Hi there! I’m Ivana, a sports biomechanics scientist and a coach passionate about women’s health and biological performance - read: how to make our bodies function at their best through different stages of our lives. I love researching, writing and geeking out about healthy pelvises, bellies and pressure inside them.

Another half of my passion is longevity. I published research on elite master endurance runners who practically slowed down ageing with high levels of training. Yes, a good part of what we think of as ‘ageing’ is detraining and an adaptation to inactivity - so, totally avoidable!

Over the years, I’ve specialised in working with people stuck in a loop between physiotherapy and the gym, people who don’t seem to ‘bounce back’ after pregnancy and childbirth, people with mysterious ‘women’s health issues’, people with recurring back pain and those who feel that their bodies don’t respond well to conventional approaches to exercise.

I was there once (or twice) myself. First time, as a desk-bound young professional in my 20s with chronic lower back pain and a half of my left foot completely numb. Second time, as a mum of two in my mid-30s with a weak, disconnected belly 2 clothing sizes up compared to the rest of my body, sneeze pee and my lower back in spasm every time I would open a heavy door.

Being on the autistic spectrum, my way of dealing with problems is to throw a lot of learning at them. To dig and dig deep.

So, on the way to get my body stronger and break out of the weakness and re-injury cycle, I learnt from many exceptional physiotherapists, sports, exercise, movement and bodywork professionals, completed over 1200 hours of training in yoga therapy, Pilates, corrective exercise and massage and eventually did a master’s in sports science - biomechanics - digging into loads and forces behind movements and mechanisms of injuries.

My Approach

I developed the Core rePower method through 12+ years of my professional and personal journey, integrating everything I learnt into a unique approach.

Many people who would come to see me had found themselves bouncing back and forth between physiotherapy and the gym – getting the all-clear from the physio and going back to training just to get injured and back to physiotherapy, again and again. This is why I developed an approach that seemlesly connects rehabilitation and strength and conditioning training.

Each Core rePower journey includes five stages:

1. RELEASE - releasing muscle tension, relieving pain
2. RECONNECT - reconnecting muscles to the brain, restoring reflexes
3. REBUILD - building muscle, learning to manage pressure and stabilise joints in dynamic workouts
4. REPOWER - progressive overload, increasing pressure tolerance
5. REINFORCE - injury-proofing the core, training in vulnerable positions.

Why Movement Kitchen?

I see kitchen as a nurturing environment, a space for creating, playing and experimenting. My studio really is a kitchen – with large mirrors, a climbing frame and a variety of exercise props. I aim to recreate the safe and nourishing atmosphere of the kitchen in my sessions too, offering a supportive space for you to get to know your body and get stronger on your own terms.

I value evidence-based solutions and precise, focused training where everything has its ‘why’, but my coaching style is grounded in empathy and non-violence – challenging the body with kindness.

My Education

• MSc in Biomechanics / Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Roehampton, London, UK, October 2019 - October 2021 - with distinction
• LLM in International Business Law from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2008-2009
• LLB (Hons) in International Law from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, 2000-2005

Professional Qualifications and Training

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - The Missing Link in Persistent Lower Back Pain? - Online Workshop with Carolyn Vandyken, Embodia Academy, April 2023
• Hormones Matter: Considerations for Treating Women with Musculoskeletal Problems - Online Workshop with Susan Clinton and Carolyn Vandyken, Embodia Academy, April 2023
• Intraabdominal Pressure and Strength Training - Online Workshop with Antony Lo, Embodia Academy, March 2023
• Stop Hurting Women with Exercise - 5 Key Concepts to Help Female Athletes - Online Workshop with Antony Lo, The Physio Detective, Embodia Academy, March 2023
• Advanced CPD in Modern Post Natal Assessment, Core Restore & Functional Exercise Programming - 6-Module Online Course with Jenny Burrell, Burrell Education, completed January - March 2023
• ‘Go-To’ Physio Clinical Reasoning Challenge - Online Workshop with Dave O’Sullivan, The ProSport Academy, January 2023
• Pelvis Pro Miniseries - Online Workshop with Sarah Ellis Duvall, Core Exercise Solutions, November 2022
• Move Your DNA + Fundamentals of Natural Movement Immersion with Katy Bowman, Cambridge, UK, - 8 Hours, Aug 2019
• Boomerang Pilates, MoveSMART Weekend Immersion with Alison Crouch, London, UK - 12 Hours, 7-8 June 2019
• Womb Care Massage Course with Barbara Loomis, 8-Module Online Course - April - June 2019
• Pilates for Modern Bodies - Fundamentals of Flexion - 6-Week Online Course with Alison Crouch, London, UK, March - Apr 2019
• Abdominal Adhesions Massage Course with Barbara Loomis, 9-Module Online Course - Winter 2018/2019 2018
• Move Your DNA: Going Beyond The Points with Katy Bowman, Online Course, 8 Hours, Oct 2017
• CPT-RES Certified Personal Trainer - Restorative Exercise Specialist with Nutritious Movement Center Northwest, Sequim, WA, USA, training completed 2015-2017
• Advanced Biomechanics 27-hour Online Course with Katy Bowman, Aug-Oct 2017
• Franklin Method Shoulders and Neck Workshop with Mollie McClelland Morris, London, UK, 3 Hours, July 2017
• Restorative Exercise Specialist Certification Week with Katy Bowman, Castricum, The Netherlands, 48 Hours, July 2017
• Move Your DNA Weekend with Hilary McKown, Milan, June 2017 - 16 Hours
• Balinese Massage Course with Rahasia Nyaman - Ubud, Bali, 30 Hours, Apr 2017
• 6 Weeks Mindfulness Online Course with the University of Leiden (equivalent of MBSR) - Mar - Apr 2017
• Yoga, Qigong and Mindfulness Immersion with Mimi Kuo Deemer, London, UK, 7 Hours, Aug 2016
• 52 Weeks of EveryBody Biomechanics with Katy Bowman, online, Jan 2016 - Jan 2017
• Anatomy Trains BodyReading 101: Visual Assessment with Tom Myers, Online course, Nov-Dec 2015
• Total Yoga Nidra Foundation Course with Uma Dinsmore Tuli, Yogacampus, London, UK, 10 Hours, June 2015
• Yoga Therapy: Practical Philosophy Of Healing with Mark Beuvain, Yogacampus, London, UK, 12 Hours, Jan 2015
• Firing Order In Sequencing and Resetting The Body’s Internal GPS with Doug Keller, Yogacampus, London, UK, 32 Hours, Oct 2014
• Assisting and Adjusting yoga workshop with Emma Henry, London, UK, 3 Hours, July 2014
• Buggy Fit and Postnatal Exercise with GLL Better, London, UK, 4 Hours, July 2014
• Yoga as Therapy 900 Hour Residential Teacher Training with The Yoga Institute Santacruz Mumbai, India, July - Nov 2012
• Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Federation of Serbia, 260 Hours, Apr - Dec 2011