Taking the Work out of Sitting, Lying, and Standing

Sharon Sutherland & Jennifer McKee

Postural Care and Mobility

"We're not just accommodating limitations— we're protecting the body, honoring the person, and creating space for possibility."

– Sharon Sutherland, PT

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Podcast Highlights

----6:44 minutes Psychology and Kinesiology
-----8:17 minutes Undergrad Education
----9:02 minutes Symptoms to Solutions - Human First vs Technology First Approach to Postural Care
----11:21 minutes A Practical Example of a Human First Approach
---15:22 minutes Be Aware of the Bandaids
---19:44 minutes Is the Cure the Cause of the Disease?
---20:42 minutes Considering Medial Thigh Supports
---24:49 minutes Bringing in Family Centred Care
---27:10 minutes Accommodating Deformity vs 'Fixing' it
---28:16 minutes The Life Box
---30:07 minutes The Body Always Wins
---31:28 minutes Options for Improving Body Structure
---33:56 minutes When One Chair Doesn't Cut It
---35:04 minutes Documenting Correctly to Extend The Care and Conversation
---35:43 minutes Long Term Experiences of a Person First Approach
---36:36 minutes It's not About Body Structure, It's About the Life Box Outcomes
---37:57 minutes Another Great Clinical Example
---40:29 minutes Red Flags
---43:19 minutes Head and Foot Support
---46:44 minutes Don't Get Stuck on One Solution to Fix It All
---48:22 minutes The Head Pod
---49:59minutes Tilt in Space for Poor Head Control
---53:22 minutes Thinking about Lateral Tilt
---54:35 minutes Resting Posture vs Active Posture - Finding the Balance
01:01:18 minutes Pressure Care
01:09:27 minutes Dynamic Seating Systems
01:17:19 minutes Silent Pain
01:23:55 minutes Is the Team Work Working?
01:29:43 minutes Standing in Abduction
01:32:43 minutes Seating and Wearable Orthotics or Bracing
01:37:01 minutes Manual Handling Challenges
01:39:24 minutes When Available Technology doesn't Match the Need
01:43:22 minutes When Financing Equipment is an Issue
01:46:23 minutes Best Advice for New Therapists

BIOGRAPHIES

Sharon Sutherland, PT, MISCP: Championing 24-Hour Postural Care Across the Globe

If you’ve ever heard Sharon Sutherland speak, you’ll know why this introduction could never fully capture the breadth of her impact—or the generosity of her clinical mind. Sharon has spent over 35 years traveling the globe, not just teaching postural care, but reshaping how we think about it. From Ireland to Canada, the U.S. to Latin America, and across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, Sharon has carried a quiet but revolutionary message: good posture is not a luxury—it’s a 24-hour essential.

Grounded in Clinical Wisdom, Rooted in Human Dignity

Sharon trained at Trinity College Dublin, and her early years as a physio quickly became a springboard into international collaboration, system change, and education. What’s remarkable about her journey isn’t just the scope—it’s the heart behind it. Sharon’s commitment has always been to the person in front of her, and she’s made it her mission to ensure that people with complex bodies are not just supported, but respected.

Through Posture & Mobility, the consultancy she founded, Sharon has guided teams and families alike in understanding that postural care doesn’t stop when the session ends. It continues through the night, across the school day, and throughout life’s quiet moments—the ones that matter most.

Teaching Beyond Technique

Sharon is one of those rare clinicians who makes the complex feel clear. Whether she’s teaching hands-on workshops, mentoring therapists through knotty clinical questions, or co-authoring essential resources like Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Resource Guide, her work is grounded in practicality and rich with purpose.

She doesn’t just teach seating and positioning—she teaches us how to see the whole person. How to listen with our hands. How to notice what others might overlook. And how to bring the right people into the conversation to co-create solutions that work in real life.

Centering the Human Experience

What I love most about Sharon’s work—and what I think so many therapists around the world have been drawn to—is that it’s not about the gear. It’s not about getting people “sitting pretty.” It’s about reducing pain, enabling function, supporting dignity, and protecting the life box. It’s about honouring the individual and trusting the body to tell us what it needs, if only we’ll pay attention.

