Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Brie Coleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Dr. Brie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I thought I had it all figured out. Like many 18 year olds, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. I completed my undergraduate degree from Arizona State University with a degree in Business Administration, a minor in entrepreneurial science and a certification in Spa Management as I had plans to eventually own my own day spa. So you could imagine my surprise when I graduated in 2007 and the financial world crashed a year later forcing me to pivot and sent me in a different direction.
Eventually, I found myself managing a dental practice. I thought it was my dream job at the time as I was making more money than I ever had but for some reason I was hating my life. I was waking up with migraines, clinching my jaw all day, and crying myself to sleep until one day when I walked into work and quit…. no job… no plan… just quit. And I am so glad I did as being alone with my thoughts lead me to find how much I loved personal training. I got hired at one of the best gyms in Chicago and was exposed to so many wonderful people with such diverse goals. However, the goals that were most intriguing to me were the moms I got to work with. It was here I was first introduced to a postpartum condition called Diastasis Recti, and a pregnancy condition called Symphasis Pubis Dysfunction, and I learned for the first time there was a profession within Physical Therapy called a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist and I was hooked. I decided then I would go back to school.
Dr. Brie, 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?
Once I decided I would go back to school to become a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist (PFPT) I learned I had 10 prerequisite classes of sciences I had to complete in order to apply which took me about a year and a half to complete. In the meantime, I had become engaged, got married, and had myself become pregnant. And, although becoming a PFPT was the reason I decided to go back to school, I had no idea the inequities within the healthcare field for Black birthing people until it became my life experience. From having my concerns downplayed/dismissed from my black OB/gyn, rude comments during birth from black nursing staff, and stereotyped racism from black hospital staff immediately postpartum were eye opening.
I started PT school in 2017, 8 weeks postpartum. I graduated 3 years later during a pandemic while also 9 months pregnant with twins! My twin pregnancy was night and day different from my first pregnancy as I was able to carry my twins 39 weeks 1 day with very little aches or pains, I was able to induce my labor naturally, and deliver my children without medication, medical intervention, or pelvic floor trauma. As I snuggled my babies and patted myself on the back for a job well done, postpartum snuck up and slapped me in the face. Finding resources during that time seemed impossible. Finding time to utilize much needed resources seemed even harder. When I first went back to work (10 weeks postpartum) I was assigned to the inpatient unit at the hospital I was hired. Due to being on my feet and walking too much too soon, I developed in-grown toe nails on 8 of my 10 toes and could barely walk. I had to contact and coordinate 3 family members to watch my children so I could go to the podiatrist to care for myself.
I decided to go into business for myself after learning that a Mom, who had just had twins, needed help with her core strength. She could not come see me at the hospital because she had 4 children to care for at home and there was no way for her to arrange care in order to get care (sounded familiar). So I started going to her home and helped bring her 4-finger wide abdominal separation to a 2-finger gap, eliminated her back pain, and allowed her to get back to lifting her kids, enjoying bath-time, and teaching her girls how to ride their bike. She shared my information with another mom friend of hers who I helped eliminate her back pain after her third c-section. And she shared my information to the next mom, and the next to the next until I decided to completely quit my job working at the hospital to start working in my business full-time as an entrepreneur.
The Pelvic Gem is a premier Pelvic Health speciality studio exclusively for women. We specialize specifically in helping women take back their control over their bowel, bladder, sexual pleasure, birth preparation, birth recovery, and return to fitness. We use only holistic strategies and tools to reengage the mind/body connection healing from past trauma, strengthening the body as a complete system, and embracing the journey of womanhood with power.
Over the years, The Pelvic Gem has grown and has now found a brick & mortar home in Flossmoor. The location is designed to be a relaxed and comfortable space where women can feel free to be unapologetically themself. All appointments are scheduled to be only 1:1 with our clients so they never feel multitasked with a double or triple booked practice model. Treatments are conducted in a serene private treatment room instead of a loud, busy, open gym facility. Time is allocated for listening, bonding, sharing, and consulting as the mental load of motherhood and womanhood is complex and very much so integrated into our physical healing. As a practitioner, I prioritize the “chat-time” I have with every client. Being able to provide a validating voice to our often isolating experience has been a powerful change in the progress I am able to achieve with my clients over other PT experiences. Lastly, the Flossmoor facility features a petite movement studio for individual coaching with immediate realtime feedback for faster awareness, learning, and lasting change.
The Pelvic Gem continues to have an in-home aspect to the business as she continues to be a resource for those Mamas that find it debilitating getting out of the house.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I am fortunate to have several friends who are successful entrepreneurs in other fields who encouraged me to become active on social media. For the past 3 years I have been able to grow my business almost exclusively on social media. I have been able to network, attract clients, and provide education in support of my field and profession which is driving the entire profession forward.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Atomic Habits has been an amazing book for me as I have, at times, a hard time staying consistent. As I am currently the only employee in my business, it can be exhausting doing all the things all the time. This book has helped my to develop some effective strategies to keep taking it one day at a time and to keep improving as I go.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pelvicgem.com
- Instagram: @themobilemommypt @pelvicgem
- Facebook: The Pelvic Gem
- Linkedin: Dr. Brie Coleman
