Is it still worth starting a practice later in your career? For Juliet, at least, the answer is a resounding 'Yes!' After two decades in the field of pelvic health, Juliet took the leap to start her own practice. You'll hear about the evolution of her clinical practice, how she's constantly striving to improve, and what prompted her to start her own business. Even in Canada, with nationalized health care, there has been a line out the door for Juliet's services and she's had a wait list almost s...
Feb 02, 2023•39 min
Our patients don’t live on their backs….so we do we often treat them like they do? Nicole shares how she first started treating in standing positions – spoiler alert! She was nervous the first time she did – and why it’s so important to her clinical practice. You’ll be surprised, almost every time, how different what you feel in standing is from what you’ve felt in supine. One of our maxims is ‘assess, don’t guess’ – if you’re not assessing the pelvic floor in standing and in dynamic positions, ...
Jan 30, 2023•31 min
As a single mom, Jen didn't have much room for error when she started Nashville Pelvic Health. It needed to be successful - and quickly - to provide for her family. But even with that pressure she wasn't willing to abandon her dream of building her own practice. Around a year later, 'JLC' has built a six-figure business, hired an admin and a clinician and is continuing to expand her reach in the Nashville community. More importantly, she talked about inspiring her kids and changing the lives of ...
Jan 26, 2023•37 min
One of the major career concerns we heard about in our end-of-year survey was working in a facility that is understaffed with a long wait list. We dive into what this means, how you can keep your sanity and still provide the best possible care. First of all, we have to realize we are going to have a major choice to make. And each option will have major limitations and be a compromise. We can provide the best possible care to a very limited number of patients. We limit the number of evaluations, ...
Jan 23, 2023•36 min
As a younger physical therapist, Hannah had to overcome a lot to build the thriving practice she now owns. She needed to grow as a clinician to provide the kind of care she believed in, as well as learning the business skills to market and grow. But Hannah is an incredible example of having a growth mindset. Instead of thinking "I'm new" or "I'm not good with numbers" she rolled up her sleeves and took on her challenges. She got a head start clinically by taking the courses she needed to build h...
Jan 19, 2023•38 min
Let’s start with common ground – telehealth is not the gold standard of pelvic health. In an ideal world we would be able to examine the patient, work with them, look into their eyes, see them move and interact in person. We need to resist the urge to make a shift to telehealth just because it feels ‘easier’ to us, or we can do it from the comfort of our home. But there are specific times and scenarios where it can be a valuable adjunct to what we’re doing or support patients who aren’t able to ...
Jan 16, 2023•29 min
How do we confront the fears we have as clinicians and business owners? In this fantastic, open and honest interview with Dr. Allison Ingley we explore how her own pelvic floor issues led to her interest in pelvic health, how she developed her Clinical Ethos, how she moved past the fear of having to be all things to all people, and how she’s building a business that works for her. It's been amazing to watch her grow and move past her limiting beliefs to build the business she has today. Excited ...
Jan 12, 2023•40 min
You’ve heard us say it before, but here we dive into why we believe there isn’t a ‘simple’ pelvic health patient. Simple (n) : easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty. plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design Our patients are not easily understood. They do present difficulty. And the pelvic floor is anything but uncomplicated! 1. The pelvic floor is utilized constantly. We can’t tell the patient to take a break. They’re using it and having to think about an issue all...
Jan 09, 2023•23 min
In this inspiring interview with Kari, you'll hear the list of limiting beliefs she had to overcome to build a successful practice. She's done an amazing job of defining success for herself and remaining true to her vision. She decided to start even though she had young kids. And she made the commitment to stay true to her values and prioritize her family. She also had all of the negative beliefs we hear so often: My town isn't big enough. Or affluent enough. And they don't even know about pelvi...
Jan 05, 2023•46 min
How has our field changed in the last year? Where is it headed? Using information from our End of Year Survey, we'll take a look back at 2022 and where we think things are going in 2023! We'll touch on what we care most about in our jobs, clinician burnout, clinical confidence, new job opportunities, the importance of mentorship, and more! Thanks so much for all of you who filled out the End of Year Survey - more than 200 of you total - giving us this snapshot of where our field is! And if you'r...
