We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenny Stollmaier . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenny below.
Jenny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents married young and had my older sister at the age of 18. I was born 3 years later. They worked hard to raise us and never took a handout or complained.. I had a great childhood and my parents modeled the value of a hard work ethic. My dad was actually my first boss at Lee’s Famous Recipe when I was 14. He put in long hours in restaurant management and earned great respect from his employees and customers. Throughout his career he helped start up many new restaurant locations for various companies but never took the opportunity to own one, even when the opportunity was presented to him. He gave his blood, sweat and soul to making his locations successful. I believe he will always wonder “what if?”.’ When the opportunity was presented to me to purchase my own building with my husband and lifelong friends and to start my very own practice inside that building where I would be in complete control of every aspect of the care I want to provide to my clients I had many conversations with myself and other small business owners, but in the end it was my conversation with my dad that had the most impact. I didn’t ever want to wonder “what if?”. I didn’t want any obstacles standing in my way of providing the best customer service I could provide to my patients. I wanted to know where I’d be 20 years from now and I wanted to change how people perceive and receive healthcare. I wanted to evolve how I feel my clients need me to evolve to help them thrive. My parents taught me to work hard and to be kind to others and to never give up even when times are tough. They taught me how to manage money and to not get in over my head. They prepared me to be a business owner without ever trying.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I remember being drawn to helping people as early as elementary school where I had the opportunity to volunteer to be a buddy to a student on the playground who had developmental and physical disabilities. I loved getting to know her and helping her be able to have fun at recess. My first exposure to physical therapy was in middle school when I watched a movie with Harrison Ford called Regarding Henry. I was drawn to the relationship between him and his physical therapist. His character, if I recall correctly, was a bit of a jerk and didn’t want much to do with rehab but his PT had a way of gaining his trust and in the end they became great partners in helping his character become independent again. Once in high school, I took my first of many anatomy classes and I fell in love with learning about the human body. That desire to continue to learn has never stopped. I found my perfect career path- one where I could help people live their best lives and continue my lifelong love of learning about the body.
After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 2001 and becoming a licensed physical therapist I gained over 4 years of experience in a hospital based setting providing me with a great medical foundation followed by 10 years of experience in a long term/ short term rehabilitation unit where I also saw a wide variety of clients with neurological as well as orthopedic injuries and pain.. During those 10 years I had the opportunity to work with many talented physical, occupational, and speech therapists and I had a few stand out clients whom I hold dear to my heart. I learned from some of the best therapists and patients to never give up. If something isn’t working, try something else. Think outside of the box. Have someone else see your patient and collaborate. Take some good hands on continuing education classes. Read more. Learn more. Practice more. After taking a John Barnes myofascial release seminar I realized the power of my hands. I could help decrease pain, improve range of motion, help people regain function better than I had been able to do before. I could make an impact on someone’s balance and strength by using my hands and knowledge to release tight bound down fascia and muscle and improve their alignment and posture to allow their bodies to work more effectively and efficiently. That continuing education course sparked a whole new interest in taking different hands on courses and opened a whole new world of opportunity for me along with the many therapists I had been blessed to work with and learn from.
Although I felt like I was becoming a better therapist I soon felt like I was no longer able to provide great patient care. Health care was changing. Reimbursement was changing. I was no longer was able to spend the appropriate amount of one on one time with my patients to help them get to the level I hoped I could get them to and that they wanted to get to. I started to hate the health care system. I felt like I was failing being a part of a broken system.
I am forever grateful for the opportunity that came along for me to practice alongside a wonderful manual therapist in a cash based setting for 8 years. Without insurance dictating care, my love of working in healthcare blossomed again. And my love of learning new hands on techniques of myofascial release, trigger point release, mobilization with movement, muscle energy techniques and integrative dry needling grew even stronger. I learned so much from the humans I had the opportunity to lay my hands on to treat and the personalities inside those bodies that graced me with their knowledge and experiences.
In 2023 I had the opportunity to purchase and renovate a building in my hometown of Milford Ohio. The goal was to turn an old tired looking building into a beautiful space for 4 health care practitioners to lease and treat. My husband and I purchased that building alongside a good friend of mine from middle school and her husband. Jennifer Simpson, owner of Thrive Therapy Inc, had put this idea in my head many years ago but I was happy and set in my way and living my “safe” life. There were things I wanted to do differently in my own PT practice and ways I wanted to grow and I knew I was limited where I was so when I saw the ad for a building in my perfect location we all jumped on it. With hard work and endless nights we transformed “the building” and opened the doors to Thrive Wellness Center less than 3 months after obtaining our keys and I was the first tenant to occupy space.
