Our Team

Nora Cascardo graduated from Daemen College in 1988 with a Bachelors degree in Physical Therapy. She went on to do a long term preceptorship in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy in Chicago under the guidance of Robert Johnson. In her years as a physical therapist, Nora has worked in management and staff roles in a variety of settings in Illinois, Indiana, Connecticut, New York, Maine, and Michigan. While she is experienced in treating all orthopedic injuries, since 1991, her main focus has been on treatment of the spine. As an O.M.P.T., Nora has amassed a tremendous amount of manual therapy skill, including spinal and extremity mobilization, myofascial release, and muscle energy technique.

Nora believes in staying on top of the latest developments in physical therapy by constantly adding to her clinical skills through learning and teaching. She was a platform presenter at the 1988 APTA annual conference for her research on “The Effects on the Quadriceps Muscle Group with Electrical Stimulation to the Dorsal and Volar Aspects of the Foot.” She has been a physical therapy clinical instructor; created a biofeedback for incontinence program; developed aquatic exercise programs; and initiated a monthly “Back School” class which she taught to patients and others interested in maintaining a pain-free spine.

While Nora hardly gets a moment to herself, she doesn’t seem to mind. Besides owning and operating Premier Therapy, she is also very involved in her duties as the proud mom of three girls. Just for fun, Nora’s been known to run a marathon or two!

Shant graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Sports Medicine. Even before graduation, he had always been employed in a physical medicine environment. During his college career, Shant assisted EMU’s Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Varsity Football Team. 

Upon his graduating in 1991, Shant and his sister Ani opened Exclusive Fitness. Their goal was to provide an exercise facility staffed with skilled training personnel for clients who wanted to achieve their personal best. As the business flourished, Shant leveraged his education in his business and began taking on stroke patients as rehabilitation clients. At the same time, he continued working with his regular clientele and achieved a great deal of success for both groups. 

Shant is also a massage therapist certified by Irene’s Myomassology Institute, and by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Body Work, (N.C.B.T.M.B.) specializing in Shiatsu and deep tissue nuero-muscular techniques.

Shant’s extra curricular activities include working as a Search, Rescue and Recovery K9 Team Handler, with his German Shepherd, “Dex,” and is on-call to local Police K9 Departments, as well as SCUBA diving and hitting the trails on his mountain bike.

Allison Kole Nakisher graduated from the School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago , Illinois with a Masters of Physical Therapy. She received her Bachelors of Sociology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , Michigan .

Allison has been a licensed physical therapist for the past ten years and has practiced in a wide variety of settings. She began her career at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, Illinois as an inpatient therapist treating patients with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes, amputations, and multiple medical conditions. Allison went on to work in a suburban wellness center treating individuals with spinal and orthopedic injuries related to work, automobile and sports traumas.
 
After a decade in Chicago, Allison and her growing family returned to their roots in suburban Detroit. Following a brief time as a home-health therapist, she resumed treating patients in an orthopedic, outpatient rehabilitation setting. Additionally, Allison spent almost 18 months at the Equilibrium Studio in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan training to become a Certified Stott Pilates Instructor. Stott Pilates is a certified-based discipline based on the original teachings of Joseph Pilates. Pilates-based rehabilitation has streamlined her patients’ treatment plans, upgraded their outcomes and improved their overall fitness and function.
 
Allison has dedicated both her professional and personal life to wellness and fitness. She is a competitive runner and tri-athlete. She has completed 6 marathons and multiple triathlons, placing in the top 3 for her age group in several of the competitions. Allison is the co-founder of a community-based running forum called www.rundetroit.com and hopes to create a sense of unity amongst runners in our city. She is the mother of two small children and a devoted wife.

