Meet the team

Stacey is a qualified Biokineticist who completed her studies in Port Elizabeth at Nelson Mandela University. Since graduating, she has worked in practices focused on both clinical rehabilitation for chronic conditions and orthopedic rehabilitation, gaining broad experience across a wide spectrum of patients and injuries.

She has a special interest in working with pregnancy and post-partum women, guiding them safely through each stage of pregnancy, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and a confident return to exercise and sport. Stacey is also a certified cycling and running coach and has successfully prepared athletes for events such as the Comrades Marathon, Ultra-Trail Drakensberg, and numerous local and international running and cycling races including a couple of ironman athletes.

Currently, Stacey is completing her Master’s degree in Human Movement Science, with research focusing on implicit and explicit instruction in motor skill learning in mountain biking. She is particularly passionate about end-phase rehabilitation and sport-specific strength and conditioning, with the goal of returning athletes to peak competitive performance. Outside of practice, she works at leading mountain biking stage races such as the Absa Cape Epic, supporting professional men’s and women’s teams as a massage therapist.

Beyond her clinical work, Stacey is an avid athlete herself. She has competed in multiple road cycling and mountain biking events both nationally and internationally, earning several Zimbabwean national mountain biking titles as well as an African Continental title. Her personal experience in high-level sport enhances her ability to rehabilitate athletes across various sporting codes, while her continued passion for chronic injury rehabilitation ensures a well-rounded and patient-centered approach.

Growing up in a small corner of Hilton KwaZulu-Natal, Kelly’s passion for movement began early on in the hills and forests of her hometown. Her love for exercise brought her to start a career as a Biokineticist in which she studied at the University of Pretoria (Tuks). This is where she completed her studies as well as her internship, gaining invaluable experience in orthopedic rehabilitation, chronic disease management, and postpartum care.

As an ultra-distance trail runner, Kelly’s personal passions and professional expertise often intersect. Her firsthand experience in the difficulties of endurance sport has fuelled a specialized interest in sports injury rehabilitation, helping athletes navigate injury and the road back to peak performance.

Kelly is a firm believer in the power of strength training, often joking that she’s a "broken record" when it comes to the importance of lifting weights and other forms of strength training. She has a love for research and reading, giving her a nuanced, research-driven approach to her interests in endurance sport and Women’s Health.

When she’s not on the trails or in the gym, Kelly is a proud rescue-dog mom who enjoys simple pleasures such as knitting jerseys for loved ones and having a slice of cake after a Saturday long run. She thrives on challenging herself and her patients to push past their perceived limits and discover what they are truly capable of achieving.

Claudia is a physiotherapist with 22 years of experience in multiple settings including local and international platforms.  Her early career was spent in London in a cutting-edge Orthopedic hospital where a solid foundation of education and experience was laid before her return to set up in Johannesburg.   Here she worked in a Lions affiliated practice, gaining further experience in the area of sports injury and especially rugby.

Claudia completed her Master’s degree while living in Johannesburg, specializing in shoulder pain in Elite Wheelchair Basketball Players.  Following many years of travelling the world with various sporting codes including World cup Hockey, The London Olympics, Air rifle shooting, Wrestling, Wheelchair Basketball and Pre Paralympics she returned to KZN where she set up a practice in Durban.   She met and married her now husband in 2014 following which, she started the move to Pietermaritzburg.  It was in 2018 when she finally closed her Durban practice choosing to focus on her Pietermaritzburg clients and be closer to home.   She is a stepmom to two lovely girls and the mother of two little boys.

Claudia loves sport and has competed in multiple sports at national and international level.  These include Netball, Basketball, Ultimate frisbee, Rowing, Kickboxing, road and trail running; and Gymnastics as well as CrossFit.  She loves what she does and is a hands-on physio with a unique approach to injury through her invaluable first-hand experiences of multiple sporting codes.  She is qualified in Vestibular rehab therapy and has added this to her repertoire of treatment tools to help those with vertigo and imbalance due to conditions including Menierre’s, Post-concussion syndrome and movement sensitivity.

After growing up in the Drakensburg, Melody studied a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at UKZN and graduated in 2015.  During her studies, she worked with the Collegians Rugby team and was involved in many sporting events, including The Comrades marathon and The Amashova Cycle Race. 

Melody completed her community service year at Montebello Hospital which allowed her to see a wide variety of conditions ranging from paediatric to orthopaedic and neurology.

After graduating, she returned to her hometown and worked as a Private Physiotherapist in an outpatients practice as well as at the Kokstad Private Hospital.

In 2019, Melody Furthered her studies by completing her Postgraduate in Orthopaedic Manipulative therapy where she graduated top of her class and gained valuable assessment and treatment skills.

