About Dr. Jennifer

Hi, I’m Dr. Jennifer Casey
~ Life-long, High-Level Competitor, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Mental Performance Coach, and Creator of the Brain + Body Method.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a competitor, on a horse, in the arena, and in life. I grew up roping in the Basin City arena, fell in love with breakaway roping, and built my life around pushing myself, learning, refining, and finding ways to get better.

But my story isn’t a straight line forward. It’s full of grit, grace, heartbreak, resilience, science, growth, and deep personal work.

Where My Journey Really Began

In 1996, a serious arena accident changed everything. I don’t remember the day, but I remember the aftermath. The fear. The frustration. The not-knowing. The “will I ever feel like myself again?”.  “Will I ever be a high-level competitor again?”.  “How will I ever be able to ride, let along rope, when I can’t even lift my arm and get super dizzy from just sitting on a horse?”

That moment led me to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy, specializing in complex movement, nervous system regulation, and how the body heals, protects, and adapts.

I spent years helping people rebuild strength, movement, and function — while silently working on my own.

The Years No One Really Talks About

I graduated from Physical Therapy school in 2000 and went straight to work, because that’s what I believed you were “supposed” to do. Get the 9–5. Be responsible. Have the career.

But the truth?

All I wanted to do was rope.

By then I had Scribbles, and in the summer of 2000 he and I finally came to an agreement: I would rope… when he said so.

I was living in two worlds that felt like they contradicted each other:

• the professional, responsible Physical Therapist

• and the relentless competitor who loved being in the arena

Meanwhile, opportunities for breakaway ropers weren’t what they are today. And layered on top of that, my nervous system and body were already screaming for help… years before I understood why.

I vividly remember lying in the camper or backseat on the way to rodeos, doing deep breathing because my back and shoulder pain was so intense I could barely function. I went to countless Western medical providers, and again and again I heard some version of:

“If it hurts… why don’t you just stop roping?”

They saw roping as a hobby.
They saw my competitiveness as optional.
They didn’t see my purpose, identity, and joy.

So, I started to doubt myself.
Maybe they were right.
Maybe I should quit.

But something in me knew roping wasn’t a hobby.
It was part of who I am.

So, I kept going …. through pain, through brain fog, through exhaustion I didn’t have a name for at the time. Looking back now, I can clearly see what I couldn’t then:
My nervous system was deeply dysregulated.  It was screaming for HELP!

But I didn’t know any other way than to push.
Push through discomfort.
Push through burnout.
Push through symptoms.

I resisted “just resting,” because what I saw in both human and horse performance is this:
Rest without purpose isn’t healing.
It’s just… not doing anything.

Rest has to be restorative.
It has to be intentional.
It has to help the nervous system actually feel safe.

And I didn’t have that yet.

By 2015, after nearly 15 years of pushing through, my body finally said,
“Enough.”

The pain was now excruciating, deep radiating abdominal and liver-area pain. I went through every conventional medical pathway: imaging, labs, GI protocols… and came out with answers like:

“You’re fine.”
“Try Pepto.”
“Here’s an acid reducer.”

Except I wasn’t fine.

So, I turned to functional and alternative medicine. And while there were some brilliant pieces in there… there was also an underlying message that again sounded like:

“Maybe stop the horses.”
“Maybe stop roping.”
“Maybe stop doing the thing you love.”

And then came the restrictive nutrition era.

I did every test.
Ran every lab.
Cut every food.
Breathed every breathwork protocol.

And guess what I learned?

My body didn’t need punishment to get better.
It needed understanding.
It needed nervous system regulation.
It needed compassion.
It needed smarter support, not harsher control.

And nutrition?
That experience shaped how passionately I believe that nourishment must be individualized, supportive, and grounded in nervous system safety …. not fear or deprivation.

By the time 2016–2020 rolled around, here’s who I was:

• competing at a high professional level

• actively helping shape the future of WPRA & PRCA breakaway roping

• working my “normal” professional job

• advocating for women in rodeo

• pushing myself to keep going

And yet…

I didn’t feel well.
My body was depleted.
My nervous system was overwhelmed.
And although I “looked fine” on the outside…

Inside I was exhausted, dysregulated, inflamed, barely functioning, and deeply craving change ……  even though I couldn’t quite articulate it yet.

Now, looking back, I can clearly see that I was already living inside the very layers that would eventually become The Brain + Body Method. I just hadn’t named them yet.

Everything I teach now? I lived through it first.

Which is what led me to working with a mental performance coach in 202, the moment everything began to integrate.

I didn’t just need mindset work.
I needed safety.
My brain needed safety.
My nervous system needed safety.
My body needed safety.

And I had to finally ask myself the real questions:
Who am I really?
Why do I do what I do?
What do I want my life, health, and performance to look like?
And what do I need to feel alive, grounded, and like myself again?

That was the bridge that carried me into the work I do now.

When Fear Moved From Injury… to Identity

I found myself again facing fear …… not from a single injury this time, but from years of my nervous system holding onto threat.
I could practice and rope fine.
But when it mattered, when the gate opened…
I froze.  I saw the gates open, then it was just black, nothing, then the calf would come into view eventually.

Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I wasn’t “mentally tough.”
But because my nervous system truly wasn’t safe.

And this is where everything I teach today truly came alive.
I stopped “pushing harder” and started listening, deeply.

I leaned into:
• Nervous system regulation
• Identity and belief work
• Trauma-informed performance strategies
• Grace + discipline
• The science AND the lived experience

And with the help of mentors, time, humility, and relentless dedication, things changed.

My body softened.
My mind cleared.
My confidence rebuilt.
My performance returned.

And when Autumn and I finally found rhythm again ….. it wasn’t luck.
It was regulation.
It was trust.
It was aligned preparation.

And when I lost her…
I didn’t lose myself this time.
Yes, it was devesting.
It was heartbreaking. 
But I was able to move forward.
Because now I had a blueprint.

Owning Who I Am

In the last year, I’ve done some of the deepest personal and professional development of my life. Through powerful coaching, reflection, and honest truth-telling with myself, I realized something:

I wasn’t meant to just participate in this life.
I was meant to LEAD.

Today, I no longer minimize my story or soften my achievements.

I am…
✔ A Lifelong High-Level Competitor
✔ A Doctor of Physical Therapy with decades of expertise
✔ A Certified Mental Performance Coach
✔ A Sensory Integration Specialist
✔ A woman who has rebuilt herself more than once, and knows exactly how to help others do the same

And I deeply believe this:

Performance isn’t mental OR physical. It is nervous system, story, identity, environment, belief, and body working together.

That’s why I created The Brain + Body Method and The Grace & Gratitude Blueprint.

What I Help Women Do

I help women -- athletes, high achievers, mothers, professionals -- reclaim:

• Confidence
• Presence
• Regulation
• Identity
• Joy

Not by “trying harder.”
But by aligning brain, body, nervous system, habits, environment, and purpose.

Where I Am Now

Today, I compete, I coach, I teach, I speak, and I build spaces for women to grow.

I help women who are:
• burnt out
• high performing but exhausted
• stuck despite “doing everything right”
• chasing goals but losing themselves
• wanting peace and power, not one or the other

And I don’t teach from theory.
I teach from lived experience, clinical expertise, and proof.

I am excited for what’s ahead …… in the arena, in my work, and in helping more women build lives, bodies, nervous systems, and futures they are proud of.

If you’re ready to regulate, rebuild, and rise …..
Welcome. You’re in the right place.