Meet Kirsty

Kirsty is the Director and Principal Speech Pathologist of Synergy Speech Pathology. She is passionate about providing evidence-based and person-centred care across the lifespan.

Kirsty has a natural curiosity for understanding why difficulties occur and a passion for helping people find answers, particularly when symptoms are complex or have persisted over time. She values working collaboratively with clients, families and other healthcare professionals to develop practical and individualised pathways forward.

Kirsty graduated with a Bachelor of Speech Pathology from the University of Sydney in 2014 and has over 12 years of experience across public and private healthcare. For eight years, she worked within major tertiary hospitals across Sydney, developing extensive experience in complex swallowing and communication disorders, dysphagia, head and neck cancer and multidisciplinary oncology care.

Since establishing Synergy Speech Pathology in 2021, Kirsty has developed a diverse practice supporting both children and adults. Her paediatric work includes speech sound disorders, language and communication differences, feeding difficulties and orofacial myofunctional concerns, with a strong commitment to neuroaffirming practice and supporting each child’s individual communication, learning and regulation profile.

Kirsty also has a particular passion for ENT, voice and upper airway function and currently works within ENT and multidisciplinary medical clinics in Sydney. She provides assessment and rehabilitation for voice disorders, chronic cough, inducible laryngeal obstruction, breathing pattern and upper airway disorders, swallowing difficulties and other forms of laryngeal dysfunction. Her advanced professional development in laryngeal manual therapy and vocal massage complements her broader voice and upper airway rehabilitation skills.

Kirsty has undertaken advanced training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT), with a particular interest in the relationship between breathing, oral resting posture, tongue and jaw function, swallowing and speech. She works collaboratively with ENT, dental, orthodontic and other health professionals to consider contributing factors and support coordinated multidisciplinary care.

Kirsty continues to work within GenesisCare multidisciplinary oncology services, providing specialised swallowing, speech and voice assessment and rehabilitation, particularly for people with head and neck cancer. She supports people throughout their cancer journey, from assessment and preparation for treatment through to rehabilitation and survivorship.

Research and education have also been important throughout Kirsty’s career. Her research experience has included dysphagia and swallowing rehabilitation, surface electromyography (sEMG), Motor Neurone Disease, mealtime quality of life and innovative speech pathology service delivery. She has contributed to teaching, clinical education and university examination at major Sydney universities, including the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and remains active in teaching, research and clinical education.

At the heart of Kirsty’s practice is a commitment to continual learning, collaboration and genuinely individualised care. She works alongside clients, families and multidisciplinary healthcare teams to understand the whole person, identify meaningful goals and support outcomes that improve everyday function and quality of life.

Synergy is the powerful force that is generated when individuals collaboratively work together towards a common goal creating a greater impact.

Together we can make a difference for the better!

– Kirsty Axiak.