Melody has been a valuable part of the Balance Sport and Wellness Team for over 5 years.  Her interests lie mostly in sports and musculoskeletal injuries including post operative orthopaedic rehabilitation.  She has been an integral part of the physio teams associated with multiple stage events since 2018.  She has worked at IPT hockey, Sani2C, Go2Berg, Berg & Bush and Three Crane’s.  She enjoys a wide range of sporting codes herself including hockey, polocrosse, trail running, mountain biking and CrossFit; she has gained provincial colours in some of these.  

Melody loves what she does and works closely with her clients to make their journey back to health sustainable. 

Belinda Strydom graduated from the University of the Free State in 2012 and has extensive experience in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries. Her passion for physiotherapy developed through playing tennis at a national level, giving her first-hand insight into the demands of high-performance sport. She remains actively involved in sport, with a current focus on CrossFit and running.

Belinda has gained valuable international experience working in both the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), where she collaborated with and learned from physiotherapists from around the world. This global exposure has enriched her clinical approach and broadened her treatment perspective.

She also has a strong interest in neurological rehabilitation and treats a wide range of conditions including vestibular disorders, concussion, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

As a qualified Pilates instructor, Belinda integrates Pilates-based rehabilitation into her treatment plans where appropriate. She combines hands-on therapy, dry needling, and individualized exercise programmes to achieve the best possible outcomes for her patients.

Contact No: 061 814 6314

Sophie is an adventure enthusiast who loves hiking, trail running, swimming, and spending time outdoors.

Pilates is a huge part of Sophie’s life; it supports everything else she loves to do. She is passionate about the mind-body connection and how it shows up both on and off the mat. In Sophie’s classes, she brings that focus because Sophie truly believes that we are all so much more capable than we think.

There is always more to explore, to learn and to grow.

Come try a class! A strong, healthy core and spine supports everything we do – let’s build that together.

Sophie hosts a class at Balance on a Tuesday and a Thursday morning at 8 am and at Vuka Fitness on a Monday and Wednesday evening between 5.30 and 6.30 pm. Sophie is available for private one on one classes, please contact her directly for enquiries and bookings.

Contact No: 084 581 4397

Lyn has a deep passion for mindful movement and body awareness. She specializes in mat, reformer, and comprehensive Pilates, focusing on building strength, improving posture, and enhancing flexibility through purposeful, personalized instruction.

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned mover, Lyn is committed to helping you feel stronger, more connected, and confident in your body, both on and off the mat.

Whether you are new to Pilates or have been practicing for years, her sessions are all about creating a welcoming space where you can build strength, improve posture, and connect with your body.

Lyn hosts a mat Pilates class at Balance on a Monday at 17.15 pm, Tuesday at 9.15 am and Friday at 7.15 am and 8.30 am. She also offers private one on one mat and reformer classes, please contact Lyn directly to book.

You may well ask ‘Who is Sheldene?’ I am a mom of 3 wonderful children, my 2 older boys are pursuing tertiary education which makes me happy and proud.  My youngest child, my daughter, lives with me and attends a local primary school.  I am also a proud fur mom to my beautiful dog, Sasha.

I grew up in Pietermaritzburg and completed my schooling here before moving to Vryheid to start a family.  Life is full of valleys and mountains, and I am back living in Pietermaritzburg and am a single parent now but have found contentment through my deep faith and loving family & friends.

I love to laugh and believe I have a good sense of humour yet at the same time I am a realist and well grounded.  I love learning about new things and watching quiz shows is a favourite of mine.  I do love to travel when I get the opportunity, we live in a beautiful world and there is just so much to see, my bucket list see is the Northern Lights in Alaska.  Reading is something else I enjoy yet I own many books that I still haven’t read.  What a challenge!  I enjoy swimming, something my daughter and I spend a lot of time doing in the summer.  Walking is another hobby I enjoy, and my latest passion I’m learning all about is rebounding, although it seems it is giving me a run for my money.  Serving in my local church brings enormous satisfaction to me and I am proud to belong to such a special Godly community.  I think visiting the Holyland a few years ago had a profound effect on me and changed my life forever. 

Bongiwe joined the Balance family in 2019 and is a valuable member of the team.  She ensures that the practice is kept in order and is always ready with a smile to greet clients. 

Bongi grew up in Pietermaritzburg where she completed her schooling and settled into life in the ‘sleepy hollow’.  She is the proud mom to two beautiful girls and takes great pride in supporting them in their schooling and watching them participate in school sport. 

Bongi loves to listen to music .and she enjoys walking in her spare time.  She is an avid Sundowns supporter and likes to watch a few games of rugby when she can.  Bongi loves to watch cooking shows and enjoys being in the kitchen baking and trying new recipes.