About Empowered Recovery and Wellness

Built to Bridge the Gap Between Treatment and Thriving

Breast cancer treatment saves lives. But what happens after treatment often feels uncertain, under-supported, and poorly explained.


If you're a survivor:  You may have been told you're "doing well"—yet you're dealing with pain, stiffness, lymphedema concerns, or questions that weren't fully answered during your cancer treatment. Your oncology team guided you through treatment with expertise and care. But the survivorship phase brings different questions—ones that require specialized knowledge in movement, function, and managing long-term side effects. You deserve expert guidance that helps you understand and validate what's happening in your body, lower your risk of lymphedema and functional problems, and confidently return to the life and activities you love.


If you're a fitness professional: You want to help survivors—but you don't have the oncology training to confidently navigate treatment history, lymphedema risk, or post-surgical complications. One wrong decision could harm a client or derail their progress. You need evidence-based expertise that lets you work with this population safely, effectively, and within your scope of practice.


If you're a sports medicine, oncology, or other health provider: You excel at saving lives and guiding patients through treatment—but survivorship brings a different set of challenges. Survivors ask questions about exercise, movement restrictions, lymphedema risk, and functional side effects that fall outside your core expertise and the limited time you have in follow-up appointments. You need trusted resources and targeted training to help your team recognize post-treatment complications earlier, make confident referrals, and ensure your survivors get the specialized support they deserve.


This is the gap Empowered Recovery and Wellness was built to bridge.


We provide survivors with the education and consulting to help them move forward with clarity and confidence. We train fitness professionals and digital platforms to work with breast cancer survivors competently and profitably—without fear or guesswork. And we equip sports medicine and oncology teams with the tools to catch complications early and connect survivors to the right resources.


Because quality of life after breast cancer should be the standard, not an afterthought —

and we have the expertise to make that happen.

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Evidence-based education

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empowerment

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Recovery

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Wellness

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Strength

Woman holding mug, smiles warmly. Standing in kitchen with neutral tones and natural light.

Our Mission

Empowered Recovery & Wellness exists to transform what is possible after breast cancer.


We provide evidence-based education and consulting to help survivors rebuild strength, restore confidence, and reconnect with their bodies—and to equip healthcare and fitness professionals with the knowledge to support them with competence and compassion.


Our mission is to ensure that survivors don't just survive treatment—they thrive beyond it, reclaiming their function, their movement, and their quality of life.


Because the gap between surviving and thriving is exactly where Renata's 20+ years of expertise lives — and where your organization, practice, or program can make the greatest difference.

About EMPOWERED Recovery & Wellness

Woman presenting in a classroom. She's standing behind a podium with a screen showing a presentation.

Empowered Recovery and Wellness was founded by Dr. Renata Braudy, PhD, PT, MS, MA, OCS, CLT—a nationally recognized thought leader whose career spans more than two decades pioneering breast cancer rehabilitation programs and translating research into real-world recovery solutions.

  • Clinical Expertise & Survivor Impact

    ● Worked with thousands of breast cancer survivors over nearly two decades, from diagnosis through decades of survivorship, helping restore function, reduce long-term complications, and safely return to meaningful daily activities, fitness, and sport.


    ● Dedicated exclusively to breast cancer survivorship for over 20 years, combining clinical expertise, research, and program leadership to improve outcomes for survivors at both the individual and systems level.


    ● Helped redefine expectations for recovery after breast cancer, shifting the focus from simply surviving treatment to restoring strength, function, confidence, and long-term quality of life.

  • Leadership, Research & Innovation

    ● Founded and scaled pioneering breast cancer rehabilitation programs across two major healthcare systems, expanding access to specialized survivorship care across more than 20 clinic locations and establishing new standards for recovery after breast cancer.


    ●Recognized expert in breast cancer recovery, shoulder dysfunction, and lymphedema risk reduction, with a PhD focused on shoulder function after breast cancer treatment and extensive clinical specialization in oncology rehabilitation.

