Act 1 - Brazil
Where it all began
Alongside my physiotherapy training, I completed postgraduate studies in Urogynaecology and Women's Health, developing a special interest in women's recovery, pelvic floor function and postpartum rehabilitation.
I also discovered the transformative potential of Pilates at a time when its integration into physiotherapy was still emerging. In a resource-limited healthcare setting, I learned to achieve extraordinary outcomes through movement itself, helping athletes and rehabilitation patients recover with precision, intelligence and remarkably little dependence on equipment.
Act 2 - France
Paris Refined me
25 years old. My first expatriation. Paris.
No English. No French. Just determination.
After studying at Sorbonne Nouvelle and integrating into the French healthcare system, I earned a position within a hospital in Île-de-France.
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France refined me.​
Like a good wine, time, discipline and challenge revealed new layers.
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Working within one of the world's most demanding cultures sharpened my clinical eye, elevated my standards and taught me the value of precision.
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When I left for the Netherlands, pregnant and ready for a new chapter, I left with something far more valuable than experience:
the trust of patients, colleagues and supervisors who had become part of my journey.
Act 3 - The Netherlands
From the ashes like a Phoenix
Rotterdam forced me to start over. Just like the city itself.
A single mother even before the divorce was official, I rebuilt my career, learned the language fast and survived domestic violence that took me to the darkest nights of my life. That journey became a book, recognised internationally and honoured in Paris.
But the biggest lesson came from us. Women.
Again and again, I saw the same thing:
1º Not being truly seen or heard and
2º Being treated like an insurance code just to make money for the clinic owner.
But Girl you are NOT a diagnosis.
You are a body carrying life experiences.
A mind full of questions.
A heart with pain that even trained professionals often miss.
Many of the so-called "Drama Queens" who come to me are, in fact, survivors of violence, immigrants, or women facing discrimination because of their skin colour, religion or sexuality.
Carrying far more than anyone knows.
With me, the tears usually come in the first conversation. Not because of what I say.
But because someone is, finally, truly listening.
Welcome to Studio Daï Oakes.
