You've always been the one who figures it out. Midlife is territory you've never mapped before.
Midlife has a way of rewriting the rules just when you've mastered the game. If your body no longer feels like your own and the usual answers haven't helped, you're in the right place. This is where we uncover what's really going on and build a way forward that fits your body and your life.
Nearly 30 years helping midlife women move, feel and live well.
Your body is changing, and the usual answers aren't keeping up.
Midlife rarely arrives as one clear problem. It shows up as hips that ache on the stairs, a shoulder that no longer reaches the top shelf, strength slipping away despite your workouts, and weight settling where it never used to. Then there are the 3 a.m. wake-ups that leave you sore, foggy and slower to recover.
For a woman who has built a career and a life on knowing what to do next, this is disorienting. You've followed the advice in your feed, bought the supplements, maybe worked with someone who treated the knee or the hormones but never the whole picture. And you're still not yourself.
You deserve more than answers pieced together from social media and fifteen-minute appointments.
Working with me is for you if...
You're in perimenopause or beyond, and aches, pain, stiffness or changes in your body composition are shaping how you move, work and live.
You're recovering from an injury, surgery or flare-up and want rehabilitation that looks beyond the area that hurts to everything affecting how you heal.
You've finished physical therapy or other care and you're ready for what's next: moving from feeling better to performing at your best in the work, movement and life you love.
You've already tried a lot (online programs, supplements, social media advice, other practitioners) and still haven't found what works.
You want to understand what's happening in your body and follow a clear plan, not another generic routine.
What's at stake is your life right now, and the one ahead of you.
These changes aren't a problem for someday. Whether you're 35, 45 or 55, they're already shaping how you show up today: the meeting you push through on four hours of sleep, the workout you skip because your hip is flaring, the trip you hesitate to book, the moments you feel less like yourself. And the way you care for your body now sets the tone for your sixties, seventies and beyond.
With the right support
You feel like yourself again, now. You move with ease, sleep more soundly, and lead with energy and presence. And you carry that strength forward into the decades ahead, traveling, playing, and saying yes to the life you're building.
Without it
Today's aches and broken nights keep chipping away at your energy, focus and confidence. Over time they settle into chronic pain and lost strength, and you begin organizing your life around what hurts.
You get to choose which future you're walking toward.
Dr. Diedra Manns, PT, DPT, MS
For nearly 30 years, I've helped women understand what their bodies are telling them, first as a physical therapist and Pilates educator and now as an integrative midlife women's health practitioner. Here's what I've learned: when nothing seems to work, it's usually because every approach looked at only one piece of you.
My work weaves together physical therapy, movement science and Pilates with functional and lifestyle medicine-informed care and CBT-informed coaching. Through my Stability Before Performance™ framework, we look at everything shaping how you feel: your body, your physiology, your mind and emotions, and the realities of your work and life. We start with the one or two areas holding you back most and build a foundation that holds. From there, we rebuild toward the strength, ease and performance that matter to you.
- Doctor of Physical Therapy
- Board-Certified Movement Science Fellow
- IWHI Certified Menopause Health Practitioner
- Polestar Pilates Emeritus Educator
- Certified Life Coach and xchange Guide
- Former Member, Education Committee, The Menopause Society
Your path forward, one clear step at a time
Step 1
Book your free Menopause Clarity Call.
We talk through what's happening in your body, what you've already tried, and what you want your life to feel like. Whatever you decide, you'll leave with a clearer picture.
Book your free Menopause Clarity CallStep 2
Receive your next right step.
Based on our conversation, I'll recommend the path that fits you best:
SBP Foundations Assessment™
A 90-minute evaluation, a written Personalized SBP Roadmap™, and a 30-minute follow-up. A thorough starting point if you want clear direction first.
Learn more90-Day Program
Focused support for symptom relief or one meaningful goal, with your assessment and basic labs included.
6-Month Program
My deepest level of support. A functional and lifestyle medicine-informed program that looks for the root causes, with optional advanced testing and Monday-Friday access to me by text and email.
Midlife Movement Lab
A small-group movement program, in person in Los Angeles. Founding class begins January 2027.
Learn moreOutside Los Angeles? Virtual 1:1 support is available, including for women outside California through health coaching.
What changes when someone finally sees the whole picture
I feel taken care of here. You listen to me, and I believe you understand what has happened to my body. For years, I've gone to the best practitioners and no one has helped me solve so many of my problems so quickly. You've given me my confidence back.
Health and wellness is a personal journey, but that doesn't mean it has to happen alone. Diedra focused on the bigger picture while addressing the immediate problem, helping me adopt practices for day to day living that make my situation healthier for the long run.
Within two months, I finally got rid of my anxiety and my blood pressure went down. I feel like I'm more focused, smarter, stronger, and in the end, a happier person. You are exactly on point with what you give me. I feel like I'm living finally.
The Who Is Peri?™ Podcast
Not ready to book? Start by listening. These are honest conversations about midlife bodies, changing health, and what it really takes to feel at home in yourself again, and to grow into the woman you're becoming.
Listen to the podcastQuestions you may have
Do you work in person or virtually?
I live outside California. Can I still work with you?
Can I use my HSA or FSA?
Will this replace my doctor?
I've already tried physical therapy or Pilates. How is this different?
What happens on the free call?
You don't have to figure this one out alone.
You've carried so much on your own. Let this be the part where you have someone in your corner who understands what your body is going through and knows how to help. Book your free call and leave with a clear next step.