Meet the team

Shannon Hegarty

Shannon

Mark

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Personal Trainer

    In 2009 I retired from playing rugby league professionally. Having spent 10 years in the NRL and played over 170 games my body was in crisis: 10 surgeries, countless soft tissue injuries, and a deteriorating physiology that only worsened as time went by. In the years following I continued to apply training and rehab techniques that I had learned during my career that were ineffective. Coupled with coming into the fitness industry, I began to search for better ways to address the chronic discomfort I was in and keep me “in shape”. After trying various therapies and suggestions from others in the gym world, I found there was nothing that was sufficient. I was still uncomfortable, I still had lower back issues that would flare up, and I’d often be laid up in bed with sciatica issues for a few days. At that time I owned and ran a High Intensity Training gym (HIT) but was unable to produce a long term solution for myself or my clients that didn’t involve a revolving door of train/ pain/ doctors/ medication/ therapy/ specialist/ surgery / medication/ train/ etc. The “just push through it” attitude was hurting me.

    In 2016 I started my path with Functional Patterns via the Naudi Aguilar’s Power Of Posture book and my subsequent enrolment at a Human Foundations Course after watching Naudi’s videos on YouTube. Finally I found a solution that was viable, and using the Functional Patterns methodology I have been able to consistently improve my biomechanics to where the comfort in my body in unrecognisable. This has had a direct affect on the improvement of my sleep, a reduction in anxiety, better stress management, improved eating habits with better digestion, all on top of moving and feeling 20 years younger.

    To open FP Sydney is another step forward and we are excited to share our knowledge and results for those who are looking for a training system that promotes sustainable growth regardless of whether you are new to exercise, have limited training abilities, or are a professional athlete. Functional Patterns Sydney has a program for everyone.

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Exercise Physiologist

    After finishing school, I always had an interest in sports and human movement and was fortunate enough to get into university to study Exercise Physiology. This degree mostly used traditional training methods for its rehab and ongoing training.

    I myself was training 3-5 times per week using traditional training in the pursuit of getting ‘’big’’. I would apply the principles of progressive overload and try to lift heavy weights to get strong. And I did get strong, but only in the gym. It didn’t transfer to anything else. As I learned the benefits of exercise from my studies, I thought what I was doing was the best thing for my body too.

    But then I found little niggles starting to pop up. My lower back was becoming stiffer, I couldn’t sit cross-legged comfortably on the floor and I thought I was just that ‘’tight person’’ that was always going to be ‘’tight’’. My knees were very creaky and would get knee pain during deep ranges of motion. I didn’t’ make the correlation that my training was possibly damaging me because I knew that to exercise and to train was to be healthy.

    When I found Functional Patterns training at the end of 2016 doing research online, the philosophy made so much sense but what ultimately grabbed me were the results. I started using basic techniques with clients and would get much faster and better results than what I’d learned from my previous studies. For myself, it took a bit of time to feel the benefits, but I’m so glad that I’ve stuck with it. I’m feeling better than ever, my lower back feels way more decompressed, I no longer get knee pain, and I feel both more mobile and strong in many contexts. I can play a game of oztag or tennis with no warm-up needed and recover with no soreness.

    Functional Patterns far exceeded any of the previous studies I had done. It has allowed me to help a vast range of clients with all sorts of conditions and ailments. If you are willing to put in the hard work and are committed to learning how to optimize your health, then this is the system for you.

    Functional Patterns is the best path of true health optimization. It’s a holistic approach to training and is redefining what it means to be ‘’healthy’’. Thanks to Functional Patterns, I’m actually looking forward to getting older.

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Personal Trainer

    My exercise history started in my early days of childhood where I played football until the age of 24. I then wanted to test my body in different sports and training modalities, so I began participating in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Oz Tag. When I transferred over to these sports I found that the same injuries I had playing football were reoccurring. The extent of these injuries ranged from chronic knee and hip pain, to lower back stiffness and groin tears.

    Despite these injuries, I was able to compete in NPL football and accumulate 3 amateur Muay Thai kickboxing fights. However, my body was no longer able to recover from these chronic injuries and after several failed rehabilitation programs I was still in chronic pain. It was when I found FP in 2016 and completed the level 1 course that I started to understand the source of my chronic pain and movement dysfunctions. In starting FP, I immediately felt relief from the chronic pain symptoms, prompting me to study full time and become a Functional Patterns practitioner.

    Fast forward to 2021, having completed several functional patterns courses overseas (HBS1, 2 & 3) I no longer have any chronic pain and am able to participate in sport free of pain. My goal is to use my knowledge to help people with chronic pain and movement dysfunctions get themselves to an optimal state of being.

