Dr. Catherine “Cat” Lewan, PT, DPT, C-IAYT
Licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, Research Scholar, Educator, Certified Yoga Therapist
Dr. Cat earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2010. She practiced as an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist in Chicago until 2023, specializing in complex cases involving persistent pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, connective tissue disorders/EDS, and dysautonomia/POTS. Her experience ranges from working with bedbound patients at home to treating high-level athletes and performance artists.
A Midwest native, Dr. Cat earned her BA from Wake Forest University as a Presidential Scholar for Dance. With 30 years of experience teaching movement, she began her career as a dance and gymnastics instructor for children. She received multiple awards for choreography and toured the Southeastern U.S. with a dance company before settling in Chicago, where she launched her first business, Equability Yoga and Pilates LLC. She first learned Pilates from her PTs at the age of 12 when they had identified that she was hypermobile and may benefit from stabilization training.
Her second business, Inner Awakening LLC, reflected her evolving professional philosophy: that everyone possesses the innate ability to heal and recover with the right resources and support. Through Inner Awakening, Dr. Cat offered physical therapy, health coaching, wellness classes, and workshops. In 2014, she expanded her impact by teaching professional education courses for healthcare, yoga, and fitness professionals. She has been invited to present at national and global conferences, medical schools, and residency programs. Touring the U.S. with her continuing education courses, she has trained thousands of therapists in evidence-informed, person-centered, biopsychosocialspiritual care.
In 2023, Dr. Cat moved to Charleston, SC, and joined the Medical University of South Carolina as a Research Physical Therapist and Adjunct Faculty. She contributed to a study on vagal nerve stimulation for hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)—a condition close to her heart, as she lives with hEDS herself. This genetic connective tissue disorder has shaped her personal journey and brought comorbidities such as POTS/dysautonomia, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and pelvic congestion syndrome.
Just days before starting her role at MUSC, Dr. Cat experienced a spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, leaving her bedridden for months in a new city without a medical team or community. Despite this, she has continued to draw strength from movement and resilience from tools she has learned as a PT and somatic therapist.. At age 12, while spending three months in a cast and crutches, she pedaled a stationary bike with her uninjured leg to stay active. In January 2024, seven months after sustaining two actively leaking CSF tears, Dr. Cat completed the Charleston Half Marathon using a safe and mindful run/walk strategy, honoring her body’s boundaries throughout training.
Dr. Cat’s personal and professional experiences deeply shape her practice. While she has learned from many mentors, her most important teacher has been her own body. She is passionate about empowering others to listen to their bodies, respond to their needs, and provide themselves with the support necessary for healing. Believing that recovery often requires a team or community, she is dedicated to fostering opportunities for connection, support, and exploration of movement and health goals.
Dr. Cat’s approach is:
- Person-centered
- Evidence-informed
- Biopsychosocial
- Trauma-informed
Her work is heavily influenced by:
- Post-traumatic growth
- Orthopedic manual therapies
- Polyvagal theory
- Pain neuroscience education
- Somatic therapies
- Mentors and thought leaders she is so grateful to learn from including: Lorimer Moseley, Steven Porges, Sandy Hilton, Steven Shaffer, Adriaan Louw, Carolyn Vandyken, George Hornby, Carol Courtney, and Bessel van der Kolk
Inner Awakening LLC is now doing business as Catherine Lewan Physical Therapy and Move Well Collective Wellness Studio, reflecting the 1:1 and community-focused support that is essential for healing, recovering, and thriving even when challenges arise. Together, we can choose to see challenges as an opportunity for learning and growth.