We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Suzanne Kritz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Suzanne below.
Hi Dr. Suzanne, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
This is such an amazing question. I graduated from physical therapy school in 2020 with my doctorate in physical therapy. I always knew that I wanted to have my own business one day. I started off working for other people as an employee so know what that is like. Business ownership is an incredibly turbulent experience with high highs and low lows. You need to get your name out there, get clients, maintain clients and do good work so they tell their friends and family about you. I am more of an introvert so getting out there for my business has been challenging. Sometimes I think to myself how much easier it is as an employee because you show up, do the work and leave. But you don’t have the opportunity to make your work what you want, work with the clients you want or even have the schedule you want. It can be something very small with just a few clients, or you can run a clinic with multiple clinicians. Right now it is just me and I am still figuring out where I want to go with it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Suzanne Kritz and I am a doctor of physical therapy specializing in orthopedics, pelvic health and equestrians. I got my doctorate in 2020 from Clarkson University and my pelvic health training from the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Pelvic Health. I fell in love with the specialty because everyone has a pelvic floor, but few know about how influential it can be on the way we function and live our lives. I work with all genders including women who are postpartum, post-surgical, athletes; men who have ED, are post prostatectomy, athletes with groin injuries and those who have undergone gender affirmation surgery. I help people live their best life, pain and leak free through holistic proven methods without need for medication or surgery. I am trained in both external and internal treatment methods to provide clients with relief from their symptoms.
I have been an equestrian my whole life and love to dive into the biomechanics of the riding to be the best version of ourselves that we can be for our horses. I work with riders of all disciplines and love the challenge of niching down the problem areas to find a solution that works best for the specific horse and rider pair. Equestrians are athletes and I think they should treat their bodies as such. I include manual therapy, therapeutic exercises and education to give well rounded treatment to these clients.
What sets me apart is I am an athlete myself and have recovered from injury and pelvic floor issues so can relate to the issues that my clients are experiencing.
I started Top Notch Physical Therapy in 2023 as a small boutique physical therapy clinic focused on treating the whole person, physically and mentally because I truly believe that if we do that, any goal can be met, and any dream can be accomplished. We are located in San Luis Obispo, CA on the central coast and see clients in person but also have the ability to do telehealth
What I want potential clients and fans to know is that I am dedicated to the healing journeys of every person and welcome them at any stage.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I was a travel physical therapist for about 2 years and built-up savings to be able to start the business. I started small, subletting a room in another office while building up my clientele before moving into my current space. Finances of a business are so much different that personal finances, so I made sure to get a good accountant and bookkeeper!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When working on marketing, you will not always be received positively. You will be turned away, people won’t want to talk to you. I started this business to help people but not everyone wants your help. This was difficult for me because when working as an employee, this was not as much of an issue. In the first couple months of starting the business, I was fired up to help and get out there but after months and a year, it is difficult to push forward knowing that people will tell you no. But what are the options, go back to working for someone else? No. Instead, I tell myself that I need to keep pushing forward in order to find the people that DO need my help. They are out there and are waiting for my help who have been suffering unnecessarily. They are my way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourtopnotchpt.com
- Instagram: @yourtopnotchpt
- Facebook: Top Notch Physical Therapy