Steven

Suze

Stuart

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Clinical Exercise Physiologist

    My Functional Patterns journey began in 2020 whilst I was studying for my Bachelor degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology and Exercise Science. I was experiencing lower back and neck pain when I studied, and attempted to address it through physiotherapy, Pilates rehab, and group fitness classes. Unfortunately, these were only temporary fixes.

    What my husband experienced was what really drove me to seek out a new solution to pain management. Due to scoliosis, he regularly experienced debilitating neck and back pain that would cause headaches and disruption to his productivity. We invested a lot of money into trying to fix his issues with countless appointments that could only provide temporary relief.  Desperate for a solution, I referred him onto my colleague Mark Labib who was new to Functional Patterns at that time. It certainly wasn't a quick fix, however overtime I could see that he was less and less debilitated by pain. As the months went by, I could see quite a dramatic change in his structure, the way he moved and his overall quality of life.

    During my final years of work placement for my degree, I was sent out to a variety of different clinics to implement all the knowledge I learnt at uni. I have a strong passion for working with people with neurological conditions, disability, and chronic pain and I saw that traditional exercise didn't benefit how they functioned in real life. I began to implement FP exercises with my clients, and by the time I finished my work placement, many of my clients with would comment that they were moving better and were in overall less pain.

    This ignited my love for FP as a training system that can enhance the quality of life for all kinds of people from different walks of life. I've seen mine and so many other FP clients do things that they never even dreamed of doing. FP has given me the best avenue for addressing movement deficiencies, bad posture, and pain, and maintaining overall health and fitness. I can confidently say I'll never go back to traditional training.

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Physiotherapist

    Growing up I was obsessed with training and working out. Going to an all boys school I justified my training as a way of conditioning myself for rugby and cricket. However, after reflecting, I noticed my performance on the field was suffering and even had a minor back injury during
    my training.


    I found FP at the end of my first year practising physiotherapy in 2015. At the time I was questioning whether it was the right career for me and wasn't really enjoying the job as a whole. I found clients were generally uninterested in long term answers to injuries and dysfunctions. I needed a better way to help my clients with chronic health conditions and those with ongoing niggles and pains that couldn't be explained by traditional tests. I was also looking at getting back into training myself after injuring my back during a Crossfit workout four years earlier.

    I started dabbling in all the YouTube tutorials from Functional Patterns and read the power of posture but hadn't fully committed. Fast forward to 2017 and I ruptured my ACL playing Oz-Tag a few months before moving to Canada. I decided to conservatively treat my knee and downloaded the FP 10 Week Online course.

    I immediately had relief following the MFR protocols and found the corrective exercises begin to correct my dysfunctions to a level where I could comfortably snowboard and surf within a few months. I then went on to do the Human Foundations Course in Vancouver andhave since completed HBS1 and HBS2.

    I am constantly working on my biomechanics and know there's many things I need to work on and even more that I am yet to discover. However, I'm more confident than ever that I can go for a surf, run around the park with my son or go and play a game of Oz-tag without being stiff and sore the next day.


    I am passionate about giving clients the tools and framework to help themselves get out of pain, dysfunction and be able to be a functional contributing member of society.

    FP is by no means a miracle cure. It requires the hard and often uncomfortable work of change at a fundamental level. However, I can confidently say whether you're a SO-something mum that's trying to get back into exercise, or a professional athlete wanting to stay in the game longer and improve movement efficiently, and everything in between, Functional Patterns provides the most utility and is the best
    way forward.

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Personal Trainer

    After 21 years working in the healthcare industry my body was broken. I had multiple work related injuries, including an annular tear in my lumbar spine in 2016.

    It was then that I made a conscious decision to get “fit”. Traditional forms of training was what I thought was the solution. I joined a gym and started walking and running regularly alongside weight training, spin classes and cardio classes.

    The pains in body body got worse and although I was losing weight I kept injuring myself, the cycle of train, injury, recovery, train, injury, recovery kept repeating itself and I was left feeling frustrated with my body in my late 30s.

    In 2017 I was introduced to Functional Patterns but kept using other training methods to “supplement” it. It was not until I stop other forms of exercise and only focused on FP that I realised this was the solution to fix my mechanics. Now, at 43 the pains and niggles are minimal now and I have tools through FP that eliminate them quickly. I have a long way to go but I know I’m finally on the path to being the best version of myself and I feel like I am getting younger.

