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

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I was sweating my leggings off, winded AF and about to start the cool down to a sixty minute Saturday morning cycling class, when the students started moseying down the hall in their flip flops with yoga mats in tow. It was my sign. “I MADE IT.” The hardest part was over and I now got to kick off my spin shoes, cool down and go enjoy some yoga or a smoothie and my walk home. Didn’t matter, the work was done and it was Saturday.

A few stretches and three big breath cycles later, class was over. It wasn’t but a moment later, while wiping my bike down and chatting with the remaining students that a few yogis entered the spin room wondering where the yoga instructor was.

News from the front desk, class was not cancelled in error… whoops.

Now it was my turn to drag myself back down the hallway to deliver the news to a full class that yoga was cancelled for the day… only to be met with this response:

“Well could you just teach the class?” This is where I become the wide eyed emoji (were emojis even around then?) as my don’t shoot the messenger fears turned into, a spiral of anxiety.

I teach spin… not yoga… I haven’t even taken that much yoga… well maybe a decent amount, but enough to teach it? I’m not even certified… but I am a therapist… How do those instructors remember all that shit? I write out my spin classes… I don’t even have a playlist. That smoothie sounds pretty good right now… why did I offer to tell the class?!

So following the mental match of ping pong, I laughed it off and said, “Sure, give me a minute to find some music to flow to, and please, no judgement, I have never taught a yoga class before, so this could get real interesting.”

That’s when I first remember replacing fear and control with faith and flow. I had no plan so I rolled with it. I took the chance on enlightenment over embarrassment. I released judgement of myself and while I don’t know if I taught yoga, I taught myself that I will never know what I am capable of unless I try.

Jessica, 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?

My name is Jessica Pisano PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, CIDN and I have been a physiotherapist for over 13 years, with specialties in orthopedic manual physical therapy, dry needling, women’s health, chronic pain and fatigue. I have been in the fitness industry for 9 years with a background in pilates, yoga, barre and cycling all fused with my my training as a physical therapist!

Hearing so many stories about my clients, friends and family being let down by the current healthcare system, frustrated by lack of solutions to their problems and unsure of where to go next, I founded The Fusion Physio. My goal is to bridge the gap between healthcare and wellness promotion by emphasizing proactive “well”care over reactive healthcare.

At our core, we empower active men and women feeling frustrated, run down, and/or disconnected from their bodies get the personalized support they need to journey through life having fun doing what, they love without fear of breaking down. And in all reality, while prevention is purely impossible, we are here to help with the bumps and bruises that come from living life, but reducing the risk of them is a side effect we could all benefit from!

I am proud to be the Chief Empowerment Officer at the Fusion Physio and a group fitness instructor at the Wembley Club, guiding and serving my community down the path of wellness, healing and self discovery.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Old Belief: Owning a business meant giving up my time.

New Belief: Owning a business gives me my time back.

I grew up watching my dad run businesses. I even worked for one of them doing everything from entering information into Quickbooks, counting inventory, to cleaning toilets.

He worked ALL THE TIME. He still does… and thank goodness. He needs something to do other than drive my mom nuts… love you dad!

All joking aside, it wasn’t like a switch just flipped. I spent YEARS being told I should open my own practice or buy the practice I worked in. To everyone else it sounded amazing, but to me it sounded exhausting.

After COVID lockdowns and the realization that outpatient therapy was not in fact essential, I went back to work 4 days a week so I could better balance being a new mom and a clinic director. But I was still constantly in a hurry. A hurry to get home to my baby and husband who I missed, a hurry to get to the gym to teach and a hurry to get to the bathroom, because I was so busy I hardly had time to pee.

This certainly wasn’t the life I imagined… constantly on the verge of peeing my pants!!

So, when I got pregnant with my second and gained 10 pounds in the first trimester from eating my emotions, still on the verge of peeing my pants because now I am growing a human, I recognized that being pregnant with this baby was not a reason to stay stuck, maybe it was a reason to make a change or maybe it was the hormones… Either way, at 14 weeks pregnant, I quit my job, started working contract for my buddy and signed up for a business coaching program, that like my buddy, claimed there was a better way!

In that program, I learned A LOT, mostly about myself and a little about business. My biggest lesson of all was that I was my own biggest roadblock on my path to freedom. If I changed a belief, then I could in all reality change almost anything within my own control.

So instead of letting my business run me into the ground, I was going to run my business. Starting with putting my life on the calendar first.

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

I love this question. Mainly because the answer is the same exact thing that I believe is helpful in succeeding in life.

1. Believe. Believe in your abilities. Believe in your abilities to change yourself. Believe in your abilities to help others change not only their body, but more importantly their mindset!

2. Listen. Really listen. To your clients, but also, to your gut and your heart. Your brain is smart, but often limits full potential. Encourage your clients to do the same.

3. Be curious. Ask questions. Then get to the root of the problem.

3. Set boundaries. To your time. To your energy. When you set boundaries, your clients will, too.

4. Vulnerability is a super power. No matter what you learn in school. Be authentic. Being a human being with your clients is not only appreciated but crucial in building relationships and fostering connections.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thefusionphysio.com
• Instagram: @thefusionphysio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefusionphysio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-scott-pisano-7750a1a3

Image Credits
Erica Faith Milligan