Barry Moore has worked with adaptive athletes in various settings since 2014. He blends his experience in adaptive sports, recreation, rehab and holistic wellness, with his formal education (MSc in Kinesiology) to offer well-rounded recovery programs for individuals of various types of neurological injuries and conditions. He fully believes in the phrase “Movement is Medicine” and enjoys finding new ways for his clients to experience movement.

I met Barry at the in-person ZN Professional Course in Nashville, in May 2023. In addition to his Irish accent, he stood out in the group as open-minded, curious, and passionate about his work and clients. Barry stayed in close touch after the course by attending every one of the quarterly alumni office hours and reaching out via email for advice on specific client cases. He was implementing the material from the book and course and getting great results! To continue supporting his learning, I invited him to grab one of the alumni audit spots at the Orlando course in Fall 2023 to get another dose of material in a different environment (ABT vs. Pilates studio). We spent some time talking about his clients, program, and career goals… he expressed a desire for higher-level mentorship before his VISA expired and he would be headed back to Ireland in early 2025. 

At this point, I was starting to feel overwhelmed with the business operations, program development, and my 1:1 coaching program. With Theo shifting to an advisory role, I needed a partner who shared my SCI rehab training philosophy and passion for this program. It was a no-brainer to bring Barry onto the team to serve as my right-hand man in all things ZN. 

Barry officially joined the ZN Team in February 2024, assisting me at the Chicago and Edmonton 3-day Professional Courses. He has now started 1:1 Remote Coaching and has transitioned to a full-time employee as of the end of May 2024. I can’t get too attached to him though: Barry will be working and learning with me through the end of 2024 and then returning to Ireland to start his own brick-and-mortar neuro rehab clinic in Dublin, Ireland.

I sat down with him in a podcast interview to share more about his personal background and professional journey in neuro rehab. You can listen to the podcast episode below (30 minutes on 1x speed), or you can read through the following summary:

Interview transcript (recorded in April 2024)

Rapid Fire Random Questions to break the ice:

What is the nickname your family and/or friends have given you?

Baz.

Cats or dogs? 

Dogs. Golden Retrievers are my favorite kind. 

What is your favorite sport? 

Gaelic football.

Where are you from originally? And what brought you to the US? 

I’m from a small seaside town called Rush in Dublin, Ireland. During my college years, I spent two summers in Indiana, USA working at a camp for kids with disabilities and I loved it. After graduating college (from Dublin City University) in 2015, I took a one-year VISA to live in Indianapolis and work at a family-owned fitness center, developing their personal training program. Instead of returning home after that year, I applied for and received a scholarship to pursue a Master's in Kinesiology at Indiana University in Indianapolis. During my program (2017-2019), I worked as a graduate assistant teaching undergraduates how to program adaptive movement and exercise programs for children and adults. 

How did you get into working with people with SCI? Do you work with other neuro conditions as well?

While studying for my master’s degree, I sought out an internship, turned independent study/research module, at a facility that offered physical therapy and activity-based therapy for any neuro-related injury or condition. After graduation, I came on board as a Neuro Exercise Specialist, working with individuals of various neurological conditions, including SCI, CVA, and TBI.

How has your approach to neuro rehab changed over the last several years? What has influenced this evolution (clients, courses, experiences, internships)?

I started applying what I had learned in my MSc Kinesiology program to those needing therapy and rehabilitation programs. I quickly found how impactful these traditional ABT strategies were on physical recovery, mental state, and overall well-being. In 2020, while working back home in Ireland during COVID, I spent some time in Germany learning about their approaches in neuro rehab, more specifically the Bobath and Affolter methods, which taught me how important it was to meet people where they are. 

This is where the Zebrafish Approach resonated with me the most: one of the ZN Core Values is “Good inputs = Good Outputs.” I now recognize that when a client isn’t “getting it,” it’s mostly because I haven’t given them a good cue or input - putting that responsibility on me has taught me to be more strategic with my coaching cues and inputs. When we find the right input for that specific person, big changes can happen within a single session!

What is your favorite thing/concept to teach your SCI clients, and why?

