Staff
The building and its’ furnishings, and all the equipment within are important parts of a physical therapy practice. It all goes nowhere however without the right people. Each member of our professional staff possesses a deep interest in the science of physical therapy and the art of clinical problem solving. Most have earned advanced certification in their areas of interest and all are pursuing ongoing improvement. We encourage collaboration with challenging cases, and provide a weekly study group for ongoing learning.
Todd Soares PT, OCS, cert. MDT, CCTT
Todd graduated from the Physical Therapy program at Cal State University Fresno in 1979, and has resided in Santa Rosa since 1981. He has been interested in the workings of the nervous system and pain management since early in his career. Todd founded North Santa Rosa physical Therapy in 1987 with the goal of providing a methodical and one-on-one approach to orthopedic and neurologic problems. An additional goal has been ongoing professional development. Todd has earned certification from the McKenzie Institute for the evaluation and treatment of spinal pain (cert. MDT), as well as board certification from the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (CCTT). Most recently, Todd became a board certified orthopedic specialist (OCS).
Todd feels very blessed to be living in the beautiful environment of Sonoma County with its’ ample outdoor life. He enjoys cycling as a sport, a fitness activity, and as a practical method of commuting year-round. Additional free time interests include running, hiking, backpacking, and reading on a wide variety of subjects.
Marianne Potts MPT, cert. MDT
Marianne earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of California, Davis in 1999 and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters in Physical Therapy from Cal State University Fresno in 2007. Marianne's love of exercise, anatomy, and biomechanics coupled with her desire to help others achieve their personal health and fitness goals led her to this profession. She is a Sebastopol native and is happy to be living in the beautiful Sonoma County where she can give back to the community she loves so much. Marianne earned her "cert. MDT" from the McKenzie Institute for Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy in 2011 and completed the APTA Herdman Vestibular Rehabilitation Competency Course offered through Emory University in 2014. Her special interests include functional exercise training, gait mechanics, sprts rehabilitation, vestibular rehabilitation and balance training. Marianne is now working toward her Orthopedic Specialty Certification. In her free time, Marianne enjoys spending time with her family and friends and participating in outdoor activities such as running, hiking and cycling.
Jeannette Grace MPT, cert. MDT
Jeannette earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy degree from Loma Linda University in 1996, received her Yoga teacher training certificate in 2017, and recently acquired a certification in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) from the Mckenzie Institute in 2019. Jeannette has actively pursued continued education throughout her life and is especially proud of her MDT certification, a scientifically proven assessment process that identifies the best treatment solution for back, neck, and extremity problems.
Jeannette and her family are Santa Rosa High School graduates with deep Sonoma County roots. Jeannette’s husband is a passionate discus thrower and coach to their children who are competitive discus and shot put throwers. Through his helpful training, Jeannette competed in the Scottish Highland games and nationals every Labor Day weekend for years. Jeannette enjoys outdoor activities, yoga, meditation, cooking, travel, and reading.
Pretty Nagindas, PT
Pretty received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physiotherapy at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa in 1991. She worked at a hospital in Johannesburg from 1992 – 1994 during which she completed her post grad orthopaedic manipulative therapy course. Marriage led her to move to Eswatini, (Swaziland) where she developed her own practice and felt privileged to have treated a multinational community. Over the years she developed a passion for orthopaedics and more specifically pain management. She presented a paper at the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy Congress in Cape Town in 2004. She completed her Certification in Pain Management with the Train Pain Academy in South Africa in 2016. She immigrated to California with her family in December 2018, and began the process of obtaining the California PT license that was successfully obtained in May 2021. She commenced working with the NSRPT crew in September 2021, sharing their commitment to patient care. Through her various experiences she has developed a multimodal approach to treat pain. She feels strongly about using a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to understand her patients and assess their biomechanics to help them achieve their best potential. In her free time, she enjoys time with her family, cooking, gardening and the outdoors.
Lauren Friedeman, PT, DPT
Lauren received her BA in Exercise and Sports Science from University of San Francisco and initially focused on workplace wellness and fitness. She then returned to school at UC San Francisco/San Francisco State University to earn her Doctorate n Physical Therapy (DPT). Lauren’s experience has focused on lower back pain and sacroiliac joint (tailbone) dysfunction. She sees regaining anatomically appropriate movement patterns as essential to recovery from orthopedic injuries and very much enjoys working with this population. A native of Marin, Lauren has settled in Santa Rosa where she enjoys outdoor athletics, martial arts, and the food and culture of Sonoma County.