Anne Goldman graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy in 1980. Following graduation, she moved to southern Indiana and attained the title of Senior Occupational Therapist at the regional hospital. She moved to eastern Kentucky in 1984 and developed the in-patient and out-patient Occupational Therapy program for the hospital where she was employed. In 1987, Anne returned to Michigan to developed and manage the O.T. program for a suburban company that contracted therapists to nursing homes, hospitals and out patient clinics. Throughout her 30 plus year career as an Occupation Therapist, Anne has concentrated on the rehabilitation of the upper extremity, in particular hand therapy. She enjoys treating patients in an out patient multi-disciplinary setting where she feels the exchange of treatment strategies benefits the patients and encourages growth among the therapists. 

Benjamin graduated from Michigan State University in 2007 with a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology and received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Michigan-Flint in 2010.  As part of his undergraduate work and physical therapy education Ben has experience in multiple settings including inpatient rehab, sports therapy and pediatric therapy.

Ben enjoys working with patients of all ages and his areas of interest include manual therapy, functional exercise and post-surgical rehabilitation.  He believes that continued education and keeping up with current evidence based therapy practices allow his patients to reach their goals in physical therapy.

Outside of work Ben enjoys participating in a variety of athletic activities and maintaining a healthy-active lifestyle.  You can normally find him enjoying the outdoors or rooting on the Michigan State Spartans athletic teams.

Nicole began her path in physical medicine by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology: Movement Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in December of 2006.  This ultimately led her to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Michigan, Flint, which she completed in August of 2010.  It was here where she received the Outstanding Service Award in 2010 from the University’s PT Department , for her level of commitment to the profession and involvement in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Women’s Health.

Although Nicole has excelled in the treatment of various orthopedic dysfunctions within physical therapy, she displayed a clinical interest in specializing in issues of the Pelvic Floor…so much that she currently sits on the Executive Committee for the Section on Women’s Health - Student Special Interest Group, and a student liaison for the Membership Committee.

Rocky always knew he wanted a career in a health field that would allow him to interact with patients, by not only observing them, but by being a part of their healing process as they progressed to get better.

Donna earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in 1992 and her Master of Physical Therapy degree in 1994, both from Oakland University. She pursued physical therapy as a career based in part on her own personal experiences with orthopedic medicine and rehabilitation, from which she learned firsthand the value of skilled care combined with personal attention to patients and keeping therapy fun and relevant.

Michele "Shelly" Gardynick graduated in 1988 with a Masters degree in Health Education and Human Performance from Michigan State University. She has been a certified Exercise Specialist from the American College of Sports Medicine for the past 20 years, specializing in cardiac rehabilitation.

Shelly has been a Performance Enhancement Specialist for the past 8 years, studying exclusively at the Michigan Institute for Human Performance in Warren, Michigan. Currently she works with people of all ages to help them develop their sports-specific skills, but also with those individuals who need to improve their balance, stability and strength.

Shelly promotes working with the many health professionals from doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists, to yoga practitioners and dieticians, by facilitating the best  over-all plan for a healthier lifestyle.

Anthony has over eighteen years of experience as a personal trainer - twelve of them with Exclusive Fitness!

During his years at Eastern Michigan University, Anthony worked as an assistant/ conditioning specialist for the Men’s Football and Basketball teams. With his extensive background in physical rehabilitation and team training, Anthony assisted EMU’s strength and conditioning coach for two years in numerous capacities. He also participated in the programming and monitoring of college level athletes in football, basketball, and woman’s softball. Anthony contributed a great deal of his time to on-site strength and conditioning clinics geared toward local high schools. At these clinics, he would demonstrate and explain various Olympic lifts and strength training exercises. While at the high school, he also performed “weight room check-ups,” which provided the high school with a documented assessment of areas of concern and safety hazards in the weight room.

After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Physiology, Anthony worked in sports physical therapy as an aid, work hardening assistant and personal trainer.

Beyond his work as a personal trainer, Anthony coaches the hockey strength conditioning clinics, is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, C.S.C.S. With his little spare time, Anthony is a classic car enthusiast, he enjoys wood working and martial arts (he’s a 2nd degree black belt).