We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Katherin “Kathy” Duong. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Katherin “Kathy” below.

Alright, Dr. Katherin “Kathy” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I had taken was opening up my own physical therapy practice on the tail end of the pandemic and with less than a year of working experience in my profession. While it was a huge risk to take, I knew that the timing was right. Having left my first clinical job at a corporate, outpatient clinic to what I thought would be my dream job at an Assisted Living Facility working with my favorite population – geriatrics, the vision of it being a dream job was quickly vanished. Riddled with management and ethical issues, causing disruptions in my ability to provide quality care for my patients, I knew I had to leave.

When I entered this profession, I always vowed I would provide my patients the best care I could give them and be the best provider I could be. It was clear that no matter what setting I went to, I would always find a flaw. And this was because I knew early on as a student, I wanted to open my own practice one day. My natural instinct is to see something and want to make it better, more effective and efficient. I always knew that one day, I’d want to blend the beauties of my Eastern medicine upbringing within the household, with modern day Western medicine. I wanted to give patients more answers, more hope. And so, after deciding the assisted living facility was no longer a good fit, I heard the whispers of my intuition to be brave and be courageous – to do the thing I was always sought out to do: create my own physical therapy practice.

Fast forward to 2022, I established East West Wellness & Rehab. Starting off as a mobile practice in Northern Virginia, a year and a half later, I was able to create a hybrid practice: expanding to an office space in Alexandria and continuing providing mobile services. Once the office started getting busier, I was able to retire mobile services and expand my services at the office. Each year we continue to grow more and more, sharing both Eastern and Western medicine with my patients, providing them not only rehab, but wellness and recovery services as well to focus on prevention. Our most popular services include cupping therapy and dry needling. And we have now added Reiki to the mix.

3 years and counting, we continue to expand and connect patients back to the importance of mind, body, and soul. This risk was well worth the sacrifice and I’m truly thankful I listened to my intuition and let myself be guided to help the patients who felt called to my practice.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kathy and I’m the founder and physical therapist of East West Wellness & Rehab. I offer a versatile and well-rounded perspective to rehab and recovery, shaped by my clinical experience and my own athletic background. Having personally participated in volleyball, basketball, tennis, weightlifting, climbing, and yoga, I provide understanding in the physical demands and movement patterns unique to each sport. My firsthand knowledge allows me to connect with athletes on a deeper level and tailor treatments that are sport-specific, functional, and aligned with their performance goals.

My specialities include cupping therapy, dry needling, and the treatment of back pain, with a particular focus on low back pain, chronic pain, and return-to-sport rehabilitation.

What sets me apart is my diverse clinical experience, which includes working with chronic pain populations on the Navajo Reservation, treating athletes in outpatient orthopedics, and serving rural communities in Wyoming. Working with in unique areas with different cultures has shaped my compassionate, patient-first approach to healing.

As a first-generation Chinese American and daughter of refugees, I also grew up immersed in traditional Chinese medicine. I founded East West Wellness & Rehab in 2022 to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western medicine, blending my cultural background and clinical expertise to create a more integrative, empowering healing experience.

What sets me apart from other physical therapists is my ability to tap into and hold space for my patients to address the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of healing – not just the physical. Traditional medicine focuses on physical symptoms only and too quickly addresses the diagnosis first. I provide a patient-centered model to allow my patients the necessary space to really hone in on the root cause of their symptoms and tackle it from multiple directions of health and wellness.

I help my patients reconnect the mind, body and soul through our services: physical therapy, cupping therapy, dry needling, and Reiki.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A big lesson I’ve had to learn as a business owner is the definition of “productivity.” In the current healthcare system, we are supposed to see X amount of patients and charge X amount of units to bring in enough revenue for the clinic. It’s purely quantitative based and takes away the biggest reason why most of us get into the health profession: to help others heal.

When I first started my business, I defined myself by how many patients I saw and how many hours I put in. I quickly had to learn after multiple burnouts, that we were going to have to redefine “productivity.” As a solo entrepreneur, managing patient caseload, marketing, admin, social media, etc. – it’s a one woman show. And if I get burnt out and need to recover, all the operations get shut down.

Over time, I’ve learned setting reasonable qualitative and quantitative goals to help me grow in a sustainable way, where I can find that work life balance. Now a days, my definition of “productivity” has greatly improved and has allowed me to show up as a provider in a more present, healthier way, but also allows me to show up as myself and live my own personal life without my career disrupting the much needed time I need + deserve for enjoying time with friends and family.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Finding others in a similar stage as you helps make taking the necessary steps forward more manageable. Being able to work with other physical therapists who were also starting up their journey allowed us to problem solve similar problems, and provided relatability and to be seen. We’d meet about once a month, or if we had questions, we’d ask each other versus fumbling on the same question for months. The interdependence helps you grow immensely and is very rewarding to see others grow with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eastwestwellnessrehab.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestwellnessrehab
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastwestwellnessrehab
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EastWestWellnessRehab
• Other: https://share.google/NNMswbO5GywHSwmXk

Image Credits

bilalbphotography
Kevin Dang