Jan 02, 2023•48 min
How do we want our lives to be better at the end of next year? What would make 2023 great? We often work with our mentorship group on setting better, more meaningful, and more manageable goals for the coming year. We usually struggle to do this well, which means a lot of frustration, guilt or given-up goals. Here are a few ways we can make 2023 great! 1. Broaden Our Goals - Instead of hyperfocusing on easy-to-measure areas (our raise at work, our weight, our business revenue), we should be broad...
Dec 26, 2022•41 min
How can we keep our patients engaged and continuing to improve over the holidays and New Year? First, it starts with handling our own business. Are we being fully present for our patients? Next, do we understand all the different stressors and changes going on in their lives? Are we specifically asking about their holidays? We have to be planning for our time off. Their time off. And troubleshooting so their needs don't fall through the cracks during the end of the year. Finally, we have to leve...
Dec 19, 2022•26 min
How can we view maternity leave as an opportunity in our business (or career)? Many of us first start our own business after a maternity leave. Our priorities have shifted. We want more time freedom. Or we have a new passion for pelvic health after having experienced life as a patient. For those of us who get pregnant after starting our business, we have a few different options. We can be ok with just shutting down during that time. It takes careful planning, financial discipline and a plan for ...
Dec 15, 2022•33 min
I had worked with hundreds of pregnant patients over the course of my career, but learned so much from being pregnant myself. It's absolutely going to affect my clinical practice. Here are the top 6 lessons I've learned from my own experience and how they shape how I'll treat my pregnant patients going forward. If you've been pregnant yourself, what lessons did you take away for your patients? And if you haven't, I hope this 'sode gives you some ideas of how we can always be improving for our pa...
Dec 12, 2022•31 min
How do we get unstuck - with a patient or project or business? Often it's because we're trying to fix something that wasn't great in the first place. Often the answer seems counterintuitive - what if we just threw away the old 'prior' or previous model and started over? It often will free your creativity and inspire you to create something better than you eve would have. Need examples? Getting stuck with a patient when you're going down the wrong road and just need a new set of eyes Making incre...
Dec 08, 2022•23 min
What do we do when our plans for a session get derailed? When - for whatever reason - what we wanted to do is "too much"? This can happen for a variety of reasons. Some examples include: A patient who is contrarian - there's always a reason you can't do something When a patient is in too much pain - they are flinching, can't be touched, or petrified they are going to flare When a patient is emotional or distraught We have to be able to recognize this change and still provide value for our patien...
Dec 05, 2022•29 min
One of the big fears - we talk about 10 'Mindset Anchors' - that can hold us back is fear of criticism. This can be from bosses, from colleagues, from patients, or online comments. Anytime we're branching outside of our comfort zone we can be afraid of getting criticized. If we're not careful this can hold us back in our business or career. So how do we get past it? Here's a few ideas: If it's valid criticism, accept the kernel of truth, grow from it and move on Judge the judger - is this someon...
Dec 01, 2022•17 min
We've all (likely) had a patient who is extremely sensitive or ticklish. The laughter is often contagious, and we find ourselves cracking up as well. But there's a lot to consider about the ticklish response - this 'sode is all about dealing with these patients. When we really think about it, if we subtract the laughter the tickle response looks an awful lot like a pain response. Contracting, pulling away, getting into a fetal or defensive position. The tickle response is processed in the hypoth...
Nov 28, 2022•30 min
Curious about PelviCon 2023? We answer ten of your questions all about the event, the speakers, the programming and what makes PelviCon special! Jessica and Andrew Reale join us as we reminisce about PelviCon 2022 and - more importantly - discuss PelviCon '23! PelviCon 2023 Make sure to get on the wait list for PelviCon 2023! More details to come, but last year tickets sold out in 4 minutes - you won't want to miss this! Get on the wait list at www.pelvicon.com. Business Resources If you're star...
Nov 23, 2022•39 min
There’s a balancing act between ‘quick wins’ for our patients and getting to the root cause of their issues. Quick wins can build trust, show the patient you’re really listening, get buy-in and build momentum. But they can also mean we’re working on things without as much long-term benefit, not addressing the ‘why’, can lead to symptom chasing, and can keep you scattered and from progressing through your plan of care. So how do we balance getting our patients a quick win? As always, communicatio...