  • Education, Consulting & Professional Influence

    ● Trusted advisor and educator to healthcare providers, fitness professionals, and healthcare organizations, helping professionals safely support breast cancer survivors through evidence-based education, consulting, and program development.

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How Empowered Recovery & Wellness Approaches Care Differently

After more than 20 years working with breast cancer survivors within the healthcare system, Dr. Braudy built Empowered Recovery & Wellness to fill the gaps she witnessed every day—gaps in knowledge, communication, and coordinated care that leave survivors without answers and professionals without guidance.


The difference: This isn't about creating dependence on our services. It's about filling the knowledge gap that exists in the current healthcare model—so survivors understand their bodies and professionals understand how to support them at the highest level.

That means:


  • Listening to the whole story: For survivors, we start with your treatment history and current concerns. For professionals, we understand the complexity of the cases you're navigating.
  • Recognizing that tissue changes take time: Survivors don't heal on standard timelines after breast cancer treatment. Professionals need to understand these timelines to set realistic expectations and appropriate progressions.
  • Prioritizing early intervention over late correction: We teach survivors to recognize warning signs before they escalate—and train professionals to identify complications early and refer appropriately.
  • Supporting collaboration, not siloed care: Survivors benefit when their entire care team communicates. Professionals gain confidence when they have access to oncology-informed expertise and know when to collaborate or refer.
  • Providing honest education, not vague reassurance: Survivors deserve clear, evidence-based answers to their questions. Professionals need practical, actionable training—not generic advice or outdated protocols.
  • Empowering informed decision-making: Our goal is to equip survivors with the knowledge to move forward confidently—and to give professionals the expertise to guide their clients and patients competently, without fear or guesswork.

What Our Clients Say

Real Stories, Real Healing

Five black stars in a row.
You were an integral part of my cancer-survivor journey, and one of the first providers to acknowledge the challenges facing survivors. You helped me pick up the pieces that are scattered around after treatment, and helped me realize that the physical after-effects were normal and not a sign of weakness. Total icing on the cake that I gained an amazing friend out of the deal! The gift you give to your patients every day is invaluable. Thank you, my friend!

Tiffany R.

Dr. Jianling Yuan, MD, PhD

Five black stars in a row, indicating a high rating or excellent quality.

Renata provides consistent, patient-centered education that aligns with survivorship goals: restoring function, reducing fear of movement, and improving quality of life.

Five black stars.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was obviously so concerned and overwhelmed with the road ahead of me that I didn’t know where to find support. Another physical therapist who I had been working with for an unrelated issue recommended working with Renata, so I booked an appointment. When my surgeons also shared her name, I felt confident about my choice. I had NO idea the depth to which Renata could be of help through the entire treatment process, from surgery to chemo to radiation to follow-up surgery. At each step, she explained how I could help myself through the process and did so with such care and reassurance…Whenever I hear of a new diagnosis, my first piece of support is to suggest working with Renata. She has been integral to my healing process.

T.L.

Five black stars in a row, white background.
I met Renata at the very beginning of my journey, and from the start, she understood the potential impact breast cancer treatment could have on shoulder mobility. As a participant in her PhD research study, she was able to closely follow my progress and provide thoughtful guidance, effective exercises, and practical tips throughout my treatment—always with careful attention to my lymphatic system and reassurance that what I was experiencing was a normal complication of breast cancer treatment…After completing radiation, Renata played an essential role in restoring my mobility and helping me return to a more normal, functional lifestyle. She listens with intention, leads with compassion, and brings an exceptional level of knowledge and skill to her work. Renata’s personalized approach truly sets her apart, and I am incredibly grateful for the care and results she provided.

B.K.

Where Survivorship Care Becomes Clearer

Empowered Recovery and Wellness exists to bring clarity to survivorship—through education, clinical insight, and support that respects both complexity and lived experience. By grounding care in treatment history, evidence, and collaboration, we help survivors and professionals move forward with better information, steadier decisions, and more sustainable outcomes after breast cancer.