We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Clay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
What a good question! Along my journey not only as a professional, but as an individual I have learned that we cannot do ALL THE THINGS well at one time. In reality, to do some things exceptionally well that means others have be let go or at the very least relaxed. Therefore it’s essential to examine how many things you’re trying to commit to excellence with. I began my journey as a physical therapist as an outpatient generalist. That means I was expected to have the knowledge to treat the whole body with all its parts and systems on any given day. My first patient could be an ankle surgery I hadn’t seen since grad school, followed by a stroke survivor, followed by a case of complicated low back pain, followed by chronic headaches, and so on. The range and variety I was seeing on a daily basis was vast and overwhelming, because my singular goal across all my therapy jobs has been to provide excellence not to a topic/field but to each individual I see. Which means I unknowingly was signing up to be an expert in way more topics than my life situation, personal limits, and time allowed for! I took so many classes and pushed myself to the max, but the math just didn’t add up. Then add children and it was game over… the amount of information I had committed to knowing crushed my capacity and I was tired of keeping up. To be the wife, mother, and Christian I desired to be without sacrificing my quality as a professional, I had to humble myself to my limits and narrow my area of excellence so I could honor my commitments. We all have to make choices like this to really blossom in our gifts. Our capacities and talents may differ but we’re all made with a limited amount of ourselves. The trick is to find ways to avoid being spread too thin so we can dig deep and flourish in our callings.
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 Rachel Clay. I am wife, mother, and business owner trying to life to the fullest in response to the fullness I’ve been given in Christ. I’m a physical therapist with scoliosis who through my own experience discovered a gap in healthcare that needed to be filled with compassion, excellence, and innovation. My business helps people with scoliosis and posture issues return to normal life without pain, feel better about their body image, prevent worsening of their curves, and avoid surgery whenever possible using specialized exercise!
I understand the frustrations and confusion surrounding life with scoliosis – because it’s my story too!
Diagnosed with a mild curve as a teen, I was told to watch and wait because the curve wasn’t bad enough to cause issues later in life … BUT IT DID.
As a professional dancer in college, I thought I had great posture and strength. However, as time went on I began to struggle with numbness and weakness in my right leg that no one could explain. Other than scoliosis, my x-rays and MRIs were normal. My physical therapy colleagues could not find a clear cause of my symptoms. I could not fix myself- and boy was that frustrating!
Then I discovered THE SCHROTH METHOD and learned that a little scoliosis can make a big difference after all. Through the very specific exercises I implemented, I was able to solve the numbness and weakness in my right leg! I was able to control my posture and intermittent pain! I could even perform balance tasks in dance better!
Scoliosis can be a scary diagnosis and the road to managing is not clearly paved. I am passionate about being a guide for those who do not know what to do about their posture problem.
I wants kids and teens to have access to the exercises I did not, so they can thrive and minimize issues later in life.
I wants to give hope to adults that have been told, “There is nothing you can do except surgery,” or “Just live with it.”
BECAUSE WE CAN DO SOMETHING to take charge of scoliosis and I love showing people how.
I am most proud of my clients who do not take no for an answer. They accept the challenges of scoliosis and don’t let it get them down. I recently started group classes for my adolescent clients and have been amazed at how both the kids and parents encourage each other and bond through walking the journey together. It’s beautiful to see my clients thrive despite the hardships they face.
It’s funny but I’m thankful for my scoliosis at this point of my life. What was at first hurtful in my story, God has used to bring immeasurable good in to my life and I am so blessed to share it with others.
Rachel Clay’s credentials:
Certified (C2) Schroth Practitioner- Schroth Barcelona Institute
Doctorate of Physical Therapy- Missouri State University
BFA in Dance Studies- Missouri State University
Certified Kinesiotape Practitioner- US Kinesiotaping Association
Level 2 Primal Reflex Release Technique Practitioner
Fun Facts:
Born and raised in Saint Louis
She is a pastor’s wife involved in ministry
She is a mom to two spunky, busy girls 5 and 1
There are few things she will not try with chocolate :)
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most specific strategies for growing my clientele have been in short loving what I do and investing in a solid website that tells my story. I was greatly impacted by the mentorship and materials of Christine Walker author of PT WEBSITE SECRETS. She emphasized the importance of not selling physical therapy, but about setting myself apart as someone that could understand the unique challenges of my clientele and be their solution. The key is that my passion makes that presentation a reality and not just a fancy marketing strategy. I put in the hard work to be my best for meeting the needs of my field and my compassion drives me to work hard for people. I think that most entrepreneurs feel the same about their work, but the challenge is getting visible in a world where we are inundated with information and distractions. Christine helped me to design a website that connects with people on a multitude of levels and allows them to get to know me and what I do. Her program was hard work and an investment, but definitely worth it. As my reputation in the community grows I am receiving more referrals from colleagues and friends, but continue to get the majority of my inquiries from people who find me on the internet in their own research. Having a rocking website saves so much time. I am lucky that my speciality is a niche in my area and the competition in minimal. There are less than 10 individuals with my credentials in the state! Consequently I have been able to drop all my other marketing strategies: I no longer use google ads (praise the Lord), and only post things on social media when I feel like it, which is great because I hate it!
The more time you spend setting your business apart as a unique entity you love and the better you can define that in your website, the easier it is to grow!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
So excited about this question! YES- I recently read a book called “Redeeming Your Time” by Jordan Raynor and it has revolutionized how I manage my time both at home and in my business. It connects closely with choosing your commitments because it rests heavily on the principle of letting our yeses be yes, keeping track of them, and thriving in them. To say yes to something you have to purposefully say no to other things. This book has helped me break free from addiction to distraction, especially with my phone. Being an entrepreneur and mother means that my hands and further my head are alway full. Learning not to mix and match them throughout my day and avoiding muddying them with constant message/social media checking has been pivotal in conserving energy and peace. I am constantly getting better at saying no as well! We have to have the courage to say no to FOMO if we want to have any moments where we are fully in. In the end the goal is to be successful business runners. In order to not let your business run you its so important to establish boundaries so that the other yeses in your life do not get crowded out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clayscoliosisclinicpt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clayscoliosisclinic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@clayscoliosisclinic
Image Credits
Sarah Katumu and Sarah Jay