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Posture is Power: Dr. Krista Burns is Reshaping Health & Leadership

In a world where posture is often overlooked, Dr. Krista Burns is leading a global movement that proves it’s far more than just standing tall — it’s a gateway to optimal health, neurological performance, and empowered leadership. As the founder of the American Posture Institute, a dual doctorate holder, TEDx speaker, and international educator, Dr. Krista is reshaping the way we understand the human body and its potential. With a mission that spans over 20 countries and more than 11,000 trained professionals, she’s not just transforming postural education — she’s redefining what it means to lead with purpose and precision.

You’ve dedicated your career to advancing posture education globally. What inspired you to start the American Posture Institute, and what was your vision at the beginning?

It was the morning of the U.S. Ski Team Selections in Winter Park, Colorado, when everything changed. I was competing among the top freestyle skiers in the nation for a spot on the World Cup Team—and in a single moment, a devastating fall ended my Olympic dreams. The damage to my spine was severe. I went from training at the highest level to being in so much pain I could barely walk.

I was told that spinal injections under anaesthesia were the “conservative” option. But after eight weeks of treatments, I wasn’t skiing—I was barely functioning. I had bruises that lasted two years, and I lost sensation in my lumbar spine.

But the deepest pain wasn’t physical. It was the heartbreak of watching the life I had worked for slip away. I spiraled into frustration, confusion, and grief. I kept asking, “Why me?”

That question became my fuel.

From that moment on, I became obsessed with finding natural, effective solutions for back pain. I made it my mission that no one else should have to lose their dreams due to something so common and treatable. The door to the Olympics closed, but a far greater door opened—the one to my destiny.

I earned a clinical doctorate and an educational doctorate, then moved to Italy at 26 to open a practice. That’s where I had a pivotal realization: when I focused on posture, patients got better, stayed longer, and referred more. Posture became the key to unlocking better health outcomes.

I knew I had found the missing link. Posture wasn’t just part of the solution—it was the solution. 

That’s when the American Posture Institute was born, to educate other healthcare professionals, and to ultimately help more patients throughout the world.

As a dual doctorate in Chiropractic and Health Administration, how do you integrate clinical knowledge with systems-level thinking in your work and teaching?

At the clinical level, I am completely patient-focused. I tailor treatment plans to rewire the brain-posture connection and help patients overcome chronic pain.

At the systems level, my training in health administration and global health policy allows me to see a bigger picture: how our society is systematically getting sicker. Postural distortion patterns are more than neck or back pain—they affect breathing, stress levels, brain function, vitality, and even longevity.

Research links poor posture to impaired cognition, poor neuromotor function, decreased quality of life, and early mortality. 

The rise of tech has come at the cost of our structural health. As our devices get smarter, our posture gets weaker.

Today, 82% of the population presents with postural distortion patterns, and over 70% of school-aged children already have moderate to severe forward head posture.

Through systems thinking, we recognize this is a public health crisis. Posture isn’t cosmetic—it’s foundational for public health. We need a structural, brain-based, and educational response.

Your book The Posture Principles has become a foundational text in the field. What core message do you hope every reader walks away with?

“It’s posture by design, not by circumstance.”

You weren’t born to be hunched, fatigued, and in pain. You were designed to be upright, strong, dynamic, and resilient. But in today’s society—deskbound, device-obsessed, overstimulated—you must be intentional about your posture.

If you don’t design your posture, your posture will become a victim of your environment.

Postural distortion patterns lead to poor movement patterns, chronic pain, and emotional strain. But upright posture shifts everything. Posture reflects emotion—and changes it. When you feel depressed, your body collapses down and inward. When you’re confident and energized, your posture expands.

If you want to feel better in an instant, bring your shoulders back, press your chest forward, and lift your head.  This shift in millimetres in your posture sends your brain a message of confidence and good health.  

Functional neurology plays a big role in your approach. How does it connect with posture and neurological health?

Posture is a direct reflection of how your brain is functioning. It’s a mirror of your neurology.

When a patient presents with slumped posture, their brain is receiving distorted signals about where their body is in space—this is poor proprioception. Over time, their brain wires itself to stay in that posture. The longer it stays, the harder it is to correct.

