We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Nied, PT, DPT a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, appreciate you joining 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.

My family and I moved abroad to London, UK in 2018. At the time, my kids were 2 years old and 9 months old! Looking back, that was a pretty wild decision to move across the globe with two small kids, but it was an unbelievable experience. We were able to take them to some amazing destinations like South Africa, Mallorca, Barcelona, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Scotland, and Wales. I had just obtained my UK Physiotherapy license in 2020 when Covid struck. Rather than get a job at a large physiotherapy clinic or hospital, I decided to start my own business in order to serve my local community. Most people were not keen on going to a large clinic for their physiotherapy and were pleased with coming to my clinic space, which I created in my house. I treated a wide variety of people, from postpartum women recovering from birth to people with back and neck pain after working from home and not moving their bodies, to elderly people recovering from Covid and needing to work on basic household mobility to regain independence. My business was really thriving summer of 2021, but we made the really difficult decision to move back to Colorado. We struggled with homesickness and missed the mountains terribly! Upon returning to Arvada, CO, I decided that I should continue with my entrepreneurship journey and created my own physical therapy clinic. I launched my business, Movement Physio and Wellness, in February 2022 and am continuing to grow each month. We signed a lease for a clinic space and hope to be ready by later this summer 2022. I currently am treating people with home visits and specialize in helping people with back and neck pain, pelvic pain, and postpartum/pregnancy issues so they can return to the Colorado activities and workouts they love.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I created my business, Movement Physio and Wellness, in the winter of 2022, after moving back to Arvada, CO from living in London, UK. I wanted to open a physical therapy clinic that specializes in pelvic floor rehabilitation and help people get rid of bladder leakage, pelvic pain, and hip and back pain, in order for them to return to the Colorado activities and workouts they love. In recent years, more people are becoming more aware of the importance of pelvic floor physical therapy. My main objective with naming my business “Movement”, is to continue to create the “Movement” for people to seek help for issues that arise with pelvic floor problems. Many of the things we experience as women are common but not normal. We need to change the narrative that it is necessary to get help if you have any pelvic floor issues, because we can help get rid of embarrassing leakage and annoying pelvic pain, so you can get back to jumping with your kids, trail running, or lifting weights without peeing your pants!

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

I think one of the most important qualities that a physical therapist can demonstrate is the ability to listen and communicate appropriately. Often, people experiencing pelvic pain have been to many doctors and PTs, without relief and start to lose hope. Our goal at Movement Physio and Wellness is to make sure each patient has the chance to tell their story and feels heard and seen. Once we can establish rapport and our patients understand that we can help, the patient gets better!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The best way I have found to grow my clientele is establishing relationships in my local community with other small business owners like gyms. I have started putting on educational workshops that offer simple tips and educate people on the pelvic floor and what to do if they have problems like bladder leakage or pain. I have found that small local gyms are very open to having me come to speak to their members and help with ensuring their members and keep up with their workouts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.movementphysioco.com
• Instagram: @movementphysioco
• Facebook: @movementphysioco
• Youtube: Movement Physio and Wellness