    At the end 2021, I made the decision to transition out of midwifery and become a full time Functional Patterns Practitioner. I completed my certifications in fitness, attended the Human Foundations Course in February 2022 and recently attained my Human Biomechanics Specialist certification in June 2023.

    FP is more than just a training system, it’s a way of life. I eat, sleep and work better. I’m a better mother and I’m more resilient mentally and physically.

Catalina

Steve

Jonathan

Davide

  • Human Foundations Practitioner
    Personal Trainer

    I have been in the fitness industry as a personal trainer for 15 years and have trained many different people over my career. I’ve studied and utilised various different methodoloiges like crossfit, gymnastics, nutrition, yoga. Prior to that I was into soccor, rock climbing, rugby league, AFL, running, mountain bike riding, and martial arts.
    But something was missing as I was in pain and had scoliosis that no one could help me with.


    I decided to learn a new way of training. I started with the 10 week online and shortly added 1 on 1 training with an FP Prac. Functional Patterns was a great way to help with my own scoliosis and back pain, by doing the courses and working closely with the practitioners from Sydney.


    I have been working for a while now at FP Sydney. I use the FP method to teach my clients to integrate the corrective exercises and techniques to train the body to operate as a system.

    Some of the other qualifications I hold include:
    - Certificate 3 Fitness
    - Certificate 4 Personal training
    - Nutrition Coach
    - Kettlebell Trainer
    - Punchfit Trainer
    - Insured and Qualified Professional Senior First Aid

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Personal Trainer

    Born in England, I qualified as a Personal Trainer in 2009, before moving to Sydney, Australia with my family.

    I trained for years using various exercise programs. Being the 'skinny guy' growing up, my goal was to get big and muscly. After training hard, and eating a lot for years, I achieved the goal, but it wasn't without the many issues that came with heavy lifting--niggly injuries and an inability to functionally run and move.

    My posture, for as long as I can remember was also terrible. I had a rounded shoulders and upper back, head and hips that were shifted forwards, a lordotic curved lower back, locked out knees and duck feet. Going for walks, my back would be sore afterwards and I would need to lay on the floor for a while to recover when I got home. I consistently got neck and upper back twinges and visited the Physio and Chiro in endless cycles.

    Finally, after spending a lot of money with a Physio attempting to fix my posture, even using a posture brace, and then sustaining a shoulder injury during heavy lifting, enough was enough. I began researching and looking for a new way train and fix my body. In 2017, I discovered FUNCTIONAL PATTERNS; a completely new methodology of training and approaching the human body.

    My path started with Naudi Aguilar’s Power of Posture book, which outlined my dysfunctions to a tee. I quickly progressed onto the 10-Week Online Course (which introduced me to MFR and corrective exercises) before accompanying this with 1-on-1 training sessions with Sebastian Coello, from FUNCTIONAL PATTERNS Sydney who really helped accelerate my results.

    Using the FUNCTIONAL PATTERNS methodology, I have been able to consistently improve my biomechanics now to a place where the comfort in my body in unrecognisable. Not only am I able to walk and participate in sport free from pain, my posture has significantly improved, and I move and feel years younger.

    Having experienced the results firsthand in myself, I continued in my FP journey, completing the Functional Patterns Human Foundations and Specialist Human Biomechanics courses.

    Now, as a practitioner, I get to help others on their FP journey. I love what I get to do - helping others get out of pain, move better and see their own results.

  • Human Biomechanics Specialist
    Physiotherapist

    In 2020, I was studying to become a physiotherapist when a friend of mine, who had dealt with serious sports injuries for years, introduced me to Functional Patterns. He spent over 5 years trying every possible rehabilitative approach without ever achieving results. When I saw that with FP he succeeded in a few months where physiotherapy and chiropractic had failed for years, I couldn't help but take this approach seriously. Completing the courses first online, then in person, I discovered a method that surpasses any other in the field of rehabilitation and training. It has a holistic yet extremely technical approach that takes into account numerous health-related variables, allowing practitioners to train their athletic abilities and rebalance the body's dysfunctions simultaneously.

    Over time, I've practiced various sports including CrossFit and traditional weightlifting, aiming to achieve a more muscular and aesthetic body. However, despite my efforts, I always felt asymmetrical and imbalanced. Thanks to FP, I realized that what I was seeing were postural dysfunctions and imbalances, and by training inspite of this issues, I was only exacerbating them. Now, after more than three years of practice, I've managed to change some of my body mechanics, resolving many of these imbalances to the point of almost seeming like another person.

    As a Human Biomechanics Specialist, my goal is to use my skills to help my clients feel comfortable in their bodies again and live their lives with peace of mind, without worrying about injuries and pain.