Today we’d like to introduce you to Gianna Bigliani.
Hi Gianna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and moved to the United States when I was 12 years old without speaking English. I had always been an active child, and that love of movement eventually led me to Temple University, where I joined the crew team and earned my undergraduate degree in exercise physiology.
After college, I spent a couple of years working as a strength and conditioning coach. I enjoyed working with athletes of all ages, but I found myself wanting a deeper understanding of how to help when pain or injury stood in their way. That curiosity brought me back to Temple to earn my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
My first role as a physical therapist brought together two of my passions: rowing and rehabilitation. I joined a practice in Princeton, New Jersey, that was working with the women’s national rowing team at the time. I learned from incredible mentors before being recruited to Temple University’s faculty practice, where I also completed a residency in orthopedic physical therapy.
That experience shaped my understanding of what it means to practice autonomously. To me, autonomy is not about working alone. It means taking responsibility for my clinical decisions, advocating for what my patients need, and knowing when to bring others into the process. Working alongside physicians, social workers, patients, and their families taught me that independent thinking and meaningful collaboration belong together.
After having my two beautiful daughters, commuting to Philadelphia no longer supported the life I wanted for my family. I went on to work at a couple of smaller physical therapy practices, where I gained an even greater appreciation for patient well-being and the role community can play in healing.
Still, treating three or four patients at a time was challenging. I had developed valuable skills in manual therapy and movement reeducation during my residency, but the pace made it difficult to use them as fully as I wanted.
A turning point came while I was mentoring a student. With the student involved in patient care, I had opportunities to focus on one patient at a time rather than dividing my attention among several. I saw how much better my patients were doing—not simply because they received more individual attention, but because I could bring together everything I had learned and tailor it to the person in front of me.
I began to feel strongly that my patients deserved more: more attention, more individualized care, and more room for their own goals to guide treatment.
In January 2016, after pressure from new ownership at the practice where I was working helped push me toward a change, I founded Fluid Physio.
I started by treating patients in their homes. That experience became an important part of my development as a clinician and business owner. Seeing people in their own environments helped me understand their lives in ways I could not always see in a treatment room—their routines, responsibilities, challenges, and the things that mattered most to them.
At the same time, I joined a business networking group and learned from other incredible business owners. I later volunteered to serve as president for a year. I saw it as an opportunity to contribute while learning how to lead alongside a vice president, treasurer, and membership committee. I knew those experiences would help me build and support a team as my own practice grew.
Within six months, my schedule had become so full that traveling between patients’ homes was no longer practical. It was time to find an office.
From there, Fluid Physio grew through relationships and word of mouth. We became a place people sought out when they still had not found a solution—when pain kept returning, injuries never seemed fully resolved, or previous visits with healthcare providers had left them looking for answers.
My goal was never simply to treat a diagnosis. It was to understand the individual and build a plan around their specific goals, one that fit their life and helped them return to things that brought them joy. That remains the heart of our practice.
In early 2026, we opened a second location in Levittown, Pennsylvania. As we grow, staying connected to our communities remains deeply important to me. I love leading workshops, volunteering at races and events, participating in local activities, and offering monthly pro bono services.
A message I return to often is that people deserve the same care they so readily give to others—and they do not have to navigate their challenges alone.
Over the years, my passion for supporting people living with chronic pain has continued to grow. Too often, the people I meet feel that they have not had the time or space to be truly heard within the healthcare system. I want to create opportunities for them to feel understood, supported, and able to explore what is possible.
That passion led me to create a retreat in the Catskills specifically for people living with chronic pain. I wanted to give them space to connect with nature, find community, and experience the possibility of joy with the right team, guidance, and encouragement around them.
I am also in the process of writing a book about chronic pain. It is another way to extend the work that has become so meaningful to me: helping people feel heard, see possibilities beyond their pain, and know they do not have to figure everything out on their own.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggle has been part of my story for as long as I can remember. When I moved to this country as a child without speaking English, my biggest challenge was trying to fit in. That desire to feel accepted followed me through college and into adulthood. In some ways, it is something I still navigate today.
Rowing became a passion, but it also helped me recognize the strength and perseverance I had carried within me all along. Those qualities helped me get through graduate school and later gave me the courage to open a practice that did things differently.
Choosing to remain out of network with insurance was one of those challenges. I wanted to build a practice where I could give each person the time, attention, and individualized care they needed and deserved. Taking that path meant going against the more familiar model of physical therapy and helping people understand why I had chosen a different approach.
When you do something outside the norm, there is not always a clear path to follow. You have to create your own while educating people about what is possible. A continuing challenge—and a meaningful part of my work—is helping people understand what our profession can offer beyond what they may have experienced or expected from physical therapy.
Over the past five years, I have also come to understand something that has helped me make sense of my own struggle to feel accepted: we are all human. Regardless of where we come from, our backgrounds, or where we are in life, we want to feel connected, experience joy, and find happiness.
That realization has shaped both how I care for people and how I see myself. I am still learning and finding my way, but I do not have to wait until every struggle is behind me to experience joy—or to help someone else find theirs.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
What I want people to know about Fluid Physio is that we are partners in their care. You bring the knowledge of your own life and your experiences, and we bring our clinical skills, curiosity, and willingness to listen. Together, we work toward what matters to you.
Our specialties include orthopedic and vestibular physical therapy, bringing additional clinical expertise to our individualized approach. We are particularly known for working with people whose pain or injuries keep coming back, or who have not found the answers they were looking for. Our one-on-one approach gives us the opportunity to look beyond the immediate complaint, ask more questions, and build a plan around the individual.
I also want people to understand that physical therapy can be more than a series of exercises or something you do after surgery. At Fluid Physio, hands-on care, movement, and education are all part of the process. Just as importantly, there is room for conversation—for someone to share what has been difficult, what they are unsure about, and what they hope to do again.
What makes me most proud is building a practice where I can put those values into action. It is one thing to say that care should be individualized; it is another to create the time and space to make that possible.
The message I hope people take away is simple: your goals do not have to look impressive to anyone else to deserve our attention. What matters is that they matter to you.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’m a Temple Owl and a Philly girl at heart, but I absolutely love the place I’ve made my home: Titusville, New Jersey. Living near where Washington crossed the Delaware gives me a special connection to this country’s history. Sometimes a walk in the woods feels like an opportunity to connect not only with nature, but also with the stories of the place I now call home.
I love Princeton for its history and the incredible cultural experiences connected to the university. I appreciate being able to walk through town alongside people from all over the world and experience that mix of backgrounds and perspectives.
But the warmth I feel here extends well beyond Princeton. Across the communities I belong to throughout Mercer County, I value the kindness of the people, their willingness to support one another, and their commitment to fairness and equality. That sense of belonging is a big part of what makes this area feel like home.
Being surrounded by farms is another part of what makes this area special. One of my daughters rides horses, something I also did as a child in Colombia. Spending time with her in the farmland of Mercer and Montgomery counties brings me back to that part of my childhood. It is a connection to nature, to family, and to where I came from.
And, of course, I love that New York City and Philadelphia are within reach whenever I want to get a little fancy for the weekend! I get to enjoy the woods, the farms, and the quiet without giving up the energy and culture of the city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fluidphysio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluidphysioprinceton/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manualphysicaltherapyprinceton/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannapt/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC41cV_Y9NHlsMIzkpi1LYNw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fluid-physio-lawrenceville
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=fluid+physio+reviews&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS946US946&oq=fluid+physio+reviews&aqs=chrome..69i57.3058j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x89c3e0d6ddc57959:0x7115dc04bbba3f82,1,,,
