Thriving Lives Co. exists for a very simple purpose: to empower our community to live a life they love!
We are a tight knit crew who pride ourselves on aligning our service delivery with our core values and work hard to ensure that our clients get the outcomes and experiences they are looking for when seeking allied health services.
Our Story
Thriving Lives Co. was initially founded back in 2017 by its Managing Director, David Dall’Alba, as a mobile Exercise Physiology clinic named FNQ Chronic Pain and Disease Rehabilitation (FNQ Rehab) in response to his recognition of a need for increased accessibility to higher quality evidence-based healthcare within Cairns and its surrounding rural areas.
David’s vision of empowering individuals to be able to integrate meaningful and beneficial activities and exercise into their daily life drove the expansion of the team, as passionate clinicians who shared this vision joined what then became the Thriving Lives Co. “family”. Over the years, as the interdisciplinary team and scope of services expanded, it evolved into and was rebranded to Thriving Lives Co. (TLC). This rebrand was to better represent/reflect our core purpose, our values, our team culture, and our vision for the services we provide for the clients and families we support. At this time Lucy Ruttiman joined David as a managing director, recognising the diversity of the team and the importance of continuing the grow the multidisciplinary work and support the families of Cairns across the lifespan.
Today, Thriving Lives Co. is still owned and operated by David Dall’Alba and Lucy Ruttiman, and has expanded to cover Cairns and Hinterlands, and the Cassowary Coast, and offers Exercise Physiology , Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Psychology services, and The Thriving Lives Co. clinical team now consists of four exercise physiologists, two occupational therapists, three physiotherapists, and one psychologist.
“At Thriving Lives Co. we are passionate about doing everything in our power to be able to empower and support our clients to take an active role in their therapy to assist them in achievement of their goals and to increase their independence in, and capacity to, engage in all meaningful aspects of their lives and occupations.”
David Dall’Alba, Managing Director and Principal Exercise Physiologist
“Being a co-director of a health company in Cairns is a true privilege—working alongside a team whose passion and motivation are as strong as their care for others. Together, we are driven by a shared purpose: to help people not just heal, but truly thrive, discovering meaning, joy, and possibility in their everyday lives.”
Lucy Ruttiman, Director and Principal Occupational Therapist
Core Values
What does it guide us to do?
- Inject humour and play at every opportunity
- Love what we do and do what we love
- Connect with our patients and our own values and goals
- Be patient-centred
- Constantly be curious and wondering
- Be respectful of other perspectives
- Be empathetic and genuine
- Treat the person, not a label
- Speak less and listen more
- Treat everyone how we would like to be treated
- Be memorable
What does it guide us to do?
- Be evidence-based
- Act with integrity
- Maintain professionalism
- Ensure attention to detail
- Be organised and systemised
- Do what’s right and not what is easy
What does it guide us to do?
- Communicate promptly, clearly, and concisely
- Draw on strengths and build upon the weaknesses
- Share your knowledge and be open to learning from others
- Lead where you can and learn where you can’t
What does it guide us to do?
- Be reflective and open-minded
- Take ownership, accountability, and responsibility of mistakes and wins
- Celebrate the wins and learn from mistakes
- Take pride in what you do
- Constantly seek and act upon feedback
What does it guide us to do?
- Be creative and experimental
- Be innovative and adaptive
- Set a new standard
- Be solution-focussed
- Be inspirational and empowering
- Try new things and surprise people
- Be one step ahead
- Plan to succeed and for the worst
- Be brave and challenge yourself