My favorite thing is probably helping people realize their ability to use their shoulders to affect their trunk control, via fascial lines. It’s so empowering and gets people moving in ways they haven’t been able to do since their injury! I love watching client’s eyes light up when they achieve something that they didn’t think they could do. It’s like we’re opening doors for their independence.  

How has remote coaching changed the way you teach movement generally?

I’ve heard so many practitioners, myself included at one point, challenge remote coaching for neuro as it just seems so alien. “Neuro rehab through Zoom, that can’t work?!” However, this style of coaching refocuses the intent of a client’s rehab for independent movement. Remote Coaching has forced me to hone in on effective verbal cueing, visuals through the screen, and demonstrations from me on the floor. Even when coaching in-person sessions, I use these same coaching strategies to promote autonomy as much as possible.

Can you describe one of your clients & the type of program you are implementing with them?

One of my clients had a stroke a few years ago and does not engage in any formal physical therapy other than our remote sessions that he does from his home. At this point, he is not confident at getting up and down from the floor, so he does a lot of our foundational movement practice on his bed: things like rolling over, bridges, seated posture work at the edge of his bed, and standing work. He said just the other day how much better he is able to feel and ground through his feet! We were also pleasantly surprised at how well he “bounced back” after being sick/taking a break for two weeks. But it makes sense: when you establish a strong base in the foundations, the connections and foundations stick around - even through sickness!

You’ve attended FOUR of the FIVE courses we’ve offered, either as an attendee, audit or helping me at the course. How are you implementing ZN principles and systems in your coaching?

I use the motor development progression as an assessment to identify areas of strength and weakness. Following this template has made programming much more efficient. I also love how applicable the ZN Framework and system is to pretty much any setting: the first course I went to was all pilates equipment, but I could still go back to work the next week and apply it (in some cases even better!) in my ABT setting. 

I’ve been using this approach to address the needs of some of our more challenging client cases. At this point, it’s fairly common for my colleagues (at the ABT clinic) to ask me to “Zebrafish” their clients when they get stuck with a particular goal!

Describe this next transition from where you are now (at an ABT clinic in Indianapolis) to the ZN Team?

I’ve decided to move home to Ireland in 2025, so I want to get the most out of my time here in the US and learn as much as I can from as many people as I can. I’ve taken some great continuing education courses but the Zebrafish approach just clicked with me, and it’s been the most implementable content with my clients. So, with limited time left in the States, I want to immerse myself in training with Zebrafish and work alongside Stephanie in the intensive training programs with clients, online courses, and the 3-day Professional courses before returning to Ireland in December.

My motivation for this continuing education and professional development is to best prepare myself to start a facility back home in Dublin in 2025, serving people with spinal cord injuries, stroke and other neurological injuries; not unlike the clinic I worked for in Indianapolis. 

What do you see yourself bringing to the Zebrafish Neuro program that this community needs?

I’m excited to support the Zebrafish mission helping people take control and ownership over their journey, and to help deliver educational content, workshops, and courses for other movement professionals. I’d also love to hear from the community and hear what they think we could do to better meet their needs, even if it’s related to finding grants/funding, getting access to other health-related services or starting support/social groups in your local area or virtually. I’m also interested in starting an online group coaching series!

What are you most looking forward to in this transition to a new company, new state, etc?

I’m excited to move to a new town and part of the US, spend more time outside and in the mountains and have some more time to develop my skills as a neuro clinician. I’m also excited to take the time to start putting some plans down on paper for a neurorecovery facility in Ireland! 

Is there anything you want to share with the Zebrafish community before we sign off?

I’m really looking forward to getting to know people in the Zebrafish community around the world and learning about their stories. I’d love to hear from you, hear your story and learn about your training and other activities or interests… especially if you’ve picked up completely new hobbies since your injury. 

Interested in working with Barry?

Book a free Discovery Call to learn more about our SCI recovery programs, 1:1 Coaching and SCI rehab home programs.

About the Author of this Blog:

Stephanie Comella has been working with individuals with spinal cord injuries since 2011. She blends her formal education in movement science, Pilates, and other mindful movement modalities with neurological science to provide an intuitive, hands-on style of teaching focused on body re-connection. Stephanie aims to empower both individuals with SCI and their trainers using a human-powered healing approach.