Sharon’s influence shows up in clinical practice, in product design, in how we write our notes and advocate for funding. But most of all, it shows up in the posture of the people she’s supported—and the therapists she’s mentored—standing just a little taller, knowing what matters most.

Want to Learn More?

You can find Sharon’s upcoming courses, case discussions, and collaborative work at www.wiredondevelopment.com, or follow along with Posture & Mobility for training and tools that support the clinicians—and the bodies—they serve.

Bridging Knowledge and Practice: Jennifer McKee’s Vision for Person-Centered Postural Care

Jennifer McKee, DPTShaping a Human-First Future for Postural Care

There are clinicians who follow well-worn paths—and then there are those like Jennifer McKee, who ask the deeper questions, challenge assumptions, and quietly reshape the landscape around them. Jennifer is a physiotherapist who brings clinical precision, fierce curiosity, and a remarkable ability to connect theory to real-world care. Her work in complex seating and 24-hour postural care is helping a new generation of therapists—and families—see the body not as a series of problems to solve, but as a story to be heard.

From Pittsburgh to a Practice with Purpose

Jennifer earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh, but it was her move to the west of Ireland in 2019 that sparked a new chapter. What began as a personal visit to family quickly turned into a professional turning point. Working alongside her mother, the internationally recognized Sharon Sutherland, Jennifer stepped into the world of complex postural care—not just as a clinician, but as a co-educator, co-thinker, and co-creator.

And like any great mentorship, theirs is as collaborative as it is generational. Together, they’ve taught workshops, shaped webinars, and led clinical assessments across Europe. Their work blends deep clinical wisdom with fresh eyes and an ongoing commitment to putting people—not products—at the center of care.

Teaching with Depth, Practicing with Intention

Jennifer doesn’t just talk about integrated care—she lives it. Her private physiotherapy practice in Ireland is grounded in the same principles she brings to her teaching: curiosity, compassion, and clinical rigor. During her time on faculty at the University of Limerick, she helped bridge the gap between academic learning and hands-on clinical application—offering students a rare kind of mentorship that connects anatomy, biomechanics, and real-life problem-solving.

Whether she's leading group workshops or consulting on highly complex cases, Jennifer has a gift for pulling the clinical thread all the way through—from root cause to practical solution. She helps teams reframe posture not as a position to correct, but as a starting point for possibility.

Expanding Access, Elevating Standards

Today, Jennifer leads Posture & Mobility’s in-person education programs across Europe, bringing her thoughtful, hands-on teaching style to clinicians working in schools, hospitals, homes, and community settings. She’s particularly passionate about helping professionals navigate the “messy middle”—those gray areas of clinical practice where textbook answers don’t quite fit.

Her focus is never just on posture or position—it’s on participation. On communication. On quality of life. And on creating systems where every person involved—from therapist to caregiver to equipment provider—understands their role in supporting better outcomes.

Rooted in Practice, Reaching for More

Jennifer’s work is helping reshape not only what postural care looks like, but how it feels—for the people receiving it and the professionals delivering it. She brings a steady confidence, a relentless curiosity, and a deep belief that when we center the person and stay open to learning, real change is possible.

She’s part of a movement that values thoughtful, whole-person care over prescriptive checklists. A movement that asks better questions and invites more voices to the table. And one that believes the best kind of therapy doesn’t just protect the body—it unlocks potential.

Want to Learn More?

To explore Jennifer’s work, access upcoming trainings, or learn more about the collaborative efforts of Posture & Mobility, visit https://postureandmobility.com/.

You can also follow her research and clinical contributions at Jennifer McKee on ResearchGate.

People Mentioned

Clickable links will take you right to the information you're looking for.

Sarah Clayton - Simple Stuff Works

Collaborated on Lucy's case.
CEO and founder of Simple Stuff Works, specializing in postural care.
Website: Simple Stuff Works
Sarah Clayton, BSc (Hons) PGCE: Therapeutic Positioning

Institutions Reference

University of Pittsburgh – where Jen earned her DPT → https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/dpt
University of Limerick – mentioned as a research base for Jen → https://www.ul.ie