We recently connected with Brittany Boehnke and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

The inspiration to start my practice came from the desire of wanting more autonomy with my clients.

While working in other practices, the drive to start my own business came from the frustration of health insurance. Generally, physical therapy practices are dictated by insurance reimbursement and authorizations leaving little room for the individuality that clients need. I decided I wanted to do things differently. So, I started Mojo Physical Therapy. I have the ability to spend as much time as I want/need with my client, treat what the client wants and needs treatment for, and spend one-on-one time with each client.

When starting my practice, I initially wanted to work out of multiple gyms and offer in-home physical therapy sessions. I was constantly driving and setting up my treatment table/supplies and breaking things down between sessions. This gave me long hours with not a lot of appointment spots. One of the greatest things I did was sign a lease with an office that I absolutely love. Having an office space allowed me the freedom to spend more time with my clients and become more established. My advice for a young professional, thinking of starting their own practice, is to set up a home base. This will allow your energy to go to your clients, instead of spending energy setting up/breaking down and traveling.

Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy who is very passionate about helping others stay active and reach their best potential with activities throughout their lifespan. I have a burning desire for education and I am constantly learning new techniques and interventions to help my clients. Most recently I’ve added Women’s Healthy Physical therapy, Visceral Manipulation, and Women’s Health Coaching to my list of offerings. As a physical therapist, I’m passionate about helping people get out of pain, improve their strength, and improve their confidence to do all daily and recreational activities.
With Mojo Physical Therapy, my vision has always been to create a laid back, professional environment where people feel comfortable bringing in their injuries and pain and know they will get the highest quality of treatment. We provide thorough initial evaluations – looking for the root source of pain and dysfunction. Each client then receives any manual treatment they need – including dry needling, visceral manipulation, soft tissue mobilizations, etc. to focus on pain relief and improving overall function. We then work on exercises and the client leaves with a plan including a detailed description of which exercises will benefit them the most. Depending on the client, we will space out appointments as needed and continue to support progress. Many of my clients then enjoy transitioning to a maintenance plan of care – with periodic check-ins for a movement screening to help with injury prevention.

One thing that sets Mojo Physical Therapy apart from other physical therapy clinics is the detailed quality of care, time spent with clients during their session, and with detailed follow ups and emails following sessions. I am conscientious of my clients’ time. We don’t do any treatments in the office that can be done at home. It is not fair to be charged for ice or simple exercises that can be done at home. This is why I send clients home with homework assignments every session to make sure they are not only progressing in the clinic, but outside as well. We work together as a team to help every client get their mojo back.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Other than training, I think developing a listening ear, empathy and compassion for each individual client is the most helpful. In our current healthcare system, many people aren’t given the adequate time to express their concerns. My mission is to provide the time it takes to really listen to my clients and understand what is going on. Then, evaluate all the symptoms and educate the client on the findings. By providing a listening ear and doing a comprehensive evaluation, a client is given the most optimal opportunity for success.
Giving yourself time and the opportunity to listen and provide empathy and compassion for clients creates a better work environment for both the provider and the client.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After graduating from Duke University I was eager to begin my career as a physical therapist. We spend a lot of time learning how to be thorough and evaluate each individual client. I took my first job, and multiple jobs after, and just realized it wasn’t all I had expected. I’d show up to work with a long list of patient’s to work with, some having 30 minutes to work with and others being double booked (2 patients scheduled at once). This didn’t work for me. I didn’t have time to listen to clients. I didn’t have time to problem solve during each session. And I wasn’t giving clients the best of me due to my time constraints. And more importantly this fast paced ‘revolving door’ model was burning me out. I recognized I needed a change.
In October of 2018 I decided to open my own practice, create my own schedule, and set my own rules to provide clients with more quality care. I’ve been doing this ever since. Being a business owner definitely brings its own set of fears, long hours, and added stress. However, for me it is completely worth it. I have the ability to provide the treatment that I want to provide, and soon, I will be bringing on other physical therapists and giving them the freedom to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: mojophysicaltherapy.com
• Instagram: @mojophysicaltherapy

Image Credits
Max Nolan