Often breathing techniques are both the beginning and end of what we focus on when it comes to 'downtraining.' But there's so much more we can be doing, especially when it comes to the vagus nerve. Breathing techniques are fantastic and important, but they also have their challenges for patients. They take time to work. They are dependent on the patient actually doing them. They can feel a bit dismissive to some patients, especially if we don't explain them well. In our Downtraining Masterclass,...
Apr 01, 2024•21 min
Today we go into the pros and cons of having your pricing on your website. Ultimately, putting prices on your website will reduce the number of people who call, but those who do call will be more likely to book. Whenever you field calls, there are three types of people: Those who are definitely going to book (regardless of the booking experience). They may have seen you in the past, had a friend who raved about you or just really resonate with your website or social media. Let's call these about...
Mar 28, 2024•21 min
We created the Cozean Screening Protocol because we wanted a way to help patients and other practitioners realize when pelvic floor dysfunction was causing symptoms. We first published this as a poster at IPPS. Using PelvicSanity as our site we reviewed patient intake forms and charts to see what symptoms or history were most predictive of pelvic floor dysfunction. And after running some cool statistics the Cozean Screening Protocol was created. Anyone answering 'yes' to 3 or more of the questio...
Mar 25, 2024•22 min
Coming off the high of our in-person CEO Retreat, we wanted to share 5 major takeaways from an incredible group of business owners. Together this group of business owners is shattering what we thought was possible for a pelvic rehab practice. When we first started PelvicSanity, most 'experts' thought no one would ever actually pay more than a small co-pay for care. When we proved that wrong, then they thought maybe you could run a solopreneur business, but you could never build something beyond ...
Mar 21, 2024•20 min
Most of us struggle to use our assessments well. This is an amazing tool to clarify your thinking and guide your care that we aren't taking advantage of. It's something I spend a lot of team teaching to our PelvicSanity staff. An assessment is not: A laundry list of impairments A single conclusion ("the pelvic floor is tight. Or weak.") So vague it's not helpful ("muscle discoordination") Listing factors beyond the patient's control ("patient doesn't deal with stress well and has high-stress job...
Mar 18, 2024•29 min
Whether you're an employee or business owner, finances can be challenging. They hit a whole new level of risk and uncertainty when you run your own business. All of us struggle with money mindset issues. Our conversations about money are often negative and reactive. We might not even realize what we're making until the year-end W2 or P&L. We judge how well we're doing by what's in the bank account that day. We're worried about student loans. In short, we're stressed about money! And this rea...
Mar 14, 2024•26 min
You're probably giving too much homework to your patients. There, we've said it! In this 'sode we dive into how to give your patient the correct amount of home exercise work. Here's one clue - have you ever had a patient come back in and complain they didn't get enough HEP? One thing to think about - you're never going to give the perfect amount of HEP. So you can either give too much or too little. If you give too much, what happens? Your patient feels overwhelmed. They're frustrated they can't...
Mar 11, 2024•34 min
It's one of the most common business questions we get asked, and it's important! Your rent is going to be one of your two biggest expenses (along with payroll). It's sometimes hard to find that 'Goldilocks' zone. If we overspend we can hurt our profit margin and have to work more hours to pay for space we didn't really need. If we underspend we might either dislike where we work or outgrow our space sooner rather than later. In this 'sode we're talking all things rent: The different options for ...
Mar 07, 2024•36 min
Clinical pearls, being happier as a clinician, the role of telehealth and three questions to transform your evaluation - this conversation with Susan Clinton has it all! Early in the 'sode we dive into the question of where you start with a challenging patient. There's so many different routes we can take and skills we can use, but Susan manages to simplify the start with a different lens. In fact, one one of the big themes throughout this 'sode is simplifying things for your patient. They're li...
Mar 04, 2024•55 min
How long does your average patient come in for? I know, I know - but hear us out! I know you may have a deep-seated aversion to tracking our individual metrics or turning our patient visits into data. I'm sure you've had (or heard of) a terrible boss who was all about the numbers. But it's not unreasonable to know how long a patient usually sees you for! In this 'sode we'll ask you to think about your own Clinical Ethos. How long do you believe a patient should be seen? What's the absolute minim...
