Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charleson Agustin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Charleson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Being a clinician 2 years out of physical therapy school has made me realize what is taught in school can’t compare to real life experience. My biggest fear after graduating was being overworked and becoming a cookie cutter PT as I heard so about much during my education.

My first job would have been considered a “mill”. I had 25 patients in a 10 hour day, I would work the phones during lunch, and had frequent productivity meetings where I was told I could do more while I was doing all I could.

I decided to leave my first job and venture out as a Travel Physical Therapist. “It’s like a travel nurse,” is what I tell everyone because apparently no one knows that it’s a thing! So far, I have been able to experience the outpatient orthopedic setting in a different perspective.

Going into travel, I told myself that I would not settle for less than I deserve. I would not put 110% of my energy just to satisfy expectations which were impossible without sacrificing quality of care/my sanity. I would say no when I need to, especially when it comes to looking out for myself and my patients.
ex: “Hey Charleson, can we double your post-op patient with this person with balance issues?” The answer for my sake and yours is no.

My greatest lesson since starting my journey as a PT into one word would be to communicate.

A lot of the challenges during my first year working were due to my inability to communicate my needs and what I was comfortable with.

From your first interview after graduating and on, communicate and remember that how others value you starts with how you value yourself!

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 journey into physical therapy started early not because of injury, but from the skills picked up along the way. As a kid, I would make business cards for my cousins to promote my massage abilities (or more literally, to put an elbow to their back). Massages became a normal thing I would do for my relatives during parties and from there my entrepreneurial spirit began.

While in high school, tutoring and coaching became a passion of mine. I became a pole vault coach for my team during my senior year and 5 years later I was able to help the next generation of vaulters reach CIF and college level competitions.

I think what sets me apart from other clinicians is my perspective to think outside of the box. I in no way devout my time to cookie cutter approaches to anything and I pride myself in that. Whether it was figuring out a way to teach someone something new, learning a new study method to cut down on time, or just making the next best design for my sticker shop, my creative juices are always flowing.

One thing I would love to share with you all is my new book I created to help anyone trying to learn anatomy! “Discovering the Skeleton” is a book I made specifically for kinesthetic learners and for those who don’t have access to physical structures or models detailing the skeletal system.

Learning the skeleton was always a tedious task for me and always had me lugging around models in my school bag or putting time aside to go to office hours to memorize bony landmarks in person. This book is my take on learning those small details without the hassle. Though it is very detailed, even if you aren’t a graduate student studying anatomy, I think if I was 9 years old, it would be pretty cool to know where the lateral malleolus is.

If you want to know more about me, follow me on Instagram @Agustinmotion
Also, find my stickers and other original art on my Etsy @Agustinmotion

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

Funding my sticker business has taken a lot of faith and consistency. My full-time job has been as a physical therapist, which has been supporting my sticker projects and advertising.

I truly have to thank the good people at my first clinical rotation and my first clinical instructor Matt who had his whole team contribute to buying me a Cricut sticker printer which jump started everything.

When I first started making stickers, I laminated and cut each design by hand to make sure I didn’t waste money or sticker paper on designs people wouldn’t enjoy. With the help of my Cricut, I was able to produce even more products and save my hands during the process!

At this point in my sticker business and as a travel physical therapist, I rely on a 3rd party to produce my designs since my Cricut would literally just weigh me down during cross-country travels.

I hope with this extra income and time spent not cutting and printing stickers, I can dedicate more time into  products and books to make learning anatomy an enjoyable breeze.

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

Other than a little luck and skill, consistency and determination has really helped my business shine.

I started my sticker shop in the middle of Covid in 2020 which was easy because I had the time (and literally nothing else to do besides study). 3 years later, it is so much harder to find the time and energy to create new products with a full-time job to juggle.

The best thing that has helped me continue to create has actually been to feed my hobbies. Being able to interact with new people and put my mind on things I enjoy has helped keep my momentum towards creating new designs. I have to thank a lot of people I’ve talked to because it’s the small conversations with quips and puns that have made some of my most popular designs!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://agustinmotion.etsy.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/agustinmotion
• Other: https://agustinmotion.bigcartel.com/

Image Credits
Liezel Gutierrez