We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Rob Berghorn Jr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Rob below.
Dr. Rob, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
In an atmosphere and culture where the medical system currently services people in a reactionary sense rather than a proactive, health promoting sense, we at Endurance Unleashed are doing what we can to change the game (specifically for endurance athletes and active adults). The medical system has been in a bunch of trouble, especially lately, for not serving the community and providing care the way it should. Whether that means insurance companies not covering services or medication, doctors and other medical staff being overwhelmed by the number of people we have in our “sick care” system, or funding and payment being diverted to the things that keep people sick (but do “help”) just because they have more money to lobby…things need to change. This is why at Endurance Unleashed, we really take the education first approach to not only help our clients learn what the root cause of their issues are but also how to get and stay out of pain “for good”. Mind you, injury and pain do pop in and you can’t always prevent everything, but we provide all access help for you to be proactive to not only improve your performance in sport and life but also to be reactive should injury happen. In a world where the current system only provides you with “good enough”, we provide you with effective and long lasting results that keeps you out with friends and family doing the things you love to do for years to come. And we provide results FAST! We believe that once you understand what is going on, this is the first bit of power needed to take the next best steps to get and keep yourself out of pain. Using the tips, tricks, and interventions we provide, you can notice a significant difference, sometimes within the first session but, mostly, within the first couple of weeks.
Dr. Rob, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Since I was in high school, I always knew that I wanted to help people in my career. I was also very good in the sciences and was leaning towards the medical fields as I was looking at my options as I was heading into my latter years. I looked at being a doctor but I didn’t want to push medicines all the time and I thought about surgery as I do like working with my hands and being creative but (after learning this as I entered the field) didn’t want to be wedged into a system that, at times, is overly aggressive at promoting invasive symptom covering treatment first rather than getting to the root cause. I also was a runner since high school and enjoyed it highly as it helped me relax and separate from the day, provide me with goals to achieve outside of the nature of work and school, and provided me a way to promote good health.
As I continued to move through college, my love for healthcare and wellness thrived as I learned about helping athlete and orthopedic conditions in my undergrad studies of becoming an Athletic Trainer. My experience allowed me to help student athletes stay healthy and out on the field, doing the sports they loved most. This continued as I went into my Doctorate program for physical therapy, allowing me to see a very diverse environment of different aspects of healthcare, patients with different types of injuries and conditions across the lifespan, and solidified what I really wanted to do going forward for the rest of my life…making a difference in those I worked with
Things changed, however, as I entered the workforce. In school, I saw some of the issues while still in school that popped up when I started working as a Physical Therapist, but tended to ignore them. I entered a world that initially was all about care and making sure to do right by the patient to a system that was rapidly switching to numbers and profits over results rather than focusing on what the patient needs. At the point where I left to start my own business, I was required to see about 100 patients a week (20-25 per day) which had me taking notes home, staying over to call insurance companies to fight for services they were already going to deny before I even got on the phone, and negatively impacting the personal relationships with my wife, family, and friends.
I knew something had to change and I really wanted to make an impact in my own way. I knew that I could not do it within a large company and I knew that there was a growing community of rebellious clinicians out there, fighting against the current system, bringing back the health in healthcare to the communities we work with.
I created a business that really takes a look at the whole person, inside and out. I don’t focus the body area or just the injured joint or muscle like most other practices. We really take the time to sit down with you, understand your desires and needs, create an action plan together that will take you from where you are to where you want to go, and then implement that plan, adjusting appropriately along the way to get you there fast and effectively. We give you the tools along the way to educate you how to care for yourself and really help you understand how to stay healthy in life and sport so you don’t have to rely on seeing us…unless you want to come back for other health promotional incentives and performance enhancement in life and sport.
We provide a gamut of non-invasive, natural, holistic services that range from injury and aging prevention, injury rehabilitation, and functional performance enhancement where the client dictates where they want to go and how much they want to do. No need to worry about the insurance companies telling you how much you need or what you are approved for. You want it…you get it. We provide our services in an Out of Network and Cash based capacity in this way to best serve our clients so they have the time and the access to services that their insurance companies are refusing to pay for the high quality level of care they deserve.