Hyperkyphosis (the classic C-shaped posture) isn’t just structural—it’s neurological. It’s tied to cognitive decline. Slumped walking posture is now considered an early sign of non-Alzheimer’s dementia.

At the American Posture Institute, we apply Postural Neurology to reprogram the brain for upright posture. Through specific eye movements, vestibular stimulation, and sensorimotor training, we create lasting neuroplasticity. This isn’t just postural correction—it’s brain optimization.

You’ve educated over 11,000 healthcare professionals across 20 countries. What global trends or gaps have you observed in posture education and awareness?

There’s universal agreement in healthcare: we’re in a posture epidemic. But almost no one is trained to fix it.

As the digital age accelerates, “Tech Neck” and poor posture are becoming the norm—at younger and younger ages. Yet there’s a gap in education for providers on how to correct these patterns long-term.

That’s where the American Posture Institute comes in. We’ve developed proprietary systems that focus not only on structure but on rewiring the brain for upright posture. True correction happens neurologically.

Worldwide, clinicians are eager for a solution—and we’re leading that movement.

As both a university instructor and international speaker, what shifts are you seeing in how health professionals are being trained today—and what still needs to evolve?

Technology has opened doors to faster information, global collaboration, and immediate research access. That’s the good news.

But the healthcare system we train within is still deeply flawed. Too often, practitioners are taught to protect themselves from liability and work within the constraints of insurance reimbursement—not to empower the patient.

We don’t have a healthcare system. We have a sick-care system. And while most providers mean well, the system limits their ability to help the whole person.

We need to train future practitioners to focus on root cause solutions, personalized healing, and nervous system optimization. We need to shift from reactive to transformational care.

Imagine a healthcare system where every clinician saw the whole person, not just the symptom. Treatment plans were designed to elevate the patient’s entire life.  Imagine a world where people were free from the constraints of chronic pain and able to live the life of their dreams. That’s the system we’re building.  

You serve as Vice-President of the Women’s Professional Network. What does leadership and empowerment look like for women in health and entrepreneurship today?

We’re in a moment of powerful momentum. Women are starting businesses and leading industries like never before. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2021 alone, 49% of new businesses were started by women.

But leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about example. It’s about showing other women what’s possible and then lifting them with you.

Empowerment isn’t just giving advice—it’s igniting belief. It’s helping other women see their strength, own their expertise, and rise together.  

The Posture Symposium and your other platforms gather leaders from around the world. What has been the most impactful or surprising insight you’ve learned from your global community?

One of the most profound shifts in our understanding is this: chronic pain lives in the brain. And posture is the brain’s external expression.

What we thought we knew about pain has evolved.  Chronic pain isn’t always where the problem started.  Your brain has become hardwired for pain, and you need to retrain that pathway.  To treat chronic conditions effectively, we must look at the brain-posture connection.  

That starts with desensitising the nervous system, reducing inflammation, supporting metabolic healing, correcting structural alignment, and emphasizing dynamic movement.  

Chronic pain cases are complex, but not impossible.  There is a solution to live pain-free.

With media appearances on major networks and global recognition, how do you balance being a healthcare educator and a public thought leader?

Balance is about presence.  

Whether I’m in front of a camera, in a clinic, at a university, or leading a seminar—the person in front of me is the most important person in that moment.

Media is an incredible tool to expand our impact. But I stay grounded by remembering my purpose: to help people heal, grow, and elevate their potential—whether one-on-one or one-to-many.

At the American Posture Institute, we are honored to train healthcare professionals, because when they implement it with their patients, our reach multiplies by the hundreds of thousands.  

Looking ahead, what’s next for the American Posture Institute—and how do you envision shaping the future of posture, health, and leadership education?

We’re opening a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to eradicating chronic pain through structural alignment, neurologic stimulation, and dynamic rehabilitation. This will also be a hub for training healthcare professionals and advancing research in chronic pain and postural neurology.

But even more than that, I see our role as guides for transformation.

True healthcare isn’t transactional—it’s transformational. It’s not just about treating symptoms. It’s about reshaping lives.

We are facing a global posture epidemic—at the American Posture Institute we are committed to reversing postural decline and eradicating chronic pain.








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