We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenny Kell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I began my practice as an occupational therapist in 1999 in spinal cord and trauma brain injury rehabilitation. It was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. I witnessed firsthand the connection of the brain and body and the importance of functional movement in healing. Eventually I began working with people recovering from cancer treatment and became certified in manual lymphatic drainage. In 2013 I became a certified yoga instructor and began incorporating what I’d learned about linking breath to movement into my OT practice with great success. I worked in home care and clinical settings for nearly 20 years before deciding to begin my independent therapy practice. I taught therapeutic yoga to a small group of seniors and cancer survivors in my home and my practice grew from there! Eventually I joined a group of welness practitioners at a center called The Health Collective where we all referred clients to one another. Eventually I had a thriving lymphatic and therapeutic yoga practice and I formed my company, Movement Therapy Dallas. I have since added two employees. The best advice I can give someone starting out is to get to know your community! In Dallas we have a huge community of diverse healthcare practitioners who I’ve found to be warm, caring individuals who are willing to collaborate. I never feel like I’m competing with anyone. I love meeting different practitioners who can offer my clients something that I may not be able to. I’m a huge believer in paying it forward! I had people who helped me get to where I am today & I truly enjoy mentoring and encouraging other therapists to start their own businesses.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When someone comes to Movement Therapy, they are treated uniquely. No two people are the same – everyone comes with different backgrounds, goals and experiences. We off our group therapeutic yoga classes which include adaptive chair yoga and mat classes. These classes are great for those who have limited mobility, and who are recovering from or living with chronic illness or injury. We also offer 1:1 functional mobility training and breath work. As far as the lymphatic therapy part of the practice, we treat people who are living with chronic lymphatic diseases, healing from surgical procedures, cancer treatment, and who are recovering from environmental conditions link mold and heavy metal toxicity. When clients come to see us, we treat the whole person and not just their conditions. For instance, someone may come to us for lymphatic therapy, but may also have chronic pain conditions that can be addressed through breath work or functional exercises. The training I received through my clinical experiences give me a unique perspective that I can offer my clients.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would absolutely choose the same profession. I believe I was born to do what I’m doing! I have lived with chronic pain for the majority of my life due to a congenital spinal malformation and having autoimmune disorders. Because of my practice I can take care of myself while helping others.

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

Community is key in this profession. You must be humble enough to know you will never have all the answers. As much as I would love to help everyone who comes to see me, I know that’s impossible. When you’re open to building or working within a community, you can still help by pointing people in the right direction and sending them to others who may have different skill sets. When you refer to others, 9 times out of ten they will refer back to you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.movementtherapydallas.com
• Instagram: Movement_therapy_dallas
• Facebook: Movement Therapy Dallas

Image Credits

Dan Schulz, Leanne Schulz