Ep112: Pat Buchanan, Our Movements Shape Our Nervous System: Habits, Feldenkrais, & Female Athlete Longevity

October 1, 2026
Pat Buchanan, PhD, is a coach specializing in female athlete longevity at the intersection of sports medicine, neuroscience, and performance. She earned her AB at the University of North Carolina while playing basketball and beginning her athletic training studies. After earning an MS in Athletic Training from Indiana State University, she became the first female athletic trainer at Appalachian State University. She later earned an MS in Physical Therapy from the University of Indianapolis.

During PT school, Pat discovered Moshe Feldenkrais’s method of using movement to increase awareness, reshaping her view of brain-body-performance connections. She completed professional training in this approach and, in the process, was introduced to Esther Thelen, whose research in dynamic systems theory and motor development transformed movement science. Pat pursued her PhD in Human Performance under Thelen at Indiana University, who also trained in the Feldenkrais Method during that time. These threads formed Pat’s holistic approach, focused on lifelong neuroplasticity and building awareness to reduce injury risk and unlock untapped performance.

Pat's career eventually took her to Beijing, where she worked with Chinese athletes ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. Today, she coaches high-performing female athletes to stay in play, sustain peak performance, and confidently step into longer, more aligned careers. She is the author of Relieve Your Pain and is based in Boone, North Carolina.

Follow Pat on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
Pat’s book Relieve Your Pain: Your Holistic Self-Care Guidebook to Hurt Less and Love More
Pat’s YouTube Gift Course on Knee Pain
Episode 143 with Feldenkrais practitioner Jae Gruenke
Learn more about Jae at The Balanced Runner
Esther Thelen