The experience our clients receive is high and above the standard and many of our clients have expressed that through extensive reviews and testimonials we share on our social media platforms, emails, and with the community at special educational events we do.
As a physical therapy based company, who works with endurance athletes and active adults, we do mainly focus on physical therapy but we also provide recovery services after hard workouts to help you keep feeling fresh, we provide multiple educational events throughout the year to make sure you have the knowledge to take your health to the next level, and we use evidence-based techniques to improve your performance through strength and conditioning practices to help you stay feeling young and ready to take on the world both in life and sport. I could list off a list of our individual techniques and services we offer but really, we focus on goals first and, really then, implement what you need to ensure you get what you want while we provide you with what you need.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
The thing that has really helped my reputation within my market is that I live, breathe, and love what I do every day. I know some business owners out there focus on what is going to make them the most money fast. However, this will only get you so far. Loving what you do has to be part of the cornerstone to really take you far. Especially when you can find others like you in the same field that can help you and push you as you grow and also pick you up when you are not having a great time. If money wasn’t a thing, I would do what I do everyday…but life doesn’t work that way.
Additionally, in a world where physical therapy is a grudge purchase and where insurance companies cut what we are worth every year, regardless of how we perform, it makes it exceptionally hard to thrive as a business owner. This is why myself and a growing number of business owners in healthcare are flipping the script and offering a much higher quality service for a higher fee to not only better serve our communities with an experience they cannot get anywhere else, but also make sure there is enough profit at the end of the year to continue to grow to serve even more people and still have enough to have a comfortable life for my family.
By living and breathing what I do both as a physical therapist for over a decade and as an endurance athlete for over two decades. I have experienced most of what my clients have gone through. I understand their frustrations with the medical system who tries to shut down their training and the thing that keeps them sane and also the troubles that come with trying to improve in their sport…especially as they age. Through this, I am able to short cut their journey from where they are to the goals they want to achieve, and keep them doing what they love along the way.
Because of this mindset and also the action plan we have in place, many people often refer us to those in their social circles, expanding our reach and helping others they love to continue to do the things they enjoy most.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
As I was frustrated with my outlook on medicine and the healthcare field, I started looking for alternatives as I did not feel I could last in this system any longer, both as a practitioner and as a husband, The situation I was in at the time, not only caused me to feel stuck but also created a very negative and unlikeable person to be around (very different from who I usually am). I started to look for alternatives in my field. Leaders who were speaking out about the same thing I was experiencing. I started seeing the big guys of the time out there, Greg Todd, Danny Matta, Aaron LeBauer, and through them learned about my current coach and mentor, Paul Gough.
After hearing these men in my healthcare field not only say how there is a different way to help our communities but also offer advice on how to make an impact in our own way I was sold. I started making my transition to the entrepreneurial world. From these men, I was able to expand my circle out of those who I learned from about business and life.
Names big and small including Greg Crabtree, Dan Kennedy, Chris Williamson, and Alex & Leila Hormozi, have helped me both as a person and business owner grow and think outside the box and not fall into the trap that the culture and society we live tries to put us in. I never wanted to do what everyone else did. I never wanted to settle for the same life as someone else. I never wanted to do the same thing day in and day out. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make change. I wanted to have a fulfilling life in all aspects.
Each person I follow and listen to, really helps shape who I have become and who I want to be. As the saying goes, “the people who you surround yourself with are a reflection of who you are, and they will also greatly impact who you become.” I do what I can to keep growing and surround myself with people who support and push me to be the best I can be.
Find those people out there who speak to you. Find those who have the message and create a similar impact you want to make in this world. Read their books, listen to their podcasts, attend their seminars, and invest in yourself to grow and be the person you want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.endurance-unleashed.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endureunleash/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/endureunleash
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-berghorn-jr-dpt-atc-usaw-9928a689/
- Twitter: https://x.com/EndureUnleash
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@endureunleash
