Prep welcomed Dr. Theresa (Hornick) Larson ’99 to campus in May as the keynote speaker for the Ignatian Leadership Conference. The three-day conference prepares the rising senior class for leadership of the school.

If there is ever an example of someone living out the Jesuit Grad at Grad, Theresa is it. Losing her mother to cancer at the age of 10, her father became a second profession Catholic priest. Both she and her brothers (Paul Hornick ’96 and Robert Hornick ’94) attended Seattle Prep. After graduation, Theresa attended Villanova University on a softball scholarship. She then went on to play professionally in Europe and semi-professionally in the U.S. She is also a former Marine Corps Engineer Officer and combat veteran. Theresa’s experiences in Iraq, as one of the first women in combat included clearing land mines, building vehicle checkpoints, escorting female insurgents, and running convoys in Fallujah to protect the integrity of the first democratic elections in 2005. Her service led to life-changing moments, both personally and professionally. At the young age of 22, she was medically evacuated from Iraq after developing an eating disorder and later honorably discharged from the Marines. It was at that moment when she began to learn how to “lean into failure” — a key tenet of her work. She went on to start her own physical therapy company, Movement RX, focused on giving anyone, of all abilities, the knowledge and tools to live physically and emotionally free. Theresa incorporates mindfulness and movement into her work and often works with “adaptive athletes” commonly former military personnel or first responders. She has earned a doctorate in her field adding further distinction and range to her career. She is also the published author of Warrior, a memoir that challenges what “perfect” really means and she continues to provide inspiration as a professional public speaker. We thank her for sharing her amazing story with the Prep community.

Theresa's 12 Gems of Advice

1. You fall to the level of your training.

2. Grasp less to your failures and dive deeper into your successes.

3. You are the average of the five people who you spend the most time with.

4. We are not that different.

5. There is no someday only now.

6. You are the writer of your own life so make it good.

7. Time is your most precious commodity.

8. 10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you react to it.

9. Make an effort to get to know people who are not like you.

10. Life must go on no matter what.

11. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

12. Don’t be afraid to take up space in the world.

Read more about Theresa at www.drtheresalarson.com.