Feb 29, 2024•24 min
How would you respond to someone who told you they were only drinking 24 ounces of water each day? You might be tempted to tell them about how important hydration is. Or how more water intake can dilute bladder irritants. Or show them a cool new water bottle you bought that can help. But sometimes we're so excited to share what we know we forget to ask another question. If there's one clinical superpower we could gift to each of you, it would be the ability to ask more questions. They don't even...
Feb 26, 2024•29 min
**Breaking News** We dive into the controversy this week over whether or not vaginal dilators require a prescription. We've spent the better part of this week gathering facts, asking questions and helping us all understand the regulatory requirements around vaginal dilators. We need to understand what's true so we can make sure patients are well informed. Fun fact - this is actually Jesse's wheelhouse. He spent almost 10 years working as a consultant for companies in dealings with the FDA. He's ...
Feb 24, 2024•19 min
How do we stay productive and motivated without feeling burned out and overwhelmed? After running PelvicSanity for 8 years and working with 500+ business owners, we've seen all of the challenges. We wanted to bring you the idea of the Chaos Zone and Comfort Zone - it's really helped our thinking and how we coach! Based on a great framework from Jon Acuff in his book ( All It Takes is a Goal ), we've found business owners (and, really, all of us!) often fall into one of these categories. Either w...
Feb 22, 2024•24 min
It's finally here - Cohort #2 of the IC course is now open! Can't wait for you to level up your treatment of patients with IC with all the information you need. Understand the role of a cystoscopy and bladder instillations in the medical management of IC patients is just one of the important things to know about the condition. As rehab providers, we're on the front lines with our patients. We're the ones they spend an hour each week with. We hear about their ups and downs and we have the best pe...
Feb 19, 2024•30 min
Are you trying to 'save' your way to success? We dive into the entrepreneur mindset on money in this 'sode. We've now worked with 500+ business owners. ALL OF US have money mindset issues with our business. Being a good business owner doesn't mean checking your bank account every day. It doesn't mean counting pennies on your supplies. Going without an EMR to save costs. Asking your clients to pay with cash or Zelle to avoid transaction fees. What we don't see is the opportunity cost of taking al...
Feb 15, 2024•19 min
Treating patients diagnosed with IC is always a challenge. They often have a complicated history. They usually have a lot of misconceptions about the condition. We get dragged in to discussing medical management. But there are also areas of our evaluation I often see overlooked in patients with IC. So when doing your evaluation, make sure you don't miss this five areas: Evaluate vulvar and urethral tissues for estrogenization Check sciatic nerve tension Evaluate the Urachus and bladder mobility ...
Feb 12, 2024•26 min
We're going to completely change the way you think of interstitial cystitis. IC is a pelvic pain condition with bladder symptoms, NOT a bladder condition. This mindset shift completely changes how we approach our patients. How do we know IC is not a bladder condition? The definition of IC is pain or pressure perceived to be related to the bladder, along with urinary urgency/frequency, in the absence of any other explanation. It's a diagnosis of exclusion. More than 90% of people diagnosed with I...
Feb 08, 2024•23 min
So excited to share our conversation with performance cash-based OG and business coach Danny Matta! In this wide-ranging discussion we touch on keys to success in business, working with a spouse, using the business to create a better life, and much more. Danny is a fantastic interview - thoughtful and passionate about helping business owners. It's also great to hear the convergent evolution of what really works in business. Though it's funny to hear his retreats feature early wake up calls and r...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 18 min
What do you do for clinical growth as a business owner? We get a lot of questions around this topic, and hardly anyone feels good about where they're at - we want to validate there are seasons in the business and in your clinical career! Often business owners think clinical education is going to translate to business success. "Someone dropped off - I need to get more skills" "If I get this certificate, I'll get more patients" "If I can better treat pelvic pain patients I'll get more of them call...
Feb 01, 2024•17 min
In a recent survey we conducted on the State of Pelvic Rehab, we found almost half (49.7%) of you are the only pelvic rehab provider in your clinic. Nicole knows the feeling - as a new grad she was tapped to start and run a pelvic health program at a large hospital program. There are major challenges to being the only pelvic provider, for both you as the employee and for your practice. Your boss or manager is often initially supportive, but that may not last. Just think of some of the challenges...