I started Thrive Wellness Physical Therapy and Personal Pilates in December of 2023. I specialize in one on one hands on manual physical therapy. Most of my patients have acute and or chronic pain. Some have limitations from prior or current neurological issues. I see clients ranging from high level athletes to weekend warriors to grandparents just wanting to play with their grandchildren or get thru the grocery store without pain or falling. I have helped people who slept “funny” and woke up and can’t turn their head to look over their shoulder in the morning as well as those with severe osteoarthritis who are either medically unable or unwilling to undergo surgery for a joint replacement improve their function and live with less pain. I have worked with professional dancers and college athletes to improve their mobility to perform at their best. I love helping people who have been unable to find relief elsewhere. My clients range from elementary school age to over 80. I’ve treated rib pain, finger pain, toe pain, headaches, joint pain, acute and chronic ankle sprains, the list goes on. My most common treatments are for low back , hip, neck, shoulder and elbow pain and nerve entrapment injuries with numbness and tingling. I love helping clients who have lived with chronic pain find hope again. Providing my clients with knowledge and recommendations for tools and self treatment techniques to give them power to take their lives back is always a goal. Treatment are typically 55 minutes but I offer 85 and 115 minute sessions as well. I am always willing to adapt if needed. Sometimes treatment are primarily hands on manual therapy sessions and other times part of the time is also spent on the Pilates reformer machine. I fell in love with Pilates and specifically the Pilates reformer as its is a great way to connect the body for full body workouts and to improve balance, coordination and core stability. Every exercise can be modified for own’s fitness level and ability. I also provide private one on one nonphysical therapy based sessions for those wanting to improve overall fitness. Personal Pilates sessions are great for those not wanting to do a group class or for those wanting to start out privately and transition to a group class elsewhere. With private sessions we can focus on personal goals with hands on corrections or cues always being available to help the client get the most out of their session.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
Health care has changed a lot over the years as did where I felt my role in healthcare would be. My initial interest was never in outpatient orthopedics and pain management. I never dreamt I would work in that setting let alone own my own practice and be out of network for all insurances and have people that wanted to see me. I was drawn into physical therapy to work with patients recovering from spinal cord injuries and strokes and saw myself working with the aging baby boomers in my career. But the more I learned the more I evolved into a whole different therapist with different techniques. I often asked myself the question “If I had to do it all over again would I still go to school to be a PT?”. The answer, no matter how much I hated the health care “system” during my career, has always been a strong “yes”. I love what I do. I have loved every setting that I have worked and I have no regrets. Each setting brought me new skills, new mentors and new clients whom I am continually blessed to learn and grow from and to be continually challenged to want to keep learning so that I can help them lives their best lives. As long as my profession keeps challenging me to grown and learn I will always be happy.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Most of my clients refer a friend or a relative at some point. When they realize that they don’t have to live in pain or at the high level of pain they had grown accustomed to and that they feel the best that they have felt in years they get excited and want others to have that same opportunity. I don’t always make pain go away, but for those people living with chronic pain and having a constant awareness of their pain and limitations who finally experience intermittent relief or quieting of symptoms, it can be life changing. Word of mouth is my best referral source. I pride myself in providing excellent communication and service. If a client reaches out to me I try to respond that same day and offer them treatment times that same week or even day if possible. I try to keep my intake paperwork and billing simple and I am transparent with my pricing so that my clients know exactly how much they will be spending each session and there is no surprise billing. Obtaining quality health care and receiving excellent communication should not be hard. I am fortunate enough to not have obstacles standing in my way of providing the service and care that I want and that people deserve. When people experience the difference between what they call “traditional PT” and what I can provide they sell my services for me. Word of mouth from family, friends, social media posts and recommendations from other cash based PTs whom I have been fortunate enough to cross paths with and share clients with have been a great help too. Meeting other PTs with a similar mindset has been such a blessing. We all want what’s best for the patient and I love sharing clients and collaborating and learning from some of the best.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thrivewellnessptpilates.com/
- Instagram: @thrivewellnessptpilates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088004090044&mibextid=LQQJ4d