A common dream of those in the fitness industry is to become a bona fide facility owner, building a bespoke team of experts and curating the perfect menu of services, classes, and amenities that fills a niche other businesses in their community don’t cater to.
Dr. Becky Rucker has found that sweet spot with her company, Physio Performance, based in Tacoma, Washington. The full-service physical therapy and fitness studio has been open since June 2020—yes, smack dab in the middle of COVID, but as Becky says, “It all worked out in the end.” Since then, she and her team have been leading the way in holistic physio care and prescriptive exercise with a heavy emphasis on quality movement, what she describes as the foundation for strength, performance, and injury prevention.
“Our main clientele are active individuals who just enjoy working out,” shares the certified strength and conditioning specialist. This means people from all walks of life come through their doors: firefighters, medical professionals, weekend warriors, CrossFit fanatics, and high school, college, and professional athletes, including a few of the Tacoma Stars professional indoor soccer team. Not too shabby for a business that’s less than a decade on the scene.
A Strong Start
Early on, Becky realized that she needed to pull together a group of people who filled in the skill gaps she admittedly couldn’t, especially those on the business side of things, like finances. “I’m best at being the leader of a company—or hopefully so,” she laughs. “But I also need people to support me in the background, and that’s why I’ve brought together people to help me in the areas where I’m not as strong.”
In July 2026, Physio Performance was the performance therapy provider for the PNW Tennis Open Tournament, held at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club.
While Becky began building her empire with just a bookkeeper—who’s still on her roster to this day, it’s worth noting—she has now amassed a team of clinical staff, administrative workers, strength coaches, and several part-time contractors including front desk staff, a social media specialist, and Google Ads/website support. The result? A crew that can serve the needs of their clients with decades of combined experience. A year and a half ago they took over their current location, and they’re positioned to grow even more over the coming years.
Currently, things are moving well for Becky—and for her clients, pun intended. With a focus on what she calls “intelligent exercise,” the custom plans her trainers and physiotherapists create don’t just treat the in-the-moment issues athletes are experiencing but take a wider scope to prevent issues down the line.
“I love working with people and getting to know them,” Beckty explains. “Not just their pain and their injuries, but also about themselves, because that dives deep into who they are as a person.” And who they are, Becky believes, goes hand in hand with why they hurt and how to fend off pain in the future.
The custom plans they create don’t just treat the in-the-moment issues athletes are experiencing but take a wider scope to prevent issues down the line.
The perfect example of this is a high school athlete that she and her team recently worked with, who was referred to her clinic due to immense back pain and a herniated disc. His healthcare providers had told him he would never play basketball again, a big blow to a player on the rise. But it wasn’t just his physical systems she had to work with. She knew that to get him back to peak health, she would have to get him to open up in other ways, too.
“While I was figuring out his movements and what his body needed to do [to recover], I was also dealing with the mental aspect of it, letting him know that his body was resilient and he was even going to be able to improve his performance.” Pushing through those mental roadblocks was just as important as overcoming physical damage, Becky insists, and along with her support and the encouragement of his parents, he was soon performing better than ever. Thankfully, after a year of work, Becky was able to get him back on the court, pain-free, to the relief of her client and his family.
(Right to left): Physio Performance team members Dr. Isaiah LeReau (DPT), Kass Savage (office manager), Meaghan Hurley (front desk coordinator), Dr. Becky Rucker (DPT), Maggie Chang (PTA), Shahram Moradi Asi (DPT intern). Not Pictured: Dr. Rachel King (DPT), Gracie Wagas (VA)
Custom-Made Care
Creating these programs can become a full-time job in and of itself. Using a combination of analysis, manual therapy, exercise programming, and education, Physio Performance aims to provide clients with the best rehab experience possible. And it’s not all stretches and massage: Becky holds numerous certifications including STOTT Pilates Fitness and Rehabilitation Instructor, Barbell Rehab, strength and conditioning specialist, and kettlebell instructor.
Becky and the entire Physio Performance team are looking ahead to new opportunities that will put them on the radar of others in the industry, as well as potential clientele around the world. Next April Becky will be speaking at the Real Coaches Summit in Las Vegas to impart her knowledge as a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist, and she recently joined the ZALA platform (available for download on the App Store) as an advisor and founding superuser, adding another way for her to reach clients outside of Washington.
“I believe in ZALA’s mission to make world-class health, fitness, and performance coaching accessible to everyone,” she says. “I’m excited to launch my own ZALA channel, where I’ll be sharing exclusive coaching, training programs, educational content, and practical tools to help you perform at your best—wherever you are in your journey.”
No matter the issue, clients are addressed using the care and precision you would expect from someone with Becky’s background. As she puts it, “When people understand how their body moves and learn the right combination of movement and strength, they often discover their body is capable of far more than they ever imagined.” And with her team’s help, that goal is truly within reach for all.
Becky exercise photo by Paul Buceta
