what works in a different delivery mode—online instead of face-to-face. You don't need to know all the digital stuff yet. You don't need your logo perfect or your business name finalized. Those are just potholes that will bottleneck you.

Believe in yourself. Set deadlines that feel too soon. Step into the thing you're not feeling ready to do. That's how the journey goes.

Movement allowed me to go from "dream in my head" to a real, professional app that reflects my values and expertise. For any clinician or coach wanting to scale without losing authenticity, I highly recommend Movement.

You've got this!

"It allowed me to go from “dream in my head” to a real, professional app that reflects my values and expertise.

For any clinician or coach wanting to scale without losing authenticity, I highly recommend Movement."

Abby's journey from being told "it's just anxiety" to building The Breath Class shows what's possible when personal experience meets professional expertise and the right platform. As a Senior Respiratory Physiotherapist pursuing a PhD in breathing pattern disorder management, she wasn't looking for a generic fitness platform—she needed a space that honored her clinical work while making breathing retraining accessible to people worldwide.

After searching for healthcare professionals and physios using online platforms, Abby found what she'd been looking for: a platform trusted by other physiotherapists, with the aesthetic and functionality to deliver expert breathing support at scale. In just two months, she filmed 100 videos, built her entire breathwork app herself (logo, funnel, email marketing), and launched The Breath Class—all while maintaining her clinic with 1:1 in-person sessions, converting to PhD, and honoring her vision of minimalist, professional design.

For respiratory physiotherapists, healthcare professionals or personal trainers ready to scale beyond 1:1 coaching, Abby's experience proves the platform matters. Movement gave her the freedom to build breathing physio in people's pockets without sacrificing clinical integrity or design quality.

Check out the Breath Class App or find Abby, the Breathing Physio on Instagram.

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Ready to scale your clinical physio practice beyond 1:1 sessions?

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For coaches who are tired of stitching together tools like Kajabi, Squarespace, and Facebook Groups, Movement offers a simpler, more scalable way to grow your business and deepen client connection—all under your own brand.

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