Meet the Team

The people behind your plan

Every clinician at Proven shares the same approach: listen first, test what matters and build a plan around your goals.

Dr. Ian Hardy

PT, DPT, CSCS, CF-L1 · Owner & Physical Therapist

Ian grew up in Highland and has played sports his whole life. That athlete’s perspective shapes everything about how he treats. Since earning his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Findlay, he has worked with athletes at every level, from high school competitors and functional fitness athletes to ultramarathoners and Olympians. He thrives on the tough cases, from chronic pain that nothing else has fixed to injuries where surgery has already been mentioned, and he guides post-op patients from the first day after surgery back to full performance. Whatever the sport or the injury, his goal is the same: get you back to doing what you love, stronger than before. Ian is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and CrossFit Level 1 certified.

Dr. Nate Skrobot

PT, DPT, CPT · Physical Therapist

Nate grew up in Matteson, Illinois, earned his bachelor’s degree from Governors State University and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Hanover College. He played college basketball at Prairie State College and Governors State, where an ACL and meniscus tear left him being told he might never be the same player. He came back stronger and made it his purpose to help others do the same. He specializes in all things orthopedic, and as a Certified Personal Trainer, he brings a strength and conditioning approach that gets patients back to their sport, their training and their everyday lives. Fun fact: he loves baking sweets.

Zach Creighton

LAT, ATC, CSCS · Certified Athletic Trainer

One of the very first members of the Proven Performance team, Zach is from Dyer, Indiana. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Purdue University and his master’s in Athletic Training from Michigan State University, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He specializes in helping athletes return to play after injury, with a particular passion for ACL rehab and throwing-related shoulder injuries. He grew up playing tennis. Outside the clinic, you’ll usually find him hiking or visiting a national park. He’s also somehow incredibly good at spikeball, and he can name almost every Division I college mascot.

Alianna Madrigal

LAT, ATC · Certified Athletic Trainer

Born and raised in the Detroit suburbs, Alianna is a proud Michigan State Spartan. Her own injuries as a competitive gymnast and MSU collegiate cheerleader led her to this work: helping athletes get back to their sport stronger than before. Gymnasts, cheerleaders, dancers and grapplers are her specialty. She knows exactly what these sports ask of the body: wrists and shoulders that bear weight on every tumbling pass and stunt, low backs that live in extension, ankles and knees that absorb every landing, and necks and shoulders that take a beating on the mat. Her rehab is built around those demands, so athletes return ready for the full volume and intensity of their sport, not just pain-free on a table. Athletes who feel like nobody gets it find someone who does. She’s also bilingual.

Kayla Graf

Patient Care Coordinator

Born and raised in Tinley Park, Illinois, Kayla is a proud Grand Valley State Laker with a BBA in Marketing & Sales, a Spanish minor and a collegiate softball career. As our Patient Care Coordinator, she’s the first person you’ll talk to when you reach out to Proven. She wants to know your story, and she’ll remember it. Outside the clinic, she’s traveled to more than 25 states and 7 countries.

Serious about your recovery. Not about ourselves.

We put in the work for every patient, and we have a lot of fun doing it.

Built different, on purpose

Hear it from our patients

Real Proven Performance patients, in their own words.

What our patients say

How getting started works

Patients travel to us from all over

We’re based in Merrillville, and patients come to us from across Northwest Indiana, Chicagoland and Southwest Michigan. Some travel from as far as Milwaukee and the Indianapolis area, and we’ve even had patients make the trip from California, Missouri and Pennsylvania.