We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Robinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.
Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
After 8 years of practicing in the insurance based world of Physical Therapy, I was ready for a change. I was burnt out on trying to make my patients fit into the tiny boxes that appeased the insurance company, tired of fighting with insurance companies for visits my patients needed, and tired of not being able to use my full skill set to help my patients. I took the leap and ventured out on my own as a cash based Physical Therapist. Learning how to run a business and market myself has been a steep learning curve. Along the way I’ve found even greater confidence in myself as a woman and a provider and a wonderful sense of community. It is empowering to be able to treat people how I want to treat them and not how the insurance company or clinic tells me I need to. Now, more often than not, I leave work thinking ‘I can’t believe I get to do this!’
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have always loved helping people and been interested in science so Physical Therapy was a natural fit for me. I went to the University of Vermont for most of my undergraduate work and 3 years of graduate school earning my BS in Exercise and Movement Science and Doctorate of Physical Therapy. I was fascinated by the anatomy and how beautifully the body works. During my time in school, I was introduced to yoga and energy work and I dreamed of one day being able to combine these practices. After 8 years of practicing in outpatient physical therapy clinics, I was able to make that dream a reality by starting my own business.
Brittany Lee Wellness was created as a way for me to help people healing from injury and those dealing with chronic pain with a full being approach using Physical Therapy, Mindfulness, Yoga, and Energy Work. I now offer Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy as well which is so needed in our society. Problems with the pelvic floor, like leaking when you sneeze or pain with sex are so often normalized or even shamed and there is actually work that we can do to alleviate these symptoms. I am grateful for the opportunity to help people learn more about their pelvic floor and how they can take care of it. As I’ve integrated Pelvic Floor PT into my work, it has changed how I work with every single patient as our ability to stabilize and manage pressures in our core greatly impacts the rest of our bodies.
Regardless of what people come in to see me for, they can expect my full attention and empathy. I listen deeply to their stories about what is going on in their body and how it is impacting their life. I aim to meet them where they are, as they are each session and help to nudge them in the right direction towards their goals. I believe we have far more healing capabilities than we give ourselves credit for and aim to empower my clients to be active participants in their healing process.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Community. I am fortunate to be surrounded by a wonderful and supportive community including my husband, family, and friends. I’ve had excellent mentors in my field who helped me see that owning my own business was a possibility and helped me to problem solve challenges as I got it up and running. Asking for help was never a strong suit of mine and I am thankful for a community who encourages me to do so often.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I have had to unlearn many lessons about failure. I was always a good student, my family had high expectations of me and I had high expectations of myself. I worked hard and generally was able to achieve my goals in a timely manner. When I went into business, I thought that I would be able to beat all of the business ‘norms’ relating to how long it takes to get a business going and profitable. As I went along I had many perceived failures like booking clients that weren’t a great fit, scheduling workshops that no one signed up for, and generally taking far longer to fill up my schedule than I thought. All of these ‘failures,’ made me think that I wasn’t cut out to be a business owner and that I should quit because clearly it wasn’t working. Thankfully my community talked me out of this. Overtime, I started to beat myself up over my ‘failures’ far less often and started to realize that business takes a lot of trial and error and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Each ‘failure’ had a lesson in it and has made me more flexible, creative, and resilient. Now, when I start feeling like I’ve failed at something, I try my best to remind myself that it isn’t a failure, it is valuable feedback.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brittanyleewellness.com
- Instagram: @brittanyleewellness
- Facebook: @brittanyleewellness
Image Credits
Antoinette Photography