Jan 29, 2024•27 min
We sometimes need to be a little more selfish as business owners. I know the word is loaded, but hear us out! When we work as clinicians, our employer often takes care of the 'selfish' parts - setting our hours, having documentation policies, etc. But when we transition to business owners, we need to get more comfortable saying 'does this work for me?' We'll have so many more decisions to make. It's definitely been an area of growth for us as we've gotten more experience in business. It's also e...
Jan 25, 2024•28 min
Sometimes I think our goals with our patients are too small. Either we talk about resolving their symptoms or we take their initial goal at face value. But our patients have often adapted to a sub-optimal life! Their goals are smaller than they could be. Maybe they talk about just wanting to walk without a pad, but they used to run marathons! Or they just want to be able to tolerate intercourse, instead of a goal of pleasurable, pain-free sexual activity. Or they just want to be able to get good...
Jan 22, 2024•24 min
Today we're diving into Medicare - should you contract with Medicare or not? As always, it's going to depend on you. Your goals, your vision for your practice, your reason for starting. But here are a few pros and cons to help you along the way. Many practices begin to take Medicare because they're afraid they can't fill their schedule. Or afraid they have a large retired population and won't be able to serve them. Or afraid of what physicians might say. A lot of 'fear' around this decision. So ...
Jan 18, 2024•18 min
Have you told a patient recently "you're doing a great job?" The desire for affirmation is innately human, and especially in an area - like going to a pelvic rehab provider - where we're feeling uncertain, scared or worried. If we really think about the patient journey, they're often 'failing' because they have to see us. They've probably been unsuccessful doing things on their own, and their body hasn't responded to medication or whatever suggestion they've had from their general practitioner o...
Jan 15, 2024•22 min
Ever feel like you're running on a treadmill in your business, working endlessly without actually growing? You may be in the 'too busy to grow' phase - and it's easy to get stuck there. There will always be challenges in business; being 'too busy' is actually a good problem to have! But it's a problem nonetheless, and it can actually harm your growth. When we get more patients in the door, we're taking more time to treat. But that also means more documentation time, more admin, more phone calls,...
Jan 11, 2024•24 min
We're back with a Clinical Edition of $#!t that needs to be said! Talking everything from techniques (don't "poke" your patient and you're probably doing skin rolling wrong) To philosophies (we're discharging too early, we need to get our patients up off the table) To some tough-love opinions (physicians aren't the bad guys, you don't have direct access, and what it means to be a pelvic rehab provider) This is the 'sode for you - check it out! And let us know which of these 14 things resonates m...
Jan 08, 2024•32 min
How do you know if it's the 'right time' to raise your prices? And how can you do it confidently, ready to deal with any pushback? Maybe you've heard people online telling you that we all should raise our prices. 'Because you deserve it', or because you paid a lot of money to go to school. These definitely aren't good reasons to raise your prices, and certainly won't make you feel comfortable with it. And if you don't feel comfortable with your pricing you're going to struggle to attract clients...
Jan 04, 2024•25 min
How do we plan for the new year? Check out this ‘sode as we set our goals and intentions for 2024. First, we start with reflecting on the past year. Where have we had success? What were our best moments? Where did we fall short? Until we examine our past year, it’s impossible to establish goals for the new year. Next we look at our ‘word of the year.’ This isn’t something everyone has to do, but it is something we find valuable. A word of the year can guide decisions and be a north star for when...
Jan 01, 2024•24 min
In this final 'sode of 2023, we wanted to take a look at some of the characteristics we've seen in business owners. We've now worked with 450+ pelvic health businesses, and some patterns have definitely emerged. When we look at successful practices, here are some of the shared characteristics. You definitely don't have to have all of these (most of us have almost none at the beginning). Hopefully you recognize some things you're doing well and can identify others where you might need more work. ...
Dec 28, 2023•35 min
No clinical pearls or business advice today - just our unvarnished thoughts on Christmas! We have a ton of fun in this 'sode - pop in an join us for a jolly time, some funny stories and Nicole's Christmas 'rules'! Fill your mug with hot cocoa and get cozy; you're in for a holiday treat that's merry and bright. Pelvic Business Accelerator If you're looking to take your pelvic rehab business to the next level in 2024, a new cohort of the Pelvic Business Accelerator starts in January of 2024. Regis...
Dec 24, 2023•24 min
