We recently connected with Dr. Sandra Harrell and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Sandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

During my collegiate years, I was a 5X-NCAA All-American swimmer who suffered from a slew of injuries. Many of these injuries were repetitive stress injuries that led to surgical intervention and rehabilitation after college. Due to my history of injuries and desire to maintain an active lifestyle after collegiate athletics, I naturally sought a profession that would provide me with the expertise so I could stay active and train while equipping myself with the knowledge and skills to self-rehabilitate should I injure myself.

Fast forward through my years of obtaining my Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy and a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, I went into a clinical in-patient setting and long forgot about my vision. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it was a very tragic time around the world and the healthcare system revealed many flaws. Many clinicians, including myself, dealt with burnout and questioned their purpose. I stepped away from patient care to re-evaluate why I went into healthcare to begin with.

During this time of introspection, I found myself reminiscing and returning to the water. Doing so provided clarity and helped me reestablish my purpose: To combine my clinical expertise in rehabilitation and performance and my athletic experience in swimming to train and treat swimmers. I envisioned helping athletes minimize injuries and maximize performance in the water and in life. My mission became one where I promote longevity in the sport and help people keep doing what they love, longer.

Dr. Sandra, 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?

A big part of what I love is education. I love sharing the wealth of knowledge and my expertise to those interested in the swimming. When I realized my mission, I first started by posting educational and informative posts and reels on social media, mainly on Instagram. I received a lot of inquiries for coaching and tips to improve swimming biomechanics. I was happy to help in any capacity that I could.

I quickly realized there was a major gap between injury rehabilitation, injury prevention, and performance and began to cater my services to help all athletes (recreational and competitive) bridge that gap between healthcare and performance optimization. Since this was, and still is, a novel industry, I combined and utilized various resources, tools, protocols, and the full extent of my training and expertise in both clinical and performance settings to help athletes succeed in the water, in the gym, and in life.

Today, Hybrid Performance & Physiotherapy offers in-person and online rehab, performance, and nutrition coaching, as well as skills and technique development both in the gym and in the water. Aquatic athletes seek my coaching services for various reasons, some of which include improving their performance in the water while preventing injuries to prolong their competitive season. Many others reach out as a result of failed conservative intervention and rehabilitation, or deal with chronic injuries that have been left unmanaged.

With that said, I am proud to share that I successfully reduce pain and improve function, strength, performance, and confidence in 100% of athletes and clients I work with. Additionally, I help athletes who have been unable to train or compete set new personal records in as little as four months.

As a former athlete, I understand how important it is for your healthcare provider to understand your sport and for your coach to understand your injury. With my unique background in both healthcare and athletic performance, I am able to combine my expertise and provide holistic coaching to my athletes and clients. In this digital age, I have the pleasure to successfully coach and train athletes from all around the world.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

To become a successful coach, it’s important to have compassion, good communication skills, and be a strategist. Everyone wants to be heard, to be seen, and ultimately want to succeed. However the path to success looks different for everyone. It’s crucial to recognize there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to coaching and training. Everyone has different goals, different baselines, different personalities, and different levels of resilience. It’s important to be able to determine one’s strengths and weaknesses, and utilize their strengths to bolster and improve their weaknesses. It’s also vital to recognize that in order to be a successful coach, you have to be the ultimate cheerleader. There will be many instances when your athletes and clients want to give up. You have to provide that external confidence until they embody it, internalize your confidence, then make it theirs.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, I embraced the notions of “no pain no gain” and “winners don’t quit”. I was one of the most stubborn people I knew. Throughout high school and my collegiate career, I trained and competed with a fractured finger, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, torn labrum, sprained ankles, bone contusions, a concussion, and numerous other injuries and illnesses. The only time I ever skipped a practice was when my coach kicked me out of practice until I received clearance to train and compete post-concussion. I believed that if I pushed hard enough, kept pushing, and didn’t give up, I’d reach every and any goal I set for myself.

Looking back, I wish I was more strategic with my training and that I wasn’t so stubborn. As a child, I held myself accountable to the highest degree. Every success was my doing and every failure was my fault. I developed a lot of anxiety around the sport and was hesitant to miss practice for fear that if I missed one practice, that single incidence would determined whether or not I set a personal record, win an event, or negatively impact my team. I trained through a lot of pain and that stained my love for swimming in college. Had I been more strategic by integrating more recovery training, focusing on addressing my injuries, and allowed myself to rest when I needed it, I would have been a more successful athlete mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theswimmersdoc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theswimmersdoc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theswimmersdoc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-harrell-dpt-ms/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theswimmersdoc

Image Credits
Donna Balch