Nov 21, 2022•28 min
How do we take radical responsibility for our patients? Our careers? Our efforts to expand our specialty? If you're listening to this podcast, you're already saying "It Starts with Me." I want to be better. I want to learn and grow as a clinician. With PelviCon, we want to transform that into "It Starts With Us." Together we can do so much more than we can alone. Our speakers have embodied this attitude, expanding our knowledge and broadening our field. We all need to think of how we can take ac...
Nov 17, 2022•16 min
We didn’t think this was a controversial statement, but it seems some explanation is in order. Yes, we can help anyone who is pregnant. Even if they don’t have ‘symptoms.’ Or a complaint. Or something wrong. There are changes in the body happening daily. We are the biomechanical experts. And we actually have the time to work with our patients. Alleviate fears. Screen for issues. Support their pregnancy journey. Here’s four ways we can help our pregnant PEEPs (yep, it’s an acronym!). Educate on b...
Nov 14, 2022•28 min
What if we though about spending money not as an expense, but as an investment? It’s one of the most important mindsets from business (and you can borrow it even if you aren’t a business owner). We’ve been conditioned to think of certain things as ‘expensive.’ And this is different for all of us. It depends on how we were raised, our money mindset, our current financial situation, and much more. Maybe that $5 latte is expensive, or maybe it’s the $50,000 car. But that’s only one way to look at m...
Nov 10, 2022•23 min
Chronic pain is just different. It takes a different skill set and approach. These are often some of our most challenging patients. But they can also be those in most need of our help, and the most rewarding patients on our schedule. Here are five reminders when treating chronic pelvic pain: It's going to take time You have to address the nervous system It's much less about symptom reproduction Medications aren't the enemy Be a broken record We hope this helps you to be more confident with your ...
Nov 07, 2022•29 min
We all know we need "boundaries"....but what does that even mean? It's often throw out as a panacea for any situation. "You just need boundaries." New definition of boundaries: "Decisions you've had time to consider in advance" If you're an employee and unhappy at work, it likely has to do with boundaries. Either your employer has boundaries (rules/decisions) you don't agree with OR they don't have boundaries at all and you're left trying to create them for yourself. This is a huge struggle for ...
Nov 03, 2022•35 min
What do we do when a patient just isn't getting better? When they feel frustrated? Or when we don't understand why they aren't making more progress? These plateaus can be a major challenge in our clinical practice. They make us feel insecure, defensive, or like we're just guessing. In this 'sode we go through how to examine a plateau and how to respond (not react!) for the best patient outcomes. Three tips for dealing with plateaus: Plateaus aren't necessarily bad! They can be expected and also ...
Oct 31, 2022•29 min
Growth in our business or career isn't ever linear. It's often punctuated bursts. Sometimes we're standing still, and others we're rushing forward. It's unreasonable to expect our business to continue to grow as rapidly as we want (whatever that means). We can't put in maximum effort all the time. Seasonality is a rule of nature and it applies to business as well. So how do we manage the different seasons and still enjoy the process throughout? When it's slow, build your foundations. Mend the ne...
Oct 27, 2022•28 min
What should your Assessment include? How can you get better buy-in, communicate more clearly, and understand your plan of care for each patient? In this 'sode we discuss the four elements each Assessment should include. And how to make your assessment 4 sentences that clearly and concisely summarize the patient. If you master these four elements, it will make it easier to communicate with the patient, get clinical buy-in and create your initial hypothesis for the evaluation. These include: The P...
Oct 24, 2022•34 min
For anyone who has a business, is curious, or is a business 'wannabe' there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about business. Often we make mistakes based on these misconceptions. Do something because we 'have' to. Spend money we didn't need to. Or start building a business that isn't in line with our own values, Ethos or lifestyle. In this 'sode we go through the five most common misconceptions we see, including: Starting a business is hard You 'have' to take insurance You need a loan, star...
Oct 20, 2022•27 min
Is there a divide between physical therapy and wellness? Prevention? Maintenance? If so, where is it? And if not, why is it something that has invaded our profession? You might be surprised to know this isn't something that comes from our law or practice act. Legally there is no difference between physical therapy and wellness. And you might also be surprised our governing body (the APTA) specifically encourages wellness, prevention, fitness, and health promotion. Common sense and ethics also do...
Oct 17, 2022•44 min
