Your New Beginning Team

Katy received her Physical therapy degree in 1987 from Texas Woman’s University in Houston Texas at The Texas Medical Center. She began her career in Houston with a large orthopedic outpatient clinic. She worked with a wide range of orthopedic patients including the professional teams in Houston. She then moved to Jacksonville, Florida where she worked for Baptist Medical Center and became the Assistant Director of Rehabilitation Services for their entire health system that included 4 hospitals and several

outpatient clinics. She was involved with the building of Wolfson Children’s and went with a medical team to Grenada 2 times per year for 10 years. She moved to Jasper in 1997, she has worked in the home health arena, and provided contract therapy to many settings including Mountainside Medical Center. Working as a contract therapist gave her time to spend with her husband and 3 children. In 2004 Katy and Greg opened

new beginning therapeutic services to provide professional therapy services to the residents of Pickens County as well as the surrounding counties. The mission of new beginning is to provide quality care based on each patients’ individual need. The clinic quickly grew and now has 2 locations, one in a 10000 square foot building that the Bakers built with a pool, and the other in the fitness center of Big Canoe. After being here for 21 years, the Bakers love this area and consider this their Home. She is very involved in the community and enjoys spending time with her husband Greg and three children Ethan, Kyle, and Hattie

Kim joined the staff of NBTS in 2006, starting as a Physical Therapy Tech. She has since been promoted to the position of Office Manager where she is responsible for all aspects of running a smooth and effective office environment. Kim will be the first person who will greet you when you enter New Beginning and is there to assist you in any way possible. Kim is originally from Alpharetta but moved to Jasper with her husband Trent and their two children, Elijah and Makayla. Kim graduated from Sequoyah High School and has worked in the retirement planning field before joining the staff at NBTS.  

Alex is a proud Jasper, Georgia native. She grew up playing sports and graduated from Pickens High School. After graduation, Alex attended the University of Georgia, receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Equine Studies. She took her horse know-how to Lexington, Kentucky, working with thoroughbred horses in varying disciplines. Following Lexington, Alex moved to Munich, Germany where she lived and worked on a horse farm, traveling extensively on weekends. Upon her return stateside, Alex pivoted from helping horses to helping humans. Specifically, Physical Therapy matched her passion for wellness and athletics, hence she applied and was accepted to the Medical College of Georgia as a Physical Therapy student. After receiving her Doctorate, Alex moved to Newnan, GA, where she stayed for 10.5 years. In that time, she worked with Drayer - where she launched an outpatient center - and then Georgia Bone and Joint. As wonderful as her time in Newnan was, North Georgia won her back and she is thrilled to be back home.

Alex is comfortable seeing patients of all ages and diagnoses, including but not limited to: vestibular, TMJ, total joint replacements, spine dysfunction, sports related injuries, rotator cuff injuries/repair, ACL replacements, foot/ankle dysfunction, concussions, and balance/gait deficits.  She has 10 years of experience working with young athletes to return to sport. Alex is also dry needling and vestibular rehabilitation certified 

 Paul has been a resident of Jasper, GA since 1999. Paul and his partner Judy, have two dogs. Paul was a “fat guy” who had very little energy, joint pain, and took medication to control hypertension. After watching the Tour de France and hearing about Lance Armstrong’s cancer battle, Paul decided to improve his health and life. Paul became a dedicated cyclist in 2004, lost weight, got off medication and improved his overall health. This is what helped him to decide what he wanted to do with the loss of his job with the market crash in 2008. 

Paul needed a career change and became a full-time student at Chattahoochee Technical College to pursue a career in the health care field. Paul graduated in 2010 from the PTA program at Chattahoochee Technical College and became a Physical Therapist Assistant in 2011 and has been working at New Beginning since he graduated. 

Maria earned her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Georgia State University and had been a speech therapist in the metro-Atlanta area for more than 18 years. She worked in a variety of settings including the Gwinnett County School System, Babies Can’t Wait, Floyd Medical Center, Gwinnett Medical Center, and several private clinical settings before joining the team at New Beginning in 2011. 

She specializes in treating Aphasia, Traumatic Brain Injury, Parkinson’s Disease, motor speech disorders, Autism and PDD, Down Syndrome, Apraxia, Dysphagia, feeding disorders, oral motor disorders, articulatio isorders, language disorders, craniofacial disorders including cleft palate, and a variety of genetic disorders.  Maria is certified in the LSVT program as well as the Speak Out program for Parkinson’s related voice disorders. Maria lives in Ranger with her husband, two daughters, and her son. She loves to travel.

Jacquelyn has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education/ Athletic Training, and a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology. She has taught physical education and coached athletes in elementary to college environments. She is a personal trainer who has worked with all aspects of clientele. She has trained a wide spectrum of clients from children to college athletes including the Georgia Gym Dogs. 

While instructing aerobics instructors, she saw the need to address injuries that began to occur from impact activities. She was on the cutting edge of correction exercise and knew there was a core long before it became vogue.

She loves sports and enjoy hiking and riding her horse in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia Jacquelyn is a fitness enthusiast that loves to live life to its fullest. She has had bilateral knee replacements and bilateral hip replacements. She is truly the bionic woman. With God’s grace and taking the time to stay strong and eat from God’s natural bounty, she has overcome many health challenges. She chooses to keep a positive attitude and to know that God had given us time and eternity to express our gifts and talents…

Beginning ballet classes at just two years old, Rachel was a competitive dancer and cheerleader growing up. Interested in the healthcare field since highschool, her personal journey influences her passion for “movement as medicine”.  Rachel attended Georgia College and State University. She has a bachelors degree in Exercise Physiology. She is also a certified NASM personal/group trainer, water aerobics instructor, and senior fitness specialist. 

Rachel’s family moved to North Georgia from the Cobb/Cherokee area. While seeking internship hours for school, Rachel stumbled upon New Beginning. Starting off as a physical therapy technician, she loved helping patients improve the quality of their life through wholistic care. Rachel is now a staff personal trainer and leads group classes and wellness programs both on land and in the water. Rachel has been with New Beginning since January of 2018.

Rachel cares deeply about her clientele and loves coaching them towards their personal goals. Her interests include: pre and post rehabilitation, managing chronic conditions, corrective exercise, and functional training. 

Rachel and her husband, Dillon, live in Ellijay with their German Shepherd, Scooby.