We recently connected with Dina Lucchesi and have shared our conversation below.

Dina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I started my private physical therapy practice in 2020 after working 8 years in an insurance-based practice. I was totally burnt out from seeing a very high volume of patients, and didn’t feel like I was actually helping any of my patients achieve their long term goals. I also didn’t feel like I was consistently treating a population of people who were motivated, active, and looking to better their health long term. I realized that in order for me to treat the type of person who I connected with and to use my skill set effectively, I needed to switch to a private pay model.

What I didn’t anticipate was a global pandemic 3 months after opening my own practice. I had no idea how to navigate that initially, but I had a loyal group of patients stick with me during those tough times. I made a lot of mistakes in the first few years of business ownership, but I think the number one lesson I’ve learned is that you are only as good as the team around you. It took me a very long time to accept and ask for help, and it’s a lesson I wish I learned sooner. I’m so lucky now to have a team of 3 (1 rockstar office manager, and 2 incredible PT’s), who support me and have allowed us to grow more than I thought was possible!

Dina, 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 have been a physical therapist for 11 years now and I first decided to go to PT school after experiencing a number of sports injuries myself. Because I was a patient many times, I fell in love with the idea of trying to help people overcome difficult situations.

Like I mentioned earlier, as I started working, I saw the shortcomings of the medical industry and felt like I had a responsibility to provide better care for my patients. I’m very passionate about patient-centered care. My mission with my business is to show people that you don’t just have to accept mediocre care, and you certainly don’t have to “live with” pain or discomfort. There is almost always a solution, and I provide a service that heavily places the emphasis on understanding my patients at a very personal level and delivering care that empowers my patients to stay active and healthy long term. I’m most proud of the lasting relationships I build with my patients and helping them reclaim their confidence through movement.

I got into this field because of my love for movement and a desire to provide personalized, hands-on care that truly addresses the root cause of pain and dysfunction. And becuase of that, our brand at Core PT & Performance, is geared towards community, connection, and movement. Out services include one-on-one physical therapy, injury prevention, and performance optimization tailored to each client’s unique needs. Our goal is to be a trusted partner in your journey to better health and performance.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the biggest thing for us has been consistently showing up and being a part of our community. We do a lot of community outreach and education at other places of business, including gyms/fitness studios, yoga/barre studios, local schools, and even breweries (shout out to our run club at Vitamin Sea Brewing in Weymouth!). I also think that building relationships with other local small businesses is so powerful for creating a network of like-minded people. The other thing I think that we do better than just about anyone is place an emphasis on our patients having an A+ experience with us. From the moment they call us inquiring about an appointment until their last appointment we aim to make our patients feel seen, heard, and empowered.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Our team culture is something I’m most proud of but is also something I’ve worked the hardest on cultivating, especially in the last 2 years since I’ve added staff to our team. I never had any management experience prior to owning a business and I’ll be honest I was really bad at being a good leader initially. I would say there are three things that come to mind on how to manage a team and how to get the best out of your staff. First, get yourself a business coach who knows what they’re doing. Second, learn how to clearly communicate expectations. Third, hire people based on being a good culture fit not just because they look good on paper.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coreptp.com
• Instagram: @core_physicaltherapy
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CorePTandP
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/core-pt-performance/
• Other: https://linktree.com/corephysicaltherapy